Norway to Scotland - Via the Shetlands and Orkney Isles
Submitted by adam on Fri, 31/07/2009 - 15:05
| Voyage Number | L-090814 |
| Voyage price | £995 |
| Voyage Dates | 14/08/2009 - 19:00 - 23/08/2009 - 10:00 |
| Depart from | Bergen |
| Finishing Port | Inverness |
| Voyage area | North Sea |
| Voyage type | Adventure Voyage |
| Vessel | Leader |
| Availability | Fully booked |
Voyage Description
North Sea - Shetlands - Orkneys - 9 Day Discovery Voyage
Just the one place due to a cancellation.
Leader will sail back from Bergen to Inverness via the fascinating Shetland & Orkney Isles but please remember the exact itinerary is all weather dependent. These northern most Isles of Great Britain are closer to Norway than to Edinburgh so the wildlife is truly wild and the air is full of the sound of sea birds. The rugged beauty of the hundreds of islands that make up Shetland & Orkney make this a wonderful opportunity for exploring.
Both the Shetlands and Orkney's are very different culturally and visually from mainland Scotland. There beauty is in there ruggedness. The ancient stone circle homes and other structures testify to the fact that man has lived her for a tough four millennium or more. Where you go will be weather dependent but the aim is to give as much of these distinctive isles as possible.
Leader will be working watch systems and the length of time at sea will give you a good chance to get into the swing of traditional sailing out of sight of land.
Great opportunity for a mile building voyage crossing from Bergen to Inverness.
Flights into Bergen from the UK are cheap and available but they do arrive around midnight in Bergen. To help with this you will be able to join in the wee hours of August 14th. After breakfast you will need to leave the ship until 7pm while Leader is provisioned and fully prepared for your North Sea adventure.
Leader Crosses the North Sea
Cheap flights in
Day One
After you have joined Leader you will be shown around the boat by the crew and there will be safety briefing before you get under way.
Day 2 to 3-4
You will be sailing away from Norway and as the Norwegian Mountains drop below the horizon behind you have a lot of sailing to look forward to. Settle into the rhythm of the sea and enjoy being a member of the sailing team.
Day 3 - 7 ish
Both the Shetlands and Orkney's are very different culturally and visually from mainland Scotland. There beauty is in there ruggedness. The ancient stone circle homes and other structures testify to the fact that man has lived her for a tough four millennium or more. Where you go will be weather dependent but the aim is to give as much of these distinctive isles as possible.
Day 8 and 9
The Skipper will want to get to the Scottish Coast in good time. Once there if Leader has made good time there may be the chance to go into some ports on the East of Scotland before heading into Inverness.
The Rewards of a long passage.
Sailing any vessel across the sea is a wonderful way to travel. You make the boat go along so your effort is partly responsible for getting you to Inverness. Quite rightly this give a wonderful sense of achievement and it would be rude not to celebrate your voyage with a wee dram of whisky or whatever takes your fancy.
Bergen is easy to get to, from the rest of Norway and from abroad. Thanks to direct flights from London, you only need to change planes once to reach Bergen from far-away destinations. You can also take direct sea routes from Denmark and Newcastle-upon-Tyne in England, as well as from the Faeroe Islands, Iceland and Shetland. Scandinavian Airlines (www.flysas.com) and Norwegian (www.norwegian.no) both fly from the UK to Bergen.
Cheap Fights
How to get to the harbour from the airport: Domestic air connections are very good, from thelocal airport Flesland.Airport Bus: The Airport Bus has frequent departures to and from Bergen Airport Flesland and is a comfortable way of travelling that takes you all the way to the city centre. Connections between ordinary passenger services and the Airport Bus are available at a reasonable price. For departure times please see www.flybussen.no. Taxi: Bergen Taxi Company: (+47) 55 99 70 00 www.bergentaxi.no Taxi 1: (+47) 55 50 00 37 www.taxi1.no
How to get to the harbour from the railway station:
Norwegian State Railways (NSB) runs an extensive network of services and the train station is situated just a 10 minute walk from the harbour. There is also a free bus ride on bus no. 100 from Olav Kyrresgate (near the Post Office) to the Bus Station and the Railway Station, as well as from outside the Bus Station that brings you down to the harbour.
How to get to the harbour from the bus station:
The bus station is situated just a 10 minute walk from the harbour. There is also a free bus ride on bus no. 100 from Olav Kyrresgate (near the Post Office) to the Bus Station and the Railway Station, as well as from outside the Bus Station that brings you down to the harbour.
Inverness
This is the last city as you head north in Scotland.
It is ideally placed for access down the Caledonian Canal to the West Coast of Scotland and into the glens out towards Torridon. Further north you will find Wick and eventualy John O'Groats.
It has good rail, coach and air connections and the A9 will take you all the way back to Edinburgh.
It has good restaurants and local accommodation.
Leader is a former Brixham sailing trawler, one of the largest of her type ever built in 1892 at the boatyard of A. W. Gibbs in Galmpton on the river Dart. She fished in UK waters until 1907, when she was sold to new owners in Scandinavia. She remained there as a working vessel until the 1960's, when she became a sail training vessel under the flag of the Swedish Cruising Club. In 1985, she was taken to the West coast of Scotland, where she was used for sailing charter holidays.
In 1996 she was brought home to South Devon, and operated from Dartmouth until 1999, when she returned to Brixham.
Leader is rigged as she would have been when first built, as a gaff ketch. She is 80' long on deck, and 105' overall. She displaces about 110 tonnes in sailing trim. She has a beam of 19'6" and a draft of 10'.
Down below, Leader has been fitted out for her modern role. She has accommodation for twelve guests and five crew, a large saloon area, a galley with a large, gas cooker, two heads, two hot showers, and a generator that supplies a ring main with 240v electricity. She has a well equipped nav. station with modern navigation equipment including Radar, GPS and DSC VHF Radio.
Leader was one of the largest of the sailing trawlers, known, despite their Ketch rig, as the 'Big Sloops'.
The Rig
Leader is rigged now just as she was when she fished under sail, over 100 years ago. She has a 'Gaff Rig', indicating that the Main and Mizzen sails are hoisted using a 'gaff', a spar attached to their upper side. The Ketch rig (two masts) was used to divide up the sail area, making each sail easier to handle by a small crew. The large number of sails (up to eight) makes it easy to 'change gear' by hoisting or lowering sails as required, depending upon the strength of the wind.
The Ketch rig is very versatile; good in light winds, when extra sails can be set (such as flying jib and mizzen staysail), good in heavy winds (she can sail under mizzen and staysail alone) and good for manoeuvring (the mizzen can be used to help to balance and turn the boat).
Official Number |
99504 |
|
Port of Registry |
Brixham |
|
Builder |
A W Gibbs, Galmpton, Devon |
|
Date Launched |
1892 |
|
Radio Call Sign |
MFZX5 |
|
Gross Registered Tonnage |
53.21 |
|
Net Registered Tonnage |
47.12 |
|
Length Overall including spars |
30.50 m |
100' 0" |
Length of Hull |
24.40 m |
80' 0 " |
Length of Waterline |
20.80 m |
68' 3 " |
Maximum Beam |
5.90 m |
19' 4 " |
Maximum Draft |
3.00 m |
9' 10 " |
Working Sail Area |
222 sq m |
2390 sq ft |
Displacement |
100 tonnes |
110 tons |
Ballast |
15 tonnes |
16.5 tons |
Engine – Daewoo L136 6 Cylinder |
119 kW |
160 Hp |
Water Capacity |
2,300 litres |
508 gals |
Fuel Capacity |
1,040 litres |
229 gals |
Adventure Charter Voyages on Leader 2012
Leader has a major role as a sail training ship for youth development, so her adult charter voyages for individuals are few, so don't leave it too late to book the voyages below. Please ring us for availability if you would like to charter the whole vessel outside these adult charter weeks.
Leader Details on a PDF
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