Vidlin Voe to Ronar to Brae

Friday should have been a visual treat. The idea was to ride the six knot Rost through Yell Sound. It is a brilliant passage dotted with islands and hazards.
Sadly the weather Gods were having a grey day. Then we did a big thing for me, we turned south and west to head down the western side of Shetland mainland. The sun came out and the highest sea cliffs in Shetland put on a magnificent display. Faces, pillars, geos, skerries, cl;iffs, arches, caves and in a thousand different colours while the birds wheeled all around us.

We turned up Ronar Voe - five miles to the very top where we found a mooring and had a brilliant night - peaceful and serene. Just us and the birds.

Today was another mixed day - a lovely five mile drift down Ronar and then fifteen miles against the wind towards Brae.

An astonishing sailing area - look at the snaps of the chart.

Coming in the old girl was doing 6.5 knots - no tide just reaching with plenty of wind and flat water.

We are going to spend tommorrow sailing around the area with a second night in Brae before heading down to Scalloway on Monday -0 assuming the weather does as expected of course.

shetland

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Vidlin Voe

 

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Yell sound - lovely islands and rocks. ten knot rost - but foggy

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queen victoria rock

queen victoria

rocks

Ronar Voe at 11.30

ronar at dusk

 

Ronar

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Ronar in the morning

ronar 2

rocks

Mordor

mordor

low light sail

Brae area - fantastic cruising ground

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west coast 2

west coast

 

Scalloway on Monday

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This is about Dylan Winter's Blog, Sailing around Britain.

14 Responses to “Vidlin Voe to Ronar to Brae”

  1. 13 July, 2014 at 12:03 amKeith says:

    Magnificent.

  2. 13 July, 2014 at 1:04 amTony Corcoran says:

    Lovely images, I’m glad you got some sunshine as KTL reaches the northernmost part of the trip.

  3. 13 July, 2014 at 6:55 amJonathan Sharman says:

    Fantastic, thanks for the chart pics, helps put it in context. Sign me up for the DVDs!!!

  4. 13 July, 2014 at 6:57 amJonathan Sharman says:

    BTW I spent 3 nights up the Butley river in Suffolk this week. Great place to hide from a storm thought of your love of this river

  5. 13 July, 2014 at 7:33 amdylan winter says:

    it is a sublime place – if any of you guys get a chance and have a need to touch the zen then that is the place to spend a while – you will emerge a better man

  6. 13 July, 2014 at 6:50 pmGlenn Webster says:

    Going across the Thames estuary and into Tollesbury next weekend Dylan, any tips from your experience? Thx

  7. 13 July, 2014 at 6:52 pmGlenn Webster says:

    Did you get the pics I emailed you of us in Rye Dylan ?

  8. 13 July, 2014 at 7:18 pmJeff says:

    Hi Glenn

    When getting close to tollesbury head for the Nass beacon then follow the port and starboard marks in carefully, try to enter on a rising tide its easy to get caught (on the soft forgiving mud).Go past the moorings where you’ll find 4 white bouys which are the marinas so feel free to use if needed. If going to marina there are 2 tide gauges, measurments are in feet above the cill. first one to port just before you reach marina bouys second one is to starboard just inside woodrolfe creek, the cill also has one.
    Sorry I can’t help on cossing theThames
    enjoy Tollesbury

    Jeff

  9. 13 July, 2014 at 7:48 pmdylan winter says:

    lots of way points if going through the narrow bit

    or take the outer course which is easier

    D

  10. 13 July, 2014 at 10:03 pmGlenn Webster says:

    Thx Jeff & D
    I’m looking forward to it!

  11. 13 July, 2014 at 10:06 pmGlenn Webster says:

    In tollesbury I’m heading for the Saltings (mud berth)

  12. 14 July, 2014 at 10:17 amBilly the Cat, Tollesbury. says:

    The dreaded west side. The chart says “area to be avoided” there be dragons. I did feel a little wary of the west side, all that Atlantic swell and all that but hey. Have a gold star, well done.

  13. 14 July, 2014 at 11:29 pmjack says:

    Great stuff Dylan.

    Will you be coming back through Orkney? It is the Stromness Regatta this Saturday, and the Westray Regatta the Saturday after. You would see the local Yoles in action if you were passing again.

    j

  14. 15 July, 2014 at 8:06 amdylan winter says:

    where and when depends on the weather – at the moment friday/sat the wind is in the east… so if it blows I will turn her bow to the west and head for cape wrath

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