We left Port Stilton in almost perfect conditions.
The North Channel coastline of the Rhins of Galloway is for the most part devoid of any sign of human activity.
Our only companions were fulmars which swooped round us with wing tips skimming the sea.
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.