Welcome to the Capital of Scotland

The wind finally dropped enough for us to set off from Amble after 6 days there - we were almost eligible for the seasonal discount by then!  It was a 30 mile sail, past the Farne Islands, Holy Island (Lindisfarne) and on to Eyemouth - Scotland!

At first we were seeing loads of Puffins and Guillemots - we sail up quite close to them, and then the Puffins take fright and frequently try to take to the air.  This is quite a performance, and involves lots of splashing and bellyflopping along the top of the waves in an effort to take off - sometimes they succeed and fly a short distance before landing back on the water, presumably exhausted!  The Guillemots are rather like aquatic meercats:  they have long necks and spend a lot of time looking around - they tend to dive when you approach, probably the best option as they don't seem much better at flying than Puffins!

On this section of coast, there is hardly a rock with out a Castle - some still quite splendid.

We made good speed to Eyemouth, and despite a phone call to the Harbour Master confirming depth in the harbour, we still managed to run aground about 3 metres away from the pontoon!  Luckily it was soft mud, and we reversed off it and went to the Commercial Fishing section of the harbour.  We felt very safe there, next to the Lifeboat!

Once the tide had risen sufficiently we moved on to the pontoons - slightly akward manoeuvre as our wind generator was extreemly close to the harbour wall.

Eyemouth Marina did not have a lot to recommend it:  The shorepower didn't work, we were rafted up against another yacht and the shower block was miles away.  There were some very odd boats in the Marina though, not all of which looked as if they had ever been seaworthy!

Possibly the most bizarre was the Anglia Pipedream - looked more like a Nightmare - I thought it must be the wreckage of some kind of single handed trans atlantic epic, but Google revealed it was someone's idea of a serious 'trailor sailor'.


Would you trust this boat?

You do have to admire the entrepreneurial spirit of the place, and this hotel clearly offers something for everyone.

Diversification in Action



One final Eyemouth Image.



We tore ourselves away after a single night, and headed on for Edinburgh - much to Sprigs' annoyance, we had a deadline!  I wanted to meet up with my niece who attends Edinburgh University and was just about to leave for the summer holidays! 

We experienced our first Sailing in the Rain on the way to Edinburgh - not only had the wind turned so it was a beat, and our contunuous tacking meant that the 54 miles became 64.

The Puffins and Guillemots were gradually replaced by Gannets - a fantastically elegant bird, huge wing span, seem to glide just above the waves either singly or in great long lines.  Their speed made it very hard to capture them on camera - thank goodness for Digital!





 We entered the Firth of Forth and had our first view of Bass Rock, a huge volcanic plug that sticks out of the otherwise rock free waters.  An early Christian Hermit settled there, later (of course) a castle was built which was then used as a prison. Much later, it ceased to be a prison and a lighthouse was built in 1902.  


Bass Rock

As we got closer, it became obvious why all the Gannets were in such a rush - 150,000 Gannets live on the rock, it is the largest Gannetry in the world!  An amazing sight, up close they looked like flowering bushes, but from further away it appeared to be snow covered.

We continued on towards Edinburgh, all the tacking had taken up time so it was getting towards dusk as we saw the Forth Bridge for the first time in the distance.  Also a very impressive sight.

We sailed on, by now following the channel markers - having seen them in the style of boats in the Humber Estuary, we were interested to know what they used in the Forth Estuary - clearly as bathing platforms for seals!

  As we approached they casually rolled off the platform and into the water.

By now we were almost at the bridges, which still look fantastic despite being covered in scaffolding and debris netting, shredded by the recent storms.

Despite knowing that the clearance under the bridge was 45 metres above sea levell, it is VERY un-nerving sailing under a bridge. 

I was very relieved to still have a mast when we came out the other side.

We  eventually located our allocated space on the pontoons in Port Edgar Marina, legible numbers on the pontoons would have helped, and took Zilla for a walk round the Marina.

The next day we had the Yolanda Tour - bus ride into Edinburgh, and a rendez vous in the City Centre.  We then set off to see the sights:  several museums, a few more castles, a cathedral, the university, the halls of residence, next year's residence, the Student's Union building (the oldest one in the country) and a very alternative shopping opportunity in the Vintage Clothes shop



Is this your colour?

And a hike up a hill to Arthur's seat - at least we could show Yolanda the Forth Bridge and Bass Rock from there!

  Arthur's seat - actually a hill, possibly something to do with King Arthur - excellent views, very windy - naturally, this is Edinburgh after all, alledgedly built on an especially windy site to reduce risk of plague!   

Just to show we reached the top.

Today the wind is a Force 8 - having thought our Pilot book was being harsh about the shelter in Port Edgar, we have now seen that it might not have been quite so wrong after all!  The possibility of burst fenders, dented boats, interlinked masts and the need for additional moring lines is in fact very real! 

We took the opportunity to walk the few remaining miles of Edinburgh not covered in the Yolanda Tour, and did the Royal Mile from the Castle to the New Scottish Parliament Buildings - very angular, very impressive, and very over budget!

Tomorrow - hopefully Arbroath, and the Smokies!






Amble in the Wind

So - 5 days later and we are still in Amble!  The strongest gust we recorded in the marina was 48.6kts, also known as a Force 10.  Unlike one of our neighbours, we didn't take this as an opportunity to test out the furling gear, and we have therefore survived unscathed!

When the wind was a mere F6 - 8, it seemed like a good idea to test out the inflatable dinghy we had with us - Sprigs took it for a test drive, and then I deemed it safe to board

We went across the estuary - landed on a nice little beach, and set off on a walk across the sand dunes towards the beach.

We were well off the beaten track - in fact, there were no tracks, just very long, very wet grass.

The beach was fantastic - could have been in the Carribean, had it been about 20 degrees warmer - Windstopper materials required at all times.



Waiting for the Tide



The planning error was obviously not to have checked the tide before we set off - still, what's a little mud!  

Rest of afternoon spent in Laundrette, while Zilla recovered from the white water ride.

After the excitement of the dinghy outing, we decided that we should remain more land based until the wind subsided. 

Our neighbour, Henry, who must be one of the very few who has actually completed a restoration project on a 1961 yacht and actually sails it, is also a one man Amble Tourist Guide.  He is not from these parts, so i could actually understand what he was saying (makes a nice change). Anyway - he drove us to Alnwick (pronounced Annock - just to confuse the foreigners) where we saw the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland's rather splendid castle - Harry Potter fans may recognise it, as it is also Hogwarts!



Hogwarts!  Complete with original stone carved warriors on the ramparts, stone lions, and very unwelcoming railings.  Home of Duke and Duchess of Northumberland.

Sources who shall remain namesless did say that the current encumbents of the castle are not particuarly popular locally - we did think this was rather well reflected in the Commemorative Floral Clock, which was dedicated to the good lady!



Between torrential rain storms and bursts of dazzling sunshine we made our way the the most unusual second hand book store, Barter Books, one of the largest in the UK and in the old railway station



Barter Books


In keeping with the railway theme, there were trains running round the shop on aerial tracks! 

As if all this wasn't enough excitement for one book shop, it also claimed to have coined the phrase 'Keep Calm and Carry On'. 

I think that has just about filled our time in Amble - forecast is actually looking reasonable for tomorrow, so we may even be able to continue on to Scotland.  Of all the places to be stuck, Amble must be one of the best - it has been a thoroughly enjoyable week. 

Amble does indeed deserve the slogan painted (possibly by the local primary school children) on the lamp posts along the breakwater ' Amble The Friendliest Port', even though they have to say it themselves!



Escape From Hartlepool

We were reunited with the boat and the dog at about 11pm - dog very pleased to see us!  No further bomb making stuff found!  We did however feel we had seen more than enough of Hartlepool by then and decided to leave at the next available moment.

So - another early start, and we were in the 0700 lock heading North.  Fantastic sailing conditions:  15 kts of wind, tide and wind going our way ...

The only problem with going at 8.5kts is that you reach your destination too early!  Still, it gave us plenty of time to view Coquet Island and its bird colony for the next two hours - unfortunately couldn't get very close to the island in our boat.

When we finally had enough water to get in, we found Amble to be totally delightful:  a quaint little Marina, but the shower facilities have just been refurbished and have to score a 100%!

The next day was designated a Dog Day, so it was a long walk along the beach at low tide - Zilla happy - and again it was delightful.  There were families of Eiderducks paddling around the rock pools - apparently they lay their eggs on the island, and at one day old the family paddles back to the mainland!  Serious Survival of the Fittest!



Coquet Island, seen from Amble - Quite some paddle!

Coal used to be mined in this area, and there were areas of the beach where the coal was clearly visible

The tide was coming in, so we came back along the dunes.

We came across this graveyard just outside Amble - all that was left of the Church is the Spire - apparently in the 1970's the rest was demolished and the stone used for housing!  The spire was only left as it was considered to be an Aid to Navigation at the time.


Who stole my Church?

Inspired by the sight of all the Puffins, we took a boat trip to Coquet Island - Sprigs did have to be dragged, but even he was won over!  It is a Nature Reserve, so we couldn't land. The puffins were very well established there - they look about as unlikely flying as a bumble bee, but seem quite keen on walking ...

Health and Safety?

Dave, the Boat Driver of the Puffin Trip also lays pots for crab and lobster - we learnt that they are laid in chains of 25, with a float at each end, and that he has 900! That is the number you can have a permit for, so lots of fishermen have that sort of number of pots. No wonder we are having to dodge them all the time!

Attention All Shipping!  These are a Big Hazard round here!

Our last sight of the day was the postman - is this Amble answer to Pigeon Post ?

Postman Pat and his Black Headed Gulls

We have just checked the weather for the next few days:  Forecast : Gale to Storm 10, perhaps Violent Storm 11 later.  I think we may be here for a few more days ... in fact we'd better head back to the boat to put on a few more mooring lines, and maybe a couple more fenders.

Next Stop:  Scotland



Whitby to Hartlepool

We left Scarborough bright and early, best time of day, I'm told, as both Scarborough and Whitby are tidal.  Arrived at the Whitby SWM as their yacht race was completing its last lap, I managed to ge in their way, and as usual the wind picked up as we dropped the sails.

The entrance was quite impressive - would have been more so if it hadn't been encased in Scaffolding!

A walk to the Abbey was compulsory - through the winding streets, past lots of little shops, and up 199 steps -  Zilla enjoyed the grass under her feet, we enjoyed the view!

We also went on a trip on a 1937 lifeboat - there were no donkeys here - up the river, to the places yachts do not go!

This boat is apparently being converted into a B & B - no small task, would suit DIY enthusiast, and someone who doesn't mind eating at 30 degrees starboard tilt!


Whitby is the home of the Champion Fryer of the North East, so Fish and Chips had to be sampled.  I'm told they were good.  After that, we had exhausted the delights of Whitby so it was time to move on. Hartlepool awaits.

Another early start and we left Whitby on the 0500 swing bridge opening (makes a change from a lock), sails organised, route plotted. 

This trawler was one of several we saw littered along the coast towards Hartlepool:  Navigator Beware!

Also saw a seal, two dolphins and some puffins!  I was very excited as I have only recently become aware that they are not mythical creatures - I even have a photo, but better ones are available on Google. 

We wove our way round anchored ships off the Tees and went on to Hartlepool.  Slightly early for the Marina so we moored up in the Commercial Fishing Harbour - nestled between fishing boats


We did tell them we had caught Mackeral in the past, so were allowed to stay!

The kittiwakes were ever present, and making use of every ledge they could balance on.

We are now in Hartlepool Marina, sitting in McDonalds', as we have been evacuated from our boat due to what the Police are calling 'An Incident'.  It seems to be a bomb threat, and we are moored within the 200m exclusion zone! 

Welcome to Hartlepool!!

Tomorrow - wind permitting - off to Amble.