Findhorn
September 23, 2020
23 Sep 20. HM 106. Read on to see why I fell in love with Findhorn (NB Moray not Aberdeenshire as I said in the video!)
Nowadays, to navigate in and out of Findhorn, you have to venture "through" a massive sandbank (photo 3) with the channel marked with infrequent small sticks (photo 4). For novice sailors like me, electronic aids (depth sounder & GPS chart plotter) make it relatively easy, but go back 200 years and imagine navigating a large sailing ship into this tricky harbour.
Go back another 100 years and imagine a thriving harbour exporting timber, grain and beef as far south as Bordeaux and returning with brandy, wine and spices. But wait! You have to imagine THIS harbour positioned one mile north out into the sea! Incredibly shifting sands and destructive storms have completely destroyed where the port originally sat - in fact the town has had to move "south" twice in its recent history.
Findhorn was not just famous for trade - picture the scene on 6th April 1746 - the Highland Army under Bonnie Prince Charlie was fighting its last stand. Desperate for assistance, his ADC was despatched to France. (I love this story as I was an ADC once!) The French brigantine - Le Bien Trouvé (photo 8) - snuck into Findhorn estuary closely chased by two Royal Naval ships. Under the cover of darkness, she escaped and delivered the ADC to the court in Versailles by 16 April - but too late - for on that very day at Culloden, the last standing battle fought on British soil defeated the Jacobites.
I have to thank Derek Munro - the "unofficial" HM of Findhorn, for enthusing us about Findhorn. His knowledge about the harbour, the Royal Findhorn Yacht Club (photo 5), the 50 Zulu fishing boats that sheltered in the estuary in WW1 and Tom Maclean's venture in his "Save the Whale" round Britain boat (photo 9) could fill several posts. Thank you Derek and his lovely wife Anne who gave us very accurate Lat & Long waypoints to get us safely over the sand bar!
Nowadays, to navigate in and out of Findhorn, you have to venture "through" a massive sandbank (photo 3) with the channel marked with infrequent small sticks (photo 4). For novice sailors like me, electronic aids (depth sounder & GPS chart plotter) make it relatively easy, but go back 200 years and imagine navigating a large sailing ship into this tricky harbour.
Go back another 100 years and imagine a thriving harbour exporting timber, grain and beef as far south as Bordeaux and returning with brandy, wine and spices. But wait! You have to imagine THIS harbour positioned one mile north out into the sea! Incredibly shifting sands and destructive storms have completely destroyed where the port originally sat - in fact the town has had to move "south" twice in its recent history.
Findhorn was not just famous for trade - picture the scene on 6th April 1746 - the Highland Army under Bonnie Prince Charlie was fighting its last stand. Desperate for assistance, his ADC was despatched to France. (I love this story as I was an ADC once!) The French brigantine - Le Bien Trouvé (photo 8) - snuck into Findhorn estuary closely chased by two Royal Naval ships. Under the cover of darkness, she escaped and delivered the ADC to the court in Versailles by 16 April - but too late - for on that very day at Culloden, the last standing battle fought on British soil defeated the Jacobites.
I have to thank Derek Munro - the "unofficial" HM of Findhorn, for enthusing us about Findhorn. His knowledge about the harbour, the Royal Findhorn Yacht Club (photo 5), the 50 Zulu fishing boats that sheltered in the estuary in WW1 and Tom Maclean's venture in his "Save the Whale" round Britain boat (photo 9) could fill several posts. Thank you Derek and his lovely wife Anne who gave us very accurate Lat & Long waypoints to get us safely over the sand bar!