So, two days out from being over and done with this summer-long journey, we wind up having what may have been the best day sailing so far. It started with the fresh breeze out of Lerwick, which persisted south of the Shetlands. And contrary to forecasts — not that they’ve been right once this summer — the winds persisted through the course of my 6-9pm watch. We maintained an eight- to 10-knot speed for the three-hour run, and though the…
And of course, since the trip is almost over, the sailing conditions are now spectacular. We left Lerwick this morning amid a nice westerly breeze. The island being to our west, that meant that the wind was moving us along nicely but the seas remained calm. And move along nicely we did: we were over 10 knots for a good chunk of the run south along Mainland Shetland, as it’s known. Now we’re out from under the southern tip of…
We’ve made the turn into Yell Sound and wow! Easily the best sailing of the summer so far. Talk about last-minute redemption. The wind that had been on our starboard quarter is now solidly on our beam, and here in the lee of the outer shores of the mainland island of Shetland the water has calmed. But the wind is still running in the 20s and Polar Bear is reveling in the conditions, reaching along at nine-plus knots under bright…