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Chapter
9 – Spurn Head to Aberdour
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Day 55 Wednesday 5th
July, Spurn Head to Filey Bay - 59 NM
The visibility was
better but not brilliant when we weighed anchor at 1015. We sailed down the channel
and turned north towards Flamborough head, sailing in a NE 2/3, which
eventually disappeared, and we had the engine on again for the rest of
the trip to Filey Bay. The visibility did improve
as the day wore on, and we had some wonderful views of Flamborough
head and the caves along the coastline before finally anchoring at
2110 off Filey Bay. |
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Day 56 Thursday 6th
July, Filey Bay to Whitby - 26 NM
What wind there was deserted us early in the evening and
without it we had a disturbed night. With anything up to 2 knots of
current running in the bay and no wind to disrupt the easterly swell we
had a night of rocking and rolling. I can’t have been rocked as a baby
because I most certainly could not sleep through it, although it is just
possible it was because I’d overslept the night before. It was also hot
and humid – a thunder storm definitely on the way.
| We weighed anchor at 1015 and with no wind again motored
north with the visibility at about two miles before pulling into
Scarborough for a break and for lunch. Scarborough had a wonderful
buzz about it, and we both vowed to return for a weekend in the
winter. We had a fish supper before slipping the pontoon at 1240 and
motoring on to Whitby, arriving in the midst of a thunderstorm. We
were tied up at the fish quay by the harbourmaster, as we had no hope
of getting into the marina with the tide as it was, and we had a great
time talking to all the al-fresco drinkers in the pub nearby before
walking off around the town. It is another place we would really love
to visit again in the future. |
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Day 57 Friday 7th
July, Whitby to Blythe - 50 NM
NW winds that kept
disappearing made for a day of mixed sailing and motoring, with about 60%
of the time sailing.
We made 8 knots in the wake
of the lifeboat coming out of Whitby, where we slipped our moorings at
1005, and apart from the waving to the DFDS ferry passengers as we crossed
the mouth of the Tyne it was pretty uneventful, arriving to a warm welcome at
Blythe marina at 1950.
We were warmly welcomed in
the Royal Northumberland Yacht Club later that evening, where we sank a
couple of deserving pints.
Day 58 Saturday 8th
July, Blythe to Eyemouth - 59 NM
We slipped our moorings at 0840 with an encouraging wind
from the SW, and a forecast for it to increase to S5/6. It was going
to be a long trip and we made the decision early that in order to
avoid any complications with the Farne Islands we
would go outside them and then lay a long track to Eyemouth directly.
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The winds were not always kind to us, but we sailed for
most of the time, dropping the mainsail early when a F7 squall hit us
close to the entrance with Eyemouth. We eventually rafted up against
two other vessels on the visitors pontoon at 1915.
As it was Gala day in Eyemouth the bunting was out
together with all the yobs. The harbour and all streets were being
patrolled every 5 minutes by police cars and it seemed that the major
activity on Gala day was to dress up in not a lot and get pissed. We
didn’t join them. |
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Day 59 Sunday 9th
July, Eyemouth to Aberdour - 41 NM
This was planned to be
the last day of our voyage, and the forecast was interesting – S or
SW4/5 backing SE5/6, and it was already quite brisk in the harbour. We
adjusted sails accordingly, setting off at 0735 with two reefs in the
main and about half the Genoa, and it was sufficient for us to fly
over the bay to St Abbs Head, but after that it was all rather flukey
and variable. By 0900 we were motoring with little or no wind, and by Dunbar we had no wind whatsoever! It was only
when we were about 1 mile from Kinghorn did the wind materialise, and
we sailed for about an hour before it became necessary to motor the
remaining distance to Aberdour and home to ensure we got into the harbour on
the tide. We eventually tied up with the assistance of Dave Woodall
and John Henderson at 1548. Our journey was over and we could hardly
believe it.
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