Coastal Odyssey
After passing under the Skye Bridge and into the Inner Sound, which lies between Raasay Island and the Scottish mainland, early on Monday evening, Coastal Odyssey made impressive progress as they rowed strongly into the North Minch, the strait of water separating the Outer Hebrides from mainland Scotland.
The coastline here is rugged and rocky, interspersed with beautiful white sand beaches. It is an unforgiving and isolated section, exposed to the full force of the North Atlantic, offering little in the way of protection or shelter. With a tight weather window, the team had to row powerfully to reach Cape Wrath, the most northwesterly point of Great Britain. Here, the vast North Atlantic Ocean crashes into the towering granite cliffs of Cape Wrath - a very isolated and inhospitable location. Coastal Odyssey successfully navigated around the Cape at 10am on Friday. With the weather remaining favourable for longer than expected, they pushed forcibly along the North Coast, passing Balnakeil Bay, Loch Eriboll, the tiny village of Tongue, the remote nuclear facility of Dounreay, and the small town of Thurso.
When they attempted to pass Dunnet Head, the most northerly point of Great Britain, the weather window began to close. With the wind picking up, the sea state became much more challenging, with a large swell and wind over tide. They chose to move back into Dunnet Bay and anchor in the shelter off Peedie Sands.
Coastal Odyssey hopes to move through the Pentland Firth and into the Moray Firth, starting to head south later this afternoon!
Sea Change
As the team sadly had to withdraw from the Challenge, their boat was taken out of the water late last Sunday night. But, like we said in the last post - part of their mission was also about showcasing some amazing stories about our oceans, so they are doing exactly that! Four of the team set off (by car this time) to visit some coastal regeneration initiatives, including one of the first restored salt marshes in the country and a seaweed farm in the North Sea. Follow their social channels to learn more.
Image above shows Daisy from Coastal Odyssey with Skye Bridge in the background - the halfway point of the Challenge!
Previous updates:
08 July 2024
01 July 2024
27 June 2024
23 June 2024
18 June 2024
13 June 2024
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GB Row Challenge / Sea Change / Coastal Odyssey