| Porch and ShieldMonday, 17 August 2009 | StuartThe official residence now has a porch, which will make it better able to stand up to the rigours of a Forvik winter. The porch also houses the batteries and control gear for the solar panel system:
The official shield is set in place when the Steward is in residence:
The official shield was... Open Blog |
| LandroverFriday, 12 June 2009 | StuartIn spite of admitting in writing that I had driven the Land Rover without UK tax, MOT or insurance, the police appear to be taking no action. They have referred the matter of having no tax to the DVLA, who have invited me to pay them £147 to avoid court action - which I declined.Under normal... Open Blog |
| Gold Coins SoldMonday, 18 May 2009 | StuartThe sale of my gold coins raised just over £2,500, all of which is going to help the project. Open Blog |
| Gold Coins for ForvikMonday, 11 May 2009 | StuartI'm selling the last of my collection of gold sovereigns and the proceeds will go towards the Forvik Project. The sale is on eBay and has finishing dates on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week. If you put in the winning bid on any item, I will give you or a friend free honorary... Open Blog |
| Police decline to prosecuteSunday, 10 May 2009 | StuartI'm finding it amazingly difficult to get any UK authority to face up and tell me how they think the UK derives its authority in Shetland. Having put a vehicle on the road with no tax or MOT and having admitted driving it about 15 miles on one occasion and about 3 on another, the police have... Open Blog |
| Forvik's First Vehicle!Tuesday, 28 April 2009 | StuartThe first Forvik-registered vehicle hit the roads of Shetland last week and caused some controversy. In a further challenge to the UK authorities to prove how they derive their authority in Shetland, I parked an old Land Rover with Forvik numberplates, Forvik tax disc and Forvik country of... Open Blog |
| Martin ClunesTuesday, 28 April 2009 | StuartFor UK readers only: This Sunday (May 3) on ITV at 9pm sees the start of the series 'Islands of Britain' with Martin Clunes. The first of the series features Forvik, so make sure you're watching! Open Blog |
| My BookFriday, 24 April 2009 | StuartOnly 50 copies. Between 1977 and 1996 I was involved in a renaissance in blacksmithing in Great Britain and around the world. A book was published on my work at that time and I have secured the last 50 copies to sell in support of the Forvik project. Click here for details. Open Blog |
| After the winterSaturday, 21 March 2009 | StuartI made use of a short weather window to make a quick visit island to inspect the winter storm damage. The flag pole has blown down and the flag destroyed. The shed has disintegrated, leaving some electric tools exposed to the elements – I don’t expect... Open Blog |
| HMRC Climb-downMonday, 09 March 2009 | StuartVictory in the first skirmish of what I expect will be a long battle - but who knows? It might be all over by Christmas! After a three-month delay while they considered their position, a letter from HMRC tells me that I do not need to send in Income Tax Self Assessment forms and they have canceled... Open Blog |
| November GaleThursday, 13 November 2008 | StuartThe first serious storm of the winter was accompanied by 115 mph winds. The flagpole has blown down, the tool shed has gone, the wind-break for the tent is partly blown down, but the house is still OK. Unable to get on the island, all I can do is watch from either the mainland or Papa... Open Blog |
| Battened DownThursday, 02 October 2008 | StuartDuring the one calm day this week I was able to get a short visit to the island at the high tide. I had about two hours to batten down for the winter storms and try to ensure everything is as safe as possible. I anticipate it will not be possible to visit more than a few times during the winter. As... Open Blog |
| Boat retrievedMonday, 29 September 2008 | StuartI was unable to get out to Papa Stour to inspect the boat for another five days. When I did, I found her buried almost to the gunwhales in the sand and broadside to the waves. I spent the day digging out the sand and digging a pond around her so that when the tide came in I could turn her and pull... Open Blog |
| GratitudeSunday, 31 August 2008 | Administrator A Heart Felt Thank You To the rescue services for finding and rescuing me on the night of 14th September and to those involved with the recovery of the boat. The crews of the Aith lifeboat, helicopter Oscar Charly, the Walls coastguard, coastguard co-ordinators and emergency services all... Open Blog |
| Events leading to the rescueSunday, 21 September 2008 | StuartOn Sunday 14th September I went out to the island in the afternoon at low tide. There was a bit of a swell and the South harbour was not usable. The East harbour was perfectly calm, as it usually is at low tide, so I put the boat in there. towards evening the swell was beginning to build up in that... Open Blog |
| The First GaleWednesday, 10 September 2008 | StuartPosted on the old site on August 25, 2008 The First Gale and House Under WayA good period of fine weather finally broke with a storm from the South West. For most of the time I had been working on the island, winds were from a Northerly quarter, or quite light. I had not seen the South harbour in a... Open Blog |
| The First BuildingWednesday, 03 September 2008 | StuartPosted on the old site on August 4, 2008 The First Building Things are progressing well with the house. The floor is laid and protected with polythene sheeting. I leveled the base using small shingle from the beach (taken up with a yoke and two buckets!). I then laid polystyrene foam boards 50mm.... Open Blog |
| Building Work StartsTuesday, 02 September 2008 | StuartPosted on the old site on July 16, 2008 Building Work Starts. Back on the Shetland mainland for a few days holiday, swapping the outdoor life for the computer desk again. The fine weather spell seems to have come to an end and I'm reminded by a local correspondent that some of Shetland's worst... Open Blog |
| Life After The DeclarationMonday, 01 September 2008 | StuartPosted on the old site on July 11, 2008 Life after the declaration. Things have settled down a bit after the initial surge of interest, so time to get back to work on the island and start building. On citizenships there are some exciting developments that have delayed... Open Blog |
| Press Releases Sunday, 31 August 2008 | Administrator 18 March 2008 Press Release: Court Appearance A challenge to the Crown.On 25th March Stuart Hill is set to challenge the authority of the Crown in Shetland by taking the matter to court. Mr. Hill said “The personal... Open Blog |
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On Sunday 14th September I went out to the island in the afternoon at low tide. There was a bit of a swell and the South harbour was not usable. The East harbour was perfectly calm, as it usually is at low tide, so I put the boat in there. towards evening the swell was beginning to build up in that harbour, but I was not worried because the previous Tuesday we had had much stronger winds from the same direction (SE) and the boat was perfectly safe in the morning. However, when I checked before going to bed it was obvious that the boat was not safe. Waves were coming over the rocks, bouncing against the cliff and threatening to swamp the boat. I quickly grabbed some essentials and donned waterproofs, but by the time I got down to the boat she was already taking on water. Byt the time I had released the lines she was swamped, but I had to get her to quieter water, otherwise she would be lost by morning. Even with a hole in the bottom she will float with about 9" of water in the bottom, but with no way to let the water out, it was coming over the gunwales faster than it could get out, so she remained swamped. The bucket drifted out of reach before I could catch it. I managed to moor in quieter water, but was unable to empty the boat of water. I got the main engine started and (fatefully) cast off the mooring with the intention of getting into more shetlered water, but then the engine was swamped by a wave and finally cut out. The second engine was also swamped and would not start, so all I could do was fend the boat off the rocks as she was taken round the North side of the island, heading West towards the Atlantic. I anchored, but could see no alternative to calling the rescue services - the last thing I wanted to do. I had two mobile phones - one with no signal and a full battery, the other with a good signal and a low battery and was able to make the call on the latter before it died. I had flares on the boat, but was unfamiliar with them an could not get them to work and I'd left the VHF radio behind. I'd brought a torch, but it was lost in the bottom of the boat in the dark. The helicopter found me pretty quickly and hovered overhead while the lifeboat came and took me off. I was glad to see them. Fortunately it was not a rough night, but I was still soaked from doing what I had to do. Looking back, I have tried to think what I should have done differently.
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