Holy Island to Sunderland.....

Todays Route

Sunrise at Holy Island

Another early start to catch the tide to hop the 50 miles south to Sunderland. 

The seals were there to see me off...

As was the Loch Ness monster

 

I had a great days sailing today, hardly having to use the engine.  Visability was good and there was plenty to see along the way.........

Lighthouse of the day...... 

or do you prefer this one?

Those England fans get everywhere! 

Many of the marinas on the East coast are some way up rivers, but the Sunderland Marina that I was heading for today is just inside the sea wall, so I was quickly alongside.

The entrance into the River Wear

 

Peterhead to Holy Island.....

Departing Peterhead

The title of this blog entry was meant to read "Peterhead to Isle of May", but things didn't quite work out to plan.

Lighthouse of the day.

 I had departed Peterhead early and was determined to put some miles in and get away from this part of Scotland that seems prone to fog.

Note the fog building up....

Behind you....

 And then the fog arrived and that doesn't make good photos or relaxed sailing.

It was busy out there.

The fog came and went throughout the day and night and each time I switched my radar on to ensure I had enough warning of anything else out there.  Only once was I taken by surprise, as a fishing boat passed within 100m of me, going the other way.

 I arrived at the Isle of May at first light and went to the leeward shore to be sheltered from the wind, unfortunately the swell in the cove was far too large for comfort and I decided not to risk anchoring in such conditions, especially after my experience at Loch Eriboll.

Some old and tired bloke. 

The fishermen were out early

 So I pushed on to Holy Island after consulting the charts and almanac, arriving there at midday.  I had been sailing for 29 hours and had cover over 120 miles.

Gannets

Sunrise

Note the fish

      

It wasn't me!

The welcoming committee at Holy Island

My view from Brown Eyes

Fogged in at Peterhead....

There was thick fog sitting over Peterhead this morning, which meant my plans to press on were scuppered.......

So here are a few shots from around the bay:

Can you spot Brown Eyes?

My next yacht!

Wick to Peterhead.....

 A day off in Wick gave me a chance to stretch my legs and feel the ground under my feet after 6 days without having got off of Brown Eyes.

 Whilst the Old Pulteney distillery visitors centre was open there were no guided tours that day, but I enjoyed looking around the centre and taking in the distinctive smell of malted barley that hung in the air.

 Crossing the Moray Firth was my next objective and this involved my first overnight passage of the trip so far.  

Looking back into Wick Harbour.

Old Lighthouse of the day.

Out through the harbour walls.

I managed some good sailing before the wind dropped in the afternoon and I encountered some thick 'pea-souper' fog.  I switched my radar on, also for the first time on this trip, to give myself some 'eyes' and kept a careful lookout for anything that might loom out of the fog at the last minute.

Sunset and there was still a long way to go.

 As I got closer to Peterhead the scenery had definitely changed in comparison to the mountainous terrain that I had been looking at for the last couple of weeks.

Lighthouse of the next day.

The Iron-Bru well and processing plant.

Peterhead.

Heading into Peterhead Harbour. 

 After a long day and night at sea I needed some sleep.....