The Stella Association

Moonspinner

	Moonspinner #105 Stornoway, Isle of Lewis Previous Owner - Ian Stephen and family

	Stornoway is the capital of the Western Isles.Despite its distance from the mainland (2hrs 40 mins by Ferry), it is a vibrant and busy place which includes Fishing, Oil, farming and tourism among its diverse industries.
Motif of Lewis life	Ian and his family bought Moonspinner following their first Stella being wrecked in storm force winds in January 2000 - see Vanella. Moonspinner was sailed up from near Glasgow in July and is now moored in Stornoway harbour. Ian plans to produce an account of this voyage in the near future and will be published in the Class Association newsletter.
Moonspinner on her mooring in Stornoway harbour.	Lews Castle Stornoway harbour is overlooked by Lews Castle, a mock tudor folly built in the 19th Century by Sir James Matheson who purchased the Isle of Lewis in 1844 with part of his fortune he accumulated from the opium trade in the Far East This is now a technical college.
The Town hall	Ian's family are very keen Stella people. His eldest son Shaun (15) has started to take out Moonspinner by himself and successfully helmed in a recent local race. His son Ben (12) is also a keen sailor, but his passion is fishing. This means that there are always rods and tackle ready in the forepeak!
	We were very fortunate to be invited to sail in Moonspinner whilst on holiday this summer. Very trusting!
	Paul and Jenny Tattersall 'Stand in' for Moonspinner's crew. (normal crew are Barbara, Shaun, Ben and friends)
Ian was keen to have some pictures in action, so asked me and my daughter Jenny to sail past him whilst he took pictures from his Orkadian fishing boat (see below).	Following a 'photo-shoot' in the relatively quiet harbour, we sailed south down the Minch. The depths are in stark contrast to sailing in the coastal waters off Suffolk and Essex. Some interesting anchor tackle is required! There are several sea lochs in the area which act as very beautiful harbours in case of bad weather! Our trip included some very successful fishing taken over a ridge in the sea bed. Getting over the ridge required some good local knowledge and was achieved without resort to GPS. I was impressed! We ate the fish for dinner, which tasted wonderful.
Ian Stephen at the helm.	Ian was a Coastguard for 25 years and is rightly safety conscious in waters which may not see other boats passing for long periods, even in summer. Ian now spends his time as a writer and artist. He is particularly interested in maritime subjects and frequently travels to show his and fellow artists work throughout Scotland in exhibitions and schools.
	An open fishing boat showing the typical canoe stern construction of the area.
	The Stephen's family Orkadian fishing/sailing boat. This was sailed in the Hebidean boat festival this summer.
	When coming back from Moonspinner's mooring to the harbour steps, we were pursued by two voracious seals who came alongside the boat at great speed. At Ian's suggestion, I held a mackeral over the side. There was a sudden breaking of the water as one of the seals came from below the boat and leapt out to take the fish from my hand. I shall have a lasting impression of looking down a seal's throat and seeing stained yellow teeth which I felt could have taken my hand off!!
	After feeding the seals, they wouldn't go away, despite an outboard engine running. This fellow put its head up on the gunwhale and proceeded to chew the boats wooden rowlocks.
Tea Up!	Ian intends to keep Moonspinner in the water over the winter period, making the most of breaks in the weather which can be quite extreme during Atlantic gales. Being on the east side of Lewis gives some protection from prevailing westerlies, but the Minch is a large and wide stretch of water and can whip up into short and high waves when the wind has a touch of north or south in it. Some comfort can be had from the pressurised pariffin cabin heater on cold days. This is mounted on the forecabin bulkhead.
The Callanish Standing stones The Callanish standing stones are a major visitor attraction on the Isle of Lewis.	Dating back over 4000 years, Callanish ranks second in terms of importance only to Stonehenge and is older. On a headland overlooking part of a huge sea loch, 53 pale grey stones of Lewisian gneiss stand in a curious cruciform.
The heart is a central circle of 13 tall stones where excavations in the mid-19th century uncovered a chambered tomb reported to have contained human remains. From there four limbs run out in line with the cardinal points of the compass. Pointing northwards lie two parallel rows of stones which form an avenue of unknown significance. They stand on a small hill called 'Cnoc an Tursa' - 'Hill of Sorrow'. There is now a move towards calling Callanish by its Gaelic name - Calanais.

For any web site enquiries - please contact the webmaster.