We did it! A 04:45 start to catch the slack water. Some waiting around for a gap in the large tanker traffic, then straight across back to Haile Sand Fort, where we left on that rainy, blustery day which feels like a lifetime ago now. So excited to have achieved Read more…
Last night we looked up when sunrise was. There’s sunrise – when the sun appears on the horizon, and then there’s three different twilights: Astronomical, Nautical and Civil. We just needed enough light so that we could spot the fishing pots before they accidentally got caught around our propeller. So Read more…
Spirits were high this morning even with the 05:30 alarm clock. We were up, out the lock (marina) and in the dinghy at exactly 07:00. We were obviously optimistic about making the 92 miles left to our finish point, and everything we did was towards that end. We even hit Read more…
We arrived at our start point before the wind so while we waited we got to enjoy the wildlife show happening all around us. You could see as puffins flew back to their nests, mouths full of fish sticking out on either side. Seals popped up to say hello, with Read more…
Eyemouth was one of those places where visiting boats have to raft up against each other. Some of the smaller boats were 4 deep, but being on the larger side, we were only the middle of three. The first night we were there, the outer vessel appeared around 22:00, just Read more…
After so many upwind days, it felt good to go on a beam reach. Almost exactly 90° to the wind, we could stand up right without any pressure on the lower back, the numbing ache of which had gradually increased over the previous few days. The flat seas and consistent Read more…
Last night we’d all agreed to get the first lock out. It’d been raining hard so none of us had wanted to venture out to pay for the marina. As the lock opened at 07:00 I went up to catch the Harbour Master before he made his rounds of the Read more…
As we left Arbroath harbour we could see two large pillars in the distance by the Bell Rock lighthouse. None of us could remember seeing them yesterday. They looked like two large chimneys from a factory, but they were in wrong direction to be on land. There were various theories Read more…
With the tide slightly later this morning, I had a chance to explore the town in search of tonight’s dinner. When we were here in April, it was a beautiful sunny day and we saw dolphins out in the bay. I had a look for them this morning but nothing Read more…
After the stormy weather yesterday, we weren’t sure if the swell would be too much to go out in today. There were still small waves breaking on the beach in the harbour, but we could see the town on the other side! For the first time in 4 days there Read more…