It was back in July when the BBC was warning the UK to wear ice cubes under their sunhats. Forgive us here in Shetland for the lack of sympathy; our main greeting up here was ‘Do you think we’re ever going to get a summer?’ We’d had a cold through April, grey clouds in May, wind in June, and now July seemed settled into the gloomy drizzle. My boat still hadn’t had her varnish done, nor her books back in their shelves.
All the same, I’d been watching the forecast and this Monday had been looking good all weekend. I headed out as soon as possible, in summer clothes, ie only one jersey and jacket over my thermals, and taking a bag with a spare jumper and an extra jacket just in case. The wind was from the west, but light enough for me to be able to hoist the mainsail in the berth, and in less than 20 minutes I was in the middle of the voe... becalmed.
There was a sail at the end of the voe, one of the Brae boats, and they seemed becalmed too. I set my sails and had just got moving again when there was a ‘whooo’ puff of air from beside me. I had visitors: a pair of white-sided dolphins who’d come to play.
Esta historia es de la edición December 2022 de Practical Boat Owner.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición December 2022 de Practical Boat Owner.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
A sailor's guide to UK sharks and fish
Genevieve Leaper looks at some of the shark species around the British and Irish coasts and how to spot these fish from your boat
Multihull anchoring
Brush up on your multihull sailing skills before heading off on a holiday charter with Gavin Le Sueur's guide to anchoring
A revolution in fabrics
Marine fabrics are using natural fibres, less harmful chemicals and longer-lasting colours. Jake Kavanagh looks at the cut of the cloth
Shoestring voyage of adventure
Richard King and Serafin Colmenares Jr. look back at the remarkable Pacific voyage of Florentino Das in his 24ft home-built boat
A fine day out with a visitor
Six hours afloat and a guided tour to vindicate a fictional sailing heroine's navigational skills
Boats for Baltic cruising
Duncan Kent picks the best sub-40ft sail and power boats for crossing the North Sea and exploring a Baltic summer
Boatyard life
The tide of the year Is rising. Time for work
Weather or not to go sailing
Ignore the apps: it's much safer to swear by the weather wisdom of a local oracle
The angelic East Coast pocket cruiser
It is 100 years since the first Deben Cherub was launched. Julia Jones looks back at the history of this 21ft river racing class
Best anchor types for varied cruising
Rupert Holmes on choosing the best anchor for your boat, your style of cruising, how you’ll use it and your budget