We are starting on the 1st June 2008 and the log should start appearing a week or so later.
Paul Archard
Paul & John’s Round
Britain Log.
August 2008.
| I intend to post, probably weekly, a log
or progress report of John’s and my trip around the UK. The intention is
it will be relatively short and succinct pointing out things of interest
that have happened on specific days of the journey. There will also be a
few photographs as long as we have found something interesting to take
pictures of!
We are starting on the 1st June 2008 and the log should start appearing a week or so later. Paul Archard |
FOR MORE PICTURES CLICK HERE.
Postscript.
John and I had some great crew members joining us all the way round and more of those in a minute, but first I want to thank John for putting up with me and lots of other things for three months at close quarters. Being on a small boat for that length of time with all the pressures of a long complex trip is quite stressful. John and I seemed to manage with very few difficult moments, which in itself is an achievement. Thanks John.
Those joining us were great, many of the legs were marked by "Buzzwords" and little idiosyncrasies, to pick a few there was "Winch 'andles" based on "Fork 'andles" from the Two Ronnies famous sketch. There was "No, no, no, no, Yes !", a favorite saying of one crew member which could have been straight from the Vicar of Dibley. There was "O Lummey" from the Navy Lark. There was endless straining to see bouys which were so far away Jodrell Bank would not have picked them up ! There were interminable discussions about minutiae of all sorts. There were crew members who never left the tiniest scrap of food, even if it was on someone else's plate. There were people almost falling overboard whilst trying to get back for the automatic photo they had set the camera to take. There were many more and all added to the enjoyment of the trip.
Things I will miss are the wonderful coastline, fantastic anchorages and Ports, the friendliness of so many strangers, many great evenings either ashore or on the boat, some excellent sailing, the sea and bird life - especially the dolphins, and of course the boat FREEBOOTER who looked after us so well for three months of often very difficult sailing. Part of the reason for that is that she had been so well prepared by her owner Steve Westwood and the charterer Jon Woods, so a big thanks to them.
Things I will NOT miss are, toilet seats too small for a child, never mind a slightly overweight adult, moist wipes, five day old shirts and pants! Met office forecasts, wind in the wrong direction, wet clothes and double checking tide heights, passage details etc. just in case you have made a stupid mistake !
Anyone else thinking of doing such a trip I would, without hesitation, say go for it, it is the experience of a lifetime.
Paul Archard.
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Day 87. Thursday 21st August. We have a long day today, some 40 miles direct, but with tacking it will be nearer 60. Both John and I have real mixed feelings, we are both looking forward to getting home but cannot really believe that is nearly over after three months. We started early at 06.30 although this was not good for tides. We had decided to motor into the wind for the first few hours to get us near Bogner where we could hopefully sail the last bit home. As forecast the wind and sea state had eased a bit so it was a much easier passage than we had had of late. After about four hours we put the sails up to tack out round Selsey Bill. The boat was saving one last problem for us and as we were tightening the main the top block on the mainsheet broke so we had to pull in the main and resume motoring. We decided we had to sail the last leg so we repaired the block as best we could and then resumed sailing. |
| The weather then relented and we had a fantastic last sail all the way up to the Marina entrance at Gosport in sunshine and 18 knots of wind almost in the right direction. We had radioed ahead so the Freebooter's berth was clear and ready for her after three months. We finally moored up at 15.30. It hardly seemed possible that we have finished. Tomorrow we will have to pack up all the clothes, gear etc. and head home - almost as daunting a task as the trip seemed all those weeks ago. |
Day 86. Wednesday 20th August.
We are off to Brighton today. The tides will be favorable from about 14.00 but we need more time than that would give us for the passage so we will leave at lunchtime. We filled up with diesel at the Marina before going out through the Lock. The wind was still 25 knots pretty much south west as usual, but since we had to clear Beachy Head it was not a problem. The direct route was some 22 miles but we did 30 to get there with the tacks. The sea was still rough and confused so we had a lot of water on the decks and us ! Brighton is a huge Marina and we arrived at about 18.00 after a good but rough sail. We had radioed ahead and went to our allotted berth, which was as far from the facilities and the reception as possible. We had a really great meal ashore at a restaurant called Strada, one of a chain.
Day 85. Tuesday 19th August.
As predicted we are stormbound in Eastbourne. We took a taxi into the town for sightseeing and lunch. We then returned and checked the weather forecasts, it looks like we will be able to leave tomorrow.
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Day 84. Monday 18th August. We were not quite certain whether it was a good idea to go that day to Brighton as we were hoping. The forecast was for a 5 - 7, with the possibility of an 8 and we had seen from yesterday that the sea was relatively rough. However we had decided to get up early and see so at 05.30 we were up and there was a lot of noise going on and we saw the lifeboat coming in to the pontoon just away from us towing in a yacht ! I went down to have a chat with the lifeboat men to see what it was like out there as we could not see the sea state from the harbour. After some discussion they said we should probably go for it but added "Don't call us, we'll call you !" We duly headed out at 06.30. It was again very rough and confused seas with wind between 25 and 35 knots and of course almost directly on the nose from the south west. The actual distance to Eastbourne, where we finally went to rather than Brighton, was some forty miles but in order to get there we had to tack into the wind and therefore did 69 miles. We arrived at Eastbourne Sovereign Harbour at 18.10, went into the lock and into a very large and well furnished Marina. |
We were very tired, very wet and really looking forward to a drink and something to eat but prior to that we had showers in probably the best facilities we have come across in the whole three months, which made us feel somewhat better. We ate ashore tonight in a small Italian restaurant and tomorrow will be storm bound as there is a 7/8 going through, again from the south west just where we need to go to get back to Portsmouth.
Day 83. Sunday 17th August.
We only had a short journey to Dover to make that day. In order to get into the lock section of Dover Harbour we had to leave Ramsgate earlier than we would have liked and go against the tide so we left at 13.45. Half an hour out in relatively strong winds the shackle holding the bottom of the Genoa snapped and the Genoa started to fly loose. We quickly managed to furl it before it pulled through and decided we needed to return to Ramsgate to effect repairs. We arrived back at about 14.45. We took down the Genoa and checked for any damage, of which there was none, and then sourced another shackle which we fixed, tested and were then ready to leave. We left again at 15.00 hours, the winds still being force 4 or 5 but now we had the tide with us. The wind of course was on the nose and the sea was very rough, so even though we had plenty of wind we had to motor sail to get a better course to enable us to get into Dover before dark. We arrived at Dover Marina at 19.45 and tied up in the tidal basin rather than in the locked basin.
 Moored In Dover |
 New found sewing skills |
 Leaving Dover |
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Day 82. Saturday 16th August. We had a long day ahead of us across the Thames Estuary so we left Harwich at 06.30 in the morning and proceeded to pick our way through the various sandbanks that litter the Thames Estuary. The wind was good and, although for much of the journey we were close hauled, we managed to make some really good time in something like 20 odd knots of wind and finally tide up at Ramsgate Marina at 16.45. It was incredibly busy whereas the pilot books had said that it was only busy in Ramsgate week and of course that was when we had chosen to arrive, this Saturday being the last day of their yacht racing. The advantage of this was that we had a great firework display at 22.00 and a bar in a marquee on the edge of the quay. Having over catered for people staying on board we had chicken curry which was big enough for four between the two of us but we did manage to waddle out on deck to see the fireworks 22.10. |
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Day 81. Friday15th August. We left Lowestoft at 09.30 having said goodbye to Dan who had to get back for the weekend. Tony continued on board with us and the idea was to go into Aldburgh up the River Ald. We arrived at the mouth of the Ald at 15.00 hours by which time there was a strong onshore wind blowing and the amount of tide over the bar was only just enough for us. We tried one entry through breaking surf, aborted that and came out. We tried one more time but decided it was not viable to enter at that state of tide with that wind ,so we continued on to Harwich where we arrived at Halfpenny Quay at 17.30 and tied up. John had just heard the news that he was now a grandfather, with a grandson Jack James 9lbs 5 ozs, mother and baby doing well. We therefore found a very nice pub/restaurant ashore and had a bottle of champagne before Tony had to leave to catch his train. John and I then finished the champagne and had another bottle of wine and a very pleasant meal before retiring back to the boat. |
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Day 79 & 80. Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th August. The weather opportunity that we were hoping for appears to be OK so we started off from the Marina at 15.40 on Wednesday. We locked out through the large lock into the Humber and proceeded off down towards the North Sea. We knew we had left slightly too early to get positive tides so we had tide against us for the first two and half hours or so down the Humber so we motor sailed with very, very light winds of 5 to 7 knots, even though much more had been forecast. As we got nearer to Grimsby the wind did pick up a fraction to 10 or 12 knots so we managed to get something in the region of 5 knots from the boat, however this meant it was going to be a long passage. |
As the evening progressed the wind got slightly better and we were able to make 5½ knots or thereabouts so we turned the engine off and proceeded to sail. By midnight the wind had picked up a bit and as I went off watch we were doing something in the region of 6 knots, or just over. The tide by now had become favourable. Within half an hour of trying to get some sleep the wind had risen to the forecast 6 or 7 and we had 25 knots plus over the deck. However it was on the beam or behind the beam and therefore was ideal sailing weather. At 01.00 I got up and helped to put in a reef by which time we were doing about 8 knots.
| The wind if anything strengthened and then for six or seven hours we were doing anything between 8½ and 9½ knots, a truly memorable sail. For the last hour as we were turning in towards Lowestoft we had to motor sail as the wind was on the nose for that part of the passage. We finally arrived at Lowestoft and moored up in the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Marina at 11.15, some four or five hours earlier than our scheduled time, having done the 128 nautical mile passage in some eighteen hours, an average of over 7 knots. We had a snack lunch in the Yacht Club and then went to sleep for the afternoon and tonight we will eat on board with chicken and whatever else I can muster for pudding. |
Day 78. Tuesday 12th August.
Surprise, surprise the pump duly arrived at the Marina at about 09.00 this morning. Unfortunately the weather has now taken a turn for the worse with Force 8 gale and severe gale 9 being forecast for the route down to Lowestoft, so, even though we have this morning fitted the new pump and tested it, we will not be able to leave today. We may possibly have a weather window tomorrow but we will have to wait and look at up to date forecasts. Most of the crew have now gone to the cinema to see I think "The Dark Crusader", the latest batman film and I have stayed behind to get a few emails off and to dictate the passage plans. We will eat on board tonight, don't quite know what yet.
Day 77. Monday 11th August.
Andrew, Mike and Richard left the boat at 10.15 just as John Savage, together with Dan his son and Tony joined us. We had a window of opportunity to do the long passage to Lowestoft starting that afternoon about 15.30. We went out and got the provisions for the short week everyone was on board and then got ready to leave.
| We had had some worries about the engine and therefore just decided to do a few more checks at about 15.00 when we were almost ready to leave and discovered that the new water pump which we had fitted three days earlier was also now leaking. Apparently it was a re-conditioned unit, not brand new, and obviously had some inherent fault. However that put paid to us leaving so we got in touch with John Woods, who got in touch with the pump manufacturers and they arranged to send us one by special delivery, hopefully to arrive the next day. We ate on board and had spaghetti bolognaise, cheese and biscuits and raspberry pavlova. All a bit deflated by the fact we could not get away. |
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Day 76. Sunday 10th August. We left Scarborough on the Saturday night at about 22.30 hours. The wind was very fresh and the sea state, although not large waves, quite confused with short choppy waves. The wind though was in a good direction to begin with and we sailed very quickly, although a lot of water was coming over the deck. There was quite a lot of other shipping about and we were called up by one approaching large vessel to see which way it would be best to pass us, which was very civil of them. It began to get light at about 04.30 to 05.00 and the sun rose shortly after 05.30 and it was a rather pleasant morning but the sea state was still extremely confused and the boat was plowing into almost every other wave. Unfortunately Andrew was feeling very seasick and having been very ill spent most of the passage lying down on the bunk downstairs. During the course of the morning we had our first death at sea. |
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We were sailing along reasonably quickly but with the boat pitching and yawing a lot when a pigeon came flying in, maybe to land on the boat I do not know, but anyway flew straight into the mast which presumably broke its neck as it landed on the deck as dead as a Dodo. A burial at sea was therefore arranged ! We arrived at the mouth of the Humber and thought that now we were going up the river the sea state would improve and we would stop getting quite so wet. On the contrary, if anything, the sea state got worse ! We sailed and motored the 20 odd miles up the Humber from the traffic separation scheme at the mouth and arrived at Hull Marine Lock at about13.30. As we were entering the lock we had a gust of over 40 miles an hour which made the entry a fraction difficult. Once we had berthed we were all rather tired and slept for a couple of hours before going out and finding somewhere to have a snack which we duly did. |
Day 75. Saturday 9th August.
We left Whitby at 08.00 when they opened the swing bridge for the first time that morning. We only had a short passage to do but what tiny amount of wind there was was on the nose so we had to motor the three hours or so to Scarborough where we duly arrived at 11.20.
 Whitby Harbour |
It looked like we were going to have to moor up against a fishing vessel but they finally found a space for us on the visitor's pontoon and we moored up at the end and then went ashore. Scarborough was not nearly as picturesque as Whitby, although the Grand Hotel has a certain faded elegance about it. We had a late lunch ashore as we were going to be leaving at about 22.00 or 23.00 for the long trip to Hull. We then all had a sleep in the afternoon to prepare ourselves for the night passage. |
 Whitby Swing Bridge |
 Whitby Abbey |
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Day 74.
Friday 8th August. We are staying in Whitby for the day and going to look around the town. We will probably have lunch out and then I expect spaghetti bolognaise tonight. Tomorrow we hope to leave for Scarborough. |
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Day 73.
Thursday 7th August. We had decided we would probably try to go to Whitby and so we left Newcastle Royal Quays Marina at 09.30. The wind was negligible, about 2 knots, but the weather was beautiful and so we motored south towards Whitby and at 15.30 the wind began to pick up. We were sailing almost immediately down wind and so we gull winged the main and genoa and fixed up the genoa with a pole. The wind picked up and was soon at 17 or 18 knots. We arrived at Whitby slightly early for the swing bridge and so moored up at the fish quay to await the opening of the swing bridge in about an hour at 19.00. |
This duly opened at 19.05 and we went into the visitors pontoon and moored up on the end in quite a strong wind which was blowing the stern off alarmingly, but we managed to secure ourselves without too much problem. We then went in and had a brief look at Whitby which is a beautiful town, went to a couple of local pubs and then back on board for dinner, roast fillet of beef with Bernaise sauce and baked apples and cream. Because of the pub unfortunately we did not start eating until 22.30 and so it was rather a late night.
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Day 72.
Wednesday 6th August. We left The Amble at 09.30 after the early morning mist had cleared. It was a real pleasure to be able to actually see our way out of the harbour! We went out past Coquet Island and headed south. There was very little wind and it looked as though we would have to motor all the way to Hartlepool.
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Shortly after 13.00, when we were some 5 miles south of Newcastle, the engine developed a problem. When we checked we discovered that the seawater pump bearing was leaking a fair amount of seawater which it was spraying all over the engine and the alternator. We decided we would divert to Newcastle and so turned round, called up The Royal Quays Marina and motored slowly back to Newcastle where we arrived at 16.15. We then stripped down the front of the engine as we luckily had a new water pump on board. We fitted that reasonably quickly and then tested it and everything seemed to be fine, so at 20.00 we ordered some taxis and went off to the fish market area of Newcastle and a restaurant which had been recommended called Sambuca 2. It was an incredibly lively place down on the fish quay packed out and very reasonably priced. We had a great meal and then headed back to the boat.
Day 71.
Tuesday 5th August.
We had to leave early as the two boats inside us had long journeys ahead of them and wanted to catch the tide and so we left in rather a rush at 06.15 and proceeded out of the harbour. We had decided that we would go into the Farne Islands and stop, maybe have lunch and look around as we had left early and we approached the Farne Islands by about 10.00 and anchored in a little place called The Kettle. We took the dinghy ashore to the National Trust Island that you can visit to look at the puffins and other seabirds and also the little chapel with a commemorative stone to Grace Darling who was the lighthouse keeper’s daughter on the Farne Islands in the early 1800s. We left the Farnes at about 12.30 and headed off down towards Amble. Again the wind had picked up and so we put the cruising chute up and had a couple of really good hours sailing at between 5 and 7 knots, again with a bit of tide against. Unfortunately, by 15.00 the wind had dropped and we started to motor and then the fog came down. By the time we were getting close to Amble the visibility was down to about 40 yards if that. We had the radar on and crept in towards the harbour using the chart plotter and radar and when we got into the very narrow entrance the visibility was so poor that we could not see both sides of the harbour wall which were no more than 40 yards apart. We crept very slowly up the first part of the river looking for the silled entrance to the marina which we duly found and went in and moored up at the reception pontoon and went and sorted our berth for the night. We filled up with diesel and were told that it would probably be best to spend the night on the diesel berth which we duly did.
We went ashore to a small pub and then came back on board for fish pie and mixed fruit crumble.
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Day 70.
Monday 4th August. We left our mooring on the Tay at 08.15 and flew down the river at up to 11 knots with the following tide. As happened on the way in, when we got to the mouth the large pod of dolphins came around the boat and we got some good pictures and, although they were not playing with the boat the same as on the way in, it was truly wonderful.
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To begin with as we set off south the wind was negligible. It built over the next couple of hours and so we put up the cruising chute and had two hours of really great sailing with the cruising chute pulling us along at 6 or so knots against the tide in 10 knots of wind. The wind, unfortunately, died early afternoon and so we had to motor again, but we arrived at Eyemouth at 16.30. Eyemouth was an interesting little fishing harbour with one long pontoon and we ended up rafting three out from two Dutch boats. We found a very good seafood seller and managed to get a lobster and big bag of crabs legs and so dinner tonight was crab with homemade mayonnaise followed by chicken and vegetables.
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Day 69.
Sunday 3rd August. Richard, Andrew and Mike duly arrived at about 10.00 on the Sunday morning. I ferried them and their NUMEROUS bags via two ferry trips in the dinghy. We had decided that we would have a leisurely day as we could not get the tide to take us down the river until either late that night or early the next morning.
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The Royal Tay Yacht Club, who have been wonderful to us during the stay, unfortunately did not do Sunday lunches and so we decided to eat on board and so a long and boozy lunch was had at about 15.00 consisting of prawn cocktails, followed by pork with spicy apple sauce, followed by mixed fruit pavlova. A very pleasant and relaxing first day for everybody.
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Day 68.
Saturday 2nd August. John Savage is going home today for a week, hopefully to be there for the birth of his first grandchild. I shall be by myself today and then Richard Don, Andrew and Mike are joining me on Sunday morning. I shall use the time to get some washing done at Broughty Ferry which is a little town about a quarter of a mile from where we are moored. I will have to get the tides right as I am not certain that the dinghy will cope with 5 knots of adverse tide!
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Day 67.
Friday 1st August. Richard and John Bailey were leaving today and so in mid morning we got into the dinghy and went ashore against very strong tides to the Royal Tay Yacht Club where they had a shower and we introduced ourselves to everybody. Everyone was so friendly and helpful and explained where everything was and where all the facilities were. One particular gentleman had met us when we beached the dinghy, helped us haul it up and then gave us a lift up to the Yacht Club, as obviously two people had quite a lot of heavy luggage. John and Richard got off on time and John Savage and myself decided to stay at the Yacht Club for lunch. While we were sitting there
having a drink, and some very pleasant food, lots of members came up to us and
chatted and in no time it had got around the whole Yacht Club that we were
sailing round the UK and more and more of the members came up and chatted to us.
It really was a very pleasant lunch. Dinner tonight next to nothing as we had lunch at the Yacht Club. |
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