Farewell to Orkney...

... for the Spirit Dancer canoe. She's a 42 foot Canadian canoe who's spent time in Orkney waters over the last 2 summers and is now off to Shetland. I've been lucky enough to be part of the crew of this fantastic vessel for the past 2 years and have a whole host of fantastic memories and good friends as a result. I'm heading up to Shetland for the tall ships and to rejoin the crew, but first she had to say her goodbyes to Orkney...

She was towed in from her temporary home in Holm, where she had been much admired (and even had coach parties stopping to look!)

I'm sure Andrew felt like a celebrity being pursued by the paparazzi...

... as 3 cars full of crew members kept overtaking him, whereupon the occupants would leap out and take photos of him passing. Other road users must have wondered what was going on...

Spirit Dancer said her farewells...

.. and was then left in the care of Northlink at Hatston, ready for the evening ferry to Shetland.

Was this the last time that the Orkney flag would be seen flying from Spirit Dancer's bow and stern?

The crew had some fun before heading off for lunch.

 It was warm enough for lunch outdoors, kindly provided by Andrew & Irene.

Food featured again later in the day, with the farewell dinner at the Kirkwall Hotel. It appears that steak pie from the Kirkwall Hotel is now seen as vital fuel for a Spirit Dancer trip!

Later, everyone's gear was packed into the canoe ready for ferry. All that people needed to carry onboard for the crossing was sleeping bags and mats, only Andrew had managed to pack his at the bottom of his rucksack, necessitating a quick repacking...

Bags were somehow stuffed in...

...along with the boxes of food supplies.

Spirit Dancer was ready for the next leg of her adventures.