56:57.59N 02:12.01W I hear heavy rain during the night and we wake to steady rain, together with the sound of the harbour foghorn – not a good start.  The marina manager is optimistic about the weather so we leave at 1100 once we’ve received clearance to cross the bay.  Outside the harbour it’s murky and the rain continues – everything is definitely ‘a whiter shade of pale’.  Twice we see an oil/gas support ship coming towards us and have to alter course, it’s disconcerting that neither of them appear to see us in the murk even though we should have shown up on their radar.  For once the wind is kind, a steady 10 mph giving us a comfortable close reach, but it’s so grey and wet that we decide to use the engine to augment the sails and get us to Stonehaven as fast as possible.  So, wind, full sail and a favourable tide ensure we’re tied up by 1630, which is something of a record, with an average speed of more than 5 knots.  It also means we reach Stonehaven at high water and it’s so much easier to tie up when you’re at the top of the wall and can just step off the boat.