much bigger boats than yourn on they”. So, having been watched the fishing fleet arrive for the annual Fishermen’s
put in our place, we proceeded to the Castlebay Hotel Mass. The fishing boats and quay were decked with bunting,
for some R&R. the altar was on the back of a lorry and the congregation
was large. Afterwards, the locals piled on to the boats with
the fishermen for a burn up round the bay led by the Barra
THREE DAYS IN BARRA RNLI lifeboat at full chat.
An old friend of mine told me that he recently spent three
We were glad that we had dressed overall as the cox
days in Barra – “a God forsaken place”. Well we couldn’t
brought his lifeboat over and demonstrated his manoeuvring
have had a better experience.
skills around us – very impressive. Afterwards, everyone
tucked in to free herrings and mash on the quay – a great
Naomi and I checked in to the Castlebay Hotel for the
community occasion.
weekend. We worried at first about it being too ‘laid back’
but everything worked well, the food was great, and our
After another fine dinner in the Castlebay Hotel, we walked
ship’s laundry was just £5 the lot. We dined at the hotel on a
along to the school for the dance. The Vatersay Boys played
fine meal of Barra scallops, Barra lamb and Minches prawns.
Scottish dance music with attitude and a driving rhythm,
very compelling. Everyone, babies, teens, and grannies took
That night, the forecast strong winds arrived and Naomi
to the floor, the Boysterous crew included even though some
and I could feel our hotel windows rattling. In the morning,
of our manoeuvres were a bit unorthodox. I thought of the
we found that John and Bernard had been up re-arranging the
famous Morecambe and Wise sketch with Andre Previn as
mooring lines to minimise the yawing but it soon turned into a
Naomi and I did the Gay Gordons: ‘all the right steps (notes)
fine sunny day. We took the bus up the east side of the island,
but not necessarily in the right order’!
walked on the beach at the northern tip, admired the clarity of
the colours of the sea and beaches, and then returned to the
airport cafe to watch the local plane landing in a cloud of
spray on the cockle shell beach, the airport. Bernard asked
THE WORST ANCHORAGE
them to move the fire engine as it was blocking our view from
Well, you are warned in the pilot books that Village Bay in
the cafe – and they did! And we had some fine cockles for
St Kilda is not an overnight anchorage, a short day stop at
lunch, collected just off the end of the runway.
best. We arrived here at 23:30 having sailed from Castlebay.
It was just getting dark and although very gusty, staying the
night at anchor beat the prospect of carrying on beating to
SCALLOP PAKORAS
the Shetlands. Anyway, to bed and for my part, it was a
Back at Castlebay, we watched the Heaval Race up the
pleasure to get up at 06:00 after the rolliest anchorage ever.
local mountain and back, went out by ferry to Kisimul Castle,
the stronghold of the Clan Macneil that sits on its own
As the sun rose to slant across the hills, the outlines of the
private island and then booked in for dinner at the Kisimul
old stone and grass roof storage buildings, houses, dry
Cafe. This specialises in Barra scallops and Barra lamb, but
stone walls and sheep pens stood out on the slopes of
all done Italian or Indian style – as you would expect in the
the hill. But down below, what looks like an olive green
Outer Hebrides? Scallop pakoras were an interesting idea,
Portakabin city dominates the shore line. What a shame.
best left as a concept!
St Kilda was an Army garrison for some years and while the
Army had to have somewhere to live, what is left behind
The next day, Sunday, Hungarian John cooked us Hungarian
ranks high in the ‘monstrous carbuncle’ stakes. >
lunch accompanied by Hungarian gypsy music while we
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