Orkney above water

The pattern each day was very similar. We'd usually rise at 07:00. Donna would let herself in around 07:30 and cook porridge, toast, bacon, eggs, beans, sausages, has browns, tea and coffee. We'd leave the house and walk down to the boat, often accompanied by a stunning sunrise:

The John L would then putt putt down the Flow to the dive sites. The skipper would give us 20 minutes notice. We'd suit up, kit up, dive, dekit and the put on dry clothes. We'd often be watched by the skipper's dog, Hector:

We'd the have tea, coffee and snacks in a warm saloon, whilst bottles were filled before we started over again. At around 16:00 we'd arrive back at Stromness. A beer in 'The Flattie bar' and then we'd walk back to the house around 17:00. Fun, and easy.

Between dives on Tuesday, we visited the war musuem at Lyness, on the Isle of Hoy.

Seeing the dull, muddy steel wrecks, rusting hulks in the deep, cold and dark was one thing. The museum brought everything to life.

Portholes, bells, photos, clothing, logbooks, audio clips, the whole place was alive with arifacts dating back 100 years.

There were also some truly amazing multiscan sonar images of the wrecks. The best of which were of the HMS Royal Oak, a British vessel sunk by a U-Boat attack:

We only had an hour at Lyness, and I'd hoped to go back there later in the week, but we didn't manage that. We did visit another maritime museum, though, this time at Stromness:

The smaller of the two bells in the above photo was from the Dresden - the first wreck we dived. As well as a large number of finds from the German wrecks, there was information and artifacts dating back to the age of sail, items from men who sailed with Captain Bligh, of the Bounty, as well as from Captain Cook's expedition. The Orkney people were some of the first to hear of Cook's death in Hawaii, when the resolution visited in 1780.

When diving a couple of the wrecks, particularly the Brummer, we noticed loose plating, and, even, movement in some of the structural ribs. It's clear that the Scapa wrecks will not always be there, and the items in the museums may be all that is left to mark these historic wrecks.

Following the loss of the Royal oak in 1939, Winston Churchill initiated the building of the 'Churchill Barriers', which effectively blocked off some of the entrances to Scapa flow to enemy submarines, and now serve as links between the islands. On the way to see these barriers, we called in at 'The Italian Chapel', built by the Italian prisoners of war who worked on the barriers.



With a strong Easterly wind picking up towards the end of the week, the sea was breaking across one of the barriers,

making the crossing quite 'hairy'.......



Going back a bit further in history, about 4000+ years, we went to see the Ring of Brodgar

and the fantastic, 5000 year old village at Skara Brae



It was the diving we came for, though, and it just kept getting better. A water pump failure on Wednesday saw us joining another group of divers aboard the 'Jean Elaine', diving on the Kronprinz Willhelm. Almost upside down in 36m or so, we did manage to find a couple of the huge 12" guns, on a day that belied the North of Scotland in October feel

Best of all though, was the James Barrie. In deteriorating conditions on Thursday, with Gales forecast for Friday and Saturday, we chugged into the waves for two hours to the South entrance to the flow. It was not nice now, and a couple of people thought about not diving. We all piled in. At 20m I could see people letting go of the shot line. The wreck was in 41m, so why were they doing that? Then I saw the wreck. Almost all of it. In clear blue water, with visibility in excess of 20m. At 120ft long and 666 tonnes, it was much smaller than the battleships we'd come to see, but the visibility was so good, it really does rank amongst my best ever dives. Sadly, our dive computers were well loaded up, and the swelly conditions meant that long decompression stops were a poor option, but we all, nevertheless, surfaced buzzing with excitement.

A brilliant week's diving. We emptied the boat on arrival back at Stromness.

A few beers were imbibed that evening. With winds gusting towards 50mph the following morning, we worried about crossing the Churchill barriers at 06:30, and whether our catamaran ferry at 07:45 would run. In the event, although the weather was rough, neither gave us any problems.

We left the ferry after a one hour crossing around 09:00, and, after a long drive, arrived back at Mike's place in Gloucester at 20:00. A quick change of cars and we were off again, dropping Jason off in Port Talbot just in time to pick up a takeaway at 22:00.

So, what had started off as a quck detour to get in a couple of dives before we set off on our main trip, turned into something we will always remember in its own right. We made new friends in Andy, Dickie and Anne, and are looking forward to getting back up to Scapa Flow for some more diving whenever we are able to. Plus, of course, we all feel that sense of loss you feel when coming away from Scotland. I'm sure we'll be back up there soon.

In the meantime, we have a sailing trip across the Atlantic to keep us occupied......

An Orkney Diversion

Frantically planning our Atlantic crossing, working, organising money, houses and pets, it was easy for us to dismiss the diving holiday to Scapa flow we'd booked earlier in the year. We'd just jump in the car, drive up, do a couple of dives, drive back and get on with it. Right?

Scotland won't let you do that. Ever. It gets under your skin and demands attention. And when you've finished with it, you leave a part of yourself there. Watch 'Local Hero' for details........

Louise drove. We picked up our friend Jason from Port Talbot and spent the night with another friend Mike at his home near Gloucester. Up at 06:00 and Mike drove the first leg, the four of us and four sets of dive it in his car. Drivers swapped, coffee was drank, and LPG (the car has a conversion) was filled. By 18:00 we were sitting in the loudest bar I'd ever been in. In Inverness. A dozen or so Inverness Caledonian Thistle supporters went through their repertoire before heading off to their evening game. We met Dickie and Ann, as well as Andy, from Neath SAC, and our diving companions for the week. Curry was eaten later.

By10:30 am the following morning we were at Scrabster, waiting to board the ferry.

Slight hitch - the ferry operator required photo identification. Something to do with the fact that Islanders get a discount, and 'outsiders' had been trying to claim this too, we found out later. Our 20 year old photos in our diving logbooks were all we had, and that was good enough. A strong Northwesterly wind made Louise look like a badly photoshoopped fake, as we passed The Old Man of Hoy, but it was genuinely this windy.

I got a more brooding shot of the sea stack later, as the others enjoyed a beer in the bar.

We landed, and offloaded all the diving gear onto our dive boat for the week; The slow, but strong, stable and warm John L

Stromness was beautiful. Narrow streets, floored with ancient flagstones, and just dripping with history.

Just about every house displayed evidence of the maritime history of the place. From Killer whale bones, museums, plaques to seafaring heroes, to ancient wells where historic vessels watered.



It was clear within an hour of landing, and well before we headed off to Lidl in Kirkwall to stock up with food for the week, that we were not just going to drop in for a couple of dives, as we'd thought before hand. There was a huge amount to see, above and below the waves, here in the Orkneys.

An early start on Sunday. We were due to be on the boat by 08:30. We left the house and walked the flagstones towards the John L.



The John L is a converted river tug. Extremely stable, with a dry area for between dives, plenty of seating and a galley. Below decks is a wet area for suiting up and storage. The deck itself is large and spacious. She has a compressor and carries Oxygen for Nitrox mixing.

As we readied ourselves for our first dive I didn't know what to expect. Seven warships from the German Grand fleet, scuttled in 1919 remain. Many others have been raised in salvage operations over the years. Those that remain are the three Konig class heavy battleships, the Konig, Kronprinz Wilhelm and Markgraf, and four light cruisers, the Brummer, Coln II, Dresden II and Karlsruhe II. We were to start with the Dresden.

It's impossible to put into words the feelings one gets when diving on something like this. Lying on her port side in 30m of water is a huge 100 year old German battleship. Her 6" guns pointing forwards. It would be easy to spend several hours looking into every nook and cranny, swimming down deeper, then up over her hull. Surrounded by fish, and with plenty of encrusting life. Quite frankly, I'd never seen anything like this in over 20 years of diving. Truly awe inspiring.

As this was our first time here, I wanted to make sure we didn't get lost, so once we'd relocated the shot line, we didn't stray far. With 8 metres of visibility it was difficult to get lost anyway. We made our way up the line and back to the boat. Buzzing. The others had seen it all before.

We dived the Karlsruhe, Coln, Brummer and Kronprinz Wilhelm too. Some of them more than once. We also dived the F2, a WWII german escort boat and a barge that sank whilst salvaging her, the YC21. I managed to get this shot of the 6" gun on the F2.



The conditions were not great for photography. Many of the wrecks lie with their superstructure facing North, and with largely overcast October skies, it was easily light enough to dive by without torches, but not great for the camera.



Sailing and diving - Lundy

Huw, a friend at Cardiff yacht club had planned a trip to Lundy, sailing there, doing a bit of diving and sailing back. It coincided with my birthday, and, having never dived Lundy, but loved the place when we sailed there in Ishtar a couple of years back, I really fancied the trip.

We met at Cardiff yacht club on the Monday morning. Huw was taking Camelot, Steve was taking Coracle, his Moody 27

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Camelot and Coracle"][/caption]

 

And Carl, with crew Gareth,  was taking Samson, as the dive boat:

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Samson, skipper Carl"][/caption]

 

We locked out at 08:30, under blue skies and light winds

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Leaving Cardiff"][/caption]

We punched the last of the flood and then settled into a gentle sail to Ilfracombe with the ebb, flying cruising chutes and then motoring as the winds failed.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Cruising"][/caption]

 

As we neared Ilfracombe, our stop for the night, the weather closed in, miserable and grey, with a heavy drizzle. We were an hour early for our moorings, and struggled to tie up to wait for the incoming tide.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Grounded"][/caption]

 

We eventually tied up in the inner harbour. Fish and chips ashore, followed by a couple of pints in a quiet Ilfracombe Yacht club was followed by a good night's rest.

We were joined by a couple of other divers, Seamus and Darren, workmates of Huw, in the morning,. We set off for Lundy in blustery conditions, wind F5-6, Westerly, and gradually bashed our way through big Atlantic swells, Samson suffering more than the two yachts as we headed Westwards into the strong winds. Carl had mentioned a filter blockage on the way to Ilfracombe and encountered the same problem in the swells half way across. Changing the filter was unpleasant to say the least, given the conditions.

Three and a half hours later and we were at the anchorage on Lundy, a a calm and  peaceful haven, water flat and blue - a huge contrast to the white water and swells we'd encountered on the way over.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Lundy anchorage"][/caption]

 

We quickly kitted up for a dive on the coaster 'Robert', which sank in 1974. Only three of us fancied the dive - the others were still recovering after the lumpy crossing and fuel problems. I really enjoyed the dive, although a few problems with my scuba gear meant that it was shorter than I'd planned. The visibility was also less than expected, with a heavy plankton bloom in progress.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Diving the 'Robert'"][/caption]

 

After the dive, Samson's engine again cut out. A third filter was blocked. When we saw it, filled with black slime, a couple of us quickly realised that the dreaded Diesel bug had struck again. I was particularly concerned, given that this was the dive cover boat, and we were 20 miles or so offshore. The weather was not improving, either, so a rough pasage back to Cardiff was certain. We added some diesel treatment and headed back to the mooring.

A quick jaunt up the steep incline to the Marisco Tavern was organised, with the obligatory stop half way for pictures of their boats taken by proud owners. The walk back, at 23:30, in a light drizzle, strong winds and virtual pitch blackness was interesting.

A couple more dives the following day, at 'Gannet Bay' and the Robert again (The West side and tips of the Island were undiveable in the rough weather). The visibility was even less, at around 4m, but I did spot a tiny fish, living, it seemed, inside a jellyfish:

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Fish with Jellyfish"][/caption]

It kept darting inside the jellyfish as I tried to take pictures, but you may be able to make it out just behind the jellyfish in the above picture.

All too soon it was time to return to Ilfracombe. The flood started at 17:30, so we'd have wind with tide for the trip. As the three boats prepared to leave, I was again spellbound by Lundy's beauty

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Leaving Lundy"][/caption]

 

The best sail I've had this year then followed, with a dead run back to Ilfracombe in a Westerly Force 6. Steve's 27ft Moody rode the waves superbly, as the island faded in the evening sun.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Eastwards"][/caption]

Huw followed in Camelot, his Contessa 28

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Camelot"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Camelot"][/caption]

 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Camelot"][/caption]

 

We arrived at Ilfracombe just after 22:00, exhilerated, and very tired. Quickly tied up in the outer harbour, and, with our depature time of 02:30 hrs fast approaching, headed for our bunks.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Ilfracombe"][/caption]

 

Steve and I rose and slipped our mooring lines just after 02:30. Heavy rain as we climbed out innto the cockpit quickly stopping. I was surprised at the 20 knot Westerly winds as we inched our way out of the harbour in the blackness - the forecast was for a Force 3-4, rather than a 5. As we turned to head ENE, an easy 2m swell lifted and lowered us, Foreland point light blinking, ever closer as the dark gave way to an early dawn after 03:30.

By 05:30 the flood was well under way and the sun was up. Coracle was sailing along at 6 knots over ground under Genoa alone. Steve was happy for me to head below for an hour's sleep as we headed for Cardiff.

An hour later, I awoke to find myself in mid air, having been thrown across the saloon. I climbed out into the cockpit to find much larger waves, some breaking, as did the one that struck us and caused my flight. We were crossing from the English to the Welsh side of the Channel, and the swells, aided by 4 days of winds at Force 5-7, were up to 4m.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Mid Channel"][/caption]

The car transporter that we had been close to when the diesel bug hit us at Portishead was the only other boat we saw as we headed up channel.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Car Transporter"][/caption]

 

Before long we were locking in at Cardiff, and heading our separate ways. The diving was less exciting than I'd expected, but I'm very keen to return when better weather allows a proper look at Lundy's underwater scenery. The sailing was challenging, but very enjoyable, and the company very good indeed.