No 63. Papay Boatmen and their skills.

A long time ago, but yesterday too. Rain On My Window (Tears in My Eyes) will be an ongoing tale of my early memories of life shared by my younger brother David on Whitehall Farm in Stronsay, Orkney, of our childhood on a working farm in the 1930s before we lost our innocence.


No 63. ISLAND HARBOURS.
Or Mesmerised by the skill of the Papa boatmen.

The North Isles of Orkney had the harbours of Whitehall at Stronsay, Kettletoft at Sanday, Backaskail at Eday, Peirowall at Westray. The Island of Papa Westray had it’s pier, so too had Papa Stronsay, but their piers were more tidal, needing a high tide to get in. Normally only shipping livestock or unloading fertiliser or coal from an occasional Newcastle coal boat determined a pier call at either. The Island of Rousay had its pier. North Ronaldsay, Orkney’s farthest North Island, had its pier. North Ronaldsay was out on its own, lying a good bit to the North of Sanday, getting the Sigurd to do a call which was for them alone. From Whitehall we used to see the smoke of the Sigurd, small in the distance, slipping out of sight between the Calf of Eday and Sanday on it’s way North. Shapinsay had its Balfour Pier but was serviced by another locally owned ship. Denison’s Elwick Bay springs to mind but he had other ships over the years.
Papa Westray was one of our delights. The small amount of trade or passengers often dictated that a small boat put off to meet the Steamer lying off the pier. We used to watch mesmerised the skill of the Papa men, standing in the stern of their boat with hand on the tiller, swaying easily to the roll of the sea and the pitch of the waves. They would snap their small boat alongside the Thorfinn more easily than most motorists would park at the pavement. A rope flung to them fore and aft kept them alongside. .

Drifting gently but with the Thorfinn still under steerage way at dead slow, passengers and mail and parcels were quickly transferred over the side, two iron plates being temporarily hinged or swung back to give an easier and lower entry. A rope ladder helped.

Consummate seamen, if the wind was right as soon as they left the Thorfinn‘s side the big brown sail snapped up, the boat heeled to the breeze and rapidly left us behind, half way to the shore before we really got fully under way again.

Papa Westray was normally pronounced a quick “Pappae” or “Pappey”, inflection lifting at the end, more the old Norwegian or Viking pronunciation, as well it should be. Their accent was totally Nordic and peculiarly their own. Indeed each Island had its own particular accent, quite distinguishable between Islands then, and still there with the native born, but much mixed now with incomers from other places.

Eday had the same small boat service at Calf Sound, that stretch of water that separates the Calf of Eday from Eday itself. There was a small pier at Carrick House on that Sound. The Eday pier was shallow, a short right angle, and a bit awkward, the ship having to winch itself around the pier end to facilitate leaving straight out. That stop was dictated by tide, or just that the loading was small I cannot say, possibly a mixture. Speeded up the sailings if serviced at Calf Sound as going in to the Eday pier took time. We used to watch the sandy bottom being churned up by the Thorfinn’s propeller as we left, bits of seaweed turmoiling with churned up sand. The shallower Sigurd sometimes serviced Eday rather than the deeper draft Thorfinn. Indeed sailings were shared between the two ships according to tide and what cargo needed handling..
Calf Sound was also a magic place for us. The Sound went between the Red Head on Eday to the west side and the Grey Head on the Calf of Eday to the east side of the narrow seaway. It was our route from Stronsay to visit our Uncle Bill, father’s brother in the farm of Cleat in Westray. It was a notorious seaway as the wild Atlantic came through the Sound and it could be a rough sailing with many sea sick passengers if the tide was ebbing and a Westerly gale was blowing against it. Quite beautiful cliffs. Stone quarried from the Red Head is said to be in the fabric of St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall. As the Kirkwall Council Book refers, if you can follow the challenge of the Old English of the 1600s. :-

“Tolbuith of the samen, the Twentie ane day of November 1T viH. and nyntie one [1691]

The whilk day the Magistrats and councill being conveened anent the sowme of money which George Baikie of Greintoft in Eday, with his accomplices & associates, wes fined and amerciat upon the twelth of this instant for his unwarrantable, hostiall Intrusione in the Cathedral Kirk in Kirkwall, about five houres in the afternoone or yrbye, without Liberty or Licence granted either be the minister or Magistrats, And he being called day and daitte forsd, Judiciallie confest his unwarrantable Intrusione with his sds accomplices at the South Church door, And yt he had committed ane high and attrocious cryme in swa doeing, But also in deforceing of the officers and oyrs the burgesses who wes called to remove him and his accociats furth of the sds church at yt tyme of night, as the Provest and his subtione yrto more fullye bears. And efter consideratione had yrannent with his aboverine confessione, They fined and amerciat him in the sowme of Two Hundreth merks Scotts money. Yet notwthstanding, upon his earnest requeist and desyre to the sds Magistrats and Councill for causses knowen to ymselves, they componed the sds fyne for fyftie pounds Scotts moey Juduiciallie payed this day, togidder with thrie boats of whyte friestone for doors, windows with yr Lintalls and sells, to be taken out of the frie quarrel [quarry] in Eday, And brought upon boats to the shoare of Kirkwall free of all cost & expencess to the saids Magistrats but all upon the chairge and expenss of the sd George Baikie, ilk boatfull consisting of the number and quantitie of fourtie eight meills, And yt betwixt the daitte heirof and the first day of August next to come, And faillieing the delyverie of ilk ane of sds boats of stonns to the Thesaurer, to make payment of the sowme of Twentie merks Scotts money, And for the more sure payment of the sds stonnes frie of all expensses as sd is , William Traill, merd burges of Kirkwall, becomes Caur. Lykeways he binds and obleidges him, his aires, exers to cause delyver the saids thrie boats of stonnes at the shoare of Kirkwall at the quantitie befoir mentinat, or Liquidate pryce yrof as aforsd. In Testimonie qrof he hath subtt thir presents the sds Twentie one day of November 1T viH. and nyntie one yeires, It being alwayes heirby understood That the Magistrats is heirby obleidged to procure friedome and Libertie from These Interested in the said quarrel [quarry] for mineing and carrieing away the sds boats of stones.

Carrick House on Calf Sound was the scene of the capture of the Wick born pirate John Gow by Patrick Fea of Clestrain in Stronsay, who also held Carrick. Gow, born in Wick about 1698, had gone as a small boy with his father and family to grow up in the busy Orkney shipping harbour of Hamnavoe, now Stromness. Going early to sea, Gow in August 1724 joined the ship Caroline at Amsterdam under Capt Ferneau, a Frenchman, serving as Second Mate and Gunner. After lying idle for two months in Santa Cruz, Gow, with most of the crew, mutinied on 3rd November, 1724 and seized the ship. Renamed Revenge, they turned to piracy,

He was Capt Cleveland, the hero if that is the right word, of Sir Walter Scott’s book “The Pirate”. In January 1725 the Revenge, once again renamed The George, sailed into Hamnavoe, now Stromness, Gow calling himself Mr Smith.

Gow’s ship, after raiding the Hall of Clestrain near Stromness on 10th February, 1725, three days later, trying to get through Calf Sound to visit, or raid, Gow’s alleged old friend Patrick Fea in Carrick House, ran aground on The Calf of Eday. A strategy by Fea of inviting some of the crew ashore to Carrick House and then seizing them allowed them all to be captured. The Revenge was re-floated and taken to lie at anchor in Linga Sound just below Clestrain in Stronsay, well sheltered by our gull’s egg Island of the Holm of Midgarth. So the pirate Gow was part of our Stronsay folklore as well.
Gow was taken to London where he and seven of his piratical crew, were hanged at Execution Dock on the 11th June, 1725. Fea, after a struggle with officialdom, got a small reward for the capture and possibly the later sale of Gow’s ship which was taken to Leith, though it took him a long time for him to get the money.
. So our modern sailings through Calf Sound to Westray were through historic waters.