30 Jun

Portmahomack Deeply.

We all slept late, till well after nine, rolling gently in this sheltered anchorage. A simple breakfast (toast, OJ, coffee) and we launched the dinghy for a trip ashore. Tying the dinghy against the local fishing boats, we asked a local fisherman about the area. Founded sometime in the 10th century, the village is steeped in history and a lot of that revolves around fish. In the 18th and 19th century, there was a huge herring industry employing around 10000 people in the height of the season. In addition, in one year, sometime around 1790, over 70,000 lobsters were landed and shipped off towards London. Today there is very little, some lobster and crab fishing, a few wild salmon, and a wealth of second homes.

We talked to the fisherman for a good half hour, and parted with an offer to drop a few crabs on our deck for our lunch. We walked on, and the guys began to study the area.