Our 2022 Sailing Adventure

This year we decided to take an extended trip away in the boat and set our sights on reaching Orkney for the very first time! Lots of people sail to Orkney, but for us, it felt like a BIG adventure. There was a considerable amount of pre-trip preparation, but as ever with sailing, the weather played an important part, and in the end, no amount of planning could prepare us for the worst June and July sailing weather on record! BIG winds and BIG seas proved too much of a challenge for us!

We made significant progress in the first week or so and got all the way from Loch Sunart, where we’re based, up to Gairloch, but then the unseasonable weather stalled our progress. We then tucked ourselves in at Lochinver and waited for the weather to improve. Eventually, we made it further up the northwest coast to the small fishing village of Kinlochbervie. Unfortunately, powerful winds prevented us from progressing further, and it became impossible for us to sail round Cape Wrath towards the safe anchorage in Loch Eriboll, the last place on the mainland to shelter before setting off across the Pentland Firth towards Stromness in Orkney.

Although we didn’t make it to Orkney, we discovered some new places and met some interesting people along the way and… well… there’s always next year ?

Here are some of my favourite watercolour and ink sketches from our voyage…