With each early stroke, with each pitch and roll, I felt certain I would upset its delicate balance and topple into the unknown dangers lurking beneath.

BBC: Safari by water in southern Africa

As we roll and lurch back to shore, most people on board, including this reporter, felt more subdued than at the start of the journey, and more admiring of the teams determined not just to endure Orkney's wild seas but to harness them.

BBC: Tidal power gets a stormy birth off coast of Scotland

While Mr Stewart acknowledges that the Mr Poots did not directly ask him to sack Mr Donaghy, he said he felt under pressure to do so as the minister had told chairmen that heads would roll unless targets were met and people held to account.

BBC: Northern Health Trust chairman Jim Stewart is sacked