MV Dirona travel digest for Scotland 2021


Show Scotland 2021 travel log map Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise.

On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at //mvdirona.com/maps/LocationCurrent.html.


   

2/27/2021: Conditions
Winds are light at less than 5 knots as we travel west into the North Sea from the Egersund area. We're pitching 10.7° and rolling 6.8° with tight westerly swell on the bow. We expedt the sea state to remain like this for the next 8 hours or so and then slowly improve overnight.
2/27/2021: Moonset
Moonset in the North Sea. The winds remain light with a tight westerly swell.
2/27/2021: Lowering Courtesy Flag
Lowering our Norwegian courtesy flag as we depart Norwegian waters. That's been up a while.
2/27/2021: Flag Condition
Courtesy flags usually last about two months, particularly in heavy winds. But the one we bought in Haugesund lasted almost double that and still looks to be in great condition.
2/27/2021: Conditions
This winds have remained calm at 5-10 knots, and the swell has lessened, so we're now pitching at 7.5° and rolling at 5.6°, down from 10.7° and 6.8° earlier today.
2/27/2021: Sunset
Sunsets at sea are often quite spectacular.
2/27/2021: Sleipner Gas Field
Passing over the Sleipner gas field, discovered in 1974, with production rigs to our southwest and a web of charted subsea pipelines (the purple lollipop shapes). The Grampian Dynasty to our south is going to pass just behind us.
2/27/2021: Grampian Dynasty
The rescue boat Grampian Dynasty to our south. They've just diverted to slightly to starboard to give is a bit more distance as they pass behind.
2/27/2021: Rigs at Night
The oil rigs ablaze with lights look like small cities out there in the middle of the North Sea at night.
2/27/2021: Brae Oil Field
Passing over the Brae North Sea oil field, a Scottish field discovered in parts between 1975 and 1989.
2/28/2021: Conditions
Conditions continued to improve overnight and we're now pitching at 5.6° and rolling at 4.6°, down from 10.7° and 6.8° yesterday morning. You don't get much better than this in the North Sea in late February.
2/28/2021: Piper Oil Field
Passing the Piper oil field to our south, a Scottish-owned field that is piped to the island of Flotta in the Orkney Islands. We'll be anchoring near Flotta at Longhope.
2/28/2021: Brow Head
Robert Harris asked our permission to include in an article he was writing the aerial photograph we'd taken in 2017 of Brow Head on the west coast of Ireland. The article was published today and it's quite nicely done: A Signal Success in Irish Engineering – Part 8: Brow Head. Reading the article brought back some nice memories of our time in Ireland. You can just see us standing near the center wearing red and casting a shadow.
2/28/2021: Fishing Vessel
Large fishing vessel running south off Scotland.
2/28/2021: Calm Seas, Clear Skies
Fabulous clear and calm conditions to finish our North Sea crossing.
2/28/2021: Bulker
Bulker heading into the North Sea.
2/28/2021: Spitfire
The calm North Sea conditions are Spitfire-approved.
2/28/2021: Land Ho!
Scotland is in sight in the distance about 20 miles away. We expect to land in about three hours.
2/28/2021: UK Courtesy Flag
Raising a yellow quarantine flag (indicating we require clearance into the country) and a UK courtesy flag as we enter Scottish waters.
2/28/2021: 9.3 knots
Our speed is picking up considerably as we approach the Pentland Firth between the Orkney Islands and the Scottish mainland. Current here are among the highest in the world and can reach 16 knots. Conditions can be extremely hazardous when tides that strong meet an opposing wind—our charts are covered with warnings.
2/28/2021: 14.8 knots
Our 9.5-knot boat is doing 14 knots through Pentland Firth.
2/28/2021: Scottish House
Traditional Scottish house on the isle of South Ronaldsay.
2/28/2021: 17.4 knots
The highest speed we captured in a screen shot was 16.7 knots, but the maximum speed we eventually recorded was 17.4 knots as we flew through the Pentland Firth. Because we were fairly close to land, it felt particularly fast.
2/28/2021: Burwick Cliffs
Dramatic cliff at Burwick on the southeast corner of the isle of South Ronaldsay. Welcome to Scotland.
2/28/2021: Lothar Rock
We almost missed getting a photo of the beacon on Lothar Rock as we sped past at twice our maximum speed.
2/28/2021: Upwellings
Huge upwellings off North Head on Swona Island.
2/28/2021: Back Eddy
As we passed North Head off Swona Island on a northwest course, we hit a back eddy that heeled us over 22 degrees as we suddenly spun around to the south. It left an unusual 'U' shape in our course. We suffered a broken teapot, but otherwise no issues.
2/28/2021: Cantick Head Lighthouse
The lighthouse at Cantick Head was completed in 1858. The light was automated in 1991 and the original keeper's houses can be rented for overnight stays.
2/28/2021: Spare Carafe
When we hit the back eddy off Swona Island, everything in the boat was still secured for the North Sea crossing so nothing shifted except for the thermal carafe we use for a teapot. We'd left the carafe on the galley counter rather than in the sink and when we suddenly heeled to 22° the carafe flew off the counter and hit the floor, shattering the glass interior. We replaced it with a spare.
2/28/2021: Radar Image
Our Furuno DRS25 radar really produces a crisp image, and has been working super-well since replacing it last year. Here the individual farmer's fields dilineated by fences are visible in the lower part of the screenshot.
2/28/2021: Longhope Anchorage
Our anchorage in Longhope, Orkney, UK in 24 ft (7m) on 175 ft (53m) of rode. We're anchored in the exact same place as our last visit four years ago.
2/28/2021: Clearing into UK
On the phone with the National Yachtline small-boat reporting hotline to clear into the UK. As usual, the call was quick and efficient. We later got a call from the Scottish Border Force concerned about quarantine requirements. This issue still isn't resolved.
2/28/2021: Longhope
The view to Longhope from our anchorage. It's great to have completed the first leg of our journey home to the US.
3/1/2021: Hoy Head
The ferry Hoy Head departing the berth at Longhope. The crew returned our enthusiastic wave.
3/1/2021: Sunrise
A fabulous pink sunrise in Longhope.
3/2/2021: Happy Hour
Happy Hour as the sun sets at 5:30. We're continuing our Norwegian tradition of having happy hour outside. We don't feel cooped up inside the boat at all, but we always look forward to spending some time outside at the end of the day.
3/2/2021: Burning
The local residents seem to do a lot of burning here—smoke plumes like this are a common sight.
3/2/2021: NASCAR
We're long-time NASCAR fans. When living in Toronto in the 1980s, we often drove to the eastern US to watch NASCAR races in Michigan, North Carolina and even as far south as Alabama. The last live race we saw was the Daytona 500 in 2017 prior to crossing to Europe. Recently NASCAR has started posting some of their full races on YouTube shortly after they have completed, so we can now watch them in Europe at our own pace. This is the field coming into the pits at Homestead, Florida.
3/3/2021: Long-tailed Duck
A flock of striking long-tailed ducks swam past the anchorage today. They are just wintering here from the Arctic, and are most commonly seen in the UK in northern Scotland.
3/4/2021: Snail Shell
We heard a thump up top on the flybridge sole above the pilot house and went out to check that nothing was amiss. The sound was from this snail shell that a bird had dropped from high above to crack it open.
3/4/2021: New EPIRB
Opening up our new ACR EPIRB that came in our parts shipment from the US in preparation for install. The old one needed a new battery and hydrostatic release mechanism, so it was time this 11-year-old piece of safety equipment to just replace the entire 10-year-old unit.
3/4/2021: EPIRB Installed
The new EPIRB installed on the stack where the original was.
3/4/2021: Old EPIRB
Our old Kinnard EPIRB after removal. This system has an expired battery and needs a new hydrostatic release, and the spring-loaded release mechanism, visible in the center of the picture, has cracked.
3/4/2021: Happy Hour
Happy hour on day four of our Scotland quarantine. It feels a bit like our time in Gigha during the Scottish lockdown, where we couldn't really go anywhere. But we always have lots to do, so this is no hardship for us.
3/4/2021: 46 Amps
We've put 1,076 hours on the generator since the cylinder head change and at 7,818 hours it continues to run well. Here the generator is holding a 46-amp load (gauge at right) at 1728 RPM (in orange slightly left of center).
3/5/2021: Main for Autostart
The generator is due for yet another valve adjustment and we need to cool it down for the job. That won't happen at anchor when the generator is in frequent use, so we instead switched over our autostart system to use the backup generator, the main engine. The main engine picks up the load for one charge cycle and we adjust the valves once the generator is cooled. The yellow checklight at bottom left indicates that we are in an abnormal state, in this case, the main engine is set to be the active generator.
3/5/2021: 274 Amps
The main engine, early in the charge cycle, driving 274 amps at 24 volts (bottom left gauge) into the house battery bank.
3/5/2021: Valve Adjustment
The generator cover off to perform the 12th valve adjustment on our generator at 7,823 hours.
3/5/2021: Boat Yoga
James in the "supine brow stretch" boat yoga position inside the flybridge brow to replace entertainment system weather cover at the flybridge helm. The old cover, at left on the shelf, had broken at the hinge and we are replacing it with the new cover, at right, that came with our parts shipment from the US.
3/5/2021: Radio Out
Replacing the cover required removing the radio entirely, a bit of a job with so many connections at the back. But it's out and now replacing the cover is straightforward.
3/6/2021: Sunrise
Spectacular orange sunrise over Longhope.
3/7/2021: RNLI
The RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) is an amazing life-saving group. They are supported by donations, and most of those out there risking their lives in maritime rescues are volunteers. The RNLI serves the UK and Ireland, and operates in some very difficult sea conditions. The Longhope RNLI station in the Orkney Islands has made many daring rescues, but will always be remembered for suffering one of the worse losses in British lifeboat history when all eight crew were killed during a rescue in a severe winter gale.

On our previous visit to Longhope in 2017, we got to spend a few hours with the the Longhope RNLI crew and learned a lot. They gave us a tour of their their lifeboat, the Helen Comrie, took us for a private visit to their excellent lifeboat museum, and even drove us around the area to see some of the sights. They remembered us from that visit and this afternoon stopped by for a most enjoyable long chat after returning from a practice session.
3/7/2021: Helen Comrie
The Longhope RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) lifeboat Helen Comrie heading out on a training run.
3/8/2021: Hold the Donut
Spitfire enjoying some cream-filled donut, hold the donut.
3/8/2021: Side Floodlight
Dismounting the side floodlight to adjust the angle. Bright floodlights all around really help orient us when operating in tight quarters at night, and we wanted a little more forward angle on the side lights. It appears that James leapt into that position, but he's actually suspended from the crane by his climbing harness.
3/8/2021: Reach Trick
To adjust the angle on the side-facing floodlight, we needed to drill a new hole for the mounting bracket at the tip of the stack winglet. But access to the nut for the bolt holding it in place is through a pie-eye near the base of the winglet. We can't reach it by hand to hold the nut in place and also wanted to add a washer, so used two-sided tape to hold the washer against a wrench, with blue tape to hold the nut in the wrench. Even that was further than James could reach without an extension, so he had to put an extension on the wrench. Then he could reach through the pie-eye and secure the bolt. It still wasn't an easy job, but near impossible without this sort of trick.
3/9/2021: Storm System
One of several storm systems are on the way, with winds gusting into the high forties tonight. Conditions will settle somewhat tomorrow before the next system arrives.
3/9/2021: Storm Arriving
That first storm system is arriving. The barometer (upper left) has been steadily falling the past 12 hours and in the past three hours the winds (top right) have shot up from around 15 knots to gusts up to 41 knots.
3/9/2021: Wind
The winds are from the south and despite the small fetch, the seas are really kicking up (clockwise from top left: forward, aft, starboard and port).
3/10/2021: 51 knots
The storm came and went overnight (wind graph at upper left). At the height, we recorded gusts to 51 knots with the wind steadily above 30. Normally the noise from these high winds would wake us up at night, but with the inlet for the master stateroom ventilation system plugged, the stateroom is significantly quieter and neither of us woke up once. We should have plugged it years ago.
3/10/2021: Buldak Ramen
Norwegians generally are not known for their predilection for spicy cuisine, and and we're big fans of hot food. So when the clerk at Asian Food Market in Bergen recommended we only use a small amount of the spicy sauce when making Buldak ramen, a dish we'd not tried before, we appreciated the warning but thought nothing of making it full strength.

The noodles are delicious, but OMG are they hot. We ended up adding only half the full amount of sauce in subsequent servings and it still is insanely spicy. The dish, introduced in 2012, is one of the spiciest ramen sold in Korean and became famous due to the Fire Noodle Challenge, where people posted videos of themselves trying to eat the fiery dish as quickly as possible. And the version we purchased is the 2x spicy version, even hotter than the original.

We were surprised to learn a scale exists calibrating hotness, the Scoville Scale. The original spicy noodles are rated 4,404 Scoville Heat Units (SHUs), about the hotness of a jalapeno pepper, and the ones we purchased are rated 8,706 SHUs.
3/10/2021: Next Storm
The winds have fallen to around 15-20 knots after last night's storm. But we've got another major storm coming and expect gusty winds into the 40s for the next few days.
3/10/2021: Virus Spread
When we departed Norway in late February for the UK, we knew that we were leaving one of the safest countries in the world from a COVID-19 outbreak perspective and heading to one faring much worse. But the UK is actually now doing better now, with 8.9 cases per 100,000 compared to Norway's 11.
3/10/2021: Thorsvoe
The ferry Thorsvoe departing from Longhope this morning. The first week of our stay, the ferry Hoy Head made this run, but it's been on the dock in nearby Stromness for the past few days. Several years back, the Thorsvoe also took up the run when the Hoy Head was damaged on the dock at Longhope during a major winter storm.
3/10/2021: Mark Steel's in Kirkwall
Colin Whittaker recommended we listen to British comedian Mark Steel's in Kirkwall, the capitol of Orkney. It was hilarious. Steel does an excellent job of digging into the history of a place and poking fun at local customs and history in his BBC radio series Mark Steel's In Town. We'll have to listen to the Portland episode.
3/10/2021: Helen Comrie
The Longhope RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) lifeboat Helen Comrie returning from an evening training run.
3/10/2021: 963 mb
The winds (upper right) and seas have been picking up as the next storm system arrives this evening, and the barometer (upper left) has fallen to 963 mb.
3/11/2021: 51 knots
The winds were steady in the high 20-knot range all night and in the past three hours have really shot up. We recorded a maximum gust of 51 knots so far.
3/11/2021: Hamnavoe
The ferry Hamnavoe en route to Stromness, Orkney from Scrabster on the Scottish mainlaind. That must have been an interesting ride across the Pentland Firth with 40-knot winds blowing.
3/11/2021: 55 Knots
The winds peaked with a maximum gust of 55 knots, are now are settling somewhat, but will remain strong for several more days.
3/11/2021: Heeling
The high winds continue. Big, heavy Dirona for the most part isn't moving around too much, but we do occasionally heel over in a big gust as visible from the bow and stern views (upper left and right).
3/11/2021: Storm Continues
The storm is continuing into the evening, with winds consistently in the high 20-knot range and frequent gusts above 40.
3/12/2021: Thorsvoe
The ferry Thorsvoe on the morning departure from Longhope. The winds are blowing from a more westerly direction where there is more fetch, resulting in fairly large waves as is visible in the foreground.
3/12/2021: Laundry Day
Laundry day on Dirona. This is a simple task that depends on a lot of gear: the watermaker, generator, hot water heater and, of course, the washer and dryer. The watermaker continues to run superbly after the recent reman, as does the generator since replacing the cylinder head. The generator now has 1,136 hours since that major service. For laundry, we have a GE Spacesaver stacked model that has performed well over the years. We've replaced a few parts, but they generally have been inexpensive and readily available.
3/12/2021: America's Cup
We've been really enjoying the America's Cup racing taking place in Auckland, New Zealand. The two boats in the finals, New Zealand and Italy, are both strong in different conditions, so each race hasn't been especially close. The starts have been exciting and so far there hasn't been any passing after the start, but the two teams currently are tied.
3/12/2021: Sharpening Knives
We received a Chef's Choice knife sharpener as a wedding present way back in 1990 and used it heavily over the years in our houses and later on board Dirona. It eventually wore out and we recently replaced it with a model 15XV. It works even better than the original model, and our knives stay very sharp.
3/12/2021: Happy Hour
Happy hour in the cockpit, celebrating our last day of quarantine in Scotland.
3/12/2021: Sun and Rain
A rain storm passing in front of a bright sunset over Longhope.
3/13/2021: Oil Change
Performing the 35th oil change on our Northern Lights 12kW generator at 7,885 hours.
3/13/2021: Firmware Update
Windows Update is always exciting, but nothing is quite as exciting as seeing it do a BIOS update. We took a picture of this, because we thought it might be the last words from James' Lenovo. Fortunately it lives on.
3/14/2021: More Wind
The winds settled a bit yesterday, but are on the rise again and we've seen gusts to 51 knots in the past 3 hours.
3/14/2021: Weather Outlook
Departing Orkney westbound is complicated by strong currents and frequent storms, with few sheltered anchorages along the north coast of mainland Scotland. But it appears we'll get a brief window between weather systems tomorrow afternoon, with favourable current, to make an overnight run around Cape Wrath at the northwest tip of mainland Scotland.
3/14/2021: Wing Fuel Filter
We annually replace the fuel in the dedicated wing engine tank, and change the fuel filter. Normally the fuel and filter is reasonably clean, but this time it unusually dirty. In addition to changing the fuel and the fuel filter, we also took apart and cleaned the Racor 500 fuel filter housing.

The fuel has a black dust in it and it's only been there for a short time. We're not sure what caused it, but suspect that fine sediments have built up over the years in the day tank and it was brought back up into solution when the boat was bouncing through the Pentland firth at 17.4 kts and, at one point, healed over 20 degrees. The filter is fairly clean, so either this black dust passes through it or not much has yet built up in the filter. Likely the latter.
3/15/2021: Conditions
As expected, conditions have settled down considerably overnight with the winds now around ten knots as a small high-pressure system has arrived. Everything still looks good for an afternoon departure from Orkney with favourable current to round Cape Wrath tonight.
3/15/2021: Gas Flare
The gas flare from the refinery on the isle of Flotta mimicking a sunrise.
3/15/2021: Impulse
Impulse under sail towards the port of Longhope.
3/15/2021: Martello Tower
A Martello Tower was built on the south shore of the mouth of Longhope in 1814, with a second across Hoxa Sound. We visited the tower and Hackness Battery, on our previous visit to Longhope in 2017.

Martello Towers take their name from Martelle Point in Corsica, Italy where in 1794 two small cannons mounted on top of a round tower fended off an attack by two British warships with a combined firepower of 106 guns. The British were so impressed that they built over 100 such towers around the south and east coasts of England in the early 1800s when Napoleon was building an invasion fleet. Only one other Martello tower survives in Scotland, at Leith in Edinburgh.
3/15/2021: Lighthouse
Looking back to the Cantick Head Lighthouse as as we head out into Pentland Firth after departing Longhope.
3/15/2021: Cliffs
Dramatic cliffs along the west coast of Hoy.
3/15/2021: Speed
We hit a maximum speed of 12.9 knots as the current flushed us out of Hoxa Sound and continue to ride the current westward making 10.7 knots (middle, left). We're running a 2100 RPM to get around Cape Wrath before the windw pick up shortly after midnight. At that RPM in flat water, we'd normally be doing 8.7 knots.
3/15/2021: Magdalena
The ship Magdalena entered Pentland Firth from the North Sea around the time we departed Longhope. The vessel is running only slightly faster than us, so has been in view most of our trip. We'll be rounding Capt Wrath in about an hour.
3/15/2021: Negative Current
The current changed to flood (eastbound) as we neared Cape Wrath and we're now making only 4.4 knots. We expect this to improve as we round the corner. The winds remain calm at 6.5 knots.
3/15/2021: Bagh na Fionndalach Anchorage
Our anchorage in Bagh na Fionndalach in Loch Laxford in 77 ft (23 m) on 275 ft (84 m) of rode. We initially were planning to anchor at Fanagmore Bay to the west, but the basin was full of fish traps and aquaculture. Fish traps are everywhere here—we really relied on our floodlights to avoid them as we picked our way in. The current improved and we got in about when we expected at just past 11pm. We'll get a good sleep tonight and when the winds settle down tomorrow afternoon, we'll head to Stornoway.
3/16/2021: Bagh na Fionndalach
Morning view from the anchorage at Bagh na Fionndalach. The anchorage is quite scenic, but we arrived in the dark last night so couldn't see any of it until this morning.
3/16/2021: Aqua Star
The fish carrier Aqua Star arrived this morning to the fish farm just north of our anchorage in Bagh na Fionndalach.
3/16/2021: Eilean A' Chrotaich
We departed Bagh na Fionndalach into a fair-sized swell that settled down as we crossed the North Minch. This is the rocky islet Eilean A' Chrotaich on the outskirts of Stornoway. The Scottish coastline is rugged but beautiful.
3/16/2021: Stornoway
A first view to Stornoway. Perhaps because we haven't been home to Seattle for well over a year now, Stornoway is starting to feel a bit like home. It is one of the few places we've visited three times over the past four years.
3/16/2021: Isle of Lewis
The CalMac (Caledonian MacBrayne) ferry Isle of Lewis moored at Stornoway. With most of Scotland still in full lockdown, the ferries are running in a very restricted mode, supporting essential travel only.
3/16/2021: Survey Boat
Survey boat working the Stornoway harbour.
3/16/2021: Lews Castle
View to Lews Castle, built in the mid-1800s, as we approach the Stornoway inner harbour.
3/16/2021: Volt Processor
We were surprised to see the Volt Processor of Fosnavag moored in Stornoway. Fornovag is in the Heroy municipality in Norway, where we toured Westplast boat yard and shopped at the Meny grocery store in the tender.
3/16/2021: Stornoway Berth
Our berth in Stornoway, with a 32-amp power and water available. We haven't been in a marina with water available for several months (the Norwegian marinas we visited shut off the water during the winter). And the last time we had a 32-amp power connection was here, nine months ago.
3/16/2021: Tom Sanderson
Dirona moored in our "usual" berth next to the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) lifeboat Tom Sanderson with Lews Castle in the background. It's really great to be back in Stornoway.
3/16/2021: Packages
We haven't placed an Amazon order since the last time we were in Stornoway. We had a lot of packages waiting and the port delivered them right to the dock for us. This is the first load of several coming over the next few days.
3/16/2021: Inner Harbour
View to the Stornoway inner harbour from the cockpit during Happy Hour. It's a wonderful place to be and we're really happy to be back.
3/16/2021: Evening Views
Evening view to Stornoway (clockwise from top left: forward, aft, starboard and port).
3/17/2021: Propane Refill
En route to Angus Maciver to exchange three of our four propane tanks. Converting our propane system to UK tanks while in Portland a year ago has worked out super-well. We had plenty on board for our two months anchored at the Isle of Gigha during the 2020 Scottish lockdown, exchanged one on our previous trip to Stornoway, and had more than enough on board for several months cruising Norway.
3/17/2021: Mural
Mural by Iain Brady on the end of a building at the intersection of Shell and James streets. The mural incorporates notable Stornoway features, including Lews Castle at the top, a CalMac ferry in the middle, and a fishing vessel near the bottom.
3/17/2021: HMY Iolaire
Memorial to the sinking of the HMY Iolaire, one of the worst UK maritime disaster during peacetime. The ship sunk Jan 1, 1919 in terrible sea conditions just outside the entrance to Stornoway harbour, killing at least 201 of the 238 on board (the ship was badly overcrowded and records poor, so the death toll likely was higher). Most were Royal Navy Reservists returning home to the Outer Hebrides after World War I and represented nearly the entire generation of young men from the islands.
3/17/2021: Propane
After exchanging three empties, we now have a full set of propane tanks that will last us about a year.
3/17/2021: Clysedale Bank
On our previous visit to the UK, we learned that pound sterling notes weren't issued just by the Bank of England. Several banks in Northern Ireland issue their own notes, and in Scotland we've got notes from the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Clysdale Bank. Our experience has been that the other UK countries generally will accept only their own notes or Bank of England notes. We couldn't spend our Northern Ireland and Scottish notes outside the issuing country. The diversity of currency used across the UK is pretty unusual.
3/18/2021: Fog
A foggy morning in Stornoway (clockwise from top left: forward, aft, starboard and port).
3/18/2021: Herring Girls
The Herring Girls statue along the Stornoway Wharf wearing PPE. Dirona is just visible in the background through the fence directly right of the corner post.
3/18/2021: Tesco
With our folding cart at Tesco on our first of several major ships to replenish our deep stores. The store is a little easier to shop in as the one-way routing has been removed in favour of a traffic light system limiting the number of people in the store at a given time with masks now required for entry.
3/18/2021: First Load
Returning with our first load of groceries from Tesco in Stornoway.
3/18/2021: Daffodils
Daffodils just starting to bloom outside the CoOp grocery store in Stornoway.
3/18/2021: Second Load
Returning with our second load of groceries in Stornoway, this one from CoOp.
3/18/2021: Happy Hour
A great selection of British IPAs to choose from for Happy Hour.
3/19/2021: Antibiotics
We needed to replenish the supply of antibiotics in our ship's medicine chest prior to the passage back to the US. Normally we would have picked up some more on a return trip to the US, but haven't been back in over a year. We'd not had much luck getting a prescription here in the UK as we don't have a local doctor here and the doctors we contacted wouldn't issue a prescription for ship-board use.

We asked Donald Murray, the coxswain for the RNLI lifeboat Tom Sanderson who also did our insurance survey last year, for advice. Donald recommended we contact Alastair Macarthur of Stornoway Shipping Services. Alastair quickly and efficiently delivered what we needed.
3/19/2021: Kidney Care
Spitfire was diagnosed with kidney problems a bit more than two years ago and needs a special diet. We feed him Hill's k/d (Kidney Diet) Chicken Pate and had gotten low in Norway because the vendor we purchased it from went out of business. But we weren't concerned because we knew we could easily get more in the UK. Unfortunately most UK vendors we've tried have been out of stock due to what we were told was a manufacturing issue. These kidney diets are very effective at mitigating the problem, and there's no way he'd be alive now without them. However, they apparently aren't the best-tasting and this is the only one we've found that Spitfire will actually eat. And even then he's sometimes reluctant, so the supply shortage is a big concern for us.

We contacted the manufacturer Hill's to possibly learn more, and weren't expecting much of a response. But we received a very detailed reply within a couple of hours, indicating that they are having a worldwide shortage due to difficulty sourcing some ingredients because of the pandemic and recommending some alternative foods. We were really impressed.

Their chicken stew version was still available, so we bought a small flat to see if Spitfire would eat it. The order arrived today and Spitfire gobbled a can down. Whew! It's a good thing he liked it because we transitioned him to normal cat food for a few days as our supply ran low and his health deteriorated dramatically, his water consumption nearly doubled, and neurological problems appeared, where his hind legs would not work fully. After a day of eating just k/d, he's back to his normal spunky self and his hind leg control is very close to normal.
3/20/2021: Virus Levels
Our original plan for this year was to spend the summer cruising Sweden. But with the Swedish border closed to entry from Norway and various other considerations, we decided to return to the US instead. When we departed Norway for Scotland at the end of February, the infection level in Norway was much lower than the UK. Now the UK is at 8 cases per day per 100,000 over the past week, Norway is twice that at 18 and Sweden is nearly six times that at 45. Ultimately we're heading to the United States, and now even the US is also slightly better than Norway at 16.
3/20/2021: Snubber
Replacing the anti-chafe on our snubber line and adding a new piece where it lies against the windlass capstain. The snubber is hooked onto the chain and then tied back onto the boat and provides some elasticity to an all-chain rode, reduces strain on the windlass and can reduce the noise transferred to the boat of the chain dragging over rock.
3/20/2021: Sena Expand
Dirona is not that big a boat, and we've never found communicating while docking to be much of a challenge. But Dick Carey, owner of Nordhaven 55 Tai-Pan, recommended Sena Expand as reliable, easy-to-use, and helpful. For us, ease of use probably is the most important thing because, of course, we'd like to be able to talk back and forth easily. But its never been important enough to us to want to deal with complex or unreliable equipment. Another factor we like about the Sena Expand is they are unobtrusive. We've never liked looking like we're a seal team arriving on a tactical mission. We're just docking the boat.

In testing out the headsets we're actually fairly excited by them. We just throw them on, power them up, enable intercom and all conversation, even at quiet inside levels, can clearly be heard. They work just as well when we are outside in the wind. In all our testing thus far, it seems like they might really be a winner.
3/20/2021: Repackaging
Jennifer repackaging some chicken wings to re-portion and to reduce space consumption and garbage.
3/21/2021: Morning Calm
A wonderfully calm morning in Stornoway. It won't last—we've got several days of big winds coming.
3/22/2021: HMY Iolaire
Posts set out in the water at Stornoway outer harbour in the shape of the HMY Iolaire provide a somber reminder of the shipwreck on January 1, 1919 that killed more than 200 men returning from World War I. The vessel went aground and sank in a severe gale just outside Stornoway in one of the worse peacetime maritime disaster in UK history.
3/22/2021: Herring Girls
Another Herring Girls statue at the Stornoway outer harbour.
3/22/2021: Traps
Stacks and stacks of new traps in stock at Gael Force Marine.
3/22/2021: D.R. Macleod
We often see the beautiful yellow trucks of D.R. Macleod passing by the inner harbour.
3/22/2021: Highland Bull
Highland Bull carving outside the CoOp grocery store in Stornoway. The hardy Highland Cattle is a long-haired breed with big horns that originated in the Scottish Highlands and Outer Hebrides (where Stornoway is located).
3/22/2021: Scalpay
Scalpay, an Economy fishing boat common in the area during the 1940s and 1950s.
3/22/2021: Stornoway Golf Course
Golfers on the Stornoway Golf Course. Under current lockdown regulations, the course is open only to those who live within five miles.
3/22/2021: Bridge
An old bridge passing over the Bayhead River on the Lews Castle grounds.
3/22/2021: Water Wheel
The Stornoway Water Wheel on the Lews Castle grounds is a modern reconstruction of an 18th-century mill that stood on the site.
3/22/2021: Lewis War Memorial
The 85-ft (26 m) tower Lewis War Memorial atop the hill Cnoc nan Uan just north of the Stornoway Golf Course. The tower is dedicated to those from the Isle of Lewis who lost their lives in World War I and the 1919 sinking of HMY Iolaire.
3/22/2021: Casualties
A somber circle of stones at the Lewis War Memorial, each carrying plaques listing dozens and dozens of war casualties: 1,150 are from the First World War and 376 from the Second World War. The 1911 census showed 26,903 residents on Lewis, so nearly 5% of the island's population was killed in World War I.
3/22/2021: WWII Memorial
Memorial next to the Lewis War Memorial to those from Lewis who died in World War II.
3/22/2021: Bayhead River
Crossing over Bayhead River on our way back into town.
3/22/2021: Daffodils
Daffodils in bloom on the Lews Castle grounds.
3/22/2021: Thai Cafe
Picking up some take-out at Thai Cafe on Church Street. Restaurants here are open for take-out only and most do not allow patrons inside the building at all.
3/23/2021: Storm Coming
We've been watching the weather carefully as we prepare both for the local passage south to Ireland and the later Atlantic crossing. This Saturday would not be a good time to be out in the Atlantic.
3/23/2021: Sandwick Beach
With a big southerly storm system in play, we went for a walk out to Holm Point to view the storm and the Iolaire memorial. The strong winds were sending steady waves onto Sandwick Beach.
3/23/2021: Lambs
Dozens of cute lambs were in the fields along the way to Holm Point.
3/23/2021: Microwave Tower
The winds must be really fierce here—we've never seen such a low microwave tower.
3/23/2021: Windy
The winds were predicted to gust to 51 knots today and it felt like it at Holm Point. We had to really lean into the wind to stop from being blown over. The original memorial to the Iolaire disaster, erected in 1958, is in the background.
3/23/2021: John F. Macleod Memorial
On January 1st 2019, to mark the centenary of the Iolaire disaster, a new memorial was unveiled depicting the heaving line that John F. Macleod managed to swim ashore with. The ship was only 20 yards from shore, but the waves kept dragging him offshore. He finally got ashore by clinging to the rocks where the ship was aground and riding the crest of a large wave in. Forty people, nearly half of the 82 survivors, used the line to reach safety.
3/23/2021: Iolaire Memorial
Memorial to the Iolaire disaster above the infamous rocks the "Beasts of Holm", where the ship went aground 20 yards from shore in a severe southerly gale January 1, 1919. More than 200 men returning from World War I were killed in one of the worse peacetime maritime disaster in UK history. A stone pillar marking the site of the wreck is visible to the left of the monument at the edge of the breakers, inland and right of the yellow buoy. It shows how dangerous the sea can be where a grounding can happen so close to shore and still so many lives are lost.
3/23/2021: Light Years Ahead
Tonight we watched Robert Wills outstanding presentation Light Years Ahead: The Remarkable 1969 Apollo Guidance Computer, recommended to us by blog reader Stacy Kenworthy. Wills is an excellent communicator and his great enthusiasm for the topic really brought the computer to life. You don't have to be a programmer or even particularly interested in space flight or computer technology to enjoy this engaging presentation on how Neil Armstrong and the Apollo guidance computer were able to safely land on the moon, despite numerous hardware faults on the trip down. It's amazing, at least for us, that the guidance computer can fault and restart multiple times during the landing, and yet the landing still was made successfully.
3/24/2021: Low Tide
Low tide where the Bayhead River reaches the Stornoway inner harbour next to the Lews Castle grounds at left. The tidal range in Stornoway is quite large and can reach 18ft (5.5m) at maximum. Our neighbour the Tom Sanderson RNLI lifeboat, who normally rescues sailors at sea, recently had to navigate up here to rescue a person in the water near the bridge.
3/24/2021: Lews Castle
Passing 19th-century Lews Castle as we go for a walk on the grounds.
3/24/2021: Dirona
View to Dirona moored at the Stornoway inner harbour beside the RNLI lifeboat Tom Sandreson.
3/24/2021: Castle Harbour
Looking towards Lews Castle across a small harbour and launch ramp from the road leading along the shoreside of the castle grounds.
3/24/2021: Commercial Harbour
The Stornoway Commercial harbour viewed from the Lews Castle grounds. The fuel dock is at far left and the ferry dock is slightly right of center. The inner harbour where we are moored is around the corner to the left, out of the picture.
3/24/2021: Castle and Beyond
View north to Lews Castle and the isle of Lewis from Gallows Hill, the highest point in Stornoway. We walked along the road visible near the waterfront castle wall.
3/24/2021: War Memorial
The Lewis War Memorial, viewed from Gallows Hill. We walked out to this memorial two days ago.
3/24/2021: Gallows Hill
View to Stornoway from Gallows Hill. The hill is so-named because executions used to take place here.
3/24/2021: Isle of Lewis
Looking south across the Isle of Lewis from Gallows Hill.
3/24/2021: Castle Grounds
The Lews Castle grounds are full of roads, most closed to vehicles, reminding us very much of the carriage roads in Acadia National Park in Maine.
3/24/2021: Matheson Monument
Memorial to Sir James Matheson, who bought Lewis Island in the early 1800s and built Lews Castle and grounds. The memorial was erected by his widow in 1880, two years after his death.
3/24/2021: Matheson Bridge
The graceful Matheson Bridge over the Shoeburn creek also reminded us of the many bridges along the carriage roads in Acadia National Park in Maine.
3/24/2021: W J Macdonald
At W J Macdonald butcher in Stornoway to purchase some more of their excellent Scottish steaks.
3/24/2021: Apollo 11
Watching Light Years Ahead renewed our interest in the Apollo 11 moon landing so tonight we watched the 2019 documentary Apollo 11. This film brings together lots of previously unpublished footage, and annotates it with what is happening and what is being said at the time. The movie really brings the excitement of the mission and the landing to life, and having watched Light Years Ahead, you'll know exactly what those 1202 and 1201 alarms indicate.
3/25/2021: Viovet Order
Returning from the Stornoway Port Authority office with the last order we were waiting for: special food for Spitfire from VioVet. We sure use that folding cart a ton—getting this big heavy order back to the boat would have been a real challenge without it, particularly since the large cardboard shipping boxes had gotten wet and were coming apart.
3/25/2021: Kidney Care
Spitfire was diagnosed with kidney problems a bit more than two years ago and needs a special diet that needs to be special-ordered. We just received an order of his new favourite, Hill's k/d (Kidney Diet) Chicken Stew. This looks like a crazy amount, but it will only last about four months, sufficient to get us back to North America with a little buffer. Spitfire's weight varies between 14 and 16 pounds, but based on what he eats it should be about 80 :-).
3/25/2021: Tom Sanderson
The RNLI lifeboat Tom Sanderson heading out on a training run.
3/25/2021: Fueling
Taking on 885 gallons (3352 L) of diesel at the Stornoway fuel dock.
3/25/2021: Sena Expand
Our short fueling trip this morning was the first live test of our new Sena Expand headsets and we love them. Communication is much easier and better, and we really like how unobtrusive they are.
3/26/2021: Toe Injury
James stubbed his toe on deck. It hurt quite a bit given it wasn't that hard of a hit. The next day the toe was looking like it felt.
3/26/2021: Weather Station
Our Maretron WSO100 weather station stopped working this morning so we installed our spare. The unit is out of production, so we'll need to find a compatible replacement.
3/26/2021: Hirta
The boat Hirta, moored behind us, departed this morning. As we watched it leave, we were surprised and slightly uncomfortable to not see anyone at the helm given how close they were to us. As it turned off our bow in the harbour, the puzzle was solved: the Endeavour was towing alongside.
3/26/2021: Dirona
Looking across fishing nets ashore to Dirona moored at the port of Stornoway. Fishermen here are constantly repairing their nets.
3/26/2021: Seals
Wood seal sculptures along the Stornoway commercial harbour.
3/26/2021: More Seals
A second set of seal sculptures along the Stornoway commercial harbour.
3/26/2021: Water Intrusion
We get acceptable life from the Maretron WSO100, where each one lasts 2-3 years. They always fail the same way, where the two plastic halves, glued together, eventually allow water in. Even this doesn't stop them from working. The humidity sensor will fail almost immediately from corrosion, but the rest of the system will keep operating for a long time before it eventually succumbs to corrosion.
3/26/2021: Final Groceries
Returning from our final grocery run in Stornoway. We likely won't shop again until we reach Kinsale in south Ireland just before setting off for the Azores.
3/26/2021: Cleaning Fridge
Before filling the fridge back up with our newly-purchased produce, we took everything out and gave the interior a good clean.
3/26/2021: Dusk
A peaceful evening in the Stornoway inner harbour before another big weather system comes through.
3/27/2021: Storms
A large storm system will be passing through the British Isles over the next few days, bringing strong southerly winds to the Minch between the Outer Hebrides and mainland Scotland. Winds will be lighter and from the north around Wednesday of next week, when we expect to depart for Ireland.
3/27/2021: Stornoway
A calm and sunny morning in Stornoway shortly before the storm arrives.
3/27/2021: Tom Sanderson
The RNLI lifeboat Tom Sanderson heading out to work.
3/27/2021: Storm Arriving
The expected storm has arrived and we've seen gusts up to 39 knots (tell-tale on wind gauge at upper right).
3/28/2021: Wind Settling
The winds peaked overnight and have settled down now, but we expect them to pick back up again this afternoon as another system passes through.
3/28/2021: Hail
Hail as the next weather system arrives.
3/28/2021: Soldering Iron
We've been using thirty-year-old, primitive soldering irons. They were cheap at the time, but struggle to produce enough heat and have poor thermal control. We decided to upgrade to an SQ-001 which is both fairly inexpensive but also very fast to heat with precise heat control. We should have done this years ago.
3/29/2021: Guilty
Spitfire looking very guilty as he's just about to head into the space left by a temporarily-removed drawer in the pilot house.
3/29/2021: High Tide
The tide is very high at Stornoway today and the walkway is almost even with the top of the pier.
3/29/2021: Lews Castle
View to east side of Lews Castle on a walk around the Perimeter trail on the castle grounds.
3/29/2021: Trails
Map of the Lews Castle grounds showing the many mountainbike and walking trails. We'll be taking the Perimeter Trail from the castle at right, then west (left) towards Marybank Quarry, and then back along the River Creed at bottom.
3/29/2021: Strawberry Hill
The first part of the Perimeter trail leads around Strawberry Hill.
3/29/2021: Trees
Tree-lined path along the Perimeter Trail. Many of the paths were once roads that now are closed to traffic.
3/29/2021: River Creed
Enjoying the view to the River Creed from one of the many benches en route.
3/29/2021: Bridge
Taking in the River Creed from a wooden bridge across.
3/29/2021: Pond
Tranquil pond opposite the River Creed along the perimeter trail, with several picnic tables around it (not visible in picture).
3/29/2021: Stone Wall
Old stone wall where the River Creed bends.
3/29/2021: Rapids
Rapids in the River Creed along the Perimeter Trail. The walk was quite scenic and lovely, particularly the sections along the river.
3/29/2021: Cobbler's Bench
Smith's Shoe Shop donated this beautiful wood bench, with the large cobbler's boot in the foreground.
3/29/2021: Stone Hut
Small stone hut along the River Creed.
3/29/2021: Charlie's Seat
Another beautiful wooden bench along the Perimeter Trail, this one dedicated to Mr. Charles B. Nicolson for his many years of public service in the area.
3/29/2021: River Mouth
Looking down to the mouth of the River Creed from the trail above after passing along the path visible below. Charlie's Seat is just out of the picture at right.
3/29/2021: Perimeter Trail
Looking northeast towards the the Perimeter Trail, where we will join our path from a few days ago and return back along the waterfront. We didn't spend any time on the extended castle grounds on our previous two trips to Stornoway and really enjoyed our several walks through the property this time.
3/30/2021: Dirona
A final picture of Dirona in Stornoway shortly before we depart for Ireland, with one of the local seals just visible in the foreground.
3/30/2021: Lews Castle
Lews Castle in the mist as we get underway from Stornoway. We really enjoyed our third visit and wouldn't be surprised to find ourselves here again in a few years.
3/30/2021: Waterfall
One of many waterfalls spilling down the east side of the Isle of Lewis, viewed as we run south for Scalpay.
3/30/2021: Laying Traps
One of the Stornoway fishing fleet out laying traps off the Isle of Lewis.
3/30/2021: Waves
The morning's southerly winds were predicted to turn northerly as we were underway, but the weather system stalled and instead we got 20-knot south winds running against a several-knot ebb current. This was mostly not an issue until we reached the tidal race in the Sound of Shiant where, for a short section, the waves were about 12+ feet and very tight together. Several times green water reached the windscreen.
3/30/2021: Pitch and Roll
As we passed through the tidal race in the Sound of Shiant, we were pitching and rolling to 18° (lower left below depth and speed). The pitch and roll graph is visible slightly above and to the right.
3/30/2021: Sound of Scalpay
Houses on the Isle of Harris to our north overlooking the Sound of Scalpay. The cloud level is right at the hilltops behind.
3/30/2021: Commercial Facility
Commercial facility beside the old ferry dock used before the Scalpay Bridge was completed.
3/30/2021: Old House
Old traditional cottage on the Isle of Harris.
3/30/2021: Scalpay Bridge
The graceful Scalpay Bridge, completed in 1997, connects this isles of Scalpay and Harris.
3/30/2021: Beinn Scorabhaig
The workboat Beinn Scorabhaig at Scalpay North Harbour. This boat has frequently been in Stornoway the past few days.
3/30/2021: Scalpay Village
View to Scalpay Village and North Harbour as we pass around the west side of the island.
3/30/2021: Structures
We haven't been able to figure out what these structures ashore on Scalpay would be used for.
3/30/2021: South Harbour
Entering our intended anchorage of South Harbour on the Isle of Scalpay.
3/30/2021: Scalpay Anchorage
Our anchorage in South Harbour on the Isle of Scalpay in 40 ft (12m) with 180ft (55m) of rode.
3/30/2021: Scalpay Views
Views to the scenic anchorage at Scalpay (clockwise from top left: forward, aft, starboard and port).
3/31/2021: Fruit
We typically have fruit with our breakfast and today it's fresh berries.
3/31/2021: Winds
We'll stay at Scalpay for two nights while some strong winds pass. Conditions should be good tomorrow for a run to Ireland.
3/31/2021: Route Planning
In preparation for our passage across the Atlantic, we've been comparing different routes to the US from the Azores at right. The most obvious route, where the blue boat icon is shown, is an 1,800-mile great circle route to Bermuda, then a 600-800-mile run to the US, depending on our landing choice. The problem with that route to Bermuda is that the winds predominately blow from the west, on the bow, and the route is often in the path of the the storm systems that move northeast across the Atlantic from the the US east coast.

So we we've been comparing the weather on that route to a few other options, including a 1,900-mile run south to the latitude of Bermuda and then turning west, or two possible routes much further south to Florida, skipping Bermuda altogether. The two Florida routes are 2,760 and 2,900 miles, so we'd be at sea much longer, but if the weather appears much better in general, it might be worth the extra miles. We still need to gather more data to make a call though.
3/31/2021: 41 Knots
The expected winds have hit and we've seen gusts to 41 knots in our anchorage at Scalpay.
3/31/2021: Dirona
Kenny Morrison, the Local Authority Harbour Master, sent us a warm welcome along with a picture taken from his house of Dirona at Scalpay South Harbour (click image for a larger view).
3/31/2021: South Harbour
The afternoon sun lighting up homes above Scalpay South Harbour.