Life Aboard a 14 hour Boat Journey (From Aberdeen to Shetland)

I wish I was making my title up but it's true. Like many islanders who can't always afford the luxery of flying back home everytime they travel I had to take the boat. Now, the boat wouldn't be a bad thing if we weren't trapped on it for 4 hours or something like that, but after 14 hours stuck on a boat, you begin to feel resentment about where you live... well I certainly did.

Last Monday, after already travelling for 3 hours on a bus from Edinburgh to Aberdeen, I decided the best way to tackle the idea of being imprisioned on that boat for the next half a day would be to get drunk, which is exactly what I did once I met up with a few volunteers who were also willing to get drunk, just for the hell of it.

Luckily, I had only gotten to the super happy drunk stage and pratically skipped onto the boat, I was ready to tackle this challenge head on. As the boat set sail, I noticed what everyone else was doing. Some were enjoying a meal in the restaurant, some where outside basking in the sun getting a tan and taking in the breath taking views. I however, was trying to keep my signal from dying so I could text a few friends.

After having a meal and a cheeky White Zinfadel to wash it down I decided to wander around the boat. Even though I had taken this journey only 4 times before (although it seems like hundreds) I had hoped it may pass the time a little... it didn't. I decided to find a quiet place to get some sleep, hoping when I woke up, I would be back in Shetland,

Unfortunately that didn't quite plan out. We hadn't even reached Orkney yet and there I was, bright eyed and bushy tailed and had absolutely nothing to do. So I listened to music and tried sleeping again.

The 14 (and a half) hour journey

When I woke up a few hours later, we had finally arrived at Orkney. Only 6 or more hours to go until I was able to get off the boat.
When both my mp3 player and my phone decided to run out of battery when we were somewhere between Orkney and Shetland, thats when the real boredom began. No music, no T.V., no phone and still a good few more hours of travelling left. So enter the slot machines.

After wasting a significant amount of money on the machines and managing to get a few more hours of sleep, I was finally on the last leg of journey. Only 2 more hours left!

The most annoying thing about the journey is when you see your destination on the horizon, but you feel trapped and wish you could get there.

As we got closer to Shetland, the boat seemed to come back to life. People were awoken to the smell of breakfast and things got exciting at least for a short while. As the boat was docking, the reception area became crowded off people and luggage all waiting to get off the boat. The next few minutes seem to go on forever but as soon as they open that doors, everyone charges towards the door and it's every man for himself.

I get to repeat this journey in under 12 hours time...