ETD 0700, CTS275, 76nm
Half Century Viking!
Woke up to a clear day, winds dropped, cards to open on my birthday. It would be amazing if we could sail around Cape Wrath, the Viking Turning Point, on my 50th.
Although northerly, the winds were not now strong enough for sailing, the engine on, coupled with the residual swell from the strong N Easterlies, made for unpleasant queeziness for a number of us.
Past Dounreay and a bay I remember visiting as a child called Bettyhill, we anchored for lunch off Rabbit Island inside The Kyle of Tongue.
With that, candles were placed on the special birthday fruit cake with which I'd been packed off by my wife, Libby, and I was presented with an adult Viking helmet by Stella and Pete from Orkney for the very kind rendition of Happy Birthday and blowing out of cake candles (photo).
Moving on I navigated us towards and around Cape Wrath in fairly benign conditions. On approach I knocked off my Viking helmet on the back stay to see it drifting back to the Orkneys. Peter, the skipper was great: Viking helmet overboard drill! Duly recovered we headed on to the cape until we reached the south flowing ebb tide to sweep us south. A significant moment as, at last, we turned south and towards home! The stream whisked us 12 miles down the coast to Loch Laxford. Views of summits beyond, the loch was hewn out among what appeared to be low level igneous rocks. We entered among the islets and outcrops in a SW direction, and once well down the loch headed N, then NW and then E in order to tuck around into the glorious and still tributary Loch a Chad-fi (photo of pink mountains in setting sun).
Missing my family I was grateful to the fabulous crew for throwing a great party. We started on deck with Champagne from Libby, followed by Haggis with neaps and tatties, with the great low lander suitable Edradour malt whisky from Pitlochry, expertly prepared by our true onboard Scot Brian. A surprise was a selection of Scottish cheeses with Thurso Whisky Liqeur from aka Debbie and Libby's fruit cake. Clearly I was required to wear the mid-life Viking helmet for the evenings frivolities! The passing of this Vikings half century was pretty spectacular - thank you to all for you good wishes.
I'll ponder another time upon what the nordic 'wrath' turning point means for mid-life!
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