Cruising Log

24th July – 16th August. Gairloch to Blyth via Orkney After a great ECSW and many family affairs we found our way to Newcastle station for the complex return trip to Baddachro – and the train was running late, which meant we would miss all our connections aaghh ! A […]

Read part 1 of this log June 23rd – 12th July. The Irish side of the Irish Sea We returned to Schuuper on early morning flight accompanied by Ian, Sue’s brother. Weather was hot and sunny but no wind, so headed into Dublin for the evening. Caught the Luas along […]

Our cruise this year was broadly 3 x 3 week sections, giving us 9 wonderful weeks onboard. A rewarding first Summer of Retirement – and our introduction to The Magic Carpet! Part 1 May 18th – 8th June. Scotland/IOM/Wales/Ireland (should have got a Celtic nations flag) A strong Southerly with […]

August  23 – 28th Thursday We cleared Blyth at 11.00 with a fair tide and a force 2/3 Westerly, so made brisk progress, passed Coquet Island in 2 hrs. 40 minutes and Boulmer Stile in 3 hrs 45 minutes.  We were bound for Seahouses where we were to spend a […]

The new baby, Katie, had her first sail when she was some four weeks old and through June we had had several races and sails with her on board. She slept her first night on board on the Bass Rock weekend when Bolivar had to man the finishing line in […]

Summer Cruise to the River Tay Thursday 2nd August 1979 Katie was three months to the day as we cleared Blyth at 07.55 heading North, hopefully for Perth up the Tay, and Johnshaven and Gourdon, the three main targets, but hopefully many additional places as well.  The anticipation, planning and […]

13th – 13th July The Holy Island weekend seems fated! Again it was organized for big spring tides which would be foul through the Farnes from 03.00 Saturday for going North and 10.00 Sunday for coming South! It also was arranged only one week before the Holland Race. There was […]

The Boat Bolivar is a, 4 ton Hillyard, built in 1935 and sailed since then on the North East Coast.  With her large areas of varnished teak, bowsprit, and bumkin she looks rather old fashioned even for her time and the layout while extremely comfortable for two cannot be claimed […]

Log of Summer Cruise in Stella Peacock 1983 The plan of cruising the Orkneys and Shetland in Peacock had germinated the previous autumn, had taken root by Christmas and had blossomed during the spring. Charts were borrowed and bought, sailing directions, guide books, maps and almanacs obtained, crews and transport scheduled and […]

Blyth to Clachnaharry Josephine received no more than a perfunctory lick of varnish, and a coat of anti-fouling, for her winter re-fit in 1986/87. There was much more work to be done on her “tender”, a Mirror Dinghy called M-T. M-T had suffered a stove-in bow in a collision with the safety boat during […]