CRUISING NOTES
N
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R
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RIGHT Around the
fishing boats were
a host of smaller
clinker-built sailing
vessels, including
the lovely wooden
Black Gold, built
by local resident
Alasdair Scott.
INSET RIGHT
Feadhanach, a 16ft
double-ended gaff
cutter with oars,
whose hull is
based on the
Shetland sixareen.
FAR RIGHT
Eaglewing, a
classic gunter-
rigged sailing
dinghy.LEFT Once the
water came into the
old harbour, there
was the chance to
try paddling a
traditional coracle.
Naturally I was
there with my hand
up, ready to get wet
feet and a wet seat.
Volunteers were
given a short
briefing from a
coracle society
volunteer – you
went forward, it
seemed, by slicing
the paddle to create
a bow wave which
pulled the craft
forward. The boat
felt flimsy, but it
was fun.
LEFT The Boatshed
by the harbour had
three traditional
boats in the making.
BELOW LEFT The
all-tides harbour
was filled with a
interesting variety
of boats, from the
1904 Stroma Yoal
Bee, to more
modern yachts and
motor-sailers.
RIGHT Saturday
evening saw
Portsoy’s first
torchlit procession,
led by Portsoy Pipe
Band and the
Vikings. It wasn’t
quite dark, but the
torches burned
brightly against the
grey sky, and the
boat (an old coble)
blazed on the shore.FROM FAR LEFT The
weekend had a
constant backdrop of
live music with three
stages spread along
the shore. I
particularly enjoyed
fiddler Elsa
McTaggart’s mix of
traditional fiddle,
song and penny-
whistle, and the foot
stomping Dutch
finale group the
De Kinkels.