Day 2 - Amble to Eyemouth (Scotland)

Friday 24^th July 2016 – Eyemouth – Day 2

The 7 am radio news revealed the result of the referendum, Jack was not a happy bunny, as he wanted in, while I was a very happy chappee, I wanted out.

We had a tide to catch, so set off at 08.00 and out through the piers at 08.15 into a smooth sea and a light southerly wind, we headed up north.

Inner Farne Lighthouse

We wanted to catch the ebb tide through the Farne Islands, a beautiful part of the Northumberland coastline.  The islands are home to a colony of seals and seabirds, mostly puffins.

Access is gained from the mainland via the small harbour at Seahouses. 

At the entrance to the channel and passing the Inner Farne Lighthouse, the vhf radio came into its own, as we listened to the communication between the Humber Coastguard and a dive boat working off the Farnes, on which one of the lady divers had come up too quickly and was showing signs of suffering from the bends.

The particular dive boat passed close ahead of us, on its way to Seahouses, to rendezvous with the lifeboat and later with a helicopter to get the casualty ashore.  It is very interesting listening in on Channel 16, how the rescue in such cases is co-ordinated and the language used, to convey messages in a short efficient manner.  I hope the casualty made a full recovery.

Bamburgh Castle

One of the other delights of the coastline is the imposing Bamburgh Castle, as it sits overlooking a long beautiful sandy beach.

Holy Island

After about two hours after entering the Farnes channel, you come to the end at Holy Island with its Lindisfarne Castle perched on the outcrop, and passing Emmanuel Head you are back into the open sea. Then the heavens opened and we were drenched by heavy rain which lasted for an hour.

View of  Canyon from sea

   

Canyon from inside harbour

At 16.30 we were approaching the entrance to Eyemouth, a narrow cut called the canyon, once through and it opens out to a small fishing harbour.

We headed up, turned around and tied up alongside another boat ‘Zephyr’ alongside the visitor’s pontoon.

Ashore by 19.00, across the harbour and into ‘The Contented Soul’, where we enjoyed a meal between us of lentil soup, lamb shank and gammon steak. 

A walk around the harbour area does not take too long, before we entered ‘The Fleet’ pub.  Here met another single-handed yachtee up from Hartlepool and joined by the pub owner, Dave an ex-fisherman, we swopped yarns of times on the north east coast.

Back on board for 22.30, a night cap and bed by midnight.

Today we had sailed into Scotland, our wee Scottish courtesy flag now flies from our starboard yardarm and will be there until we leave, hopefully, it will bring us good luck.