South to Craobh via Shetland and Orkney Islands

We have had a fabulous time since we left Lerwick. There has been very little wind so we have done a lot of motoring and while it may be Spring the temperatures haven't really warmed up yet. Days are long as we are now only a month away from the summer solstice. We decided to go as far south as Craobh Haven on the west coast of Scotland. It is very rare for us to return to a place and it has been so good to drop anchor and know people ashore instead of always being strangers....a rare treat.

The west coast of Shetland is stunning with huge, high stacks of rock everywhere and good anchorages. Each day was a "wow" day as we moved south.

Papa Stour is an island with 22 miles of coastline and was first populated 3000BC. It has a rich history, easy walking and birds galore. Only a handful of people are living there now while some live on the mainland but still farm on the island.  As you can see, Shetland lacks trees of any sort!

Spring brings some colour to the villages where people make quite an effort in their gardens while nature does a pretty good job on her own with bluebells.

How about this for a home? We anchored in a very tight little spot in front of this magnificent place on the island of Vaila where we met the owner Richard, a retired London lawyer, who, along with his wife, breeds organic sheep. It was so full of amazing things that I didn't know where to look first! There were old paintings, stuffed birds, armour...too much to take in. We visited the watchtower which they have made into a quirky little hideaway with great views. So glad we decided to drop anchor there instead of just passing by.

 Scalloway Castle was built in 1600 and dominates the ancient capital. There is a very good museum that tells of the "Shetland Bus" where the local fishermen helped the Norwegian resistance movement during WWII, taking over spies and supplies, bringing back refugees.

A good breeze gave us a fast sail for the 65 miles to Pierwall on Westray Island in the Orkney Islands where we sat for 3 days waiting for things to settle down. We bundled up in warm clothes and explored the village and surrounding countryside. Of course there was a castle. The islands here are not as dramatic as Shetland but rich in ancient history.

The island of Rousay had burial chambers almost 5,000 years old.

Another 64 mile sail in brisk winds got us to the north coast of Scotland where we sheltered at Talmine. The next day we gave up trying to get around Cape Wrath, the NW corner of Scotland, in the shitty seas and dropped anchor in this stunning spot in Loch Aeriboll, with an old lime kiln and great walking.

  

 This cave was used as a church on the island of Rona. The outlook over to Skye was magnificent. It was quite a walk in so they must have been keen. We lit a candle there for our friend Paul. A lot more interesting than the churches that are built nowadays.

Crowlin's Island was once a pirate hide-out. It used to be covered in trees which would have helped.

We caught up with people we met last year when we returned to Canna, enjoyed the music and dancing before making our to Craobh Haven where we are continuing to have a social time. Doing a few jobs on the boat and stocking up on food while we are near a big supermarket. Friends join us tomorrow for a few days on the water and then we will move  quickly to Stornaway to await fair winds to head up to the Faroes. Several other boats are heading that way about the same time so we might get to cruise in company for a change.

Back onboard and over to Shetland

After a great summer back in NZ we arrived back to a sunny Norway which was a nice surprise. We managed to haul the boat out at a nearby yard the next day and spent the weekend antifouling and polishing the topsides. All that while feeling a bit of jetlag!

    This is where Windora spent the winter under the watchful eyes of the locals who seem to be down checking the boats most days. You can see by the narrow entrance that it is an extremely sheltered spot and gets any sun that's around. Just a few miles from Bergen, on the island of Askoy, Florvag was the perfect place to leave the boat.

 

Just a week later we were on our way to Shetland.

 

We meandered through rocky islands and channels for 12 miles to get to the open sea.

 

The sun continued to shine and we had an easy 30 hour sail across to Bressay Island and anchored in Aith Voe.  Great walking,good holding and friendly locals made it a good spot to fill in the Easter weekend before moving around to town.

 

                                             Remains of a slate quarry.

World War 1

                                          
                                            Fish oil factory remains

 

The island still has crofts and areas of common land to be used for farming.

 

 

Lerwick is an amazing old town with loads to see. We have been out walking every day, exploring all the alleys and little shops. Norway was so expensive that we used up most off our stuff so we are busy getting food diesel alcohol. It has been good getting back into walking everywhere again and being amongst such a friendly lot of people. Everyone wants to help us and we have met some interesting folk. We had just finished tying the boat up at the small boat harbour when a family from Golden Bay, just over the hill from home, called down to say hello. They were over on holiday. The local working on the dock had spent quite a bit of time in NZ and so it seemed with everyone we met. There is a strong connection between Shetland and NZ!! There is also a small boat tied up behind us with 2 young Germans onboard who have wintered over in the Lofoten Islands in Norway who we have been sharing stories with, nice to be back amongst cruising folk again.

On the way to the supermarket we go past this bronze age "broch" built on the Clickimin Loch.

 

It feels good to be back on the move again.We will explore Shetland, Orkneys and Scotland until things warm up enough to head up to the Faroes and then Iceland and beyond.

NZ's Beautiful Fiordland

We left Windora in a snug harbour on the island of Askoy, a few miles from Bergen, at the end of October as the days started to grow shorter and the temperatures dropped. Phil was out hosing down the deck one afternoon and the water was freezing behind him so we were pleased to hop on a plane and head back to NZ to enjoy the southern summer.

We had planned to build a tiny home this year but have been able to stay in a cottage behind Luke and Ella's house which has been great as we get to see the grandchildren every day, a rare treat for us. Instead, Phil's energy is going into helping Luke get their converted fishing boat ready to start cruising next year.

Since we are not doing so much I thought I would post some pictures of our cruising in the fiords of NZ. We have done two trips down there, one in the winter where we were the only yacht, and a few years later when we enjoyed a very social summer cruise. The fiords are quite different from those of Norway, steeper and unpopulated. Only a few yachts venture there, but there are quite a few hardy fishermen. Our fiords are on the south-west coast of the South Island, with the first arm at 44 degrees south. Leaving Nelson at the top of the island, there is not much shelter until you get to Milford Sound 400 miles away. Westport is an option in good weather but that's when you don't need it! Otherwise there are a couple of bays with limited shelter, so picking the right weather is important. Ahhh, but once you are there it is magic!

 Milford is the only fiord that can be driven to, but nothing can compare to arriving from the sea. It rains in Fiordland....182 days and about 7-8 metres a year on average (one of the wettest places on earth) so the first thing you see are some amazing waterfalls. This one falls 150 metres! We always anchor in a cove by the local fishing boats under our own private waterfall. From there we can do several good bush walks, including the start of the world-famous Milford Track.

25 miles south of Milford is one of my favorite fiords, George Sound. 12 miles long, right at the head is a snug anchorage with a line to tie a sternline onto already set up. From there we can scramble up to Lake Alice where Phil's brother left a canoe many years ago when he was fishing in the area.It feels so isloated and peaceful, one of those magical places.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

 One of our best cruising stories happened here. We were rafted up to a fishing boat while it rained for 8 long days in the middle of winter and couldn't get ashore as the overflow from the lake was causing a metre high wall of water across our bow. I said to Phil that I could do with some female company, and would you believe it......the very next day a charter boat turned up with ten lesbians onboard!!! We had so much fun with them and were able to go adventuring up swollen rivers in their big dinghy, share meals and laugh all the time.

 Blanket Bay used to be a pretty social spot for the fishermen to meet. It had a freezer, fuel, shop, helicopter pad and pub but is now just a great spot to tie up to and get water.

 

The fishermen often set up permanent lines where it is too deep to anchor. Here we are tied alongside a line between 2 islands and below we are stern tied to an old wreck.

Preservation Inlet in the far south is full of history. There was once a settlement called Cromarty where a private lodge now stands and from there you can follow an old tram track to the remains of a mine. It is hard to imagine living here. Life must have been very hard. Here's Phil with some paua (abalone).

So that is a look at one of our favorite cruising areas. It isn't the easiest.....more bush-bashing than tracks, plenty of sandflies at times, no shops, but the friendly fishermen and stunning anchorages keep drawing us back there.