After two weeks of a beautiful high sitting right above us, it was due time for a low to come through. I had been watching it develop for a while and planned to be in Stornoway when the big winds came over. No need to be hiding in port for rain, though, we are not made out of sugar after all. So for our 75nm sail from Loch Scavaig to a small anchorage just south of Stornoway we watched as the weather changed rapidly and dark clouds moved over us scattering the first fat raindrops we have seen since arriving in Scotland. A steady wind from behind and good timing with the current gave us great speed and we did the 75nm in 9 hours. As much as I love blue skies and the sun shining on my face I also love the change in weather. Watching the clouds fly over the misty hills with the odd sunstreak coming through has something very magical. And when there is no land in sight the puffins, petrels and seagulls entertain us for hours with their flying stunts. Playing the updrafts and swirling winds the waves create. The puffins don’t play with the waves but they are magnificent divers and I love seeing their competence in dealing with the harsh ways of nature. After a quiet night at anchor with rain steadily tapping on the deck we sailed to Stornoway. Staying in port for a few days while we wait for a big low with high winds to move over us. Stornoway is a beautiful little port. It has a nice feel and character to, which in some ways is similiar but yet very different and unique to the scottish mainland. While we were in Stornoway we did some more provisioning, but also rented cars and explored the isles of Lewis and Harris. Visting beautiful beaches, stone circles, brochs and stone age houses. Once the wind calmed down we set sail again. A night sail ( to take advantage of the current) to Loch Eriboll. On friday we sailed to Stromness on Orkney. I had hoped for a little more wind but the sea was rippleless. Birds playing with the slight swell and a strong sun shining on our heads once again. Last year we had sailed to Kirkwall and I enjoyed seeing another corner of Orkney. We took the bus to the Brough of Birsay which is a small island that can be reached on foot at low tide. Low tide happenend to be at 8am, so it became a very early excursion. But one we all really enjoyed. From Stromness we took a little weather window to sail to Lerwick. After the high was kicked out the realm of fast moving lows and challenging weather moved in. Making my planning and navigation a lot harder, but I do think it’s part of the fun of sailing in these areas. Besides the current which make every passage so fast =D ! We set sail from Stromness around 2300, arriving in Lerwick at 1745 and average of 8.4 knots, yay. Another few windy and rainy days were spent in Lerwick, exploring town, cathing up on schoolwork, playing games, painting and navigation lessons.