Lerwick, the Shetlands
Gins.pt
Mon 9 Jul 2012 10:49
After a long day and night and another day of sailing, we've safely arrived to Lerwick on the Shetland Islands.
The weather did not hold as promised. The wind started slowly, so from clearing the Norwegian coast until midnight, we motored along with smallish yet annoying waves coming in from the side. The boat was rolling slightly too much, and in spite of neo-emedyl and (slightly esoteric) pressure bracelets, I decided to sleep off the sea sickness, while Peter and Matjaz enjoyed hot-dogs for dinner.
Everyone familiar with the sea sickness will know to appreciate any distraction - so the opportunity was seized to revise in my head
all kinds of port maneuvers, the emergency procedures for MOB and for abandoning the ship.
The wind increased to 25kts by midnight, so sails were hoisted and the journey proceeded in a preferable manner, in spite of increasing waves.
In the morning at 10h local time, and coincidentally also at low tide, after 220 miles, we entered the port of Lerwick, only about 6 boat lengths long and wide, a third of it too shallow for GIN'S. With plenty of engine power, a lot of bowthruster and against 25kts gusts we finally docked on in parallel to two other boats.
Local weather: windy, cloudy, 17C, but feels like 5C, according to locals, a normal summer day on the Shetlands.