An Orkney Sailing Holiday
Kirkwall To Kirkwall
2024
Friday 14th June
to
Friday 21st June
7 Nights
130 Sea Miles
No Spaces Available
Kirkwall to Kirkwall
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2024
Friday 14th June
to
Friday 21st June
7 Nights
130 Sea Miles
No Spaces Available
Sailing holidays have a magnetic appeal, especially when set against the breathtaking backdrop of Orkney. A sailing holiday in this archipelago, known for its rugged beauty and historic significance, has a unique blend of sailing, wildlife encounters, scenic walks and archaeology. In these voyage notes we embark on a journey through the Orkney Isles, focusing on the two islands we are most likely to sail to – Westray and Stronsay. Bring decent walking footwear and travel binoculars if you have them for this Orkney sailing holiday.
Su and John (Mate and skipper) are an absolutely brilliant team. They were creative in turning a mainly windless week into an Attenborough like superb encounter with Orkney wildlife and history. When the wind arrived, they used humour and patience to turn us into a crew that almost knew what we were doing. It was a brilliant way to experience Britain’s wilder places.
Richard
The scenery was stunning. We moored or anchored in a series of small harbours and bays keeping our eyes open for wildlife. Sharing a beer on deck as the sun slowly sank over the silent scene will be an enduring memory.
Stuart And Sarah
Trinovante starts and finishes this Orkney sailing holiday in Kirkwall Harbour.
Established by the Vikings in the 11th Century and first mentioned in the Orkneyinga Viking Saga (also called the History of the Earls of Orkney) the name Kirkwall comes from the Norse Kirkjuvágr meaning Church Bay. Trinovante has a copy of the Orkneyinga Saga onboard for guests to dip into.
The church or now cathedral is still the dominant feature of the town. For sailors the cathedral spire provides a handy leading mark when lined up with the SW tip of Shapinsay to clear the Vasa Skerry.
If you have some spare time in Kirkwall you can enjoy a wander in the busy stone slabbed high street, visit the excellent and free to visit Orkney Museum, The Bishops and Earls Palace and of course, there is a distillery in the town.
Orkney Mainland is rich in prehistoric sites are lots of day trips worth doing from Kirkwall including the Ring of Brodgar stone circles and two sites run by Historic Scotland – Scara Brae and Maeshowe
Even for sailors based in the UK Orkney is quite a long way from the usual cruising grounds. For us this is one of the main attractions. It means uncrowded anchorages and wild wide-open spaces. People ashore give our schooner Trinovante a warm welcome and we look forward to seeing people we have met in the islands again.
Every 12 hours the Atlantic flows through the gaps between the islands on its way to the North Sea and back again. Navigationally the strong tidal streams this creates are the main thing dictating the route Trinovante will sail. John the skipper says to think of this as getting on and off an escalator. Sailors need to work with nature. Orkney can be a wild and unforgiving place but for us that is exactly what make the outer islands in Orkney a place worth visiting.
It is because of these tides that Orkney is a centre of alternative energy development with grid linked tidal and wave test sites. As we write this EU funding has just been announced for the biggest tidal array in the world to be installed at the southern tip of Eday.
Stronsay is a friendly island with around 350 residents to the North East of Orkney.
The Transalpine Redemptorists bought the tiny off lying island of Papa Stronsay in 1999 where they established the Golgotha Monastery. If you see any monks in habits in Kirkwall as you travel to join Trinovante they are very likely in transit to or from Papa Stronsay. This you tube link takes you to a channel 4 documentary in which Adam Nicolson sailed to Papa Stronsay and stayed at the monastery in 2003 .
Top things our sailors like about Stronsay are
Westray is at the extreme western top end of Orkney with a population of over 600 it has a pub, two shops and fish and shop on a Wednesday night.
The top things our sailors like to do on Westray
We hope to spend plenty of time exploring ashore on this Orkney sailing holiday. The plan will be to have at least two full-day stopovers on a couple of the islands where you can walk ashore, nature watch, hire bikes, visit archaeological sites and get the feel of living in a remote island community. Trinovante will likely spend three nights at anchor and four nights alongside.
All the training you need to fully participate onboard is included. You’ll be hoisting sails, steering, and generally participating in all the things that sailors do, including watching the sunset in a quiet anchorage at the end of a fabulous days sailing.
You can book on any of our UK Sailing Voyages as a complete beginner or an experienced sailor. All the training you need to fully participate onboard is included. You’ll be hoisting sails, steering, and generally participating in all the things that sailors do. That includes chilling out and enjoying the scenery.
Check our Frequently Asked Questions Page or just get in touch for a chat.
It will be Su or John picking up the phone
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