Feeding the Rat
We are enjoying a rest day in Peterhead. The winds look more favourable tomorrow. Our gentle northward progress provides a suitable build up of anticipation for crossing the Pentland Firth and rounding Cape Wrath. Fishermen in Arbroath and Stonehaven, asking where we are heading, have shared their stories of incredible currents and intimidating waves. And they were going round in big steel boats with ten times the horsepower of our little engine. I have started to read the pilot carefully and fuss over the charts. I feel increasingly nervous. The fierce reputation of the Pentland Firth is undermining my confidence. Every now and then you might choose an adventure that is a bit more of a challenge, that is not just a fun weekend but actually might push you towards your limits or beyond. Mo Anthoine, an infamous British climber, referred to this as ‘feeding the rat’ which is defined in his biography of that name by Al Alvarez: ‘every year you need to flush out your system and do a bit of
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