Stuck Again

Day 67 – Cairnryan – 26th July – 0 nm

Well we had a difference of opinion with the Met Office yesterday afternoon, but they did get it right overnight. It’s wet and windy this morning, the soggy grey sky is low enough to part your hair. We drive over to Portpatrick to take a look. It’s one of those tiring and frustrating sort of days, an unsatisfying faff-day as the TM says.

We rise a little bleary eyed this morning, grandma across the way had a karakoe party last night, they were even singing along to the Shadows towards the end - how do you do that?

Once again it’s a day to drive me mad. The conditions at Portpatrick are borderline, the conditions are neither bad enough to make it a definite no, nor good enough to make it a definite yes. The miserable weather doesn't add a positive feeling to the day either.  Team Manager is still a little shocked after yesterday, how things were so different from the forecast, at a pretty crucial point. She doesn't really feel like encouraging me to get on.

When I look at the conditions outside the harbour at Portpatrick I think it looks possible, possible but not good. If I can’t decide I talk it through to myself, as I would if someone else had asked me for advice. I remind myself that whatever you see from the beach it is 2 or 3 times worse out there. Then I point out that it is 15 nm to PP, 11 nm of rocky coastline to the first beach. Add to the mix that I'm paddling solo and not exactly fresh at the moment and it’s not looking good for a wet spraydeck this morning.

We head up to take a look at Corsewall Point. The lighthouse is nicely situated, but the view is spoilt by the gloomy, low drizzle. The waves are rebounding off the end and the swell coming down the North Channel is riding up onto the rocky shelves.

Nope, not for me today, game over.

We head to Stranraer for a greasy breakfast, amused by the conversation of visitors from the States sitting on an adjoining table. Haggis Suppers and Irn Bru all around and they are not quite sure what to make of it all. A bit like us and the US gun culture.

The weather isn't going to change so we make the call to lose the day. But there’s not much enthusiasm to do anything else in the rain. We sit around and wait for life to improve.