2009-07-12 - 14 Out Skerries

After two nights in Lerwick loading up on provision and bunker we decide to take the opportunity to go to the Out Skerries NE of Lerwick before making an attempt to sail back to Sweden or Norway depending on the wind. The forecast was talking about light variable winds becoming westerly on Friday. Maybe we could even make it further north before Friday such as up to Unst and Balta sound. After a pleasant sail with only a few tacks in the light easterly wind we made it in through the south entrance to the harbor.
Mored alongside the pier at Out Skerries.

Gibb, the fish farmer came along and wished us welcome. He could offer fresh salmon so we took of in his boat to catch one straight out from the farm.

Several thousand salmons to chose from.

That's a nice one. It fed us for three days.

After the salmon catching trip Gibb took us for a scenic trip around some of of the islands.

The Out Skerries light house seen through a narrow straight.

This may be justa bit two narrow even for Gibb's durable aluminum boat.

Kajsa is stearing on the way back.

Time to file the salmon. I'm geting expert advice from the ships head chef.

Kajsa at the local air strip. Gibb's wife is adiministrating the air strip and she recently received a medal from the queen for here service on these remote islands.

Gustav and Anna from the famous Swedish Yacht "Muckle Flugga" arrived some time after us and we spent some quality time together in the drizzling rain that came later. First we had coffee and freshly baked cinamon buns in the warmth of Muckle Fluggas wood and peat fired heater. Later we had the pleasuer to se them in Sea Wind for wee dram and so on.

The following moorning the forcast for the weekend had changed and it was now risk for severe gale force winds instead of the nice westerly we had planned fore. We therefore decide to set of for Norway in the so far light winds and Muckle Flugga is leaving for Lerwick.

Muckle Flugga is setting sails and heads out through the south entrance.

Lerwick again.

Back for a quiet night in Lerwick. A little different from the days during the Bergen Shetland race.

Lerwick by night.

Just a few yachts in the marina this time.

From Scalloway to Lerwick

After being stuck in Scalloway for four days due to NR gale force winds we could finally set off in northerly wind and sailed south to round the Sumburgh head and make our way back to Lerwick again.

To avoid the tide (roost) and swell we tide the "inshore passage" north of the small Horse Island and the rounded close to the Sumburgh head.

After Sumburgh head we got the wind right in the nose and continued by engine power close to shore and inside the island of Mousa with the best preserved brouch in the UK.

NE gale force winds = road trip on the mainland

We got stuck in Scalloway four four nights in a NE gale and decided to rent a car for two days and take the opportunity to see as much as possible of the mainland from the roads instead of the sea. We took the bus to Lerwick and rented the care there and spent one after none at Jarlshof and Sumburgh head in the south and the next day up in the north.

The crew on Yvalda mored in Lerwick and waiting to sail back to Göteborg. They eventually took of and had some force 9 winds on the North Sea but made it back safely.

Jarlshof on the south tip on the Mainland. Excavations dating from around 5000 years back to around 500 a. d.

Kajsa and Mona is learning more about the old settlements though an audio guide with head phones. Very interesting indeed.

An old grinding (kvarn) stone.

The interior of a "wheel house".

Looking north.

The most recent building. The only building that was visible until a storm some time ago washed away a lot of the beach and exposed the older buildings.

Sumburgh head lighthouse seen from Jarlshof.

Sumburgh head light house on the south tip of Shetland.

Looking north from the light house with Jarlshof in the background.

The cliffs below Sumburgh head.

The NE wind is blowing by the haead.

Esha Ness on the NW Mainland. This area was originally a volcano and the remaining gelogy is very exciting due to the scul´ptures created by the sea out of the suft volcanic material. Just like on Papa Stour.

This island with the arch is called the "feeding horse".

The ever present sheep.

Volcanic rock polished by the sea.

The Esha Ness light house and our rental car.

Exiting cliffs on the west side of Esha Ness.

The feeding horse.

Exiting rock formations is cluttered all along the cost in this area.

Scalloway

After a few pleasant days in Brear we were forced to sail south again. We had hoped to continue further north on the west side, hopefully all the way up to Muckle Flugga and down on the E side of Unst or through Yell sound, but with increasing NE winds we had to budge and instead set cours for the town of Scalloway.
Scalloway is the largest settlement on Shetland's Atlantic coast. Until 1708 it was the capital of the archipelago. Scalloway lies on the north side of its sheltered harbour, and at the foot of the valley leading north to Tingwall, the traditional home since Norse times of the Parliament for Orkney and Shetland.

The town is dominated by the ruins of Scalloway Castle. This was built by Earl Patrick Stewart in 1600 as a means of securing his hold over Shetland and controlling the Parliament. When originally built the castle stood at the head of a promontory, surrounded by the sea on three sides.

Times have changed. The castle is still at the head of a grassy strip stretching back along the East Voe of Scalloway. But it has been increasingly surrounded over the years by land reclamation and harbour development as the importance of Scalloway's port has continued to grow.

As a result the castle is now a little less prominent than when seen in old photographs, but despite its busy new neighbours it remains at the core of Scalloway's sense of identity.

Brae

After Papa Stour we sailed in to a small village named Brae. Brae has a very active boating club and we ended up in the anual regatta with barbecue, live music and dancing. Very nice. The marina is barnd new and has all facilities such as electricity, water, showers and laundry. And off course the club house with the mandatory bar.

Sea Wind at one of the visiting births. Note, minimum depth is 2 meters only so larger yachts may not be able to get in.

Pricing ceremony and barbecue with the bar open.

Kajsa and some of the local talants are using the dance floor.

2009-07-05 - 07 Papa Stour

After Walls we set course for the island Papa Stour. Papa Stour is formed from volcanic lava and ash and then sculptured by the sea. Some of the moit exiting and beautiful sea caves in Britain can be found on this island. However to be able to explore the caves, which are mainly on the south and west side, the sea has to be very settled as any swell would make the caves inaccessible. We anchored in Hamna Voe on the south side. A perfect sheltered lagoon but with a narrow inlet with only two meters of water at low tide but the lagoon the opens up and gets deeper. Yet again we were blessed with perfect weather and only a light breeze coming from NE so the conditions for exploring the caves on the south and west side of the island was perfect. We set of in our little inflatable Zodiac with the outboard engine on and some spare fuel. We went in and out of one cave more existing than the other. The light and sound in all cave were different. Some caves had one or more openings in the ceiling and birds were nesting on the sides. Any other normal day with a fresh SW or W breeze this mission would have been more or less impossible or at least very dangerous as the swell would hammer the cost and running around in a dingy as we did would not be recommendable. On the far west end of the island are some smaller islands or “skerries”. One of them is Lyra Skerry. This island has subterranean passages (caves going straight through) in both S -N and E – W directions, creating a water crossway in the middle of the island. On both the south and north side of Lyra Skerry is high stacks of rocks pointing to the sky. All caves and arches are originally tunnels of ash and other softer material in the lava formation that the sea has eroded away during millions of years.
On the NW corner of Papa Stour is an immense cliff, 87 meters high with a tunnel leading right through it for several hundred meters. As the cave is winding back and forth the daylight disappears and a powerful torch light is essential as it’s gets pitch dark in the middle. The tunnel is named the Hole of Bordie. If the weather is good and the sea is settled you should try to pass through if you dare, it’s worth the effort I can promise, but maybe not for the faint hearted. After several hours of exploring it was time to get back to the boat. About 200 meters from the boat we ran out of fuel on the outboard and as I had brought a spare can but not a funnel we had to row the last bit back. Well it could have been worse, a lot worse, if we had run out of fuel earlier on the west side instead of in the sheltered lagoon. The following day we explored parts of the island on dry land this time before leaving for our next port Brear.

Exploring the caves by dingy.

The sun shines in the Kristian's Hole. According to some the finest sea cave in Britain.

The far end of Kristian's Hole ending with a beach and the sun shining though a narrow hole in the ceiling.

Lyra Skerry with the stack on the south side and the S - N cave opening to the left.

The north side opening of the passage through Lyra Skerry with the noth side stack with arch.

The west sife opening to the Hole of Bordie winding straight through the 87 meter high cliff on the NW side.

Kajsa in the dingy on the shore of Hamna Voe.

The churce on Papa Stour.

A rebuilding of a typical Norse House (from the viking age). Logg house protected by stones on the most exposed sides. A combination of scandinavian and local building traditions.

Mona and Kajsa in the Burnt Mounds of Mid-Setter. The turf was used for fuel during the fishing period in the mid 1800 hundreds and has still not recovered.

Sea Wind for anchor in Hamna Voe. Looking SW with the narrow inlet to the far right in the picture.