The Amble scramble

Because of some annoying misinformation about bridge opening times we were late leaving Whitby, and to make matters worse, exited the harbour into some of the largest rollers I have encountered in this boat.   Fortunately the seas looked a bit smoother further out and so we pressed on.  

The wind continued as the rare north easterly which has been a hallmark of the trip so far.   This further slowed our progress, and although by early evening we were sailing well in sunshine and calm seas it begain to look doubtful that we would be able to reach Amble in time for the tidal 'window' we needed to enter.

Fortunately, this coast has many alternative harbours available and we decided instead to head for Sunderland which was only an hour off our course and easily accessible.   I'm delighted to report that the natives there are friendly and hospitable and that the Harbour Master really did say "Whaye aye man" in response to my questions over the radio!     We passed a quiet night at his marina and headed on to Amble the following morning.

After a couple of hours motoring, the wind picked up a little from the South and we were able to hoist "Heather" (don't ask!) our cruising chute sail.  This made for a very satisfying run until we reached Coquet Island and turned to head into Amble harbour. Amble (also known as Warkworth) is a very pretty small town with a castle which we plan to explore tomorrow.

Shortly after arriving, we learned that an elderly man on a nearby boat had fallen down a hatchway and was thought to have broken several ribs.  I thought for a moment that my first aid skills were going to be put to the test, but another bystander turned out to be a Theatre Nurse so I was happy to be outranked!

Whitby from the Cook Museum