| Divers seeking
an alternative Scottish Weekend will be delighted to hear
that North Link Ferries have made the option of a long weekend
in Scapa Flow viable. Traditionally Scapa Flow diving has
been a week’s event. After receiving many requests from
loyal divers who use the Aberdeen connection, John Thornton
has launched four day ‘long weekend’ charters
on the Karin. This is proving popular with the latest invaders
of Scapa Flow.
“We’ve noticed that with more demands on leisure
time, more of our divers are giving Scrabster a miss and driving
straight to Aberdeen instead”, stated John Thornton,
Skipper of the Karin. “Having talked to them, it does
make sense because of the distance and time saved. You can
drive from Birmingham to Aberdeen in 7.5 hours and for divers
north of the Border, Glasgow is 3.15 hours and Edinburgh a
mere 1.5 hour drive, so divers are laughing at the reduced
travelling times.
We’ve found that the Thursday night sailing at 17:00
from Aberdeen on North Link Ferries www.northlinkferries.com
is proving especially popular with divers, as they are in
Kirkwall by 23:00. This means that on Friday you go diving”. |
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The beauty of the Karin is that it
is driven by a man who has been sailing and diving the Orcadian
waters for over twenty years. In fact John also teaches diving,
making him one of the most experienced and qualified Skippers to
work Scapa. Therefore on the Karin divers get all the important
things in life, like big wide benches to kit up on, a range of exotic
gases on tap which are blended to a ‘T’, slack when
it should be (more or less), a good Scottish Breakfast (when requested),
and a skipper who understands what divers need.
“I’m very lucky that I’ve a consistent, loyal
customer base that keeps on coming back because they know what they
are going to get, so I do a lot of day charters and liveaboards.
Obviously”, John grinned, “there is more flexibility
with a liveaboard, for instance on the four day charters we can
sleep over at Long Hope or Burray. But that is where the beauty
of the Flow comes into it’s own. Where else can you find Blockships,
Cruisers and Battleships right on your door step, and it doesn’t
really matter too much what the weather is doing. With it being
so protected you can get out diving pretty much all year around
up here”.
John’s experience of leading expeditions as far afield as
Singapore has given him a huge insight into trip planning. “We
want everyone to have a good time and one of the better ways of
ensuring this is prior planning. When divers are not sure of something,
the best thing they can do is hop onto the website (www.scapaflow.com)
and drop me a line. We can organise B&B’s, tanks, equipment
hire, nitrox, trimix, an onboard cook, and of course training. Please
get in touch if you have any questions”.
The Thursday sailings from Aberdeen now mean that a long weekend
in Scapa is easily achievable for all divers. For those of you who
have not yet experienced the magic of The Great Harbour, a four
day long weekend charter (sailing from Aberdeen) is a perfect way
to introduce you to the renowned wrecks and legendary landscapes
that is Scapa Flow.
Infromation on the Karin
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The Karin was built in 1968, originally
working out of Hamburg in the North Sea. She is licensed for 15,
including crew, with 12 pax being the norm. Since Thornton got his
hand on the Karin in 1995, she has undergone quite a conversion.
Currently she has two heads (toilets), one shower, a drying room
and a snug main day cabin complete with lots of charging points
and a DVD and television. Sleeping wise, there is one single and
seven twin cabins all with proper sized single mattresses. Divers
should bring their own sleeping bags and towels, but in the event
that someone forgets these, John can provide them.
There is a galley on board so divers can self cater if they wish,
or a cook can be provided on request. Local fresh organic produce,
such as Orcadian meat is used where possible. In the evenings there
are many hotels and pubs that cook good food. |
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