We have been sailing

Sorry and all that. Yes we have been sailing a bit - especially after we'd scraped and painted Freyja's bot when she sailed much much better. Hard to believe how a few barnacles and what have you ruin the boats ability to go through water properly.

The weather has been nice of late - after a few Autumn gales had passed through. There's lots of action outside in the bay with loads of boats and a bent oil rig that went aground on the island. Fair wearing out our water with all their rushing about.

This is Stormoway's marina. See, our dinghy on the pontoon as we empty out all the rainwater! Freyja is tucked away in the distance halfway between here and the outer harbour on a swinging mooring. Only, we met sailing supremo / author Ian Stephen on the ferry the other day and he suggested I look at the mooring which he laid for us three years ago. Wasn't sure what I was looking for but the mussels seem to be covering it up anyway. I took the mussels off and found a slight freying of the rope. Maybe this needs changing soon.

Just to celebrate we still had a working mooring we tootled out for a sail in the sunshine and the outer harbour. Just lovely again. Hopefully, it's going to be a nice winter and we can sail on Christmas Day again!

Morning bobbing about.

Misty

With Ammonite

Severe force 0

They day we painted her bottom then sailed.

Phew, what a scorcher!

Yes we are talking Stormoway here. And 7.30am as we motor over to Goat Island for a spot of grounding. I mean, look at it.

For a fish factory place with dead boats Goat Island is quite nice on a day like this. Although showing Freyja's bottom to world in this state is a little embarrassing. Better than when it was barnacled though.

So we were hard at work, me handing Eve the requite brushes and filling the paint thing. Quite easy stuff really.

Yes, we went for rust red. Why not? At least we can see where we had painted.

And then out for a wee sail in the evening sun. 

We were exhausted actually, had chish and fisps in town and came home to bed - not even bothering to see Jason Kenny win yet another gold medals in Rio.

The day we sailed to the land of tob

Just outside Stormoway harbour, round from Arnish nestled below a monument is a lovely little inlet. I'd known about for sometime, seen others sailing in but always was a bit wary we'd end up on the the rocks.

Sailing out was lovely. We avoided the ferry coming in and went past the sleeping fish carrier before looking for the way into Tob.

What a lovely spot - once you'd realised the rocks weren't going to get you and the water was flat. And the mooring held.

 Time for a picnic lunch before venturing out and back - avoiding the ferry going out again!

Well, this weekend we tootled over in a fair wind,, Freyja aided by the lack of barnacles on her bottom. What a  lovely spot it is in there. Used Ken the dentists' mooring there to make lunch and enjoy the pleasant quietude that is that place.

Shall be going there again.

Bottom

We finally got round to getting Freyja out of the water a bit to have a look at her bottom. It wasn't a pretty sight I can tell you. A layer of barnacles had attached themselves to her undersides - no doubt slowing her more than a bit through the water.

See? This was after we'd been attacking her bot for a while with brushes and a scraper. Oh, it was awful. 

We were up on the hard at Goat Island in Stornoway harbour - and still are as I write - waiting for the water to arrive again. High tide at 10pm today so looks like it may be a late one.

Of course we can't leave her like that so IF we get a sunny day again soon, I'll get her our out again and slosh some of that foul paint on her. That'll teach her!

Windless in the Western Isles

I know, I know, it's not normal - whatever that is. When we took Freyja out for a wee trundle on the water there was a wee breeze. That was keeping the heat of the day bearable on this day that obviously was 'summer' up here. Then wind went. Ooof. No wind at all. Left bobbing about in the outer harbour without so much as a gin and tonic to while away the time. So we motored back in and Eve cycled back home. I sulked. I am allowed to do that at this time of year, trust me.

Bobbing about a bit

Well, we took the old girl that is Freyja out for a bob around the outer harbour  on Friday evening - till the wind died completely. Then we came back.

Saturday it rained. A lot.

Hopefully it will have cleared up a bit by next week and Sail Stornoway.

Zoe

Sorry Freyja, a little bit of my love stays with Zoe here on the left

of course we've bin sailng

sailing on the Thurne, Ant etc. quiet contemplative sailing on a 120 year old boat. Lovely but hard work.

Och, what a scorcher

I think the temperature must have shot up into double figures so only 3 layers of clothing were required. And the wind was merely gusting f2 so didn't need to reef down. Only, the wind has been blowing for a few days form the NE and the sea had built up a right old swell. Rather uncomfortable to be honest.

Still, we took Freyja out for a couple of hours along with a few other boats.
Soon our supermarket bag that passes for a mainsail was filled. Then the wind died and the outboard was fired up again. Not so keen on the racket the engine makes so soon as we could we shut the thing off again - and still bowled along at 2kts ! Almost.

Twas lovely if a tad bumpy. Eve less than perky after a while in the bumpy water.

The light was lovely though. The seals looked happy and the gulls were diving for minows.

And we saw ChloeMcBoatFace with Toby Marshall as we came in. Hope they enjoyed the bumpy ride!

Seemed like a nice day for sailing

So we didn't. We painted some wood bits that looked scruffy and rued forgetting the radio and everything.

We a  lovely day though.

I could get used to this weather

Of course the sun was shining again. Warmish too and just a little breeze so we went out to Freyja again this time bringing her back for a visit to see Ammonite with Gerald and Sue. Gerald helped us mend the broken cam-cleat and the sort the non-working depth-charge thing. So we went out to celebrate.

Oooh, Freyja looks so very small among the wee boaties of the Stornoway marina. She lives on a swinging mooring but came in temporarily and everything.

We wern't the only ones out sailing about. A french boat went out to play as did some local boats.

But if the sun went in - as it did from time to time, it got a little chilly.  Still, had a lovely time but were rather surprised to see one local sailing boat [not pictured] go into the inner harbour fully sailed up, at quite a pace, seemingly bouncing off a moored boat almost crashing into Cuddy Point and then swerve to a stop. What was all that about then?

I'm not about to overdo it.

We were out again. In the sun again. Enjoying it - again.

Bit more of breeze this time - f3-f4. Tucked the sails in a bit so Eve would be happier but we still poddled along nicely out into the wavy water. We weren't alone in going out either. Uncle Toby Marshall was out in his boat called Chloe and young Ken was out in Scorpio along with my lovely dentist Joanna who took some snaps of us while we took snaps of Toby and Joanna with Ken. Eh?

See, Ken with Joanna on Scorpio.

Toby in Chloe with Eve driving Freyja.

Lovely evenings sail all round. Proper wind, proper wave things and everything.

Some old tub in the marina at the moment!

And two snaps from Joanna on Scorpio. That's us on Freyja apparently.

Whoa !

I was out sailing again in the unexpected [for here] sunshine. Despite the severe force 1 gale and 1mm swell in the outer harbour, My visiting crew and I wallowed around a bit trying to keep in the shade. Eventually, the gale abated, the swell disappeared and we had to motor in. Lovely hour or two bobbing around though.

Crew David doing the driving with the steering stick and everything.

That swell !

We didn't sail

 We had planned sailing. Took the blow-up out to Freyja. Got aboard and everything. Got the string bit ready then, the mechanical paddling device on Freyja wouldn't start.

Was such a pity. weather lovely. sea state ok, time to go sailing but.... We didn't want to risk the no-motor option [again] as the tide was falling and getting back to our mooring between the rocks can be a tad tricky under sail. I took the opportunity to patch up the wood edge bits on the boat [strakes] with plastic padding but didn't feel like doing anything else.

So, we had a cup of tea, tried the MPD again with no luck and came in on the blow-up again. Talked to the Right Admirable G Hales, watched Toby and family go out, spoke to James about to go out with other in an engineless sgoth and generally mooched about. We came home then :-(

Yes

Yes, the mainsail is done, it went up, caught the wind and we were off for a little sailette round the outer harbour. Sun was shining just about too. Eve drove cause she's got her day skipper ticket now. I was allowed to turn the radio on and off cause I got me radio vhf ticket.

That blue baggy thing is what passes for our mainsail. Reefed and everything on account of the severe force 2 blowing.

Spring

It's spring so it's raining again and a bit of a blow coming in! Freyja is still in the water bobbing about like a bobbing thing in water but without a mainsail.
We took the mainsail to patch a few holes that had appeared after the wind drew the sail out of the cover in a wee storm. Flogged about about a bit and caused a few thin and very thin bits.

Luckily Admiral Hales had the remnants of an old shredded genoa and since it almost matched the colour of our sail, we used some of it to make mends - or at least Eve did.

Looks lovely now. Just waiting for a nice bit of weather to get the thing back onto Freyja, flapping about properly.

De-sailed

We pootered out in the blow-up to Freyja today to take the big saily thing off. Bit complicated to be honest what with all that string and things. Still, it came off and we stowed it in a sail bag. Obviously

It wasn't a bad day - between the light snow showers. No wind anyway so Eve had cycled into town and then, when back on land and a quick cuppa with Admirable Hales on board Ammonite, she rode home again - via the other side of the island. As she does.