Saturday 18th July

I stayed four days on Berneray, rarely do I spend so long in one place, but the island is a real gem. From the stunning beaches to the local hospitality, the history to the natural world, its a place that makes you think why go anywhere else. Of course the weather helped, I had four days of clear blue skies, little wind and temperatures in high 20s. On the first evening I crossed the bay to the small harbour and had barely set a foot on the slipway when a lady turned up and greeted me. She invited to drop by anytime for a cuppa, or if i needed wifi, both of which I did in due course. Being the only boat in the bay it was a bit like being a goldfish in a bowl. When I went in the shop, the visitor centre, the hostel, or down to the harbour, people new I was from ‘the boat in the bay’. Some may recall that the island is the one that Prince Charles spent time decades ago, living with a crofting family. Areas of the Machair, the belt of common land behind the dunes, are still being cultivated by crofters with potatoes and grain, and other areas grazed by cattle and sheep.

Friday 17th July, the goldfish made an ignominious exit. While retrieving the anchor I managed to foul the prop on an old small mooring buoy and had to go under the boat to cut it free, thankfully no damage done. I weaved my way through the shallows for 3nm to reach deep water at the southern end of the Sound of Harris. Turned south on a dead run, wind F3 but a lumpy sea made it difficult to keep pressure in the sails. However it was a short leg before turning into Lochmaddy where I anchored just north of the ferry terminal, off the old village. I checked out the visitors pontoon and facilities, next to the ferry, where we might come in next week enroute to St Kilda. The Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum & Arts Centre has a digital archive of home movies donated by families across North Uist, dating back to the ’50s.

Saturday, with a lighter and more offshore wind I sailed further south again, another 10nm to Kallin. Here is a small but active commercial fishing harbour with a long history. This is described on information boards inside an old tiny stone boathouse, grandly called the Grimsay Boat Museum. In the cafe on the quay I sampled fried scallops straight off the boats, served with black pudding. From the anchorage, in a pool half a mile east of the harbour, I can see a red deer grazing on the hill sides. Time for some fishing.