Invisible Power!

The sky was blue and there wasn't a breath of wind.
That's what I saw out the window this morning.

On the one hand it was great.
The day was likely to be warm and dry.
On the other hand - no wind.

Today I was hoping to go sailing with my friend.
And we needed at least some wind.

By 9:30, when we met up, the air was stirring.
The view was beautiful going over the bridge.
And when we arrived at Dalgety Bay there was a breeze.

It was great to get the boat out again.
She's an old Mirror 14 and has been carefully looked after.
The tide was coming in so we decided to head for Inchcolm.

Inchcolm is an ancient Christian site.
The ruined Abbey is still roofed and dates from the 12th century.
Although Christian remains go back to the 900s.

The westerly breeze was strong enough to bring us quickly to the landing point at the eastern end of the island, but gentle enough to allow us to tack up through the narrow ferry channel without hitting the rocks, until we scrunched gently onto the golden beach. It is an idyllic place.

Unfortunately the welcome was not so nice as the view.
At the head of the beach is a notice from Historic Scotland.
They manage the property which they claim is the "best-preserved group of monastic buildings in Scotland." Iona Community might not agree!
The notice indicated that the entry price is £4.70.

We had gone for a sail and not for a sight-seeing visit.
Neither of us had any money under our wet-suits!
The Abbey would have to wait for another day.
We were confined to the beach.

We munched our snack in the sunshine as we sat on the rocks.
It was indeed a glorious day.

We set sail again and continued our circumnavigation.
The wind reversed itself and we had to tack off the beach too!
A bit tricky but we were soon into deeper water and then out through the channel.
The seals were keeping a careful watch.
And there were many kinds of seabirds calling through the air.

After a period of calm the wind settled into the west again.
We were flying along leaving a long white wake astern.
After creaming past one of the yachts being fitted out in the bay we landed again at the splendid sailing club.

It was a great journey.
For both of us it was the first time we had set off from one harbour in the Forth estuary and landed at another. It might have been a short cruise but perhaps it will be the start of bigger things.

In these days of fuel crisis and global warming it was hearteneing to be engaged in a sport that is almost carbon neutral. The nylon sails, alloy mast, metal fixings, and the paint and varnish, were the only artificial parts. The boat itself is wooden and it is powered by the wind.

I wonder what would result if Formula 1 racing converted to wind power!
Sand yachting is a sport in some areas. But imagine if we adopted wind power for road transport too! I don't think it's such a silly idea. It would just take some clever technology. A sort of four-wheeled bicycle with a mast and sails! And pedals for when there was no wind, or for tight maneuvering.

It's amazing the amount of power there is in the wind.
We're only just beginning to use it again after we abandoned sailing ships.
So far that effort is devoted to making electricity.
But the wind can do far more than that!

Just because we can't see it doesn't mean it's not there.
Let's make the most of it.