Harwich to ??? As far as we can get

 

We were out of Shotley by 06:00 and after motoring down the channel had both sails up, both reefed and sailing in a SW 4 to 5 making good progress across the Thames estuary. The estuary is full of sand banks, as we found out when we collected Sancler but the channels are well buoyed and with the GPS it was quite easy to follow them and as a bonus the wind stayed and we were able to sail them all. As we passed into Fishermans Gat we crossed the point we crossed when we picked up Sancler from Brightlingsea so effectively completed the circumnavigation of the British Isles then but for us the real finish is Beer.
Once out of the channels it is the easy bit, head south for North Foreland, another weather forecast area. Well, easy if there is wind and no tide. Having had the benefit of the tide through the channels we now had it against us as we neared the Kent coast, well you can’t have your cake and eat it! The forecast had said the wind would veer to the north and almost on schedule at mid day it went north west which would have been great if it had kept at a F5, you guessed it, it dropped NW 2 so against the tide the only realistic option to get around North Foreland and into the Goodwin channels down to Dover was the motor, 6 hours of it but at least it’s efficient, 1.65 l /hr and relatively quiet.

It wasn’t all boring though. There was a May Day on the radio from a lone yachtsman, he was disorientated and exhausted and his engine had broken down. His location was about 15 miles away in an area we had crossed a few hours before, he was in a 21 ft boat and if the seas were the same as they were for us it must have been pretty horrific. The CG got a pilot vessel, a life boat and wind farm vessels looking for him and the last we heard was the life boat was approaching him, I trust all finished well.
We went past Dover in the early evening, it must be peak ferry time as 4 went in or out as we were passing. We then motored on past Dungeness when we heard another CG call. This time a dinghy with two people on board had been seen floating out to sea. All craft in the area were asked to keep a look out and two life boats and a helicopter were tasked to search the area. We didn’t see anything but the lights if the rescue craft crisscrossing the area and as they go onto a restricted radio channel couldn’t hear the outcome. We take the rescue services for granted but in just 8 hours we saw how they react so all very comforting.
The wind came back in the dark so we managed some sailing and some motoring. I don’t like motoring at night as you can’t see the lobster pots and having caught a rope in Cornwall on the first day I am very wary. Fortunately no stray pots over night. At 07:00 it came back quite steady and we sailed most of the way, first nnw then backing to SSW which actually gave us a great sail right into the Solent leaving only the last 5 miles to motor up to Cowes against the tide.
Cowes will probably be our last marina night as the next few before Axmouth will probably be at anchor, at least a chance to finish off all the stores.

 

Monday morning “cabin boy jumps ship”

 

Roger only had a week with us and was flying back to exeter from Norwich so we dropped him off on the town quay. He was only with us from Tuesday night to Monday morning. The  actual sailing time including 2 nights in Eyemouth and scarborough was Wednesday morning till Sunday morning that’s 96 hours in which time we sailed from Edinburgh to Lowestoft some 300+ miles, perhaps if we had had him all the time we could have done it in 3 weeks!

The sail down to Harwich started well with good tide and wind, the wind then headed us and the tide changed so it was back to motor. We tried sailing a couple of times but although the speed through the water was reasonable and it was a good sail tacking in the tide gave us an actual forward speed of just a couple of knots meaning we would not reach Harwich until the next morning. The course down the coast was just west of south but as it turned more west south after Sizewell we were able to sail and eventually had a good sail beside the main shipping lanes into Haewich and river Orwell and up to Shotley marina.
Going into major ports is always interesting and close up you can really appreciate how massive the container ships are.
Entering Shotley was interesting as well as we had to go through a lock. Entering the lock was through a narrow channel with special lights that show two vertical lines when you are in line or they turn to chevrons pointing the direction you have to go if you are off course. Shotley has good facilities and I spite of the lock, 24 hour access as the gates are operated fr you. On a busy day I’m sure it could cause delays but for us at 22:00 we were in and tied to within 20 mins.

Scarborough to Lowestoft 2nd 3rd July

 

We had always known this leg would be the longest with no really suitable ports to duck into on the way if the weather changed. We were glad therefore to have Roger with us as it was around 160 miles and expected to take 36 hours.
We left Scarborough harbour at 7:30 and motored out into the bay and started sailing at 8:15 with a F5 to F6 SW with a reef in main and Genoa. With the tide and good wind we soon passed Filey Brigg and headed for Flamborough head. By now the wind was consistently 22 to 27 kts which is a force 6 but as we were relatively near the shore, about 1.5 miles the sea was not too rough so the motion was reasonably comfortable although with quite a lot of heel. Rounding Flamborough Head we were getting gusts of 34 kts a good F7 and virtually a gale. The real fun came as we rounded the headland entering an area of bigger confused seas putting us effectively further off shore so away from the protection of the land.
Sancler was taking it well but with wind and sea the motion was pretty horrible so we put a third reef in both sales, life calmed down, we sailed more upright and the steering became easier. Although the conditions were as bad as we had had so far we decided not to tack into Bridlington as it had little to offer protection wise and the weather was just following the forecast if perhaps a little more than anticipated and the forecast was for it to drop a bit over the next 24 hours.
With our decision made we sailed on down the coast past Hornsea then Withernsea and Spurn Head. Around the area just north of the Humber there are 2 wind farms to avoid and fortunately the wind held for us to be able to pass inshore without having to put a tack in. The next obstacles were the shipping lanes into the Humber. Traffic can come from three directions, NE, E or SE converging on a box before entering the Humber. In order to minimise time in the shipping lane and give a good perpendicular cross we decided to cross at the point they all converge into one, it’s about 1.5 miles wide at this point so would take us around 20 mins to cross. Again luck was with us and there were no inbound ships and only one outbound and we were on of the channel before he reached us.
After the Humber we were going to hug the Liconshire coast to keep in smoother water but this area seems covered in hazards, wind farms, firing areas shoals so we decided to cut across SE straight for Sherringham as the wind was steady SW 20 to 27 kts letting us sail relatively free. Had it not been for the quite big quartering sea made bigger as we crossed the Wash, it would have been fast and comfortable as for the first half we had the tide with us. The sail through the night was quite fast and occasionally too interesting especially at about 23:00 a big freighter decided to overtake us but only by about 300 m which might sound a lot but at night with only lights to identify other vessels it’s a little too exciting.
The channels and hazards are well buoyed and we as we sailed using the GPS to navigate we could identify them all except one. Our track shows we went right over it but we didn’t see any lights or the buoy and when these things are several metres high and wide made of steel it’s a bit unnerving to think we could have sailed straight into it. Roger and I were on deck at this time and couldn’t see anything so we think or hope it had been removed and not that we had had a lucky miss.

Ahead of us we could see a lightening storm, fortunately in front of us and going away as some of the forks were big and one seemed to hit the ground with a red and green flash, or was it my eyes.
Dawn came as we were off the north Norfolk coast near Cromer. With daylight we could see that the lights to the left which looked just like a town seafront, although we knew they were not unless we really messed up our navigation, were actually from a massive wind farm. We then turned more SE and south and picked up the inner channel to Great Yarmouth and onto Lowestoft. The tide was with us and we were soon at the harbour entrance. There were several options on where to moor but after looking at the outer harbour we decided to go up river to the main marina. We waited to get in on the 11:15 opening of the bridge and motored up the river Waveney past all the wind farm vessels and other commercial works. Going up a working river gives a such a different perspective of a town and so much more interesting than by road.
The trip down especially the first 12 hours were really fantastic with the high winds and big seas, traffic and lightening. 160 miles in 24 hours may not seem much when you are used to driving that distance in 3 hours but on a small sail boat it is good. So good we wear all knackered so before we could enjoy the delights of Oulton Broad ( it leads into Lowestoft) it was a good kip for all

Eyemouth to Scarborough 30/6 -1/7

We had a reasonably early start at 6:20 and were out of the harbour and sailing by 6:40 a bit of a record and great not to be motoring. The wind was a SW 4 to 5 and quite steady letting us sail parallel to the coast on an easy beat almost a fetch. We made good progress and watched Newcastle and Sunderland fly by being close enough to pick out the stadium of light, Sunderland’s football stadium. At about 21:00 to 2:00 the next morning the wind backed to SE making us put some frustrating tacks in off the Hartlepool area. The frustration was exacerbated by fishing boats without AIS meandering about. I know they are trawling and trying to keep in the fish but it almost seems like they follow you, always turning towards you as you try to sail away. It’s probably not as bad as that but at night when you only have the lights to determine direction and distance it’s often hard to work out what they are doing. The big anchored tankers are much easier to avoid.
Having three on board made it much easier to work a watch system. We had 2 hours on and 2 hours off so each person sailed for 2 hours, slept for 2 hours and spuddled for 2 hours. Spuddle being a Beer word for just jobbing around, making a drink or checking position, not really doing much but being ready. In our case sitting below or in the cockpit, togged up and ready when needed. This system especially suited Roger who was able to come off watch and be asleep within 30 seconds.
The wind shift at 2:00 onto a SW F 4 held and increased to a F5 all the way to Scarborough giving us a great starboard tack all the way in arriving at 06:15, almost 24 hours for about 120 miles giving a 5 kt average which we were pleased with given the messing around off Hartlepool.
Scarborough has an outer drying harbour used by locals and an inner commercial fishing dock and yacht marina. It’s not drying but access is limited at low tide so again I was thankful for the shallow draft. There are not many available ports on the east coast and Scarborough is probably the best for access as Whitby means going up the river with a swing bridge and Bridlington dries out and as far as I know has not yet got comprehensive visitor facilities. Anyway this means that space in Scarborough can be at a premium in season. This weekend however, even early in the season it was nearly full with yachts ready to start the North Sea Race, a race from Scarborough to Amsterdam. There looked to be around 30 entrants with a number of very fast looking Dutch yachts. All the more interesting for us especially as they had the pre race briefing in the clubhouse while we were there.
The visit to Scarborough also gave us a chance to meet up with an old Beer sailing friend Dave Mccrea who moved back up north a few years ago. He came over for lunch and we had a walk around the town. From the sea Scarborough looks very grand with some massive real old style classic hotels looking over the town and a prominent railway viaduct. On the ground though it’s a bit more arcades, fast food and gift shops. There were donkeys on the beach which brought back memories of visits as a child and we did have a really good lunch on a back street with all real homemade food.
After the usual weather check which confirmed there would be strong 5 to 6 SW the next day we made plans for an early start for Lowestoft in the morning. It meant missing the start of the race but making progress was our priority

Two old men in a boat and Roger the cabin boy go south

 

Leaving Edinburgh with the tide but little wind gave us a frustrating on off sail and motor as the wind flipped direction and strength. It was interesting though for the masses of bird life most notably the incredible gannet colony on Bass Rock.
We were also concerned about the weather with gales and severe gales forecast in the areas around us putting us off the option of an overnight sail to Blythe. For safety and because the weather was useless, little wind and drizzle, we decided to put int Eyemouth for the night. We had also had some peculiar GPS problems in the Dunbar area where we kept losing GPS signal and therefor the AIS and our position fix. At first we assumed it was our equipment, checked everything but found nothing wrong. Then it all came back and was ok. The only thing we did notice was a military looking establishment on the shore and wondered if they had other high powered “stuff” blocking signals?
We got into Eyemouth at 18:00 which was interesting as you enter through a narrow channel with high sides giving great protection from anything but a northerly when I guess the swell could be difficult. Inside the first harbour there is a second with visitor berths on a long pontoon. Luckily we got the last space so didn’t have to raft up.
Eyemouth is a pretty little place with harbour and nice little beach and very good facilities and helpful harbourmaster. There were also two large harbour seals that look as if they spend their whole time in the harbour, looking like two big Labradors in the water.
Listening to the forecast the gale in our immediate areas Forth and Tyne seemed to have moderated so we made plans for an overnight sale to Scarborough around 120 miles

Monday 28 off to Edingburgh to meet Real Roger

Arbroath harbour has a lock gate so we couldn’t leave till 7:15 but we’re out on the dot and on our way with a reasonable west sou’west wind. Unfurling the main was a real problem, first we thought the battens had got twisted then we realised that two had fallen out and when it eventually emerged the top one did fall out. The others must have shaken loose in the strong wind on Sunday. Anyway no real problem and Rob Kemp will supply new battens with wider end caps.
Why it got twisted we don’t know but in the end with a mix of brute force, tweaking the furling lines and allowing the wind to shake the sail it all came out. We were a bit concerned whether there had been any damage to the foil inside the mast but checked this when we got to Edinburgh and all seems well.
The sail up to Edinburgh was frustrating as once we were in the Firth of Forth the wind first went on the nose meaning tacking and then died that leaving no option but to motor. Motoring in fine drizzle at least gave us the opportunity to “drive” from inside and also prepare dinner.
At the entrance the Firth of Forth is about 12 miles across and about 22 miles up to Edinburgh and the Royal Forth Yacht Club. Once we were well into to river the city, docks and the bridges could be seen. Going past the docks you could see the a Royal Yacht Britannia and the city in the background.
Royal Forth YC is not as grand as its name suggests but very friendly and perfectly placed to pick up Roger flying in from Exeter. The club is situated in Granton which is a Suberb of Edinburgh and a fair distance from the city. There were places to eat locally but not a particularly nice walk so we ate on board. Any we we had a special Arbroath haggis to celebrate Rogers arrival and very good it was too, possibly the best one we have had made in an actual sheeps stomach and nice and spicy.
Anyway a quick walk to the marina was the sum total of our visit to Edinburgh.

Saturday 25 June heading south

 

Wind and forecast looked good so we were off at 7:00 onto Scapa Flow and south to the main land. We decided on the shorter route even though it twisted and turned around the islands as it would miss the main shipping channels to Flotta, the big oil terminal. From the charts we imagined narrow channels but in reality they are miles across so with the tide with us we were soon out into to Pentland Firth sailing west of the Skerrys with Duncansby Head in view. This is the most north eastern point of Scotland. Our back up plan was to duck into Wick but as the wind stayed with us and several hours of favourable tide to go we decided to head SE overnight and head for Arbroath. As with all good plans they have hiccups. Half way across the Moray Firth the wind dropped and with it our speed over the ground to below the 3 kt rule so we had to engine for a few hours. The wind came back for a few hours and we even got the asymmetric spinnaker up for a while. Eventually with early evening it died again and in came the fog so on engine and on radar. We then motored from about 19:00 to 02:00 Sunday morning when again we managed another few hours sailing. Fortunately the fog had gone by then so we didn’t need the radar as using radar with the engine on is ok but with the engine off it soon draws down the battery.
Overnight we kept to our 2 hour on 2 off then switched to 3 on 3 off to allow the off person to get a decent kip. When I came on a 02:00 for the 2 to 4 it was to views of the Peterhead terminal and Rattary Head light. Again a shipping forecast point. Rattary Head marks the end of the Cape Wrath to Rattary Head area and the beginning of the Rattary to Berwick upon Tweed area. Today dawn was with cloudy sky so no impressive sun rise. Eddie then did 4 to 7 but when I came back on at 7 it was to a bright morning with Aberdeen behind us and Stonehaven coming up. The wind was up to its normal tricks so we motored for a few hours but then by 11:30 it came back SE, not as forecast but very welcome, steadily strengthening up to a 4 or 5 and gave us a great 5 hour sail with sunny skies and slight swell straight towards Arbroath. This was all too good swishing through the water at about 5 kts and sure enough it started to veer to the south then SW until eventually it was a full SW 5 to 6 with 27 kt gusts so instead of a nice single beat into Arbroath we ended up doing several tacks and having to put reefs in the sails.
Arbroath eventually came into view and we were able to pick up the transit lines guiding us through a pretty narrow entrance and relative calm. Inside the breakwaters there is a small outer harbour then an inner harbour with lock gates so once in the inner harbour and tied up to the pontoon it was all quite and still again. As if trying to show off Arbroath at its best the rain and wind stopped and the sun came out.
Arbroath used to be a very busy fishing port and during the industrial revolution flax mills producing canvas and sail cloth. It’s architecture shows its history with many substantial buildings around the town and harbour which has an attractive, workmanlike feel. There are also several working fish smoking houses in the harbour producing the famous Arbroath Smokie, a warm smoked haddock. Fishing quotas did for the fishing fleet and Arbroath is now, no longer a white fish landing port. The main fishing now is for crabs and lobsters with some boats putting out 1000 creels ( pots). It’s good business for now but many locals say it’s too much and should be controlled before the crabs and lobster go the same way as the white fish.
We couldn’t go to Arbroath without trying a Smokie. By luck we got to one of the smoke houses just as they were ready and had freshly smoked, warm Smokies, fresh crispy rolls and salad, washed down with cider. What more could you ask for.
Two final point of interest I noted on my walk around, the local stone here is a red sandstone, a bit darker than Sidmouth but giving many of the buildings a similar look to Sidmouth. And finally I came across the Arbroath Football Club ground right beside the sea. Playing in a gale must be interesting and the supporters must be loyal and hardy. When I listen to the football results in future I will think of them.
Eddie decided on an afternoon of painting, although it was a pretty unenthusiastic and tardy start after the Smokie and cider. He was apparently getting on well with a harbour scene only to see the masterpiece whisked from his easel, well morning bollard and flung into the sea by an angry gust of wind. I suggested it was the ultimate in divine criticism but he was not amused. What we couldn’t believe was that hardboard didn’t float. Still if you are after a unique Eddie Burrows scour the harbour.

On a completely different note I have noticed loads of typos and spellings in the blog posts. My apologies, I bad but not that bad, some are mine but I do proof read the word edition and the auto spell check on that turns in some incredible substitutions at times but I try to pick these up. My only other thought is that when WordPress gets the Word copy it does a second check and makes other changes, is that possible?? Anyway I will try to check the final final edition before posting in future.

Stromness (Black Friday EUReferendum result)

 

Woke up to black clouds on the horizon, fortunately the weather forecast was good so doom and despondency was restricted to political outlook rather than our plans for the day.
Yesterday had a quick walk around Stromness enjoying the sun, even tempting me to wear shorts. It was to be our most northern point so shorts were a must.
Stromness is really nice place, which was a pleasant surprise as the few people we had talked to only moaned about the wobblyness of the pontoon and in my ignorance assumed Stromness little more than a marina with Kirkwall being the main centre. Well I couldn’t have been more wrong it is really good, commercial and business like but with flagstone and cobble streets with lots of little alleyways through the town and down to the quay. It has a long history and a good museum to tell you all about it from its Neolithic settlements to the Norse invaders to the more recent WW1, sinking of the HMS Hampshire and scuttling of the German fleet (100 ships) and the WW2 use as a Royal Navy base. At least the Viking chief had a good name, Earl Thorfin the Mighty, unlike poor old Waterford with Ivor the boneless.
We hired bikes for the day and set off north and east, me to see the Neolithic settlement of Skara Brae and Eddie off to the circles of standing stones which he was keen to paint and include in his Round Britain collection, book now for this one-off exhibition coming soon.

What a difference a day makes

 

The forecast said the wind would abate down to a 5 or 6 SW and sure enough Wednesday morning was quiet and bright so we were off. Once out of the harbour it was due east for a couple of miles to clear the headland then NNW towards Cape Wrath. The wind was more south than SW so it was a beam reach with following swell. We also had the tide for the next 5 hours so it was fast and relatively comfortable. With the wind and waves behind us we didn’t have the crashes and bangs of a beat but with the swell more on the quarter it was a bit rolly. Still a wind taking us directly where we wanted to go and not beating, fantastic.
As the tide turned our progress slowed but we eventually rounded Cape Wrath around
18:00. There was still quite a big sea running but no breaking waves just a big lift and drop as the wave passes underneath. Cape Wrath is another of the shipping forecast points and marks the next area, Cape Wrath to Rattray Head on the east coast of Scotland just above Peterhead. We also passed into the North Sea at this point.
Rounding the head the wind from the SSW started to fade but within minutes had backed to become SE giving us a starboard beat towards Orkney. This wind strengthened up to a 5 with gusts over 25 kts and as it was also getting late, but not particularly dark we put a reef in both sales. Although we reduced sail area by around 15% our speed only dropped marginally and we were doing a good 5.5 to 6 kts but with a much easier motion and less heel. Being on starboard was also a bonus as it means the berth in the main cabin is much more comfortable. The sail through the night was great the wind stayed with us all the way and let us point directly at Orkney so no tacking. At night we are more structured in our watch system, 2 hrs on 2 off so with a steady wind only half dark from 11:30 to around 2:30 the night and distance went very quickly and at 6:00 we were entering Hoy Mouth, between Orkney main land and Hoy. As we got close to Hoy you could clearly see the Old Man of Hoy, a natural rock stack which has been the subject of several climbing programmes on television.
We had actually arrived in Orkney about an hour earlier than planned letting us catch the favourable tide and take us in. Studying the tidal flows and from what we could see on the water we didn’t think an hour early would make too much difference. Again don’t underestimate the island tides, by the time we got to the narrows it was running at 2.5 to 3 kts against us. Anyway mr Volvo persevered and got us in although even that was interesting as just as we were entering the narrows and the bend into the harbour proper a big ferry came shooting out heeling into its turn and out past us and away to where ever.
We arrived to a near silent Stromness at around 7:00 in the morning, there was no one to ask where the visitors berths were so we just snuck into the nearest convenient one making as little noise as possible. After a quick tidy up on deck we were off to sleep for a couple of hours ready to “do” Stromness later.

Storm bound in Stornaway 20 21 june

 

Monday morning and definitely a day for being happy sitting on a sheltered pontoon. The wind was gusting 27kts in the marina with on and off rain showers.
Spent a happy hour in an auto parts shop discussing battery chargers and eventually bought one and now feel an expert on them if anyone needs battery advice!
Both Monday and Tuesday were just wind and rain from the SW gales and you begin to wonder if it will ever stop, there’s only so much sitting in a café on their wifi, walking and reading you can do. We did have a breezy walk around the castle and its grounds which let us see the state of the sea, rough, so probably a good swell once the wind calms down.