Sunday 19 August 2007

BUGATTI BATEAUX

While in Orkney we went out for a sail to one of the smaller islands, Stronsay, and were joined by friends on their boat Arctica. They had come up north through the Caledonian Canal. We tied up together alongside the pier. For company we had a family of guillemots inhabiting in the rock wall opposite.


The pier leads out to the Kirkwall ferry which ties up here for the night. The crew sleep aboard. We had an evening walk exploring - a rather grey place with odd derelict structures that must have been something to do with fishing. Anyhow, in the morning we were awakened by the ferry revving up at 7:00 am getting ready for their 7:30 am departure. I popped out into the cockpit in my pyjamas to replace the flagstaff in the stern bracket (as it was 'dawn' and I am 'Keeper of the Flags') to find parked opposite us on the pier .... a red Bugatti sportscar!


Nothing for it but a quick change and I leapt ashore to have a chat with the owner. And as I am trying to get the scoop on who he is and is this part of a fleet of Classic cars (no...) three monks come flip-flopping along in their sandles, black robes, with their beads and backpacks. Eh????

The ferry guys standing on the ramp were having a good laugh at all of this! (Well, I mean, if THEY had a Bugatti parked on the pier - as you do! - I would be chatting them up, wouldn't I?)

Off-at-a-tangent? The very smart Bugatti website here has lots of photos (from which this one is taken).

1 comment:

Steve said...

It's a nice car, that Bugatti (albeit a replica), we saw it in Kirkwall the other day waiting for its ferry while we were waiting for ours.