Mark here - temporarily awarded the title of Sailing Master, though I've yet to do anything to earn it.
I joined Goldfinch in Arbroath, after flying to Edinburgh and spending a pleasant few hours there strolling in the sunshine along the Royal Mile. Bryan, Mike and Des met me at the station in Arbroath and we went to a pub for dinner. On the way we passed a bar that was obviously having a karaoke night, where the strains of 'Sunshine on Leith' were being belted out with gusto. Dinner was, of course, an Arbroath smokie: not being a big fan of smoked fish I approached with caution, but was delighted by the delicate flavour.
 |
| Arbroath smokie |
Shortly before arriving at Stonehaven we passed the ruins of Dunottar Castle - almost invisible until you are quite close to it, being made of the same stuff as the rocky coastline. There is a school in Reigate (skipper's old home town) named after this castle.
Stonehaven itself (by the way, the locals seem to pronounce the name 'St'nHAVen') is a charming town with a pretty harbour. We tied up against the harbour wall, and the friendly harbour-master took our lines and pointed out the facilities. From the harbour itself it looks like a tiny place, but there is a substantial town further inland. There is also a little museum called the Tollbooth, which used to be a jail. It is full of Stonehaven miscellany, including an ancient Decca Navigator position-finding system from before the days of GPS, which a local fisherman took time to explain to me. Quite a lot of time, in fact.
In the pub Bryan and I met Mo, a friend of Debbie and Bryan's who lives nearby. Mike was back on board cooking up yet another delicious supper.
 |
| Goldfinch tied against the harbour wall at Stonehaven |
 |
| Other local delicacies are available... |
On Tuesday we left Stonehaven at a comfortable time in the morning and set out for Peterhead. The voyage started with some good sailing but once again we were forced to fire up the donkey and motor to windward. The sea-state was a lot more peaceful than the previous day, but the weather was grey and cold and the passage had little to commend it other than we arrived at our destination safely and in good time. En route we passed Aberdeen and encountered substantial shipping - both fishing-boats and industrial vessels.
Peterhead must once have been a picturesque harbour. It even has a sandy beach. Now it has been overwritten by the shipping and infrastructure of the oil industry. The marina entrance is hard to see in the wide harbour, but once we were inside it we were greeted in by a friendly harbour-master who called me Captain and shook me by the hand. He even gave us rough directions to the nearest pub - a mile away in the town centre. The town was obviously once quite grand, with substantial stone houses, but has a somewhat down-at-heel look now. In the pub we were greeted by another friendly local, this time one who had been enjoying the inn's hospitality on a grand scale. He claimed to be the best karaoke singer in town, but the evidence he produced did not back this claim up.
Which brings us almost up to date. Today (Wednesday) is 24th June, traditionally Midsummer's Day. The weather seems not to be aware of this fact: it is grey, far from warm, and occasionally rainy. We have had a day off sailing today. I took the opportunity to get on a bus and visit Crimond, a little place about five miles away which is famous for having a well known tune named after it, usually sung to the words of The Lord's my Shepherd. I was met at Crimond by a friendly lady who showed me round the church and told me some of the history.
Must go now, it's my turn to cook supper.
No comments:
Post a Comment