The Orkney Islands

For the past week we have been enjoying moseying and exploring around the Orkney Islands, waiting for the northerly winds to shift direction.

Our first stop, for a couple of nights, was at anchor just outside Stromness harbour.  Stromness is a pretty little village with winding cobbled streets and a bustling fishing port.  We also treated ourselves to the delicious local ice cream (Orkney Fudge flavour no less), which turns out to be a superb cure for any residual sea sickness!

Stromness main street

The following day was a mini-expedition to the Old Man of Hoy.  This is when the option of the 2 stroke engine on the dinghy really came into its own and made short work of the four mile crossing to Moeness in Hoy.  With the dinghy secured we embarked on a hike around the northwest tip of Hoy Island, heading out along the Old Post Road (now track).  As we wound our way down to the coast on the far side the path meandered along a small stream with fish darting in and out of the shadows created by the bright midday sun.  A few kilometres further along the path we would reach the Old Man but as we grew closer, it wasn't looking promising!  The intense heat from the sun was causing the coastal waters to evaporate shrouding the cliffs in thick fog.  The call of ship foghorns resonated in the distance below us.  

Me with the Old Man of Hoy (behind Stuart!)

Sure enough the visibility from the viewpoint was limited to the land around us but curiously the thermals provided a very comfortable pocket of warm air to rest briefly before we embarked on the rest of the loop back.  I say that as if there was a clear path back.  In reality we somewhat freestyled it towards the end, grateful for the dry conditions under foot.  As we walked along the cliff edges, I was somewhat grateful for the limited visibility in places, so as not to see the full extent of the precipitous drop beside us!  Over 22km later we were back in the dinghy weaving our way in and out of the waves and back home for a relaxing evening and refresh.

Hoy hiking

The following morning we met up with fellow Royal Highland Yacht Club friends aboard Polaris and new friends onboard Slipstream and then headed ashore to visit the Norwegian ship, Hestmanden.  This ship is a Norwegian steamer and the only preserved cargo ship that sailed in convoys during both World War I and World War II.  It has been beautifully preserved and, since 2017, serves as the Norwegian War Sailor Museum, spreading the often stark and harrowing history of the War Sailors' effort. (Full details at https://museumships.us/norway/hestmanden)

Hestmanden arriving in Stromness

The Orkney Islands are imbued with naval maritime history.  Historic sentry posts and battlement buildings stand prominently at nearly every channel opening and as we moved to another anchorage later that day in Scapa Bay, we passed the green outline of the Royal Oak buoy, marking an audacious but devastating event in the early months of World War II when a German submarine U-boat 47 crept through an almost unnavigable channel at the east side of Scapa Flow to torpedo whatever it could find.  Of Royal Oak's complement of 1,234 men and boys, 835 were killed that night or died later of their wounds.

As a result of that attack, in a naval base that up until that point had been thought to be impregnable, Churchill ordered the sealing up of the four east channels to the Scapa Flow area.  We would come to anchor on the east side of one, in the channel that the U-boat crept through later in the week.  For the time being, though, we basked at anchor in the evening sunlight in Scapa Bay, with the stunning turquoise waters around us and the sandy beach edging the anchorage to the north.

Sunny Scapa Bay

Whilst the brilliant sunshine continued the next day, the current water temperature was not whetting my appetite for an outdoor swim!  Stuart and I therefore headed ashore to Kirkwall, Stuart to pick up a postal parcel and a few bits and pieces for the boat (including a short piece of wood scavenged, with permission, from the skip outside Jewsons!) and I enjoyed a delightful swim (and a moderately long shower!) at the local sports centre.  A wee wander round the town and a visit to the stunning St Magnus Cathedral and then it was back to Evolene.  Stuart used the wood acquisition to shore up the mid-cabin berth - we will use this for our next long passage as it is a great little snug area and away from the noises of the auto-pilot and engine, if running, in the aft cabin.  Later that evening our friends from Polaris and Slipstream joined us for (quite) a few drinks aboard.

Memorial to HMS ROYAL OAK in St Magnus Cathedral

Needless to say, it was a bit of a slower start the following morning!  And we gently whiled away the day doing boat jobs, a bit of yoga, tin whistle practice and a little exploration of the coastline rowing the dinghy.

The following day we were on the move again.  Tides and route mapped, we had weighed anchor by 0700 and heading down round the south tip of South Ronaldsay and back up the east side to anchor just north east of Lamb Holm (on the east side of the first Churchill barrrier and the route for the fateful U-47 attack).  Whilst it was a motor to start with (due to the lack of wind), once we'd rounded the south tip, we were able to unfurl the sails and enjoyed a superb close-hauled sail with a couple of tacks up to Lamb Holm.

Lamb Holm is the site of the Italian Chapel - one of the Orkney Islands' most famous and loved landmarks - and again represents significant wartime history, this time thankfully with a more positive and affirming outcome.  Italian soldiers, who had been captured in North Africa during World War II, were transported to Lamb Holm in order to construct the Churchill Barriers.  In order to maintain morale and provide a spiritual focus for the camp, following a request form the camp priest, Fr Giacobazzi, two Nissen huts were joined together to provide a chapel.  One of the camp residents, Domenico Chiocetti was a particularly talented artist and, assisted by others, painted, in minute and dazzling detail, the interior of the chapel.  Following the war, the landowner of Lamb Holm undertook to preserve the work of these men, which continues to this day and was revisited by many of the prisoners involved in 1960.

Incredible Italian Chapel

The next day we had a fun sail in windy but sunny conditions round to Kirkwall for a couple of nights at the marina and starting to ready ourselves for the next section of our adventures! The leap to the Shetland Islands required repositioning to Pierowall where we used the departure and arrival to developing my boat handling skills with Stuart's patient guidance!

Next instalment...the Shetland Islands!