24th June – 8th July 2025
Reading time: Oh dear, it’s rather long!
Whitby to Blyth via Runswick Bay – 51 nm
Grit and I had just attended a funeral in Market Drayton and had to leave the wake a bit early to meet up with Ray who was already waiting on the boat moored in Whitby Harbour. It was a rather wonderful funeral as the man who had died was such an inspiringly happy person that everyone was smiling as they remembered the old times they had together. We made it to the boat at about 21:00, packed away our gear, and had a look at the almanac. Sadly, we couldn’t leave until 15:00 the following day due to the first bridge swing being 2 hours before high water. I didn’t fancy a 45 nm sail overnight, so we decided to leave on the first bridge swing and find a spot to anchor. Runswick Bay is just 5 nm up the coast and would provide good shelter, so we dropped the hook there in 14 m with 45 m of 8 mm chain using the 12x the square root of the depth rule.
After a pie and two veg supper with a glass of wine we retired early to bed so we would be ready for a dawn start in the morning. We had been told about a fine pub ashore, but I wanted to rest up after a very hectic few weeks. There was no one else anchored in the large bay which I found surprising.
At 05:45 we hauled up the anchor and secured it on the deck. We set off into a smooth sea with the main and yankee. At 07:00 it started to rain and the forecast was for F6 later. We hoped to be sheltered in Blyth before then. The wind became squally maybe F5 and we reefed the main. I tried to get nearer the shore for calmer water, but the wind started to head us. It soon picked up and we ended up with three reefs in the main and a reefed Yankee. Entry to Blyth is any-weather-any-tide so I had no concerns there, but I was slightly alarmed by the amount of water in the bilges. It is very unusual for Sumara to take on more than a couple of pints even on a bumpy sea. We probably pumped out about 60 strokes. Sumara has no electric bilge pump. Eventually, with Blyth Harbour in sight, we started the engine and enjoyed a wet and boisterous end to the journey.
Once the boat was tidied, it was soon time to visit the old wooden light vessel which is home to the Royal Northumberland Yacht Club.
Blyth is not exactly a holiday town but a working port with a lot of wind farm activity. Beside the port is a long sandy beach flanked with sand dunes. It makes a great swimming spot at high tide. The 20 minute walk to town takes you through Ridley Park, a well-kept park with plenty of things to occupy children. The Number 1 cycle route passes through it. We were later to discover that the No1 cycle route passed through everywhere we stopped which made me wonder about a combined cycling/sailing holiday?
In town you will find a large Morrisons and a useful Boyes store for all those weird things that seem so necessary on a cruise. We enjoyed our stay in Blyth.
Blyth to Eyemouth – 55 nm
On the 29th June we set off at 04:00 towards Eyemouth. When we have early starts we like to just get up and go, coffee and breakfast happen at sea. I find otherwise there is too much time spent frigging about or even beginning to have morose thoughts about journey ahead. Our plan was to take the tide through the channel between the Farne Islands and the mainland. It is reputed to run at 3 knots on springs which would be a welcome boost to our speed. After sailing for an hour and a half the wind died so we changed the Yankee for the genoa but soon after we needed to start the engine.
A racing pigeon joined us for the ride. We fed it some water and raw brown rice. It flew off after about five hours. Soon we were sailing again, goosewinged with a poled-out genoa. Once again we found an unusual amount of water in the bilge, not enough to worry a coastal sail, but too much for an off shore voyage into the Arctic. Where was it coming from?
Our soundtrack for the day was a mix of Kevin Ayres and Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man. They used to play together in Soft Machine!
We arrived in Eyemouth 15:45 GMT and met Brenden the friendly Harbour Master. Average speed was 4.59 kn. We inquired about the best pub and he recommended The Ship Inn. Sadly, when we arrived there the reception was so frosty (rude even) that we went off in search of somewhere else, finally deciding the busy Kebab Shop would be our best bet for some nosh. I still remember the day when a kebab was something served up inside a pitta bread with some salad. It could be eaten between two hands. It seems things have changed. This pitta bread was loaded to the brim with an unbelievable amount of meat. The salad was separate and had to be eaten with your hands. In Walton on the Naze I ordered two kebabs and could hardly lift the huge bag it came in. We got four gigantic meals out of it, but would have far preferred less. Next time I order a kebab, I will ask for a picture, so I know what I am in for.
Ray took a massive dislike of Eyemouth but warmed to the place slightly during the following sunny day. Hey, it’s a safe harbour with pleasant cliff top walks and a sandy beach alongside, it can’t be that bad!
Still concerned about the ingress of water, I decided to lift the cockpit sole for a look around. Ray quickly spotted the problem! Over the winter I had screwed a piece of oak to the side of the void because the fastening screws were very close to the edge. I hadn’t realized that this new piece was preventing the sole from sealing against the neoprene foam strips. We had been sailing with a 3 mm gap along one edge of the cockpit sole. When the boat heels water often backs up from the cockpit drains and this was the cause of the water in the bilge. It is a nice feeling to resolve these things. Well spotted Ray!
Eyemouth to Peterhead – 98 nm
The weather forecast wasn’t on our side. It looked like the wind would turn northerly soon. I decided it would be best to get some north in the bank while we can, so we set off to sail the 98 nm to Peterhead. Ray informed me that the correct pronunciation is “Peerheeed” but I didn’t dare try it. It was such a a shame to sail past Arbroath and Stonehaven but the call of the wind cannot be denied.
We set off at 06:45 and were soon sailing with one reef into rather dreich weather. Soon the reef was shaken out and the genoa hanked on. Yes it is a bit of a palaver compared to just unfurling a sail, but I put up with it.
By 16:15 we were motoring and that continued through the night. We radioed up Aberdeen before entering their VTS area and they insisted that we alter course to stay 3 miles off the harbour entrance because of numerous ship movements, but we didn’t see anything move visually or on AIS. We arrived in Peterhead at 08:00 2nd July. Average speed was 4.39 kn.
After a two-hour snooze we checked out the weather and decided we must move on in the morning. It was time to explore town and do a few chores. The Harbour Master was super helpful and ran us into the local garage to get some diesel in his van. The well-run marina is a 23 minute walk to a massive Aldi on the edge of town. I know that it takes that long because I timed it. If someone tells you it is a ten minute walk, they are lying! The town is a bit dour. We couldn’t find a decent pub and ended up in a Wetherspoons where we paid £3.68 for two pints of perfectly decent ale – how do they make a profit? There is something a bit sad about ending up in a Wetherspoons and if we had put in a bit more effort we could probably have found a cracking boozer. Truth was, I was feeling a bit under the weather and had lost my voice. I didn’t fancy traipsing around town.
Our Belgium friends, Kurt and Michele from Balena had previously extolled the virtues of the little fishing port of Whitehills on the coast of the Moray Firth just west of Banff – the famous ski resort (?) It was just 36 nm away. We decided we would go and find out if it lived up to its reputation.
Peterhead to Whitehills – 36 nm
Like choosing the best weather forecasts, you can take your pick of a wide variety of given information to catch the north going stream. We chose the Cruising Association recommendation of leaving at local HW + 1 hour which was two hours earlier than the Reeds tidal diagrams. By fluke, it worked out, and we got about 1.5 knot of lift but not for long. I suspect there are big eddies along the coast. We were close hauled as we sailed past the vibrant, busy and industrious Fraserburgh – a slightly preferable stop to Peterhead in my opinion. We were hoping for a wind shift to help us head west along the coast. Our prayers were answered and we were able to hold the course making 5 knots SOG along the coast until a mile off the harbour. The entrance involves a sharp turn to port through a narrow gap whereupon we were presented with a lovely long pontoon all to ourselves. We tied up at 14:57 GMT. Average Speed was 4.37 kn.
Right next to the harbour is a posh restaurant (The Captain’s Galley) and we decided to treat ourselves to the local delicacy of Cullen Skink and the slightly less local Hungarian goulash. There was a good selection of local bottled beer too. A tad expensive but a fine treat. The following day, I was still feeling under the weather, very rare for me, but we still decided to explore Banff by bus. The cost of the bus tickets was so staggering that we thought they may be taking us to the Canadian ski resort with the same name. We had a mooch around Banff before attempting to catch a bus back to the boat. The buses seem to come at diametrically opposed times to the timetable and they also display different numbers, so the mega prices were not reflected by the randomness of the service.
Back in lovely Whitehills, a fisherman pulled up alongside and asked if we would like a lobster? What a silly question, of course we would! He generously gave us four of the critters which made us a very tasty and rather giant lobster bisque.
What a joyful and trusting place Whitehills is!
But we can’t stay in heaven for ever so we decided to make use of a wind shift to sail on to Inverness, our last stop on this leg of the journey. We did manage a quick visit to the Seafield Arms, purely for educational purposes of course, although we did try their beer just to be polite. Sadly there was no time to try Rockfish, a highly recommended cafe – another time.
Whitehills to Inverness – 56 nm
It was another of those 03:15 GMT starts to make use of a forecast wind shift. We were reckoning on a four hour tack north before being able to get a cut on the wind as it veered to the north, but we were lucky and found we could soon put the helm over and clear Lossiemouth on a starboard tack. It was a pleasant sail towards Inverness before the wind eventually died. I can’t remember when we got in because the log book is on the boat and I am on the train back to London. I can remember Ray persuading me to join him on a hunt for a pub in the rain which wasn’t what the doctor ordered. We visited the Malt Rooms which had a great selection of whiskey but a poor selection of beer. As neither of us drink whiskey, we moved next door to The Market Inn(?), a bar of character and had a couple of bottles of “Happy Chappy”.
The following day was dedicated to visiting amazing hardware warehouses of which Inverness boasts TWO – MacGregors and Highland Industrial Supplies. A trip to the V8 cafe was needed for sustenance before walking the miles of aisles full of tools and ironmongery. It was a sign of the splendid condition of the Good Ship Sumara that we didn’t need to buy anything, although a garlic crusher would be nice.
In the evening Tim was going to visit from Ullapool for our periodic RCC Tilman Medal swap.
We last swapped it in Village Bay, St Kilda. It would also be an opportunity to demolish a massive jar of Bolognese sauce that a purchased in Germany.
We also invited Douglas over. Douglas owns a splendid fully varnished McGruer yacht and indeed wrote a book about the yachts.
Of course he knew Tim, everyone does. I remember hitch hiking from Inverness to Ullapool once. A driver pulled over after a few minutes and I asked if he was going to Ullapool to which he replied “Are you going to Tim’s wedding?”, which I was!
Ray was off in the morning, I stayed an extra day. As I left for the station the sun came out, Sods Law, I expect it will be dreich again for when I return for the Caledonian Canal!
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