Hartlepool

We had a good day in Newcastle despite it raining non stop for all night and all day. Went to the Baltic flour mill modern art gallery. One huge room had "art" by a Turner prize winner. Three things: A brick wall with about ten thousand bricks, each one numbered in sequence before being handed to the bricklayers randomly and built into the wall. Hence the numbers all jumbled up. This represents chaos. On the floor, a huge chequer board, each square of which has a pebble. About 680. This represents order. And a continuous film showing two scaffolders erecting a scaffold on a pebble beach, then taking it down again. I think scaffolders who used to work for me would say this represents a "bloody waste of time"!

Anyway, we saw the milenium bridge raised and lowered (no-one went through..so another waste of time), then went to the Sage, where there was nothing on that day, then to the shops, then the pictures, and finally for a really good curry, Newcastle being the curry capital of the world. We then walked back to the boat in the rain.

We slipped around 08.15 the next morning and, without any wind, motored all the way to Hartlepool. An interesting entrance through a loch which we are only able to access when the tide is quite high.

We've now left the boat for a few days as we've sadly had to return home for the funeral of a dear friend who died very unexpectedly and suddenly. We hope to return to Fizzz on Tuesday to head towards Whitby.We managed to take quite a lot of weight off the boat as you can see.

Tyneside

We left Blyth with plenty of time for the ten miles or so to the Tyne. We had been recommended to stay in the St Peter Marina only one mile from Newcastle city centre.

We sailed gently down the coast and had our first success with fishing. One large and one small mackrell. We kept the large one for supper.

Nearing the Tyne we dropped sail and motored into the Tyne and fuelled up at Royal Quays, before going deliberately slowly up river as we couldn't get into the marina before 18.30. We arrived to find a man on the waiting pontoon who surprised up by saying he would lift the bridge. This was a surprise as no mention was made in any of the pilot books about a bridge. We must have just cleared the sill, before finding (again) that a marina that says it maintains a depth of 2m only has about 1.5m We went onto the mud just inside the entrance and had to sit there for an hour while the tide came in. We used the time to gut the fish and have a rum and coke, before settling down for supper and scrabble.

We are now exploring Newcastle. We hope to go towards Hartlepool tomorrow in order to leave the boat there a few days. The seal is in Eyemouth

Farewell Scotland

Well, we eventually left Eyemouth after an interesting few days. The Herring Queen festival, fistycuffs in the pub, two tables of drinks knocked over, but I was quick enough to snatch up our two, so not a drop of Nuttall drink spilt. Quite exciting for a while, before the fighters were taken outside and everything carried on as if nothing had happened.

The river Eye came up in spate after the Friday night rain. See pic. We then sat tight for a while as the entrance was not nice. We looked at the so called most unusual golf hole in Britain. See photo of the tee shot. A 170 yard par three, with a 155 yard carry over the sea inlet.

We leftEyemouth at 09.15 on Monday. A little nervous going out as the waves were pretty big. We hoisted sail and had an exciting sleigh ride downwind in force 5 with 3m+ waves. The boat screwed round more than once just about dipping the end of the boom in the water, with me trying hard to hold it down the waves. After about four or five hours the wind eased a little, but was now right behind, so we had a few gybes to do to hold our course. Eventually the wind dropped and we motored for the last two hours into Blyth, where we booked into the Royal Northumberland Yacht Club and took down the Scottish courtesy flag we put up many weeks ago.

We met some interesting Dutch people on quite large boats. Unfortuneately the club was not doing food, but the steward made us a very large platter of the best chips ever, which together with a large plate of bread and butter allowed me to introduce Gail and the Dutch to chip butties and a jar of cockles. Delicious.

After a quick walk along the sea front we slipped at 13.00 towards the Tyne. See next blog. By the way, the tee shot for the golfers is to the two small bumps on the horizon.

foggy Eyemouth

After much debate we decided to slip from Arbroath when the loch gate opened around noon, despite the fact it was still quite foggy.

We left the harbour and the leading line beacons disappeared into the mist within 100 metres. Shortly after, I must have knocked something on the chart plotter, and lost the route I had entered. With only 100 metres of misty sea to look at we were immediately disorientated. Quick panic to knock the engine back and re-load a route. Meanwhile drifting completely in the wrong direction.

Soon back under control however and motoring along. Viz was quite bad for a while before we neared Bell Rock lighthouse, the oldest deep water lighthouse in the world built by Robert Stevenson.
The mist lifted just enough for us to see the lighthouse about two miles away.

We continued motoring on for a total of seven hours. Gail called Eyemouth about two hours out, and was pleased to hear it was clear. Of course, as we got closer the mist rolled in again and we had fun and games with the AIS as about ten fishing boats left Eyemouth as we approached. We managed to just about see the Cardinal mark, from which we had to steer 174 degrees between jagged rocks. We were pleased when we could see the leading marks emerging out of the fog. The harbour master was very relieved when we arrived as he was a bit worried when the fog came in as he didn't know what equipment we had on board.

We are now settled on the mud, as the tide goes out and leaves too little water for us. See pic.

Looks like we'll be here until the weather changes and the fog lifts. We are hoping to head towards Holy Island for an anchorage, but only if the weather is suitable.

The statue is Robbie Burns in Arbroath.

Oil change

Forgot to mention I managed to change the engine oil today. Not before time, but the first real chance to do so. For a donation to the RNLI I borrowed their oil extractor and they supplied me with some high quality oil. And not a drop was spilt, and not even a drop on my hands. The wonders of rubber gloves. Very pleased to have new oil as the engine has been used more than expected with the head winds 90% of the trip.

Off for another gourmet meal....cooked by myself. Rum cocktails nuts and crackers, melon, followed by  fresh fish cooked in butter with new potatoes and spinnach, then cheese , coffee and chocolate. Probably washed down with a gewurztraminer. Might eat outside again in the sunshine. Eat your heart out those in the rain.

Delayed by fog

Decided to spend the day in Arbroath due to the thick fog this morning. Luckily the sun shone by lunch time so we enjoyed frsh crab and French bread with a glass or two of wine for lunch, following Arbroath smokie kedgerie for breakfast.

Just spent an enjoyable couple of hours at the lighthouse museum. Hoping to see the Bell Rock Lighthouse when we travel south......but not too close.

Still sunny at the moment but a bit of sea mist. we shall see what tomorrow brings.

Smokies

Well we've just bought a couple of Arbroath Smokies for supper. They are smoked every day here in Arbroath.

We left Peterhead on the first of July hoping the weather would improve. It got worse. The trip to Stonehaven from Peterhead was another motor all the way into a light headwind. Sea not too rough, but by the time we got to Stonehaven the rain had set in.

We had fun and games tying up to the wall. The secret of walls is to have two very long warps, the longer the better, fore and aft, and no springs. You will then hopefully swing gently out from the wall when the tide is in, and drop without hanging from the warps when the tide drops. And plenty of fenders! This worked well, but the ladder climb still had to be done to get ashore. See pic. The tide was quite low and the bottom rungs very slippy.

We were met on arrival by two friends of our friends Don. and Audrey O'Donnel who joined us for a cup of tea whilst the rain poured down.

We decided a treat was called for so booked into the Toll House restaurant on the quay where we had a very nice meal. Second only to the Boat House in Bangor. I had crab soup followed by Monk fish and Gail Gravaldlax and Sea Bass. Had to resrict her wine consumption due to the impending ladder climb. Only allowed her one large glass in addition to the shared bottle.

This morning was not too early a start. We needed to arrive at Arbroath around high tide, 13.50, to get into the locked basin. The gates open and shut at half tide. It was still raining but we hoped for a bit of wind as it was from the East and would give us a tight reach. First problem to solve, how to cast off from the wall with the tide out. I climbed the ladder and re-arranged the warps. Our second longest rope was only just long enough to reach back to the boat. We cast this off, then found the longer rope jambed. Whilst tying the boat close to the ladder I had another climb and managed to reach across to free it.

As soon as we exited the harbour we hoisted sail and killed the engine and had a gentle sail for an hour or so until the wind again died so we motored the rest of the way in thickening gloom.

Now tied up safely in the small marina. The harbour man asked us to reverse in, which Gail did with no problem. We've just bought the smokies but decided on a cup of tea and blogging as the weather is still miserable. But it seems so everywhere.

Not sure whether we shall move south towards Eyemouth tomorrow. All depends as always on the weather.