From the quay side at Ullapool.
A few notes for our readers who have not sailed before so you understand the watch system on board.
The 24 hour clock starts with Middle watch 0000-0400hrs and is followed by Morning watch 0400-0800, then Forenoon watch 0800-1230, Afternoon watch 1230-1600, First Dog 1600-1800, Last Dog 1800-2000 and finally by First watch 2000-0000. (I am not at all sure what dogs have to do with sailing - no doubt someone will tell me.) Confused? It's simple - you don't have to think about it - we are all divided into four watches, called FWD Port, FWD Starboard, AFT Port and AFT Starboard. All you have to do is wait until you are told what to do by your watch leader, get up when someone shakes your shoulder, eat when meals are announced and grab what sleep you can remembering "Port Out Starboard Home"
Enough of that and back to what has happened today - we woke coming into Ullapool through a fairly narrow space between the rocky scenery. Once inside Ullapool we were greeted by the amazing loch Broom which stretched back into the hillside with colours of the sky reflected on the surface of the water.
Official Voyage and Watch photographs having been taken on the quayside, most of the voyage crew made off to hit the town while the permanent crew fitted the mizzen t'gallant staysail and continued sprucing up the paintwork in preparation for the Tall Ships race to St Petersburg in a couple of weeks time - so blogs LN 725-727 will be well worth following.
So there has not been much of special interest to report today other than that all the mobile phones started working and texts were received and calls made.
In the background there is lots going on - chatting with all sorts of interesting people - 'smoko' with a cake specially made by Assistant Chef Colin for our watch's birthday girl - working together - eating together -and having fun together sailing this Tall ship.
Amazing - until we have Middle watch AGAIN tonight. One shooting star zipped part way across the sky before finally exploding in a bright flash and a satellite relentlessly and faintly coursing the firmament.
Francis Hookham