Regular – Page 5 – 4 Kidneys and a Wonky Leg

Day 38 June 5th Whitehills to Lossiemouth

Jun 6, 2022luffin23 Comments

I was a bit nervous about going to Lossiemouth for a number of reasons. Firstly was we couldn’t contact them to ask about availability, (they don’t work weekends), and the almanac specifically says catamarans should phone ahead. Secondly the weather was due to build in the afternoon from the east and there are warnings against entering Lossiemouth in strong east winds. Thirdly there wasn’t an alternative plan that didn’t involve 4 more hours at sea.

A chat with Bertie the harbourmaster at Whitehills, allayed most of my worries, quote, “aye, tell them Bertie said it was ok”, plus I found a webcam showing a number of empty berths. So off we went.

There were no major hazards to watch for and the sun was shining and after an hour enough wind to hoist a sail.

We went past Logie Head, then the town of Cullen, home of cullen skink which sounds like a smelly animal, but is actually a delicious hearty fish soup dish made with smoked haddock and mashed potatoes. Then onwards past some fantastic rock formations, one called “Bow Fiddle Rock” see photo, “Durdle Door” eat your heart out

As we entered Spey Bay the exiciment began. I was watching the seabirds congregating as they do when there’s food scraps, when I saw a splash, grabbing the binoculars I could see dolphins. These are the first we’ve come across in 800 miles of sailing, and what’s more they came to play around the boat, staying with us for about 15 minutes. I’m not sure what kind they were, but they were big.

Spey Bay is about 10 miles of glorious golden beach and we could see our destination at the end of it for what seemed like hours. About a mile out from Lossiemouth and directly in front of us was another conglomeration of seagulls. As we passed them there was a huge surge of water as a whale, from the fin shape probably a minke of which there have been several sightings in the area, surged though the flock of birds scattering them in all directions. This was no more than 30 meters from the boat. My only regret was I didn’t have the camera to hand.

Soon after we were on final approach to the harbour, and before long we were nosing into the marina. We found a berth without problem and were soon moored up.

We quickly tidied up and went exploring and found a street party which we joined for an hour before wandering up to look at the beach then to the shops for a few provisions. Back to the boat and Gin and Tonic in the conservatory before dinner.

With five straight days sailing every day we’ve gone from being behind schedule, to a little ahead, tomorrow’s a rest day.

Day 37 Jun 4th Peterhead to Whitehills

Jun 5, 2022luffin21 Comment

A good long sleep after yesterdays shinanagins saw us wake to a fine morning. The sun was shining and there was little wind and by 08:30 we were ready to go. A quick call to the harbour control to give us clearance and we were on our way. Once clear of the harbour we turned toward the North and Rattray Head. We were once again motoring but this time zipping along with the tide under us. We were sailing past miles and miles of unspoilt beach and in 15 miles, I only saw 3 people walking on them.

Rounding Rattray head we start to go west again, up past the Cairnburg Briggs, a set of rocks jutting half a mile out to sea. A large wreck, a salutary reminder how easily things can go wrong. Soon after came the large commercial port of Frazerburg then Rosehearty . It was here the coast changes and the beaches end, giving way to cliff’s and small bays, many containing small harbours some of which are now unused. It struck me watching these harbours go by that building a harbour wall or breakwater is no mean feat. At some time in the past there must have been great incentives or need to build such large structures.

We arrived at Whitehills around 2pm, with ‘ Bertie’ the harbourmaster welcoming us in from the breakwater. Bertie has taken photo’s of every boat that has arrived during his tenure at Whitehills, something he does for pleasure and shares with the boatowners.

There is a very personal feel to the harbours here, almost like you are being welcomed into someone’s home.

Day 36 Jun 3rd. Stonehaven to Peterhead and things that go bump in the night.

Jun 4, 2022luffin2Leave a comment

The night at Stonehaven wasn’t altogether successful. We had arrived late, our berth had been taken and once that had been rectified we had another boat raft outside us. So this was a “berth” next to a ladder in a stone harbour wall. There is a method for tying up to harbour walls and it involves using long slack lines with (sometimes) weights attached. This is to account for the rise and fall in tide, you don’t want to find your boat hanging off the side of a wall when the tide go’s out. I cannot remember the last time I did this and the process of trying to remember how to do it was being hampered by a over friendly fisherman come sailor telling me his life story from the top of the wall.

When I’d final got the ropes how I wanted them we were invited aboard the rafting boat, for a drink and a chat. Later, after dinner we headed for bed, sleep came quickly for me but Louise was less fortunate. We awoke around 2am, the boat was bobbing about a little and the noises from fenders squeaking and ropes creaking did little to help us sleep, at 4 am there were two large bumps and the whole boat shuddered. I was out and on deck in a flash. The wind had whipped up and the back of the boat had swung out it was bashing the front of the boat against the wall.

A quick rethink and adjustment of the mooring ropes, and all was well. I even managed to go back to sleep until morning, well later that morning.

It was cold, overcast and windy, all the thing the forecast didn’t say, We set off at just gone 8am straight into the cold north wind. Forecast said F3 we had F5 and lumpy seas with it. The wind kept up it’s opposition to our progress to way past Aberdeen Offshore Wind farm when as it gradually relented the tide took over. The result was an extended passage time but the day had become progressively warmer and brighter so we didn’t mind too much.

The Harbourmaster was very welcoming and friendly, the showers good, and the marina very pretty despite being tucked into a large commercial port.

Day 35, June 2nd. Arbroath to Stonehaven.

Jun 3, 2022Jun 3, 2022luffin22 Comments

Arbroath have two main attractions, The ruins of an Abbey and the smokie. An Arbroth Smokie is haddock that has been hot smoked, the smell of these is all round the town.

You can in the second picture the Sea cadets training ship Jedwood berthed behind Watanga. It must have been a spectacle watching that come into the tiny harbour.

The Abbey was closed for a detailed survey, but there was an exhibition. Robert the Bruce and his barons wrote the Declaration of Arbroath in the abbey. This document asserts Scotland as an independant nation.

That was Arbroath, so as soon as the Lock gates opened, we were off up to Stonehaven. A 6 hour slog against the tide only about one hour of which was sailing, lots of lobster pots and thousands of birds.

Day 34 June 1st Edinburgh to Arbroath.

Jun 2, 2022Jun 2, 2022luffin22 Comments

A bit of a lay in this morning, but still up at 0600 ready to leave before we sank into the mud, (we had a very shallow berth.) To visit Edinburgh is a long way off the quick route up the east coast and many miss out the Firth of Forth completely. We would have preferred to spend more days here but we must make use of the good weather. Or so we thought! Today we paid the price as the wind conspired against us all the way. Timing its direction exactly to our route until we turned north at Tully bothy Rocks when it died altogether and the tide then took its turn.

Still it was a lovely sunny day and there was much bird life to watch as well as the passing scenery. We took it in turns I hour apiece to hand steer and arrived about an hour later than we’d planned. Arbroath is lovely little harbour, the only trouble is we are locked in. I hadn’t realised that the lock wouldn’t open till the afternoon tide, too late for a journey to Peterhead.

So we plan to go to Stonehaven, a small harbour half way to Peterhead and continue our journey on Friday.

Day 33, May 31st Whistlestop tour of Edinburgh.

Jun 1, 2022luffin22 Comments

With just one day here we had to pack a lot into the day. We got a bus into town, the bus stop being only a short walk from the boat. Once there we walked through Princes Street Gardens to the castle. When we went to buy tickets we found the earliest entry was 4 o cIock, once purchased we thought about our options.

With only a few hours to see everything we decided on an open top bus tour, which took us to 1 o’clock, by which time we were then hungry. A quick bite to eat, before going to the National Museum of Scotland. This was quite an experience, and not quite what you expect from the name. It wasn’t all about Scotland, it encompassed science, arts, natural history and medicine. A bit of everything and very well laid out. You’re never too old to learn, I knew the platypus was a bit of a mixed up animal and that it has a venomous claw on its hind leg. What I didn’t know was it is one of only a few mammals in the world that lays eggs not live young.

Having been educated a little it was time for the castle. A fantastically impressive structure built on the core of an ancient volcano. However, I found the inside to be lacking a little. .. I missed any sense of history in it although it obviously has some. Maybe it was because we were rushing, or maybe it was the dent in my wallet from the entrance fee, I just didn’t feel it was worth the effort, Louise did find her family tartan though.

Hey ho back to the boat on Billy bus for a drop of ‘ Stags Breath’ whiskey liquer.

Day 32 May 30th We made it to Scotland.

May 31, 2022luffin21 Comment

Up at the crack of dawn again, for a 50 odd mile motor up to Edinburgh. The day started overcast and no wind, pretty much as expected, however, despite the lack of wind there was still quite a swell. We made for deeper water which helped somewhat but the waves were still 2 metres in height, but fortunately not breaking.

It soon started to rain, but we were well protected by our canopy, although it was cold.

Looking at the Lat – long figures on the chart plotter, suddenly made me realize, that as the crow flies, we were 300 miles dead North of Swanage!

6 miles out from Berwick and we crossed into Scottish waters, so up went the courtesy flag.

By the time we reached Dunbar the sea had flattened, the rain had stopped, and we could see a bit more of the beautiful coastline as it slipped by. That was also about the time the autopilot stopped working, so its hand steering for a bit until we can get it fixed.

The Firth of Forth is a mass of birdlife with Skua’s, Guillemots and Puffins all around. Bass Rock was totally covered in Gannets.

By the time we got to Glenton Marina the sea was absolutely flat, an eight and a half hour journey, just a shame there was no sailing.

Tuesday we plan to visit Edinburgh, with of course the castle high on the priority list.

Day 31, May 29th. Berwick upon Tweed.

May 29, 2022May 29, 2022luffin24 Comments

We were going to leave Berwick this morning at some unearthly time of morning and set out for Edinburgh. I started my passage plan with a good look at the weather, it showed that the wind for the first few hours would be similar to yesterday, not good. Then I noticed the sea state would be twice as bad as yesterday, really not good, so as we were already both very tired from Saturdays passage we made the decision not to go.

A good decision as we would have missed the delights of Berwick. We spent all day exploring the massive walls of the city, the museums, the pier, the three bridges, the many coffee shops and bars. There is so much history wrapped up in this place.
Looking out to sea you would think I had been too cautious, but then look at the surf coming in and you can see it’s just an illusion. It really was quite lumpy out there.

Day 30 May 28th. We have moved on to Berwick upon Tweed.

May 28, 2022luffin23 Comments

Yesterday as we sat, 35 knots of wind screeching in the rigging of the yachts, all jostling in their berths, like impatient thoroughbreds waiting for the start of a race. We hatched a plan to leave Amble, there was a small break in the weather, although it was a northerly headwind which meant short tacking up the coast.

The day started well, a light breeze from the NW, happy days, less tacking we thought. I’d shaken the reef out of the main sail, we were gliding along at 6knots, when there was a creaking from the winch as rope tensions tightened. What’s that? says Louise, that’s 30 knots of wind says I. Even Watanga can heel over when she’s that overpowered!

Over the course of the next half hour the seas grew lumpy and we started a long slog up to Lindisfarne in not desparate, but definitely uncomfortable conditions. The upside of the twenty or so tacks we had to make was it kept us warm on what was a sunny but cold day. On the way we passed Bamburgh Castle and the beach we had walked along a couple of days ago.

It certainly looks impressive from the sea.

We anchored at Lindisfarne in “The Heugh” for Lunch.

Sadly we didnt have time to go ashore, but took loads of pictures. Plenty of seals here.

Then the second leg of the passage to Berwick on Tweed. We motored this part as time was pressing to pass over the sand bar at the entrance.

The Harbourmaster was very welcoming, the pontoon only has enough room for 3 Boats and one of them is a lifeboat.

Day 27 May 25th Visit to Bamburgh Castle.

May 25, 2022luffin2Leave a comment

The next three stops on our itinery are Lindisfarne, Eyemouth and then Glenton (Edinburgh). We gleaned some local knowledge that Lindisfarne was a safe anchorage in any winds, however, we did not wish to sit on anchor for 3 days whilst the high winds blew through. We were all set to move on come Saturday to Lindisfarne then Eyemouth on Sunday, but the forecast is now changed and Eyemouth will be untenable for a few days as the wind has turned Northerly. So new plans may have to be made and Eyemouth at least left out. Much can change in a few days, so for now, better to be safe in a Marina with some public transport links, and many places to explore.

Todays excursion was to Bamburgh Castle.

There has been some sort of fortification at Bamburgh for over 3000 years and being so close to the Scottish Border, has alway been a strategic military site. Today the castle is owned by the Armstrong family, who have restored the castle after being left in ruins several times over the centuries.

After the castle we walked along the long white sandy beach searching for ‘treasures” One oddity we came across at the end of the beach were tadpoles in the rockpools. I’m assuming that these were above the high tide mark and were fresh water pools, or do you get salt water frogs?

On returning to Bamburgh Village we visited the RNLI “Grace Darling” museum. A story of great bravery that won Grace and her father Silver Medals for Bravery by the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, now the RNLI.

We had travelled to Bamburgh by Billy Bus, a 50 mile round trip for only £6.70 each, you pay almost that much to travel 300 yards on the Studland Ferry!

Day 26 May 24th Amble.

May 24, 2022luffin2Leave a comment

By now you will have noticed that we like to visit old castles and today was no exception. We’re still in Amble and just a mile down the road is Warkworth Castle. So of we went this morning, a pleasant walk along beside the river Coquet. A couple of hours learning about the history of Warkworth Castle and the Percy family that owned it between the 14th to 17th century. For a ruin, it is remarkably intact.

Just as we finished at the castle and were exploring the village the rain started. The first of many heavy showers today then a short thunder storm this evening.

Theres some strongish winds coming over the next few days so we are staying put here for a while. Tomorrow we visit Bamburgh Castle just north of here.

Day 25 May 23rd. North Shields to Amble.

May 23, 2022luffin22 Comments

A quick turnaround at North Shields, we were up early to get to Amble with enough water to get over the cill. This once again meant pushing against the flow of the tide and today the was no wind so it was motor all the way. Up past Whitley Bay, the very industrial Blyth and then the more scenic views of Druridge Bay before finally going round the bird sanctuary island of Coquet and on to the entrance of the river Coquet and on to Amble Marina.

A very warm welcome here with someone to take your lines. It is a very tight berth to get into especially when you’re been told to say “as close as humanly possible” to the hammerhead. Bit dramatic but as it happened was easy to do. We were given the impression that we were going to get very tightly packed with boats so before we did anything else we turned the boat round to face the exit. This we did with long ropes and a bit of muscle.

In the afternoon we wandered into town and found a hardware shop, and got some hinges for the loo. (now fully mended).

Then time for showers Now Royal Quays Marina in North Shields boast the best showers on the North East Coast, (I’m guessing this comes after being awarded best marina 2019 by someone). However they are mistaken as Amble marina’s showers are better.

One can rate showers in many ways Power, heat control, size of cubicle to start. but privacy, separate wet and dry areas, hooks, a shelf for shower gels, all play a part. Big downers for me are, plastic shower curtains and timer buttons.

There also seems to be a common reasoning amongst marina shower block designer’s that thinks putting a 20cm panel at right to the wall will stop your clothes from getting wet. Do these guys actually take showers?

The most bizarre setup was in Scarborough that placed the toilet in front of the shower, no curtain, you could literally take a shower while sitting on the loo.

What’s your thoughts?

Day 24, May 22. Whitby to North shields.

May 23, 2022May 23, 2022luffin22 Comments

It was a shame to have to leave Whitby after only one day but we needed to get on. Possible bad weather in the latter part of next week could hold us up so we’ve got to get the miles in. Today’s journey was to North Shields on the Tyne river, it was literally one straight line from the pier head to pier head, so not much navigating to do. However lots of commercial shipping in and out of Hartlepool and variable wind strengths and directions stopped the boredom setting in over the eight hour passage. There were times when we were motoring in no wind and times when we were zipping along at 9 kts with 2 reefs in! During the trip We also passed our 500 mile mark.

On arrival at the marina we refueled before locking in, ready for our passage up to Amble tomorrow, where we hope to pick up some local knowledge for the next hundred miles of travel from the reportedly very friendly and knowledgeable marina staff.

We have been it touch with John Gilmour, whom many of you will know, from the sailing club, his teaching at the local school and his volunteering at Swanage Lifeboat. We were hoping to meet up somewhere on our journey, but our itineries have not quite coincided. Such a shame after travelling this far.

Our schedule puts us in Edinburgh next Saturday, one hundred miles away. but with Amble, Lindisfarne and Eyemouth to visit on the way it’s going to be a busy week.

Days 22 and 23 Day in Scarboro’ then on to Whitby.

May 21, 2022May 22, 2022luffin22 Comments

We had a rest day in Scarborough so had our first breakfast off the boat, a full monty, we didn’t have to eat anything else all day. We strolled around the town for a bit, doing some window shopping. Scarborough is a traditional seaside town with its own Ferris Wheel. There are five types of shop along the seafront, fish & chips, Ice cream, amusement arcades, cafes and pubs, but go back from the seafront and up the hill is a huge pedestrianised shopping centre selling everything from stuffed birds to wedding dresses, but sadly nowhere can you get a set of hinges for a loo seat. Guess what we need?

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Saturday and we’re off to Whitby. It is a relatively short hop of 20 miles or so, but a frantic dash to get out of Scarbo’ as soon as the tide is high enough to leave and get to Whitby before it runs out again. It means keeping up a good average speed all the way, but not too hard to achieve.

It was a bright, clear day and we set off at 0615, far too early to be awake but there it is. Time and tide wait for no man. There was soon enough wind to help us on our way but we still had to motor-sail to keep the average speed up.

The coast line was stunning with dramatic Jurassic Cliffs much like those in Dorset. Passing headlands such as Hayburn Wyke, Blea Wyke point, Beast Cliff, and Whitby High. before spotting the ruins of Whitby Abbey on the headland and then the breakwaters at the entrance to the River Esk.

On entry everything went calm, w called up the bridge master and were told to hold station for ten minutes until the next opening. “Wait there mate” the official parlance in these parts. Once the bridge was open and we slipped through, a couple of things went wrong. First I missed the chap waving at me and telling me where to go and went down the wrong set of Pontoons. Then a James Martin lookalike was shouting do you know there’s a trawler behind you. ” You hum it, I’ll sing it, I thought. but sure enough there was a big fishing boat looming up behind as I was turning round…. in his way! Oops. Overtaking boat should keep clear eh!

Well we got to the berth eventually. Two guys there to take our ropes, all very friendly and it was only 10.00am.

So much to do today. First up to the Abbey and do the tourist thing..doing the 199 steps mentioned in Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, round the Abbey, back down 199 steps, and into town. Fish and chips from the recommended Magpie cafe. Some shopping, then back to Watanga to decide where our next port of call was to be.

There’s some marginally bad weather coming which may prevent us visiting Lindesfarne Holy Island, which would be a great shame. but we must keep plugging North.

We have decided North shields for tomorrow

Day 21 May 19th. Grimsby to Scarborough

May 20, 2022luffin23 Comments

We awoke bright and early for our trip to Scarborough, also up were David and Rosie on Ventus doing the same passage. We locked out at 6.45 am into a very busy Humber Estuary. The tides are strong and we made slow progress toward the commercial traffic lanes near Spurn Head with Humber Port Control advising us on our progress.

An opportunity to cross the traffic lanes came just as we reached Spurn Head, Port Control confirmed and at last we could turn towards the North, it had taken 2 hours to get going in the right direction!

Things picked up, the tide was now with us , and progress was swift. Then as we passed Westermost Rough Wind farm we found enough wind to sail, and so we did up until Flamborough Head where the wind died and the wildlife began. Hundreds of birds, Gannets, and Guillemots mainly going to and from the Cliffs at Monkton.

We were nearly at Filey Brigg when a Pan Pan came over the radio, it was “Ventus” who were becalmed with engine failure. We turned round then plotted a course to their position, but they were over an hour away and already a nearer boat was going to assist.

So back to our passage, sorry that we hadn’t been able to help but glad to know they were alright. They had been towed to Bridlington.

The last three hours to Scarborough were a struggle against fast flowing tides.

A funny conversation over the radio with the Harbour Master, I told him we were a 10.5 metre catamaran and he must have thought that was my width (beam), and asked about 4 times what my length was, it was always the same answer, we got there in the end!!

Berthing was straightforward. Help from Jonathan on yacht ‘Bubble’ as we slipped in.

We are berthed just down from another Gemini 105mc, but haven’t seen the owner yet.

After dinner we were invited aboard “Christine” and spent the evening with Tony the owner/skipper and Martin who it turned out is the Commodore of Ramsgate Royal Yacht club. “Fair winds” fella’s.

Day 20, May 18th. Rest Day.

May 18, 2022luffin21 Comment

Grimsby has always, in my mind, had an onomatopoeia ring to it. Is Grimsby Grim? Well maybe a little. Here in the fish dock area with it’s run down & decaying industrial buildings, and remnants of harbour machinery it’s all to easy to think that, but we never got as far as the main town so can’t make a true judgement. Not long after the second world war, it was the largest fishing port in the world, bar none. Then came the infamous Cod Wars of the 60’s and 70’s and Grimsbys fishing fleet collapsed, and with it most of the fishing infrastructure. This in turn lead to economic downturn thats probably still being felt today. There are still large fish processing plants here, but most of the fish now arrive by road and indeed in the fish docks area it still smells of fish all the time.

As this was such a great centre for fishing we went to the Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre today. A fascinating place, one in which you get a true flavour & aroma of what it is like to be a fisherman in a fishing town.

This included a tour of the “Ross Tiger” the only remaining Side-winder Trawler from the original fleet. The tour quide, Bob Thornby, was an ex trawlerman-skipper and gave an excellent tour of the boat. Having listened to his talk, and his reminiscences, there’s no way you would have got me on one of those boats! “The most dangerous peacetime occupation in the world.” (Quote: Fishermans Mission)

Well it’s on to Scarborough tomorrow, our longest passage so far & it looks like another long day motoring.

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Day19 May 17th Wells next the Sea to Grimsby.

May 18, 2022May 18, 2022luffin22 Comments

We woke to a bright sunny day, and as the tide and destination very much dictates the departure time. All five boats on the pontoon were ready to go at the same time and I was volunteered for the job of leadlng us out, and so a flotilla set sail.

Now I had worked out that the passage time was 8 hrs but it was 9.5hrs until we could get through the lock at Grimsby. So there was no point in rushing. I set the speed at 5kts and put it on autopilot.

Not so the other boats who whizzed off at top speed in various directions. Soon there were no boats other than “Jeepster”a local boat who crossed our path a couple of times. In the end only “VENTUS” and ourselves arrived at Grimsby. The other three clearly gave us some misinformation, “See you in Grimsby” they’d said, but the A.I.S. on their boats give them away, they had all gone to Spurn Head, Maybe to ensure a shorter passage to Scarborough? I don’t envy them on anchor at Spurn Head in a F5/8 Southerly wind. I do hope they are alright though.

After a drink in the very friendly Humber Cruising Associations Clubhouse, we had supper and then to bed, A nice quiet night despite the wind.

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Day 18 May 16th Rest Day in Wells next the Sea.

May 16, 2022May 16, 2022luffin21 Comment

So after a damp entry to Wells last night, did I say it was raining? Well it was, and by the time we had berthed we were wet and cold. Fast forward 12 hours.

Today we woke to bright sunshine and a promise of a warm day. First thing was to find Calor Gas again, We now know a 6kg bottle lasts approx 12 days.

Transport to some local attractions was none existant if you don’t have a car, so we opted for a wander around town, nosing around the various curiosity shops. Coffee at a place advertising “The best sausage rolls ever” Well you have to try one, don’t you. Delicious but misnamed – possibly the most expensive

As low tide approached we walked down the coast path beside the channel to the lifeboat station to see the sea. Only, it wasn’t there…..

We’d sailed in over that 18 hours earlier.

We also discovered a bit more about the other yachts we’d sailed into Wells with. Three of the others are also on their way around Britain. . One is going to Scotland and the other to Grimsby, everyones next stop. It’s a flotilla.

As you can see we also found a horse sculpture, a rest home for old lifeboats and plenty of birds on the Salt marshes.

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Day 17 May 15th. Lowestoft to Wells next the sea.

May 16, 2022luffin22 Comments

The Almanack states entry to Wells next the sea is fraught with danger, needs detailed local knowledge and shouldn’t be attempted in strong winds. Well, looking at the Wells Harbour website, its a piece of cake, provided you a come at the right time, call to ask permission, and can read a compass. . I was happy with the navigation, but there was a nagging doubt about the sea state with the expected weather. A call to the Harbourmaster, revealed that a Force 5 easterly “would make entry exciting ” I was relieved to find a chap on the same pontoon as us was going to Wells the same day as . us, and was a Wells Lifeboatman. His opinion, no problem.

So off we set along with 4 other boats all bound for Wells. Sailing 2/3rds of the way then motoring when the wind died. Everyone lined up and filed in to the entrance following a lifeboatman on his yacht.

A nine hour trip 58 miles. Total so far 344 miles

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Day 16 May 14th. Still in Lowestoft.

May 14, 2022luffin21 Comment

A pleasant leisurely day spent with our friends. Strolling the promenade, icecream, donuts and coffees on the pier. Then a nice meal in the evening at JoJo’s

Maybe Wells next the Sea tomorrow, maybe not, the wind is getting stronger at every update. hmm..

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Day 14. May 12th Our Eastern most point of sail.

May 14, 2022luffin21 Comment

Now you lot, you haven’t been paying attention! Nobody picked upon the fact I’d missed out a day. I’d actually written the post, but forgotten to publish it. So here it is.

Today marked one mile stone today. At around 3:30 this afternoon we reached the most eastern extremity of our journey. 1° 47m 07 E. as we skirted the Lowestoft Bank on our approach to Lowestoft Harbour.

We had retraced our steps and as we emerged through the sandbanks of the Deben Estuary, headed East and North. past miles of empty shingle beaches to round Orford ness, an area once used for top secret military experiments including the atomic bomb. Now home to seals scattered along its shoreline. Later we passed the sizewell power stations before arriving at Lowestoft.

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Day 15 May 13th Another Lock-in.

May 13, 2022May 14, 2022luffin21 Comment

Well to be truthful we weren’t going anywhere anyway, but were suprised to find a massive dredger jammed into the marina entrance, only yards from our berth. No one had mentioned this to any of the berth holders or visitors. So as you can imagine a few feathers were getting very ruffled, as passage plans were ripped up and thrown in the bin and the marina manager put his humble pie in the oven and cotton wool in his ears.

Today was put aside for the more mundane matters of house keeping. First a visit from a Raymarine Electronics man, who sadly was unable to fix the chartplotter problem. Then a couple of wash loads of laundery. Top up water tanks, clean boat, that sort of thing. Some food shopping, lunch. Then a stroll up the promenade. Serious promenade here at Lowestoft, it goes for miles.

We are meeting some friends tomorrow who are taking a mini- break in Lowestoft, so we will be here tomorrow as well. Sunday is planned for our next move to Wells next the Sea, however weather is borderline for entry, and there are no viable alternatives nearby. Passage may be delayed until Monday or Tuesday

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Day 13 May 11th A walk, a history lesson and a N.T. Lock in.

May 11, 2022May 11, 2022luffin21 Comment

When I chose Ramsholt as a place to stop, it looked ideal. But as it happens the pub only opens at dinnertime. It’s a mile walk to the nearest road, theres no public transport and the place we want to go to is 7 miles away.

So we opt for a taxi, and after chatting with the driver on the way, he kindly gave us a donation for the WKPA. Good man!

And where were we going? Well if you have seen “The Dig” you may have heard of the Saxon Ship burial site at Sutton Hoo. The site is run by National Trust and if you are ever in the area is well worth a visit. We spent the afternoon there and at around 4 o clock called for a cab. The earliest available was 5:30pm. Sutton Hoo closes at 5.00pm and by now its raining. At this point the staff at Sutton Hoo go above and beyond and let us stay in the restuarant while they clear up and we wait for the taxi, even throwing in free coffees.

Whilst we wait, we chat to a couple in a similar position who have been left behind by their coach tour operators. They seemed quite happy to have missed the next part of the tour which was a river trip (in the rain). We gave them one of our cards, you never know we might get another donation!

Getting back to the boat wasn’t without its drama. The tide had gone out, the mud was about a foot deep and then the flipping outboard wouldn’t start. Argh!!! Two mudlarks in a dinghy desparately rowing against tide and wind, we just started laughing.

On the bright side, after getting to the boat and washing ourselves down, the heavens opened for about an hour (any earlier and we would have been drenched) When the rain stopped we were treated to a lovely rainbow and a beautiful sunset.

Lowestoft tomorrow

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Day 12. Brightlingsea to River Deben .

May 11, 2022luffin23 Comments

The River Deben has a very shallow sandbar at its entrance so we needed to have at least half tide to get in, which means sailing against the tidal stream to get there. Leaving at low tide also means having to follow all the channels making the journey longer, no cutting corners. On the plus side it was a following wind most of the way.

Off we went at 1100, a tad earlier than I’d planned but the water was getting a little shallow, and we were impatient to get on.

With just half a Genoa set, we sidled our way past Clacton, Gunfleet Wind farm and Walton on the Nase. Played dodgems with the commercial traffic at Harwich, and in a bit of a swell approached the River Deben. I was a little anxious about the amount of swell at the entrance so tried to get advice. Trying to get hold of the Harbour Master was a waste of time as he had switched off his phone. I eventually got hold of the assistant Harbour Master, and he happily answered all my questions, until I asked if there were any updates to the last published chart. He cheerfully replied he hadn’t actually looked recently as he’d retired last year! However he assured me it was quite safe to enter.

The entrance is only about 50 yards wide and at low water springs there is only 4 inches of water. We came in slow and careful.

Once in the river is wide and deep, a beautiful river. We picked up a bouy just off the Ramsholt Arms Pub

Trip 30 miles Total so far 251 miles.

We plan to stay here today to allow some strong winds to pass through. Hoping to move on to Lowestoft on Thursday.

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Day 10 Ramsgate to Brightlingsea.

May 9, 2022May 10, 2022luffin21 Comment

Sunday morning bright and. sunny, a brisk NE wind rattling the halyards. I must admit I was nervous about the next leg of the journey. Forecast was F4 all day but the direction meant a fair swell and waves would be making the journey uncomfortable. Then there’s all those sandbanks to worry about, I’m not making this sound glamorous am I!

We took a peek over the harbour wall, and it didn’t look bad, so decision made, off we set. We had a number of bailout options if we needed them.

We could see only one boat, about 2 miles away, and another following us, “Razzamataz”. So here we are the only two boats for 2 miles, he draws up 20 metres off the port side and signals he wants to turn to starboard. REALLY!!! We’ll I’d seen him dock the day before and it was the worst I’ve seen, so I wasn’t going to have him make a rash manoeuvre in my direction. I stopped and let him go round the front of me, what an idiot.

Apart from that it turned out to be quite an uneventful journey, and we arrived in Brightlingsea at 4.35pm.

We passed 3 windfarms today and were in the lee of all off them at some point. It was quite noticable how the wind speed dropped behind all of them up to 50% at times. I was glad I wasn’t tempted to shake our one reef out of the main during the lulls.

Trip 44 miles. Total so far 221 miles.

Good news, We found a bottle of Calor Gas. Hoorah!

Day 11

Rest day today.

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We’re still in Ramsgate.

May 7, 2022luffin22 Comments

Our next stop is Brightlingsea. Having topped up on fuel (our biggest single expense so far), and no wind forecast for most of the day, the prospect of another day motoring was unappealing (and expensive). So we decided to stay put here in sunny Ramsgate and take advantage of some nice F4 winds forecast for tomorrow.

We have 2 new problems, one that we were kind of expecting, which is the purchase of calor gas, (especially in remote parts of Scotland). The second is new and annoying but not catastrophic. When connected to mains power our duel fuel refrigerator should stop using gas and start using the electric…… It’s stopped doing that, so now we’re using more gas than normal.

Next we learn of a nationwide shortage of small calor gas cylinders, the first place we tried hadn’t had any for over a year. So the search is on…

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Day 7. Dover Castle.

May 6, 2022Nov 23, 2022luffin21 Comment

There was very little wind today so no chance of sailing. There is so much to see in Dover that we took the chance to visit firstly Dover castle, then the WW2 underground hospital in the cliffs, and the war rooms from which operation Dynamo, the evacuation of Dunkirk, was conceived and overseen. Also in the grounds, there are the remnants of the Roman Pharos. the oldest Lighthouse in the country and the beautiful Anglo-Saxon church St Mary in Castro.

Later visiting a free museum in the town where the only example of a Bronze Age boat is on display.

Then a coffee and a piece of cake on the beach. The pigeons are particularly brave here, this one wanted to eat my cake before I’d had the chance. He was playing statues, sneaking forward every time I looked away. He even stayed dead still on one leg while I took the photo from about a foot away.

Finally we went back to the boat for some small maintenance jobs, followed by a glass of wine before dinner and bed.

Day 8 May 6th Dover to Ramsgate

The trouble with planning too far ahead is that the number of variables becomes too great and you start vexing over things when you needn’t. For instance last week I looked at the weather for todays journey.

This was the forecast for Ramsgate when I looked on the 27th April. Doesn’t look too good does it!

Then this is the forecast on the day. A bit different!!

We left at 1230 when the gate to the marina opened, There was a bit of a delay while port control stopped us from leaving while two ferries came and went.

The light breeze and fair tide sped us along nicely and in just over 2 hours we were approaching Ramsgate. The last mile was a bit wild as the wind suddenly rose and the waves built, and we were rocking and rolling our way through the entrance.

After tying up we headed for the town to stretch our legs. There we were greeted by Caroline and Adrian Savage who had seen us arrive and were interested in our journey. (They had clocked our logos on the boat). Caroline is a trustee of Kidney Research UK. They both live and sail on the east coast and did their own round Britain trip in 2018. We had a pleasant chat and got some local knowledge for places to stop.

Looks like we might stay another day here as the weather (wind) looks better on Sunday for the next leg to Brightlingsea.

Trip 13 Total so for 177 miles

Day 5 + 6. A day in Port then on to Dover

May 4, 2022luffin21 Comment

We had a day off from sailing or rather motoring on Tuesday. We went to see Pevensey Castle just a short bus ride away. Kept by English Heritage this castle was originally built as a Roman Shore Fort. When the Romans left, it fell into decline. In 1066, William the Conquerer landed his army in Pevensey bay and defeated the Anglo saxons, he built a new fort within the walls of the old Roman walls. Much of which stands today. Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

May 4th. On to Dover.

Almost 45 miles to go today, so it was important to get as much help from the tide as possible. The wind was forecast as SW F3 to 4 and we had to be in Dover marina by 6pm (or HW +4 ) latest. It’s about an 8 hour journey, so we added a bit of leeway and 1/ 2 an hour to get out of the lock at Eastbourne and came up with a 0715 leave to catch the 0730 Lockout. We were the only yacht leaving and Mr Fox scavenging on the shore bade us farewell.

It was back to motoring in the still morning air. I’m beginning to think I should have bought a new engine instead of new sails, not even a whiff of wind to fly the flag.

But at 11 o’clock hoorah, enough wind to sail! Well enough to push us along at 5 Kts anyway. Lovely not to have the drone of the engine all the time. Time to sit back and watch everything go by, except there was nothing, no yachts, no fishing boats, jetskis nor paddle boards, nothing. To be fair it was a bit hazy but even so you’d think there would be something out there. Dungeness came and went, the wind built and all of a sudden we’re doing 8 kts and the sea’s getting uncomfortable, and Dover port was looming out of the mist.

Soon we were in the harbour and Mr Seal was there to guide us in.

2.5 hrs motoring and 6 hrs sailing 44 mile Trip Total so far. 164 miles.

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Day 4 Brighton to Eastbourne.

May 2, 2022luffin21 Comment

So the plan today is to get to Eastbourne. A fairly straightforward passage, leaving at 10.00 should get us to Beachy Head just before slack water to avoid any tidal rip, and looking at the forecast the sea should be flat as glass anyway.

A little warmer today, but you can still see your breath in the mornings.

So off we went and the passage was pretty much as expected. A much brighter and warmer day than yesterday made for a far more comfortable trip. Its 25 years since I last saw these views while racing on a Sigma 38.

Watanga is as far East as she’s ever been. We crossed the Greenwich Mean Line at around 1100 today. We’re proper Eastenders now.

Also along the way and just to make sure Newhaven NCI we’re on the job, I called them up for a radio check. Next the Seven sisters chalk sea cliff’s that were smothered in Bank holiday walkers, hundreds of them. Thankfully, all quiet as we passed at Beachy head. The cliffs here are an impressive 162 metres high, about 3 times as high as Old Harry rocks. And finally on to “lock in” at Eastbourne.

Trip 19 miles Total 120 4 hrs motoring.

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Day 3. Chichester Harbour to Brighton.

May 1, 2022May 2, 2022luffin22 Comments

Now we are in Brighton, we have reached the limit of our navigational experience. This is the furthest East Louise and I have ever sailed. From now until the Scillies it’s ” uncharted waters” so to speak.

Not much to report today as it was cold, murky and almost windless day, we motored for 7 hours and dodged a few fishing pots.

Day 3’s problem is the chartplotter which has developed a habit of “freezing”, happily we have alternative electronics or last resort paper charts!

We have a shorter hop to Eastbourne tomorrow, where we will stop for a couple of days.

Thanks for all the likes and comments on of facebook and Instagram pages.

Trip 40 miles Total so far 101 miles.

Day 2. Newtown Creek to Chichester Harbour

May 1, 2022May 2, 2022luffin2Leave a comment

A long eventful day. We were passed in the anchorage by a Junk Rigged boat under full sail just as we were weighing anchor. We followed her out into the Solent and once our sails were up were soon overtaking her, when I noticed the Genoa luff go saggy, followed by the whole thing gently lowering itself.

First thing was to gather in the now flogging sail and secure it safely on deck. Then to find out what happened. First thought was a snapped Halyard but to my dismay, I discovered I had done what is known in our sailing club as a “Gregory”. A ‘Gregory’ is a knot which comes undone. As a result the halyard had removed itself from the mast. Oh the shame of it!

We needed to rethread our now missing Halyard up the mast, but neither of us wanted to, or indeed should go. We had a bit of discussion about what to do next and ended up at the Folly Inn after finding all of the marina’s in Cowes full. As it happened this was a blessing in disguise as the very friendly Berthing officer offered his 9 stone son to go up the mast to re-thread the Genoa Halyard for us. And along he came with a nice strong mate to do the winching. Our two knights in T shirts and shorts. 30 minutes later and the job was done for which we are truly grateful.

ln hour later we were on our way again but now the passage plan was shot. Overall we were three hours late the tides were all against us and instead of arriving in Chichester at 2 o clock, it was more like 6!

Safely anchored, supper eaten, passage planned to Brighton tomorrow which will be an early start.

Trip 33 Miles Total 61 miles.