No trip out to 'Petra' today. Some of the worst weather we've had so far this winter. The wind reached F10 for a time around midday in Shuna Sound and  was ripping the surface off the sea. What with the lack of light and the spray you could hardly see the half mile across to Shuna. The boat was out of the worst of it but she still took quite a pounding.

She’s more comfortable here than in Ballachulish though. There she was in a very sheltered spot and in between the gusts it would go completely calm and she’d swing to the current. Then the next bad gust would hit her on the beam, and on at least one occasion she was up on her beam ends with her masts nearly in the water. It was blowing around 100kts then though.

Here she faces the weather and just pitches comfortably and as long as the mooring’s long enough there’s not too much strain on things.

I believe that the riser/painter should be not more than 45degs to the ground when it’s pulled out straight, which implies that the total length should be at least 1.4 times the depth.

 The maximum that I have available is about twice the depth and in summer when the moorings are crowded I take in on the painter.