Passing continental shelf edge
Awelina of Sweden
James Collier
Tue 22 Jul 2014 12:47
After leaving Rona yesterday we motored at around 4.5kts up the Minch in near calm and sunny weather. Scotland was on top form for scenery with the Black Cuillin mountains silhouetted against the far horizon and in the foreground the reflection of the Isle of Skye in the milky flat water. We could also see all the Old Man of Storr.
The Minch dolphins paid us a short visit , serenading us at sunset with squeaks and somersaults through the water. We slipped past Stornoway at dusk and rounded the Butt of Lewis around 3 am. Once round the land there was a surprisingly vigorous swell from the SW, i.e. on the beam, with a very short period so the mainsail slatted every few seconds as we rolled, inverting the battens each time. This must have been due to tides and current because there has been little wind from the SW for days. Also surprising was the early sunrise - it never really got dark and the sun itself reappeared around 3:30 am.
The wind filled in from the S around 10 am, and now is a nice F4. We have the "cruising 'chute" (asymmetric spinnaker) up now and are doing a very nice 7.5kts in the right direction. The sea has also gone down, probably as we are in much deeper water. We are following the great circle direct towards the NE corner of Heimaey, so it's around 311 degrees for now. We've seen more dolphins and Great Skuas, but no shipping since passing the deep water shipping route W of Lewis.
We are settling into the routine a bit now: for instance James repaired the loo at 6 am and Fe is soaking beans we bought last year in Ribadesella for Fabada Asturiana this evening. We have various strange fungi to add to it, some we picked on Sunday in the woods at Achnandarach. We have judged them to be edible ones with the diagrams in the River Cottage recipe book we have on board - what could possibly go wrong?
Jon (and Eddy), we will try to establish a regular Short Wave listening schedule around 18:00 - 18:30 BST each day, listening on the 7MHz amateur band near 7135kHz, LSB.