Today it was time to leave Skye even though the winds weren’t particularly favourable. 'The crew are restless' said Carsten, 'particularly the new crew who just want to get going'. But before we went we paid a visit to the town on the other side of the Skye Bridge, Kyle of Lochalsh, so that the local people there could see the ship. For a few hours it was opened up to the public and lots of families came to visit the ship they’d seen across the water. It was also a chance for us to visit the shops and restaurants there and try such local delicacies as the deep fried chocolate bar.
Glenn on board
Then we set off through the narrow channel that separates Skye from the mainland. Because it’s so narrow the currents here are strong and we’d timed our departure to have the tide in our favour. Carsten initially thought we would have to row, but a wind picked up and we made pretty good progress. Soon we got to a narrow area, less than half a mile across. At this point the wind was dead against us, but the current was still in our direction which made it possible to tack into the wind. In such a narrow channel the crew had to perform lots of rapid tacks. A wrong move could see the ship hitting the rocks – but that fate was avoided and Carsten was pleased with the crew’s performance.
For the new crew it was a rapid refresher on how to sail. 'I was a bit apprehensive at first' said Glenn, 'but it’s coming back to me.' With the wind still against us we’re not going to make fast progress tonight and the plan is to pull into land later this evening and wait for better winds. With the new people on board spirits are high and the breathtaking views in all directions are certainly boosting morale.
