This would be a potentially scary passage, crossing the notorious Pentland Firth, the almanacs and cruising manuals awash with warnings to vessels large and small about the overfalls, high seas and ferocious tidal streams of 9knots or more. Careful study of the charts and pilotage books suggested a plan to leave around 0700 would catch the right tide (this time) round Hoy Sound and down between the islands of Graemsay, Cava, Rysa and Flotta, and round Cantrick Point and then meet the crucial east-going tide through the Firth.  Just to cross check, I had called Shetland Coastguard the night before to discuss the plan: they left me on hold for a while, and came back to say we must be at Swona by 1000 to get the tide right. In fact the plan worked out well (though - True Confessions here - I was half an hour out because I had got the  date wrong on my watch - duuh!) and we were indeed west of Swona at 1000, and began to pick up the tide, which whisked us along at almost 10k over the ground, with a calm sea and remarkably little swell in the 3-4knots of wind. As a result we rounded Duncansby Head and Noss Head and were tied up in Wick marina at 1300.  Wick town and harbour, formerly Scotland's principal herring fishing port, has seen better days and is rather sad and run down despite the town's obvious best efforts at rejuvenation.  The marina itself is pretty new and well-found, though the facilities are rudimentary - one end of a fish shed with a single rather grubby shower and a sign saying there are plans to upgrade in 2010!  We walked into town, which was equally shabby, a great shame since it was once one of Thomas Telford's finest achievements in town planning, but has clearly never recovered from the loss of the fishing industry.  Cate found a wool shop (of course!) and Benj hiked to Tesco on the edge of town for essentials, and we met up at the Alexander Bain, a Wetherspoon pub. (Bain was the inventor of the first electronic character transmitter, the fore-runner of the fax machine.)  Benj just managed to scrape into the Wick Heritage Centre as they were closing, and was given generous time to walk round the huge and comprehensive collections. There are exhibits of everything from fishing boats, rescue equipment, the original Noss Head light, reconstructions of homes from the 19th and early 20th centuries, a cooperage (barrels used for the herring), history of photography and printing presses, fish smoking, and Caithness glass.  The photograpic collection belongs to three generations of a family photographic business and is a remarkable record of life in and around the town over more than 150 years.  LS Lowry painted in Wick, and there ar reproductions of two of his pictures, depicting street scenes in his characteristic 'stick man' style.  Altogether a deservedly award-winning collection.  Back in the marina I went to look at a lovely  remnant of the old sail fishing fleet, Isabella Fortuna, built in 1888, and now taking visitors out for trips round the bay.  The weather was now settled dry enough for me to complete a repair to our main hatch, whose metal runner had come adrift, requring complete removal (hence the need for a dry spell) and some minor surgery, while Cate did some housework below decks. I also deflated and stowed the dinghy, as I doubt we will need it for some time, so avoiding prolonged towing.  After all that it was time for supper, and as Tuesday is Steak Night in Wetherspoons we returned there and ate while Brazil beat Korea 3-0 in the Olympic semifinal!