Vigra To Lerwick 265NM

Vigra is the island just off Allensund a low island with no particular reason to go,apart from the airport is here. After yesterday 25 kt downwind sail and try trying to moor up in nearly 30kts it was is time for Gretel to catch the plane home and for Bill to arrive. Grets had ambitions of walking to the airport from the boat which she thought would be pretty unique. But that wasn’t going to be easy as she would have to cross the run way. A nice old guy from the boat club where we had moored offered to take her in the car. Vigra has a road tunnel from Allensund a couple of miles long, under the seas which is 140 metres deep. It has a bus from town every hour without fail, The airport doesn’t do international flights. This is another in site into Norways commitment to Infrastructure.
Rob and I had decided not to get stuck into any alcohol this evening as there was a big sail across the North Sea planned for the following day. Which would probably take about 2 days. Best not to start feeling rough and tired. Bill arrived with clutching s bottle of duty free Jack Daniels and a smile. Talked shit till 2 am drunk the JD woke up with sore head,. So much for the plan.
280 Mile passages means we had been keeping tabs on the weather for many day before. And always there is a bit of a schedule to keep up with and Rob had to be in Lerwick to catch the ferry. For his daughter Tess’s graduation. Looked like 15kts for the first day and not a lot after that. With a risk of a lot of left over swell, which as any sailor knows isn’t that pleasant for travel. All in all not looking too bad with low risk of getting a beating out in the North Sea. We set off through the channel between Vigra and Lepsoya at about 1.30pm no real swell and a nice 15nt breeze hard on the nose. Its a trickier passage than it looks at first with plenty of off lying rocks and small channels to negotiate, all the same a good sail through. Once in open water, outer coarse to Lerwick was absolutely dead down wind. Not ideal. After a bit of faff we set up the goose wing engaged George (the auto pilot) and considered lunch options. We kept the goose wing all through the night and up to about 10 am when it became obvious the wind was gone and our old faithful engine was about to get a work out, probably for 24 hours, like Le Mans but more sleepy.we manage to talk S H one T for the day we made our way through several oil fields and a large offshore wind farm, all of which are 125 miles plus off shore. Quite a logistic need to opersate these systems in this environment. The second night eased its way in the Donk reliably chugging us forward at 5.5knots through the ever subsiding sea. 3 hour watches meant I got 2 till 5am, sun up in these parts. The sea had gone oily flat and the light was changing hues as the sun crept through the clouds. The sea birds started to return to view as we reached about 60 miles to go.
With 20 miles to a nice little SE wind arrived about 15kts, We were sailers again. Although wet sailors this time.
WE were surprised to sea that Lerwick had put a tall ships fanfare for our arrival. Drinking music and dancing girls. I am sure they do it for everyone.Read more