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We left Port Stilton in almost perfect conditions.
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The North Channel coastline of the Rhins of Galloway is for the most part devoid of any sign of human activity.
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Our only companions were fulmars which swooped round us with wing tips skimming the sea.
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As our mission to the Mull of Logan progressed, the sun crossed the yardarm and the water went glassy calm. Slack water had arrived in the North Channel.