SCOTLAND
EAST COAST
Starting from Berwick-upon-Tweed, I paddled north along the east coast through the Firth of Forth, Fife, and past Aberdeen to Peterhead. Along the way, I spotted an injured gannet on the water, got it onto the board, and brought it ashore for care. It was a matter of managing the cold North Sea conditions and shorter daylight hours, working steadily north to set up the crossing of the Moray Firth.
MURRAY FIRTH
CROSSING Moray Firth Crossing
DATES 7–8 November 2020
ROUTE Fraserburgh to Wick
DISTANCE 106 km
DURATION 23 hours
NAVIGATION Celestial
ACHIEVEMENT First solo crossing
One of the final legs along the east coast of Scotland toward John o' Groats before tackling the north coast, cutting straight across the mouth of the Moray Firth from Fraserburgh to Wick. Done in the middle of winter, pushing through 15 hours of darkness, clear skies gave me the chance to leave the screens and GPS off. It was the first time I navigated a full crossing entirely by the night sky. Keeping the deck dark preserved my night vision, making it an intimate passage with nothing between myself, the stars and the cadence of the stroke.
