8: LERWICK TO IPSWICH (25 July to 7 August 2013)

We are now back in Ipswich having completed a circuit to the Lofoten Islands in Norway.  We covered 3,600 miles in 91 days and stopped at 65 locations.

 Norwegian Circuit

Our 600-mile return to Ipswich down the east coast of the UK from Lerwick in the Shetland Islands (from where we published Post No 7 on 25 July) is illustrated in the chartlet under the paragraph below. Having decided (see Post No 4) that we would not go to Svalbard (some 400 miles north of Norway) we have used the spare month gained by doubling the time on our cruise of the Lofoten Islands (Posts 4 to 6) and have now been able to take our time, for a change, sailing down the east coast of Scotland.

On our Circumnavigation of Britain in 2011 and Scandinavian Circuit in 2012 we simply sailed up or down the Scottish east coast, stopping at only one port.

See:

www.islanddriftrerroundgreatbritain2011.blogspot.com &

www.islanddrifterscandinavia2012.blogspot.com 

for previous Blogs.

This time we decided that we would, in the extra time available, get to know parts of the east coast of Scotland.  Since we did not have unlimited time, we decided to stick to ports that were on our rhumb line in order to avoid getting port-bound off our track by bad weather.  Hence we simply nipped straight across the Moray Firth and the Firth of Forth and concentrated on the coasts of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Fife, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders.  We’ve very much enjoyed doing so and have learnt a lot.  Another time we’ll concentrate on the two Firths.

Route: Lerwick to Ipswich

The north and east coasts of Scotland are the least sailed areas in the UK. To an extent this is due to the relatively low resident population.  Other factors, however, influence this situation. Harbours along this coast have traditionally existed principally for commercial use, be it fishing, freight or the oil and gas industries. Accommodation specifically for yachts has been somewhat limited although this is slowly improving.  Sound, sea-going sailing boats are necessary on this coast in view of the weather and shortage of ports of refuge.  Many harbours dry out at low tide or are too shallow easily to accommodate such yachts, other than possibly for day visits at high tide or by drying out against a wall if space is available. Some harbours that would otherwise be suitable are not accessible in all weathers and both they and others, once access has been gained, are not always possible to leave in certain conditions. Natural anchorages are few and not many of those have all-round protection.

On the positive side, there was no danger while cruising these grounds of being overwhelmed by the blazer brigade or of having to pay MDL’s extortionate marina charges.  The attraction of the harbours is that they are still working ports and have not been turned into living museums. Most have interesting histories.

In order to leave Lerwick we had to break out, not without some difficulty, from the centre of the raft in which by then we had become sandwiched.

Rafted up in Lerwick

We then pushed due south, on an overnight passage, for the 170 miles to Peterhead on the northeast corner of Aberdeenshire, just south of Rattray Head. On the way we could see Fair Isle and the Orkney Islands which we visited in 2011. Thereafter, while crossing the Moray Firth, we saw nothing as we were well out to sea. 

To begin with the weather was fairly benign but once we reached the south of the Orkneys it perked up and we poled out and ran or broad reached with two reefs for the rest of the way.  Although the wind blew at F7, it never reached the “severe gale F9” forecast by the Coast Guard over the VHF halfway through our passage, and the gale F8, also forecast, did not arrive until after we got into harbour. During the last twelve hours of the passage it rained solidly.  One advantage of this weather was that we think we’ve found the source of the leak through the deck into the saloon!

Radar screen showing heavy rain about to hit us

Peterhead is a massive harbour. Its enormous stone breakwater completely encloses Peterhead Bay. The breakwaters were built at the beginning of the twentieth century by inmates of the local Peterhead prison, which is close to the marina.  The marina itself is situated in the southwest corner of the bay and is well protected by its own breakwater and a large commercial jetty.  It was an attractive and pleasant location on the other side of the bay from Peterhead town itself, which was only 30 minutes’ walk (or a short bus ride) away.

Peterhead marina and harbour

The “Blue Toon”, as it is known by the locals, is one of the biggest fishing ports in Europe. Once a major herring port it is now renowned for both its pelagic and demersal fish that are landed at the enormous fish dock by both Peterhead’s own large ocean-going fleet and visiting boats. Its new fish market, built in 2004, is climate controlled and allows vessels to land their catch 24 hours per day. This deep-sea port also supports the oil and gas industries and has an active throughput of supply ships, tankers, and even rigs. 

One of the local tourist leaflets suggests that while at the fish docks “one could engage in friendly banter” with the fishermen.  From our observations and what we could hear, this was likely to have been short and to the point, on the lines of: “Why don’t you f**k off, ye Sassenach b*****d!”

Large ocean-going fishing boats in Peterhead

Having arrived late in the evening, we decided to stay for a further night before getting up early the following day to catch the south-going tide. Sailing against the wind and tide on this coast can be frustrating and is not easy. We prefer to have at least one of these in our favour. We are, however, flexible and prepared to change our plans as conditions dictate.

On the way from Peterhead we passed Aberdeen, a very busy oil, commercial and ferry port. Unfortunately it makes no specific provision for yachts and their charges are set at a level that does not encourage yachts to stay. When we passed the port there was a queue of commercial boats waiting outside to get into this overcrowded harbour.

Radar screen showing boats queued up at Aberdeen

After six hours (a full favourable tide), we pulled into the very scenic harbour of Stonehaven. Its two inner harbours dry out at low tide and its outer basin is pretty shallow. We were therefore fortunate in getting a berth on the inside wall of the outer breakwater, between a large red Danish dredger and a local crab fishing boat. This was the only spot that was dredged to a depth in which we could float at low tide.  While the town still has a few crab and lobster fishing vessels operating from it, most of the boats in the harbour were shallow-draught pleasure boats that could take the ground.   

Island Drifter moored against the inside 

of the breakwater at Stonehaven

The “Auld Toon” of Stonehaven clusters around the harbour which is shielded by the sandstone cliffs of Downie Point.  Since it was such a pleasant day we  got carried away and had lunch at the Ship Inn which overlooks the harbour, as do a couple of other delightful restaurants catering for people visiting this section of the Coastal Trail either by car or on foot. This was our first meal out since leaving Ipswich (apart from fish and chips in Lerwick).  The fact is that Norwegian restaurant prices were prohibitive (for us) and there were better ways of spending our money.

After lunch we put on our walking boots and climbed up the cliff path to Downie Point, from where we got a very good view of the town and harbour.

Looking down on Stonehaven from Downie Point

Along the Coastal Trail we passed the WWI war memorial silhouetted on Black Hill, the highest point on the coast, before continuing along a crumbling footpath on the cliff edge to Dunnottar Castle, a ruined cliff-top fortress in a truly spectacular coastal setting. Believed to have been first fortified in the thirteenth century, it has hosted such notables as William Wallace, Mary Queen of Scots and the future King Charles II. It is most famous however for the fact that its small garrison held out against the might of Cromwell’s army for 8 months, guarding the Scottish crown jewels which were eventually smuggled out and never seized by the Roundheads. 

Dunnottar Castle, near Stonehaven

The highlight of our stay in Stonehaven must however have been seeing “the birthplace of the deep-fried Mars Bar”!   This fact is proudly proclaimed on a banner outside the Carron fish bar. Arguably they have many a Scottish heart attack to answer for.

Stonehaven – birthplace of the deep-fried Mars Bar

Next day we again left very early to catch the tide south to Arbroath, our next port of call. Since it was low tide and pitch dark when we left, we had to work our way tentatively out of the harbour with less than half a metre of water under the keel. Having got outside and put the sails up we then, as is our custom, took turns to sleep for three hours each so that we could enjoy the time in our destination port. Our route, a mile or so off the Angus coastline, was characterised by red sandy cliffs and stacks. During Helen’s watch she actually saw the fabled “green flash” as the sun broke the horizon. The last time we witnessed this phenomenon was at a sunset in the Caribbean.  

Red sandstone coastline of Angus

The final approach to Arbroath harbour was through a veritable minefield of crab pots haphazardly put out by local fishermen.  This year the Arbroath lifeboat has already been called out 37 times by boats with creel lines caught around their propellers.  We’ve never seen so many pots and literally had to weave our way through them. They can be made to look extremely photogenic, witness the photo below taken at Whitby.  They are singularly less attractive when their rope is wrapped around one’s propeller.

 Crab pots piled high

The entry into the outer harbour, then the middle harbour and finally into the marina basin at Abroath, is along a narrow dredged channel where the advice in the pilot books is that one sticks like a limpet to the transits. This we did, without any problem.

Arbroath Marina

We had not had breakfast since getting up at Stonehaven at 2 a.m., and as it was now not yet 9 a.m., we made a beeline to Spinks’ Smokehouse. There the owner gave us a conducted tour while we waited for the first batch of Arbroath Smokies (hot smoked haddock) of the day to be ready. We ate a pair each sitting in hot sunshine in the cockpit, with Scottish soft rolls, a large mug of tea and a glass of whisky. 

Mike enjoying Arbroath Smokies

After lunch we visited the red sandstone ruins of Arbroath Abbey where the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320 by fifty-one Scottish magnates and nobles.  The Declaration is in the form of a letter to Pope John XXII, intended to confirm Scotland’s status as an independent sovereign state rather than a feudal land controlled by England.  Clearly still a topical subject!

Arbroath Abbey

We headed due south from Arbroath (once their lock gates opened at 7 a.m.), across the Firth of Forth towards Dunbar.  On arrival off Dunbar we were somewhat taken aback by the very narrow and shallow harbour entrance. At low tide springs it dries out completely and it becomes possible to enter on foot!

The very narrow entrance to Dunbar harbour

Much of the rest of the harbour also dries out at spring tide. Fortunately we arrived near to high water neaps and our berth on the wall under the castle had just enough water at low tide to keep us afloat. Jim, the deputy harbour master, having settled us on the wall, then very kindly brought us a bag of freshly dug new spuds from his garden!

Once a major herring port that supported some 700 boats in the season, it now has only half a dozen prawn-fishing boats in addition to a number of small privately owned pleasure craft.

Sorting the prawn catch in Dunbar

Dunbar Castle dates back to 1070.   Its finest moment came in 1338 while the Earl of Dunbar was away with the Scottish army and the English laid siege to the castle. The Earl’s wife, nicknamed Black Agnes on account of the colour of her hair and dusky Mediterranean complexion, commanded the defences and held out for five months until the English army were driven off.  Tradition has it that during the siege she dressed in her Sunday best, took her maids on to the parapets and ensured that they were seen dusting off the cannon damage with their lace hankies – a sign of contempt for the besieging army!

Island Drifter moored beneath Dunbar castle ruins; also showing the narrow entrance into harbour

Another of the town’s historic claims to fame was that it was the home of Robert Wilson, who designed the first ship’s propeller, in the days when ships were powered by paddles.  He was inspired to do so after watching the blades of a windmill turning – at the tender age of nine!

Monument to Robert Wilson, inventor of the ship’s propeller

Dunbar is situated on a promontory in East Lothian.  It is a dormitory town for people working in Edinburgh, although the nuclear power station, cement works and brewery also provide local employment. As with all the Scottish harbours we have visited, tourism is being developed around hiking and boating activities. In addition its golf club is a qualifying course for the Open, and Muirfield, where the Open is actually played, is just down the road.

Eyemouth, our next destination, is situated at the mouth of the River Eye on the Berwickshire coast. It is the most southerly of Scotland’s east coast harbours and describes itself as “Scotland’s First Port of Call”.  It is still an active fishing port with a fleet of 78 inshore boats that concentrate on crab and lobster. Interestingly, these have flourished on the east coast as stocks of cod and pollack, their principal predators, have declined.

Eyemouth Harbour

The town’s tourist industry is already well developed.  Diving, angling and sailing boats operate from the harbour while cycling and hiking along coastal and inland routes are popular.  The beach and traditional seaside attractions bring in families with children. 

Eyemouth harbour, beach and town

To our surprise we ended up rafting behind Wispy Lace, owned by Robin and Sue Scholes from Scarborough Yacht Club. They used to run the RYA Day Skipper and Yachtmaster theory courses at Harrogate night school, which we attended some twenty years ago.  We’ve remained in touch; indeed they joined us for a week on Island Drifter in the Canaries when we did our first Atlantic Circuit 14 years ago. We enjoyed a very pleasant evening together over supper.  It was warm enough to sit out until late.

Earlier in the day we were delighted to see Joe Dalton from Coldstream. We’ve now met Joe and Shelagh here in 2011 and 2012. Unfortunately Shelagh couldn’t make it this year due to prior commitments, but the three of us enjoyed our traditional Eyemouth lunch of dressed crab washed down with cold white wine, followed by Scottish raspberries and cream!

With strong winds already blowing and a F7 forecast for later, we left early next day for Blyth, some 55 miles south. We had never been there before and particularly wanted to see it.  Up until the Longstone lighthouse of Grace Darling fame [www.gracedarling.co.uk]  it was an easy sail.

Longstone Light, off the Farne Islands

Thereafter we had to sail off the wind by 15 degrees and ended up having to make a long 15-mile tack to get into Blyth. On the way we sailed past Holy Island, the Farne Islands and the town of Amble, each of which we had stopped at in 2011 on our Circumnavigation of Britain. 

Blyth harbour is a large, deep-water, all-weather commercial port built around the mouth of the River Blyth.  Until the collapse of the coal industry in the 1970s it was the busiest coal-shipping port in Europe.  While it has taken time for the port to recover, it has now developed a more diverse trade including ferries, containers, an active North Sea fishing fleet and a range of cargoes, including in particular the aluminium trade. 

The beach-side end of the South Harbour has been home to the Royal Northumberland Yacht Club for over 100 years. It has the reputation of being a very active sailing and social club. Certainly we were made very welcome. Their floating club house is an old wooden light vessel built in 1879.  It was acquired by the Club from a breakers yard in Ipswich in 1952. Since then the vessel’s accommodation has been lavishly modified to provide a bar, restaurant, galley, showers and washing facilities.  The Club House carpet with its lion emblem is a one-off.

Plush interior of Royal Northumberland Yacht Club

Coincidentally, the boat’s last station as a working light vessel was at Calshot Spit, where we have our beach chalet.

Framed photo in RNYC of Calshot Light Vessel, 

now their club house

From Blyth we turned up a gear as we headed back to Ipswich. Time was beginning to run out. After leaving Blyth we sailed down the Northumberland coast past South Shields, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Sunderland and Hartlepool to Runswick Bay in North Yorkshire.  There we anchored close to the shore in good holding, well protected from the wind blowing hard from the southwest.

Runswick Bay anchorage as shown on chart plotter

The small village of Runswick which clings to the north hillside is very picturesque.

Runswick Bay anchorage and village

We left early next morning for Whitby, just round the corner, in order to get fuel. Our engine is still jury rigged and only operating off one tank. Without decanting from the other tank (which was clearly a possibility), we needed to fill up the smaller tank on a more regular basis. As is often the case in harbours, diesel was only available in cans in Whitby.

Mike lowering diesel cans to boat at low tide

Before leaving we dashed up the hill to Fortune’s Smokehouse to buy Whitby kippers. This has almost become a tradition for us as we have done so on every previous visit as far back as 1999.

Fortune’s Kipper Smokehouse in Whitby

We left with a new south-going tide but made slow progress over the following six hours against a strong southerly wind and the resultant short choppy waves. In total we made only 15 miles south over the ground. Given that the wind was due to change from the south to the west, we stopped in Scarborough to await this wind shift.  On the pontoon was Scary Mary, the red metal boat-cum-vehicle we’d met in Lerwick in 2011, whose progress was being followed by a television company. Andrew had made it to Iceland in 2011 where he left the boat for the winter before returning to Shetland last summer. He’d been waiting in Scarborough for good weather to sail south for the past week.

Scary Mary in Scarborough [www.walkingboat.com]

We’d hardly tied up to the pontoon when lo and behold the wind shifted to the west. We therefore immediately slipped our lines and together with Andrew and Scary Mary left Scarborough – we direct to Ipswich; Andrew to Lowestoft.   A toast to Neptune was called for before we left!  Rather than hug the Lincolnshire and Norfolk coasts, we sailed across the Wash for 200 miles directly to a point off Great Yarmouth, then south past Lowestoft and down the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts for the remaining 63 miles to Ipswich. 

On our way up the Orwell river we were treated to a magnificent sunrise.

Sunrise over the Orwell river approaching Ipswich

On arriving in Ipswich Haven Marina, we had a celebratory drink and six hours sleep before late-lunching on our Whitby kippers.  In the next few days, we’ll sort out the essentials and have the boat lifted out on to the hard before going down to the beach chalet at Calshot for the rest of the summer.

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