Norway

Norway - the summer of '76

This is a shortened version of my cruise from NW England to Scandinavia ...

A bit of haggling with fellow pilots had left me with more than 9 weeks leave so it was more where we should sail to, rather than when? After discussing it with my wife, Maureen, we decided to cross the North Sea to Norway and visit friends I had made aboard Norwegian ships I piloted on the canal.
Two friends, David and Hugh, both pilots for British Airways, were to accompany me on the first leg from the NW of England to Oban in Scotland.
On 24 May we loaded the last of the stores onto the boat which was moored on the River Weaver, which runs conveniently, past the bottom of my garden in Cheshire. The forecast was not good, SE7, but that meant a tail wind so we made good time entering the Manchester Ship Canal before joining a couple of coasters to enter the River Mersey at about 18:00.

Under an ebb tide, we passed New Brighton light at 19:15 which gave us a speed of 8 knots over the ground… a great start which continued for several hours until the wind suddenly flopped to a flat calm, returning half an hour later as a NW2. I stayed up until 4am at which time David surfaced.
	sailing past the pier head, Liverpool

We do not keep a strict watch keeping system so we helmed or slept when we felt like it.
We crossed the Irish sea then closed with the coast sailing through the Donaghadee Channel behind the Copeland. A bit of bad luck here as the pal d/f radio took a nose dive into the ‘Oggin’ as we changed tacks in the middle of the shipping forecast.
It came to light that David could not sleep while the boat was underway so we decided to put into Larne to give him a quiet night. We made it in time to row ashore and have a pint in the yacht club.
A flat calm had developed next morning but we got underway and motored all the way to Craighouse, once again, just in time for a pint ashore. They returned to the boat with some bad news; the Caledonian Canal was closed and would be for some time. My first reaction was to phone my wife and tell her that cruising would be confined to the West coast of Scotland, but David said – nonsense! Go over the top. I can’t say I relished the thought of going via the Pentland Firth, having heard some gruesome stories, but I decided to go and take a look anyway.
And so on 28 May we departed Craighouse and caught the flood north enjoying a perfect sail through the Sound of Jura and into the Firth of Lorne and onto Oban where I had arranged to meet my wife and a friend of ours Andy. Having confirmed the relief crew would arrive in the early hours we set to work to lift the engine out to repair an oil leak which El Lobo had developed on the way up. Having found the cause it did not take long to make and fit a new gasket made from an old sea chart liberally applied with “gasket goo”. By the late evening we were ready to refit the engine, a tedious task which I accomplished while David and Hugh disappeared for a pint. At 3am, noises on deck announced the arrival of Maureen and Andy, so it was tea all round and then a cheery wave to the departing crew.
On Monday we departed Oban at 11:00 with a cracking Southerly on the beam which lasted almost to the Sound of Mull but then it died leaving us no alternative but to motor. Resisting the urge to put into Tobermory in heavy rain, we carried on to Ardnamuchan Point. After picking up, the weather closed again at 20:00 but by now we had laid in a course for Mallaig, our next scheduled stop. The next piece of Scotland we saw was the swell breaking on Bogha Eige, an outcrop of rocks which were a bit too fine on the bow to be comfortable. At least it established or position and not long after we were ploughing through all the rubbish in Mallaig harbour where we tied up alongside.

By 10:00 the following morning we had taken on extra petrol and cleared to sea in perfect weather. As we sailed through the Sound of Sleat, Andy was enjoying it so much I doubt we could have sawn him off the tiller. There then followed a ratting run up the coast through the Kyles of Lochalsh before the wind finally died away in the evening.
	sailing north

On 2 June the Summer Islands and their magnificent back drop of mountains slipped by and by 11:45 we were abeam of Ru Stoer where we reluctantly started the motor for a couple of hours. By late evening we were approaching Cape Wrath and by 23:00 we were right under the light with a roaring flood across the corner where I was able to trim the self steering to the beam wind. At 00:30 I called Andy then went forward with a celebration drink to share the moment with Maureen. Not long after turning in I heard the engine start and that was the last noise I heard until 05:00.
What a beautiful day the 3rd of June turned out to be. Hot sun, blue sea but unfortunately for us, no wind. We pressed on with Andy suggesting we put into John O’Groats for a quick pint until we flashed past it doing about 11½ knots over the ground. Still on the flood we rounded Duncansby head and rolled and twisted our way to Wick on a huge swell coming in from the North.
The next day Andy left us to thumb a lift home on a BA flight and not long after we saw the plane fly directly over us on his way back south, leaving Maureen and I to prepare El Lobo for the North Sea crossing.