harry

He’s human! 👨

The sunset last night, just before entering Port Mooar. I’m photobombing, foreground right. It’s an orange sunset and an overcast dusk. The point to the north of cove background left.

Rounding the corner into Port Mooar. A lighthouse accents the craggy cliff point to right. A bird flies across the e overcast sky center. Dark blue slightly unsettled seas.

A pool in Douglas Stream, near the town of Douglas. I went for a hike before lunch. It’s very green.

Indigo tied up at the visitor pontoon in the outer harbor of Douglas.

Weather (swell and wind) was too heavy yesterday to comfortably beat south and into it, so I fell off and went north around the Isle.

Anchored the night in Port Mooar, a small cove. Stopped at Douglas for lunch.

Tomorrow will hopefully be a sunny close reach across to Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿.

Tacking into Derby Haven on the east coast of the Isle of Man 🇮🇲 ⛵️

Making 6 knots in 12-14. Two reefs in the main.

We’re bound for the Isle of Man 🇮🇲

Wind is moderate, 8-12 knots, but the Ram Race, a tidal race off Copeland Island, is giving us extra couple knots 🐎. We’ll need to average 5.8 to make Peel by sundown.

There’s a gale forecast for the Irish Sea tomorrow - getting snug tonight!

#sailing

A playful pod of dolphins escorted Indigo out of the Belfast Lough this afternoon.

⛵️🐬🍀

Running in light airs and heavy ebb following current. It’s about 9:00 pm - dusk - with overcast skies and calm seas. Less than a mile ahead, the lights of Bangor town on shore.

Looking back at the shipyard of Harland & Wolff while motoring through Belfast Harbour. The marina is just out of frame to the right. The two big yellow cranes - nicknamed Samson and Goliath - are a landmark of the Belfast Harbour skyline. Harland & Wolff built the titanic in the now filled slipway near the right edge of the photo! In the center, framed between the two gargantuan cranes, a WWI destroyer, the HMS Carloline, permanently moored as a museum ship. Skies are grey and partly cloudy. Water is calm.

Your correspondent in a side eye selfie from the stern of Indigo. Two green-glass modern building in background, on the right bank of the Lagan River (which forms the base of the harbour, and on which sits the marina). Center background, the several tall buildings of Belfast’s CBD. Indigo and I are leaving Belfast.

My study page tonight - the Attic Greek o-declension for nouns. I was not previously aware that some Indo-European languages conjugate (in a sense) their nouns and adjectives. Not entirely pleased with the discovery!

Off again! Today, short 10nm run (5kts w/ ebb) to Bangor, near the mouth of Belfast Lough (has a bookstore to visit).

Took last week to chill, tour Ulster, & do boat work (inverter, bed curtains installed; vhf’s comical short circuit maybe resolved).

Studying my Greek noun declensions this eve 🥵📚🏺

Most yachts have a dedicated wet locker for hanging wet rain gear - one rarely used for the purpose. Usually near nav station and/or pilot berth.

Motoring down the Sound of Jura as the sun sets behind me. A very orange sunset reflected in very calm water. The sea is only broken by Indigo’s polite wake.

Landfall, Ireland - Country Antrim is seen 12 or so nm ahead. The sea is quite calm, roiled only a little by tide in the North Channel between NI and Scotland.

Entering the port of Belfast. It’s clearly and industrial working port. Several container ships can be seen berthed, including on quite close to the right. Indigo’s bowsprit in the foreground. It’s just before dusk and overcast.

Rolling hills seen from my hiking trail near Ardfern, Scotland d. It’s lush. The sky is blue and party cloudy. A small pink flower and tree branch in the foreground. Many wild grasses. The highlands of Scotland in the distance. Early afternoon.

Indigo & I crossed from Scotland to Northern Ireland over three long days of motoring: Fort William -> Craobh Haven -> ⚓️ Isle of Gigha -> Belfast. No wind at all.

Had a nice hike near Craobh.

Resisted piping “Come Out Ye Black and Tans” on speakers when entering Belfast’s (v. industrial) port. 🕊️⛵️

A view of the inner court at Queen’s university, showing a very collegial two story red brick building.

My Greek primer, “Athenaze: An Introduction to Ancient Greek”

My course schedule - two sessions daily along with two guest lectures (and a film for fun).

In Belfast for the week to take a very short beginner’s course in ancient Greek at Queen’s University.

Today, the alphabet, diphthongs, diacritic marks, & first transliterations.

Homework tonight: more transliteration (of English words received from the Greek more-or-less whole - eg ambrosia). 📚

Rafted up at the Corpach Sealock

Indigo cruising in a veritable forest path of a canal, between Oich and Lochy. A black and green large river barge turns the corner of the canal ahead of us.

Loch Lochy, seen from the eastern end. It narrows to a point some 8 miles distant. The sky is cloudy but sublime.

Redhaired Beckie from Birmingham paying out Indigo’s bow line and waving.

Blonde Lucie from Birmingham paying out Indigo’s stern line and smiling.

Travelled Loch Oich & the delightfully named Loch Lochy today. (Sad there’s no Loch Lochy Locks.)

The five locks of Ft. Augustus made easier by two touring English sisters - they adroitly handled Indigo’s lines.

Tomorrow, seven final locks, Neptune’s Staircase - & we return to the sea.

#sailing

Ben Mevis, seen from Indigo’s pontoon on the Caledonian Canal. Some of the pontoon to be seen in foreground. The peak lit by late afternoon sun in the distance. Blue skies, and a forest between.

Indigo locking into Loch Oich. She shares the lock with a big green and black barge to starboard.

Indigo cruising down the canal between Loch Ness and Loch Oich.

Another picture of Ben Nevis and its neighbor peak, with no pontoon i. the foreground here.

Moored for the night beneath Ben Nevis, superlative peak of the British Isles.

Looking out on the deepest portion of Loch Ness from a window in Grant Tower. It’s well over 700 feet deep out there! The opposite shore can been seen, and the shot is framed by the castle’s ruined window.

Indigo seen anchored close to shore and a pier. The shot is framed by a ruined castle window, and Indy is partially obscured by tree branches. It’s a sunny day and the waters, and distant green fields, shine.

Indigo wing and wing. The Loch stretches narrowly out before the bow. Genoa is port, main starboard. You can just see the preventer I’ve rigged on the main, bottom right.

A very low flying yellow plane cruises the Loch. They passed right beside me! This shot shows them maybe 5 cables ahead, banking left. They are much lower than the steep banks of the Loch, seen behind them.

Had a rather cold freshwater dip, explored the castle. Now goose-winging down the Loch 🪿⛵️.

Hope to make Fort Augustus locks before it closes for the evening. Wind only 9-11kts but apparently there’s a westward current in Ness - making >4kts.

Just got buzzed by a very low-flying dual prop plane!

The second to last swing bridge opening as Indigo motors towards it.

three swing bridges.

(A bugbear about the locks: they’ve not installed low & mid height cleats on the walls for reasons of historical preservation. Makes them more challenging & dangerous for all involved. Historical preservation shouldn’t excuse dangerous infra! Kiel & Holland have ‘em.)

#sailing

A veritable water fall of water fills the lock just ahead of Indigo.

This first third of the Caledonian Canal, which is ofc cut through the Scottish Highlands, required six locks (including four in a row just outside Inverness - the first pictured here), and…

Entering Loch Ness out of the first part of the canal/River Ness. A narrow lake in front, a house to the right, two buoys and another sailboat ahead. The sky threatens rain but is suited to the landscape.

Loch Ness from Indigo’s bow. We just see the bowsprit.

My anchorage for tonight. The keep, called Grant Tower, of Urquhart Castle is just 200ft astern. There are some shrubs in front, on the shoreline 180ft distant.

Yours truly in a selfie with a dashing cap. The castle keep photobombs.

Into Loch Ness! Anchored directly below Urquhart Castle (which I’ll explore tomorrow before pressing on).

Motoring down Loch Ness seems like floating through a mountain valley.

(Which makes ⚓️ing hard - anchorages are valley walls - the depth goes 100ft to 12ft in ~300ft! Haha scope, what scope?)⛵️

Oh that’s Ralph. Good bloke

Fan of a sheet bend. Comes in handy. Wish I could say the sheepshank, ‘cause it’s got a great name - but it has never come in handy for me.

A seal paddles 25ft in front of Indigo.

The mud flat just behind Indy.

The depth sounder reading 0.9ft.

A pano from the stern mud flat to the bow mud flat.

Morning, low tide. 20ft (6m) to the mud flat and 11in (40cm) beneath the keel 👌. A seal about their business.

Ha! The waves say Force 4 or less but the sails say Force 8 or more 🤪

I enjoy having you virtually along! Sharing makes it even more fun 🙂.

(And if you start feeling too jealous, remember there’s no shortage of very wet and/or very drudging work left unshared 🙃)

Just after moonrise, looking over Indigo’s bow and anchor towards the bay’s entrance. Inverness is just hidden by the headland to the left. The moon is large and the night is bright and calm.

Looking astern from Indigo at her anchorage. The shore is rather close and the very last embers of sunset are visible over the northern highlands.

Another pic towards the bays entrance. A factory or power plant near Inverness Airport puts out a huge plume.

My route today, from Findochty to Munlochy. The hard angled turns near the beginning are gybes, as I much prefer broad reaches to running right before the wind. This is 51nm.

Anchored in Munlochy Bay, an uninhabited bird sanctuary 3nm northeast of Inverness. I’m mostly sure I ⚓️’d in the bay’s non-drying tidal pool 🤞⛵️

Was two fine days up the Moray.

Tomorrow we’ll start the Caledonian Canal (& have an outside chance of netting Nessie 🦕).

The moon is waning gibbous.

Approaching the Chanonry Narrows, gateway to Inverness Firth. Late afternoon. Apparently Britain’s largest dolphin pod make this channel their home! Looking out 🐬⛵️

The small harbor seen from bottom of last of three visible (and total) pontoons. The eastern inner seawall in background, along with a small white church on the headland. Indigo center back behind many other small boats.

Close up of Indigo on her pontoon. An elderly couple is sitting on the seawall bench behind her. Whole town was out this sunny Saturday.

Overview of Findochty from the small bluff above the also small harbor. The three seawalls (and dogleg entrance, and scary rock next to the outer entrance) can be seen. I did this entrance at night!

View off starboard beam as Indigo makes her way down firth towards Inverness. It’s a cerulean day - bright light blue sky atop an emerald blue sea. Nary a cloud. One sea bird flits across the frame.

Spent a pleasant night in the small drying harbor of Findochty. Off towards Inverness with the midday high tide. Wind 10-12 kts north easterly. Making ~5 kts, no reefs.

Decided to press on into the night past Whitehills & the River Spey. Making for Lossiemouth or even further.

Wind too pleasing to pass up!

17-25 kts, beam reach, making 5-7 kts with genoa & triple reefed main. Flood current & a pretty night. Hope to anchor or moor about 2am (just after HW) ⛵️

#sailing into the Moray Firth (and the sunset) ⛵️🌄

Was also able to use the time to help a friend, Sam, retar the keel of his very pretty classic wooden sloop Saecwen, seen here berthed near Indigo in Peterhead Bay Marina. (He dried her out in one of the fishing harbor’s slipways, & three of us tarred the bottom between tides.)

Old (left) and new tiller pilots. About to transplant and wire in the new one’s motor to the old one. Their internal design appears nearly identical. The feature differences come down to software and which data wires are led out only! Tempted to take the new one and try to dump + spelunk the embedded software.

New solar panels on new aluminum brackets installed to boomlin. The port side solar panel is a smaller spare I have - though Inordered two of the large ones as on starboard, the second one arrived broken 😞. Replacement in the offing.

Peterhead seen about 1nm away off the port beam. Closest we see the working Port henry fish docks, with the Chruch of Scotland steeple marking the center of town.

Otw out of Peterhead. It’s a halcyon sunny day, though the wind is only 8 knots.

Spent week in Peterhead waiting for new Simrad tp10 autopilot - my tp32’s motor died 14nm out.

Seems cheaper tp10 & fancier tp32 use the same motor. Transplanted it & I still have my 32 🙂 ⛵️

New solar panels installed meantime (matching port side one soon).

Otw Inverness & the Caledonian Canal.

Looks good to me! With all three reefing lines and main halyard at the mast I sometimes wish for some myself.

Safely in Peterhead. Was a wet and windy day.