The Final Blog Entry

Calviere II is now back on her mooring at Queenborough Harbour.

And have I had a wonderful time! There are so many people that I’m grateful to:-

• UKPN – thank you for giving me the time and resources. Sailing round the British Isles had been a long held ambition for me, partly inspired by Libby Purves’ book, ‘One Summers Grace’. One of those things for ‘when I retire’ which may not have happened were it not for UKPN. I may have needed to continue working into my sixties. With a state pension age of 66, I may have got there and been too old to consider the perceived hardships. I was lucky that I was chosen for redundancy whilst still relatively young.

• My wife, Chrissy, has supported and encouraged me. Without her collaboration the adventure would have been impossible. As my Mum often remarks, ‘Chrissy doesn't deserve you!’

• All the various crews who have joined in along the way:-

•                 David H, who endured the two coldest legs, taking the first leg of each year with the worst of the weather. David had to carry me back to the boat when I sprained my ankle at Mallaig.
•                 John N, my brother in law. He managed to find some spectacularly good restaurants on the two legs he completed.
•                 Peter H, who did three legs, and travelled the greatest distance. I feel guilty about inflicting so much pain in the form of seasickness on Peter. Fortunately, our last leg home was fine and settled all the way. We have enjoyed some really excellent sailing together. Peter also helped to prepare Calviere II for the trip.
•                 Eddie, who cooked some amazing shepherds’ pies on board and rounded Lands End.
•                 Colin, who joined me at short notice for the difficult and challenging passages across the Seven Estuary and the Irish Sea.
•                 Dorril, who, whilst not a sailor, tackled every challenge and carried on smiling. The dolphins that joined us to celebrate her birthday will miss her. The scallops around the Isle of Man are hoping she never returns.
•                 John D was greatly in tune with my way of thinking. Snooze in the afternoon, Archers in the Evening. Dinner helped down by a small single malt.
•                 John E, another crew member press ganged at the last minute and took on the most daunting of the legs, from Stornoway, round Cape Wrath, out to the Orkneys, round Duncansby Head and into the Moray Firth.

I need to thank the spouses of all the crew members for helping me on my way. Tina, Sharmon, Glynis, Ann, Mrs Drewer, Irene and Jenifer.

Thank you to Bob & Pat for coming up to Oban to assist with the antifoul etc. 

Thank you to all the harbour masters & marina staff who went out off their way to assist and advise.

Thank you to the fellow sailors & yacht club members, who drove me about, arranged laundry, provided meals, helped with mooring lines, guided tours of lifeboat stations, and allowed me to crew for them in races etc.

Thank you for the RNLI. Without the reassurance of knowing that they were available should they be needed, I don’t think I would have set out.

Libby Purves sailed round Britain in the 1980 and much has changed for the small boat sailor since then. Nearly everywhere I stopped, I was alongside a marina pontoon. I was always in contact with home via my mobile phone and the GPS plotter has made navigation very simple. I was able to have good, reliable weather forecasts delivered direct to my phone, without ringing the met office. I reread her book during my voyage and counted my blessings that I didn't have two small children on board, and I had a far more leisurely pace.

I also grieved for Libby & Paul’s son, Nicholas, who should have become a fine young man, but took his own life, suffering from depression. I had been taking anti depressants for the last ten years and have finally come off them during my voyage. Hopefully that dark period of my life is behind me. I have often thought that there is a relationship between depression and miles travelled on the M25. I now have a similar theory that depression is inversely proportional to miles travelled in a small boat. It is a well known premise that days spent afloat aren't included in our ‘three score and ten’. Physically, I have never felt better.

I think the journey has changed me for the good. I feel very content with my life. I have learnt that I have some wonderful and supportive friends and family. Distances don’t seem so great, when measured in hours.

I have saved my final big thank you for Calviere II. She is a small ship, with a big ship heart. She has tackled some wet & wild passages and carried on, even when her crew could barely hold on. She has kept us secure, dry and snug, although if I go round again, I'm going to fit a heater first.

I give thanks for the fine weather, a green and pleasant island to sail round, and thank God for making me an Englishman with a love of the sea.

Shotley Point Marina to Queenborough

It hasn't been my intention to head for home so early as we had planned to call in at Brightlingsea. Whilst the weather forecast for today was favourable for a trip to Brightlingsea, the forecast for the following couple of days was not looking too good. On Thursday the wind was going to be force four or five from the South west and the winds and waves were going to increase in size. We revised our plan and headed for Queenborough.

Shortly after leaving Harwich  harbour, we had a call on the radio. Colin Drewer on Mindy had seen me approaching from the opposite direction. He had stayed overnight at Bradwell, and was making his way up the Orwell to Ipswich. He  congratulated me on my circumnavigation.
In bright sunshine and with a little wind, we made our way down the Essex coast and then crossed the Thames estuary.
As the tide was rising, I make my way to the inner harbour and put Calviere Two on the scrubbing off berth.
Eddie very kindly ran Peter and I home for the night.
So the great adventure is complete. I'll write another blog entry later in the week with my thanks and overall experiences.

Lowestoft to Shotley Point

We had an exceptionally early start when the Dutch boat inside of us on the pontoon left at 05:00. We were up to rearrange the mooring lines and then straight back into bed for another three hours.

We set off from Lowestoft shortly after 09:30, passing wind farms and Sizewell Nuclear Power Station. We had a fast broad reach all the way to Aldeburgh, and then close hauled to Woodbridge Haven buoy. When the tide finally turned against us we turned the engine on for the final hour and the crossing of the Harwich Shipping Approach routes. 

The lock at Shotley Point Marina was open ready for us and we made our way through the large marina to our berth. 

We ate in the Marina pub/restaurant watching the large container ships, tugs and ferries  at work around the harbour. One of the container ships was Cosco Excellence, she ca carry 9000 shipping containers. Calviere II would fit into a shipping container!

Wells-next-the-Sea to Lowestoft

We were poised, ready to leave, but we needed the tide to come and lift us. Shortly before 08:00 we lifted off the sand, and by 08:15 we were heading down the narrow passage out to sea, accompanied by other visiting yachts and local fishing boats. We gave the guys in the National Coast Watch lookout a wave as we passed. 

There was quite a stiff breeze, but from dead astern. Rather then have the genoa blanketed by the main sail, we only used the genoa, poled out. As we had a long way to go and needed to keep our average speed up, over five knots, we kept the engine on, just gently helping us along. 

We past two large wind farms on route. During the passage south towards Lowestoft we passed the most easterly point of my Round Britain journey.  

As the tide turned the speed dropped to under four knots, but by 18:30, we were moored alongside another vessel on the pontoon at the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club. 

We walked across the road, between showers, to a Chinese Restaurant and had an enjoyable meal.  

Sunday in Wells

Peter and I walked out to the lifeboat station and beach. We stopped a while in the National Coastwatch lookout hut to chat to the guys there, but we couldn't distract them. 

We walked past the beach huts. One is up for sale in the estate agents in town for £65,000. Very smart, but as I said to Peter, 'you could buy a really nice boat for £65,000'. 

Once again, on our return, Calviere II was high and dry. We had slackened the mooring lines as they had been too tight. Now Calviere II is about two foot out and about four foot up, not easy to climb aboard. We managed by pushing up the first, and then tugging the second aboard. 

We clambered down for the short walk up to The Globe for our roast Sunday lunch. A large dinner, followed by a selection of cheese & biscuits, accompanied by a bottle of wine. 

Unsurprisingly, we napped most of the afternoon. 

In the evening, shortly before sunset, we walked along the East Quay. On our return we stopped at the Dutch sailing barge, Albatross, which is moored on the quay. We sat on the upper deck, watching the terns diving into the incoming tide and tucked into Dutch style pancakes. Peter had the Apple & cinnamon and I had stem ginger with maple syrup. 

Saturday in Wells next the Sea

We loaded the washing machine in the harbour laundry and sorted out the shower block access card. The laundry took most of the morning, but whilst it was underway, Peter and I went into the town for some provisions. We called into the Tourist Information after ideas and found that the local theatre had a one night visiting professional group production of Oscar Wilde's 'Lady Windermere's Fan', so we bought two tickets. 

After lunch onboard, we took the narrow gauge railway from Wells to Walsingham. An idyllic ride, with lots of wild flowers and butterflies. We stopped long enough in Walsingham for a walk round and a pint. 

For a pre-theatre supper we ate fish and chips sitting on the quay watching the tide come in. For most of the day Calviere II has been high and dry, alongside the pontoon, making climbing on and off difficult. 

The production of Lady Windermere's Fan was highly amusing. The members of the group playing multiple parts and working very hard with quick costume changes. Lots of memorable lines and quotations. 

Grimsby - Wells next the Sea

We were up early for a shower in the Humber Cruising Association clubhouse. Keith returned to help us leave, and to operate the fuel pump. 

After the lock was on free flow, we left. Just out from the dock we hoisted the sails, and after clearing the Humber, we furled the genoa and set the cruising chute. This we flew until the wind picked up and we needed to reduce the amount of sail we were carrying. 

We passed numerous wind farms, onshore and offshore, and today they were all generating. 

Crossing the Wash, the wind was more behind us, causing the sails to flap. We tried goose winging the sails, and tried broad reaching & gyping, but neither was comfortable as we were rolling. After a while we put the engine back on as it was far steadier. 

We arrived at the Wells next the Sea outer buoy shortly after 19:30. I'm really grateful that Hillary had given me their copy of the Wells Harbour year book, which included details of the route in. It would have been very difficult without the book to guide us and would have been impossible after dark. 

As directed by the harbour staff, we moored another yacht on the pontoon and walked into town for dinner. A most excellent crab salad. 

Bridlington to Grimsby

The harbour at Bridlington dries out, which meant in the morning, before starting the engine, I had to bleed the air out of the stern gland. This meant pulling out my bedding and seat cushion so I could reach the stern gland, just so that I could give it a squeeze. 

Even so, we still left before 07:30. One of the problems with Bridlington is, we could only leave at, or near, high water, because it dries out. This meant that we were to have the tide flowing against us all the way to Spurn Point. At times our speed over the ground dropped to 3.5 knots. Also what little wind there was was SE against us. During the passage south east we crossed the Greenwich Meridian. 

But once round Spurn Point and into the Humber, we had the tide with us and the wind picked up so we were racing along at nearly eight knots. 

But we couldn't get through the lock at Grimsby until two hours before high water, so we had to kill some time just tacking back and forth, waiting for the tide to rise. 

Once through the lock we were met at the pontoon by Keith and Hillary, who I met at Whitby and had crewed for in the Whitby Regatta. They took us off to the local supermarket for some provisions and then out to a local restaurant for a very pleasant evening. Thank you, Keith and Hillary.

Scarborough to Bridlington

In the morning, we took the open topped bus to the north bay and then back exploring the town of Scarborough right along the prom. 

 We did find a really old fashioned, but wonderful yacht chandlers on the front. Peter H did purchase some shock  cord and you really can't have too much.

We had an early lunch in a tea shop of a bowl of tasty vegetable soup and a roll before setting out from Scarborough. 

We were followed out by the tourist speed boat and the miniature square rigged boat. One sped around the bay at 15knots, whilst the other bobbed gently. 

We set our course for the headland, passing Filey and then, Flamborough head. I had telephoned ahead from Scarborough, so the Bridlington Harbour Master was on the pontoon to greet us, and take the money. This was just as well as we arrived during the regatta and the harbour & pontoons were very busy 

We called in the Royal Yorkshire YC for a shower, and in the evening ate in a restaurant overlooking the harbour. I had the  scollops as a starter and then we both had steak pie. All rather pleasant. 

Whitby to Scarborough

We set ourselves up with a very late breakfast at Whetherspoons and then settled our account with the marina. As I had been in the marina for 23 nights I couldn't complain at the expence and they had looked after Calviere II whilst I was at home. 

The first opening of the bridge of the afternoon was at 15:00. The sun shone, the sea was flat and the wind was a gentle breeze, unfortunately from the SE, which is we're we wanted to go, so the engine was used all the way to Scarborough. 

We arrived shortly after 18:00. We knew that a new play, written and directed by Alan Ayckbourn, was on at the Stephen Joseph Theatre so we phoned and asked if there were any tickets available for tonight's performance of 'Arrivals & Departures'. We were in luck. It proved to be a memorable night, funny & witty at times and also very moving.  

T'bad weather in Whitby

Bad weather prevented us from leaving t'harbour. So we crossed t'bridge and visited t'Captain Cook Museum. The museum is in the house were Cook stayed as an apprentice before he joined the Navy. 

After a light lunch onboard, Peter climbed the 199 steps up to the abbey. I stayed onboard to rest t'ankle. 

He made it back before yet another shower set in for the afternoon. 

In the evening we took supper in the Quayside Fish & Chip restaurant. We had to queue to get in and it closed at eight o'clock. 

Peter H joins Calviere II for the final leg home

Keith and Hillary left on Libero, heading back to Grimsby via Scarborough. I'm hoping to meet up again in Grimsby. 

Peter H has joined me for the final two week leg from Whitby back to Queenborough. He and Glynis arrived during a light shower and we lowered his large kit bag down through the forward hatch, straight into his forward stateroom.    

In the evening Glynis returned to collect us and take us back to her hotel for a meal to celebrate her recent retirement. We where joined at dinner by Helen, a relative.

After a very pleasant meal, Peter and I dodged the showers to walk back to the marina. 

The Met Office have already issued a strong wind warning for tomorrow, so I expect we will be enjoying Whitby for an extra day. The forecast for Tuesday is looking fairly settled. 

Racing at Whitby Regatta

I had set the alarm for an early start. At 09:00 I climbed aboard Keith & Hillary's Libero and we went out through the Swingbridge at 09:30 for the 10 o'clock start. There was about 15 boats out milling around at the start. We didn't have a particularly good start, but we soon made our way through our class. After a while we found ourselves at the front. The course was fairly tight with short broad reach legs. The wind had increased and we needed two reefs in the mainsail and some of the genoa rolled away. After approximately 40 minutes we crossed the line in first place in our class.  Unfortunately we had passed a racing mark on the wrong side and was disqualified.

The wind had increased before the second race start, so we retired, rather than be overdressed whilst short handed. 

In the evening we returned to the yacht club for the regatta BBQ. 

In Whitby

In the morning the fishing boat opposite had left early so I was able to  spin  Calviere Ii around, using warps, and was able to wash & varnish the starboard side.

 After lunch I walked to the local chandlers and bought some shock cord.  I then called into the co-op for some more fresh provisions. I'm trying hard to run the onboard provisions down. All the crew members have been very generous with the shopping. I have lots of baked beans, tinned potatoes, fray bentos pies, soups, peas, carrots, etc. I even have two tins of mushy peas, which I doubt I'll ever eat. Northern ethnic food!

In the evening I visited the yacht club. They were having a Curry night so I naturally joined in. I will be racing tomorrow in the white sails class onboard Libero, a Bavaria 35.    

Goono Day!

For some strange reason, the details of which I won't go into, the family call me Goono.  This has been for a number of years since I was a small child. August 1 is Goono day, upon which I am given useless presents. No presents this year, but I did get a 'Happy Goono Day' text from my Mum & Dad. 
I spent the morning varnishing the woodwork on the side of the boat which I washed yesterday. I was just about to turn the boat around, so I could do the starboard side, when a fishing boat returned and parked in his berth opposite. It didn't allow me sufficient room to swing Calviere II round. The rest will have to wait until tomorrow. 

In the evening, I went to see the Whitby amateur dramatics Society production of Hayfever. This was their first night and it was good fun. I also won a bottle of wine in the raffle. 

At home, Chrissy had all sorts of problems with the BT phone line. It is dead, and just produces a crackle, although the broadband still works. BT are due to come on Monday to fix the problem and in the meantime, Chrissy has diverted all the calls to her mobile. 

Chrissy travels home

We were up at 05:00 so that Chrissy could catch the 07:00 Whitby to Victoria coach. Chrissy and I were at the bus stop when the coach arrived on time, but the driver said that the coach wasn't going anywhere today as it was leaking water. He arranged for another coach to be delivered to the stop, but this meant that the coach left over an hour late. 

After I returned to the boat I did my washing and also washed the outside of Calviere ii nearest the pontoon. I'll do the other side tomorrow.

I went for a drink on Liberio which is moored behind Calviere II. Keith, the owner, is interested in taking in the Whitby Regatta this weekend. I said I may be available as crew for the race on Saturday.

I had a text from Chrissy to say that she had arrived home safely but unfortunately the telephone wasn't working.

Guest Blogger - Chrissy

As I come to the end of my summer holiday I can say that I have enjoyed a lovely week. The weather has been kind so we have been able to have pleasant walks out & lots of whirly ice creams. The food has been plentiful and very good - only to be expected in Yorkshire. Tomorrow I have an early start for my journey home but certainly hope to return to Whitby one day.

John & Hazel visit us in Whitby

We spent the morning cleaning and tidying Calviere II, including washing the seagull excrement from the deck and spray hood. No sooner than I washed away one load, another arrived.

After lunch, during a rain shower, uncle John, Hazel and Tess, their dog arrived. 

Once the shower had past, we took a walk to the end of the pier, stopping on the way back to Calviere II for Fish & Chips.  

Sunday - The Bears Blog

Peter and Chrissy did spend most of the day with us bears on board Calviere II. They didn't seem to do too much, in fact us bears were far busier. They did go out for their Sunday roast dinner, which they must have enjoyed as they slept all afternoon. 

After tea, they did go out for a walk around the harbour, but returned when there was a little shower. 

Steam train to Pickering

After a very light breakfast onboard, Chrissy and I crossed the road to the Railway Station. We had been on the North York Moors Railway some years ago and they now have three steam trains which run right into Whitby, using the National Railway network for the final section. 

Our train was pulled out of Whitby by 'Green Knight' but once we were in Grosmont and on NYMR's own rails, the locomotive was changed to the world famous 'Sir Nigel Gresley'. The A4 Pacific class, sister loco to 'The Mallard'. 

We were in the carriage directly behind the engine, and whilst she did sound beautiful, she was barely above tick over.  Steam trains don't have 'tick over' but you will know what I mean. She holds the post war steam record at 112 mph, but today I doubt she went above 25. 

Even so, all too soon, we steamed into Pickering. We had a wander around the attractive town and found some lunch, before returning to the station. 

This time we were hauled all the way to Whitby by Green Knight, passing SNG in the sidings at Grosmont. 

Whitby wanderers

The day started well. In Wetherspoons for breakfast, I ordered two traditional breakfasts with a large coffee, the waitress said 'large', I said 'yes please' thinking she was talking about the coffee. I'll give Chrissy her due, she did manage to eat it all, there certainly was a lot, times two. 

We climbed on the Whitby open topped tour bus, hopping off at the town museum & art gallery and then up at the top of the hill at the abbey. We did take a look at the flower festival inside the church. 

We rewarded ourselves at the bottom of the hill with an ice cream. 

We had booked a table in a seafood restaurant overlooking the pier. Chrissy enjoyed her cod & chips. I tried to be a good boy and ordered the salad, with crab & prawns. It was delicious, but then it did come with a side plate of chips.

  

Back to Whitby

Chrissy and I caught the 10:15 coach out off Maidstone, and arrived, numb bummed at 20:45. 

Chrissy headed straight into the Co-op for something to eat on board for a late supper. 

Back home for a few days

John and I were up early to catch the 07:00 coach out of Whitby to London. A fairly uneventful trip south, and back home about 19:00. I returned to an empty house as Chrissy was out celebrating Dorril's birthday. Last year Dorril's birthday party guests included some Irish dolphins. 

Being with John had been good fun. We did have one or two good sails, and we had covered a lot of miles returning to English water. We had been really lucky with the weather. We stopped at some exciting & spectacular locations and met some interesting characters along the way. We did also enjoy a lot of good food, but I don't think the scales approve. 

I'll restart the blog when Chrissy and I return to Calviere II on the 25th July.  

In Whitby.

We put the first load in the washing machine before the morning shower. Unfortunately, someone beat us to the dryer, which took an hour and a half for each cycle, and we had two loads. 

I topped up the diesel tank and containers. After a chat with the marina supervisor, we moved Calviere II to a less used pontoon so she wouldn't be in the way whilst I wasn't going to be around. We are now moored next to the Fishery Patrol vessel. 

After a fortifying ice cream we set off up the 199 steps to Whitby Abbey, which overlooks the town. In the bright warm sunshine it was necessary to stop for a sit down, which also gave us the opportunity to take in the views. 

We sat down in the churchyard and watched Whitby at play and at work below. 

The climb down the steps back into town was far easier. We rewarded ourselves with a pint in The Duke of York, watching the busy day trip boats picking up and dropping off their passengers. 

We prepared Calviere II for leaving her in the early hours of tomorrow. Our coach to London leaves at 07:00. 

Guest Blogger's Restaurant Review

 It is Sunday and I have stopped sailing, sadly, as Pete and I will be doing the boat hold chores tomorrow in preparation for going home on Tuesday.  I had had a superb time on Calviere II over the past fortnight, some good sailing - but not as much as I would have liked, thanks to the lack of wind/wind in the wrong direction etc but we have got around from Arbroath to Whitby in the time anticipated so that is something to be pleased with.

Pete says that we have been eating our way down the East coast and that may be very true.  I hate to think how much weight I may have put on but I could not get through the doorway into the first class en-suite bedroom (forecastle) when I started so I am not able to judge any gain or, hopefully, loss at this time.

If I were to rate the restaurants that we used in order of quality I would list them as follows:

1 - Greens in Whitby (probably one of the best Sunday lunches I have eaten for a long time).

2 - Loch Fyne in Leith.

 3 - El Torrero a wonderful authentic Spanish tapas restaurant n Newcastlek

4 - The Taj Mahal in Amble

5 - Krimo's in Hartlepool

6 - Zeeca in Amble (an Italian restaurant but did an exceptional Sunday roast beef)

7 - The Old Boathouse in Arbroath

8 - The Fisherman's Wife in Whitby where they served a most excellent fish & chips

I must add that coming no 6, 7 or 8 in my list does not mean it was not good, in fact they were all very good, just simply that the others had a bit more of an edge to them.

We did eat on Calviere II some of the time, where we had simple fare, simply prepared.

All in all I have enjoyed both my maritime and my gastronomic two weeks and would quite happily do it again sometime (if my sister-in-law ever allows Pete to do something like this again).

Good sailing to those that follow me and may Calviere II serve us all well into the future. 

Hartlepool to Whitby

It was a fairly late start as there was no point in leaving early as the bridge at Whitby only opened two hours before HW, ie 18:11

So we had the substantial full breakfast in one of the harbour side cafes at Hartlepool Marina, before locking out at 11:30.

We sailed for a short while, but most of the wind turbines off Middlesborough were stationary, so we put the genoa away and motored. 

Chrissy and I have visited Whitby many times and we always take a stroll out along the the harbour wall to the end. I have watched many small boats round the pier, wishing I could be there and today we did.

The hazy weekend sunshine had brought lots of day trippers to Whitby, so we had an audience when we moored at the yacht club pontoon to wait for the bridge. There were crowds of people on the bridge taking photos of the arriving boats. Just after six o'clock the bells started ringing and lights flashed. All the crowds left, and the bridge swung open, allowing us through to the marina. 

We were directed to a berth alongside another vessel. 

Shortly after setting our mooring lines we set off in search of fish and chips. Again, John found a good one, but there was no shortage of choice. 

After dinner we stopped for a pint in the Whitby Yacht Club, where we were made very welcome. 

Around Hartlepool Harbour

We had a late start, followed by a late breakfast in the local Wetherspoons. We wandered around the shopping centre and market before going to the Hartlepool Maritime Experience. Here they have the fully restored HMS Trincomalee, built in 1817 in India. She has lots of small spaces down in the bilges to explore. This was followed by the Museum of Hartlepool which tells the story of how Hartlepool has changed and developed over the centuries. 

Lunch was a simple cheese, biscuits, olives with a glass of red wine in the cockpit, in the bright sunshine, watching the boats go by. 

Newcastle to Hartlepool

As Richard had promised, the bridge opened up at 08:30 and we left St Peters Marina. First, we headed upstream, against the tide, the mile and half to the Millennium Bridge for a photo from the water. After turning round, the tide carried us the nine miles to the sea. 

There was no wind, so we motored all the way to Hartlepool. The sea wasn't rough or choppy, but it did have a rolling swell, causing us to yaw a bit. 

When I'd switched on the instruments in St Peters Marina, the log and echo sounder hadn't come on. I took a quick look and found the screened wire to the transducers had parted. I'll repair it when we get to Whitby. 

Fortunately, we didn't need it as the approach into the lock at Hartlepool was straight forward. John is getting to be very adept at mooring.

The marina at Hartlepool is vast, we even got lost on the pontoons trying to find the exit. A real contrast to St Peters. 

Even in the lock, John spotted a restaurant which needed closer inspection. John's instinct for good restaurants proved to be very sound as we enjoyed an excellent meal in Krimo's. 

 

The Culture Vultures descend on Newcastle

We had a chat with Richard in the marina office about leaving tomorrow. High water will be at 06:00, and the marina cill is raised three hours after HW. So we should be able to leave at 09:00, except the office and the bridge doesn't open until 09:00. We could either leave this afternoon and sit on the waiting pontoon for the night or Richard agrees to open the gate half an hour early on his way to his morning shower. 

We caught the bus into town and stopped at a Whetherspoons for eggs benedict breakfast. After which we visited   The Great North Museum: Hancock, full of elephant, polar bear & dinosaurs. It also had a large and interesting centre display regarding Hadrians Wall. 

We passed through the campus for the Northumbria University where the bright young things were wearing gowns & caps for their graduation ceremonies. We stopped at The Hatton Galleries were the  art was rather stretching. There were also a number of studios where work was in progress.

We had intended stopping for a Newcastle Brown at St James Park, Terrace Bar, home of Newcastle United but it was closed for refurbishment. We found Tilleys Bar were we each tried one of the  160 beers in stock. 

We made our way through the China Town area, looking for suitable restaurant for tonight, it won't be a problem finding one, just difficult making a decision on which one. 

We spent most of the afternoon in The Discovery Museum. This houses Turbinia, the first steam turbine powered ship and a great deal more about the industrial heritage of the Tyneside area.

 

In the evening we returned to the Chinese Resturant we'd seen earlier and had far too much to eat.

Going hungry in Newcastle

Not a chance for hunger to strike. We caught the 09:30 bus into town and found an egg & bacon muffin for breakfast before we caught the open topped tourist sightseeing bus. 

We did the full tour and stopped for coffee, which was followed by a Newcastle Brown with a crab sandwich in a Michelin starred pub. John did have to buy a sun hat as the top of the head had caught the sun. 

We walked over the Millennium Bridge to the Baltic Art Centre, which had a spectacular view, but little else and The Sage.

We rejoined the sightseeing bus for a second circuit and then returned to Calviere II for an afternoon snooze. 

In the evening, after a second cooling shower of the day, we caught the bus back to the Quayside and had Tapas in an authentic Spanish restaurant. 

       

Amble to Newcastle

We had to leave Amble Marina fairly early to get over the cill. This meant that the tide was against us for the rest of the passage, but we did have plenty  of time as we wouldn't be able to enter the St Peters Marina until the tide had risen sufficiently. 

We motored through the mist, with no wind and barely a ripple. The whistle of the fog horn on Coquet Island was sounding and followed us after we passed on the inside.

A fellow Westerly, Forever Autumn, was doing strange circular manoeuvres off Blyth, we gave him a call on the VHF. He was following a pair of dolphins, so we went across for a look, but by the time we arrived, they had lost interest in the game and were heading north. 

We entered the Tyne and motored through the harbour to St Peters Marina. The bridge was lifted for our arrival and we went straight to the visitors pontoon. 

We took the bus the short journey into town for a fish & chip supper. 

Rest day at Amble - Guest Blogger, John

My first week with Peter and Calviere II started quite simply at King's Cross station meeting Peter in good time for our 2 pm train to Arbroath.  It started badly when the train failed and we had to rush across to another platform and another train.  That accomplished, we journeyed without further incident to Arbroath.
Wind stopped us from putting out of Arbroath on the Sunday, but we did put out for Edinburgh on the Monday. Utilising the services of two different marinas/harbours we experienced Edinburgh as proper tourists taking the tour bus in the morning and being canny sailors, if not Scots, we utilised our bus ticket for a second time in the afternoon.
The highlight of the first week was not Eyemouth, despite it being quite an attractive area, as most of my electronic bits and pieces stubbornly failed to work there. The real highlight was sailing to and arriving at Holy Island. We were greeted by two slightly irate fishermen whose mooring we were trying to utilise and they advise us what to do with our yacht.  We did as they suggested and anchored in the bay. Laying at anchor, having a meal on board and sleeping in the silence and delight of Holy Island accompanied by the occasional snorting of the seals was a true delight.
I am writing this from Amble whilst preparing for the sail tomorrow to Newcastle where the delights of the second week will show themselves.
I joined Peter last year for the South coast leg from Lymington to Brixham and I can say with certainty that this leg, so far, is much more enjoyable.
John

Lindisfarne to Amble

It had been a still and beautiful evening and a quiet night. I'd rigged the anchor ball in the rigging and set the anchor light, but I don't think it was ever dark enough to warrant it. I unplugged the light at four o'clock so I could plug in my phone charger. At that time in the morning all you could hear were the seals snorting as they surfaced nearby. 

We left shortly after low water, and carried the tide past the Farne Islands. For a fair proportion of the the journey we were able to sail, but again, like yesterday, the wind dropped.  We motored in to the marina and moored alongside the fuel pontoon. 

Shortly after arriving, it all got very busy. The Amble lifeboat towed in a small boat where one of the crew was unwell. They were accompanied by the Inshore lifeboat and were met on the pontoon by the Coast Guard, and shortly later, an ambulance crew. After much toing and froing, the casualty was taken off to hospital. 

I set about repairing a spit in the dodger whilst John went into town for provisions. 

In the evening we enjoyed a rather substantial Indian meal in a local restaurant. 

Eyemouth to Lindisfarne

I should have taken a picture of my breakfast this morning. Our last 'Full Scottish' with haggis and black pudding and it was all very tasty. Sorry, no pictures. 

We left Eyemouth with far less wind then when we arrived. We also didn't use the main sail and we just ghosted out on the genoa. We made some good progress for a couple of hours, but as the wind dropped, we were always two hours away from our destination. The speed written in the log continued to drop, 3.5 knots, 2.5 knots, 1.5 knots. The 1.5knots was really too slow that the engine had to be started. 

6.0 knots and half an hour later we arrived at the entrance into the natural harbour at Lindisfarne. We first picked up  a buoy close to the quay, but a fishing boat came out and asked us to move. We motored further into the harbour and dropped the anchor. 

We became the centre of attention for the seals. There must be hundreds around here, and they queued up to take a look at us, but they kept their distance.  

The anchorage is very quiet and peaceful, which is where we will be staying tonight.