Friends and neighbours in Cawton, where we live most of the time - when not on Follyfin - have all been both supportive and interested in our nautical capers. So we were delighted to be able to welcome several of them aboard whilst we were on the North Yorkshire coast. First to sample a brief look at life on the ocean wave were Sally and Philip, who bravely agreed to join us for Sunday lunch whilst at anchor in Runswick Bay, 5 miles north of Whitby. Had the wind cooperated, this anchorage would have been beautifully calm. But that would have been too easy! The wind was in the east bringing an uncomfortable swell into the bay, making lunch more of a rock 'n roll session than an enjoyable meal. Nevertheless our visitors put a brave face on it despite feeling rather queasy.
They were quite keen to set foot back on dry land but first had to endure a ride in the tender back to the beach.
Remaining at anchor overnight was not an option in those conditions so we headed down to Whitby and the safety of the harbour. Approaching from the sea provided us with a fresh view of the famous Abbey and the town we have come to know well from the land.
Unfortunately we arrived in Whitby Harbour too late to catch the last opening of the swing bridge on Sunday. But we managed to raft up against another boat waiting just outside the bridge and enjoyed a quiet night. Passing through the bridge on Monday morning, we were soon berthed in the marina and ready to welcome our first visitors for lunch: Jenny with her young son George and Jenny's parents Carol and Alec.
The weather was warm and occasionally sunny so lunch was taken on deck. George appeared to be interested in all the nautical activities going on in the marina. This was later proven to be the case - Jenny told me he has not stopped saying 'boat' 'boat' since, a refreshing change from his normal chant of 'ee i ee i ooo.' for tractor!
As we bade goodbye to our lunch guests, Paul and Imelda arrived. Perfect timing!
Still warm enough - just - for drinks on deck, we retired below for supper. We enjoyed hearing their holiday plans for a cruise amongst the Norwegian fjords and looking forward to seeing their photos and hearing their holiday notes. Follyfin is anticipating a cruise of her own to Scandinavia in the not-too-distant future we hope. Soon after Paul and Imelda departed we headed for a spot of shuteye, ready for an early start the following day ... mind you, Whitby at 4 a.m. does look quite appealing.
Reasons for the early start were two-fold: first, the latest swing bridge opening we could catch on Tuesday was 04:00, otherwise we would have been trapped in Whitby marina for a further 10 hours; secondly, our next passage would be a long one down the coast to the mouth of the Humber River. Little did we know quite how long it would be ... instead of the predicted 69 miles to Spurn Point, we actually travelled 106 miles and didn't arrive until 11 p.m. This meant we had to pick up an unlit mooring buoy in the dark - not an easy process! The reason for the extra distance? You guessed it: the wind was on the nose again, necessitating a zig-zag course towards our destination. That day was both exhausting and stressful, so we thoroughly enjoyed an easy 25 mile journey yesterday up river to Hull marina to investigate the marina for winter storage. Strong winds in the estuary and a favourable tide allowed us to sail along at a cracking speed with only part of the jib unfurled. Lucky wind was in the right direction for once.
The Humber is an estuary, 4 miles wide where it reaches the sea between Spurn Head and Northcotes Point. It is formed by the R Ouse and R Trent, which meet 13 miles above Hull. The river is commercially important and drains most of Yorkshire and the Midlands. It also has strong tidal streams. Sailing up, and down again to Spurn today, we had to be careful to remain out of the way of some frighteningly large commercial ships.
It's another early start tomorrow to cross The Wash to the north Norfolk coast. We hope to be relaxing in Wells-next-the-sea for the weekend. Fingers crossed for some sunshine!
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