DAY SEVENTEEN - KINLOCHBERVIE TO SCRABSTER

Today was the day we were rounding the corner, and it was almost with relief that I boarded ConTTentment this morning to make our passage around Cape Wrath.  The very name had begun to sound ominous, and my unhappy experience at Land's End had definitely shaken my confidence.  The morning hadn't begun well when Si commented to our B&B host that there seemed to be a little more wind than forecast, and he responded that at Kinlochbervie they didn't call this a wind (it was blowing about Force 5), but just a breeze!  The last time Kinlochbervie experienced "wind" was five years prior, when it blew the roof of his house off!  I guess it's just a matter of perspective!

Ready to round the Cape and dressed for the occasion - complete with webcam.
Not quite what I had in mind when Anthony suggested a glamorous offshore holiday!

The  boats were stowed and we dressed in our oilskins with even more meticulous care than usual, making sure every sleeve and neck fastening was done as securely as possible and everything was battened down, and then we headed out of Kinlochbervie Harbour with a strong wind already blowing.   Kinlochbervie proved the ideal launch pad for rounding the Cape, as in no time at all we were able to see the western-side cliffs.   Conditions as predicted were blowing but tolerable, with the sea mainly on our beam.
As we got closer to the point, the top of the lighthouse appeared, and we strained to see what lay in store for us around the corner.  The only tell-tale sign of any sea was the odd plume of white spray.  As we began to turn the corner, the cliffs of the Cape towering above us, we met the reality of the North Atlantic.  Long Atlantic rollers soon picked us up with their momentum and in no time at all both boats were swept up into the surfing ride of our lives.  The wave length was such that actually it was a very comfortable ride, and it wasn't until I turned around in my seat and saw "Teal" surfing virtually vertically down a huge wave that I realised we were doing just the same.   The ghastliness of the Land's End "washing machine" experience was forgotten as we all enjoyed the benign power of this enormous ocean at our backs.

Si had already pinpointed on the chart a suitable cove for a regroup and we made our way towards it for our morning cup of tea.  The cove is entered through a tiny opening, and we had just enough tide to get in and drop anchor for half an hour.

Time for a regroup at this tiny tunnel-like cove

Majestic rock formations seem to be a feature of this coast -
a testament to the constant battering of the North Atlantic

Proceeding eastwards, it became very apparent that the steady Force 5 southerly that had been forecast was in fact strengthening to a Force 6-7 coming from a south-easterly direction.  It created miserable conditions for driving, with a short, sharp and punishing sea, sending constant barrages of water coming in on the starboard side.  Nothing can be done to alleviate the discomfort.  Driving slower puts the boat even more deeply into each bump, adding more throttle just intensifies but not alleviates the agony.  Eventually we settled for about 21-23 knots and resigned ourselves to a miserable couple of hours getting to Scrabster.   Imagine driving up a very long, deeply rutted gravel road, with literally thousands of huge potholes which are impossible to avoid, going very fast but in a car with no suspension - and do it for two hours. You get the picture?!

In fact, half an hour short of Scrabster, the sea did flatten out a little.  We could see the distant silhouette of the Orkneys on the horizon, and we were able to really push the boats on and head into port.   Once again, the Harbour Master couldn't have been more helpful, organising transport to the local garage for fuel, and giving advice on our passage tomorrow.  The Pentland Firth, the penultimate "corner" we have to negotiate, again requires care and planning with huge tidal flows to be taken into consideration.  We have been advised to make a 6.30am start to get through in optimum conditions.  Scrabster is very much a working man's port, and we are staying in a small inn overlooking the harbour ready for our early start in the morning.

Distance travelled:  66 nautical miles
Time travelling: 3 hours 45 minutes
Average speed: 17.6 knots
Total trip:  1,200 nautical miles