The forecast was not looking great but at least it was looking like become better. The northeast wind was due to continue up to force 6 until mid afternoon then the forecast indicated it would decrease to force 2 or 3.

After sitting in Inverness for days with the wind on the pontoon being very light this was the time to go. However, to reduce the chances of hitting the strongest of the wind, departure was delayed until 11am.

After a last check of the weather at the library we cast off from the pontoon. As we motored out under the road bridge and headed out toward the channel at Fort George we were using the last of the ebb tide to our advantage. We were being pushed at up to seven knots down the channel. This was a little concerning with at times no more than a metre of water under the keel.

As we passed Fort George it was becoming clear just how large the fort is. It had been hard to see its size from inside, but from here it was clear it dominated the landscape for miles. Unfortunately there was no time for sightseeing. Just as we started off on a bearing to clear the sandbank the heavens opened and visibility reduced to 100 meters.

To clear the sandbank we were simply running on a bearing from one navigation buoy to a second buoy approximately a mile away. This is all well and good when you can see the next buoy but is somewhat more daunting when you are blind to it. It does not matter how many times you sail in fog (or very heavy rain) it is always a relief to have your target emerge out of the mist. After twenty minutes scanning around for something a little more conclusive than a compass and GPS to stare at, the cardinal mark appeared from nowhere – luckily straight ahead!

That was the micro-navigation done for the day and it was now just a matter of rounding a couple of headlands and finding a harbour – couldn’t be that hard!

Inverness is pretty sheltered so my plan was that if there had been too much wind once out of the channel we could turn back on the flood tide. As it was there had been no wind to this point and that was to continue for another half hour.

The master plan was to make for Buckie thirty miles down the coast but at this rate this was going to be a long motor. Soon the wind started to build to a force 3 from the north. This was holding nicely and allowing us to reach at five knots towards our goal.

The wind fluctuated up and down but generally allowed us to push on through a light northerly swell. It had been raining lightly and I had the hood on my jacket up. As I turned my head to view upwind I just had time to turn my head back before a squall hit. The wind went straight from around force 3 to approximately force 6 to 7. Not surprisingly with full sail set we went flying. Luckily Silverwind rounded up into the wind (as opposed to being pushed flat) allowing time to let the mainsail off and us to pound on under full but flapping jib. After a few minutes the wind reduced to a steady force 5 or 6 and there it stayed. Initially the gust had flattened the sea around us but now the waves were quickly starting to build.

After pulling in a reef in the mainsail and replacing the main autohelm which was playing up with the spare, we were on our way again. We still had too much sail up but I had not been able to change the jib without the autohelm working. Now it was time to work out how to safely remove the powerful No. 1 jib in twenty-five knots of wind. We tacked offshore onto a starboard tack, which made it easier to drop the No. 1 onto the port deck where it is stored. It was quite a roller-coaster ride on the foredeck with the bow pitching up and down about two meters in the waves. As I knelt on the deck facing forward the water was washing halfway up my thighs. This was definitely a good time to be clipped on and keeping one hand for yourself!

Once the No. 1 had been wrestled into place the No. 2 Jib was relatively easy to deal with. After a quick tack back onto course the new sail was soon set and we were on our way. With all this commotion we had lost some time. In any case I did not fancy entering a strange harbour at dark in a force 6 if we did not have to (especially as the pilot said not to enter Buckie in any more than a force 4!).

The plan B was soon put into action and after a quick call to the Lossiemouth harbourmaster we had a bed for the night. We were now racing along at 7 knots against the tide and just before the sun started to set the outer breakwater of Lossiemouth was in full view. This I find is a nice time to arrive at a strange harbour as it allows you to get the harbour configuration in your mind before dark and then take advantage of the leading lights (it is more fun entering in the dark in any case – at least it is with hindsight!)

The waves were hitting the harbour breakwater and running out across the harbour entrance, which made the passage in to the harbour an interesting experience. Following the walls through we finally made it to the new pontoons in the west basin. I only realised how rough it was outside the harbour when a wave came over the harbour wall and landed on us. This point was highlighted when a local drove down from his house concerned that there must be something wrong for such a small boat to be out sailing – I hadn’t thought it was that bad! After a well-deserved shower – remember there was no shower in Inverness – I packed up for the night.

I woke on Friday morning to the sound of low flying jets – it was at that point I remembered where I had heard the name “Lossiemouth” before – quite a sizable air base! Friday was then spent catching up with the cleaning and exploring Lossie (local shorthand). It became clear that not a lot happens in Lossie in winter and this became even more clear when the harbourmaster asked if I would mind being written up in his weekly column for the local newspaper. Apparently they don’t have many visitors from Cornwall! Hopefully the weather will sort itself out for a fast passage tomorrow.