Round Britain for the RNLI Blog

If you had wondered why there is so few photos of wildlife I would like to explain…

Have you ever ntried to photograph wildlife? Before this trip I hadn’t but I was very aware of how much time it takes professional camaramen to get those shots we see on TV. Well, I have tried time anfter time after time to get some good shots for the web site but it has all been in vain. Basically I am at several disadvantages… firstly, I am using my phone for all my photos. Although the N95 is great as a basic camera there are several problems that mean I can’t get good wildlife photographs. It has a very basic lens and there is a big delay between pressing the button and the photo being taken.

Then there is the wildlife itself…. I see seals, everytime I get out the camera they dive. I see dolphins… they only pop up above the serface brielfly and the shutter doesn’t react fast enough to get them in frame. I try to get photos of surface swimming birds… they dive.

Basically, it is almost impossible!

It is often difficult to get the feel of a place if you stay just for one night but I do think I have a reasonable idea of what Eyemouth is about after my night there. Up at 5.00am the harbour was dead quiet and a bit ghostly with gaps where the night before there were 20 or more fishing boats. After showering and turning the caravan on water back into a boat I was ready to leave. By that time there were one or two fishing boats already back in port and others were returning to port in dribs and drabs. I set off and made my way to the very narrow entrance and peered out through the entrance to see if any fishing boats were coming through… there is not room for a boat to leave and enter at the same time! It was clear so I went through quite quickly not wantling to meet a fishing boat head on. I was through ok but I was met with a sight… there must have been 7 or 8 fishing boats, line astern, making there way back to port. I waited for a suitable gap to cross over the fairway and heading south I couldn’t help thinking that all these boats did this every night and what a difficult life it must be for the fishermen.

So, on my way. The sea was flat and very easy to keep the speed up to 21kts. It was so flat and perfect cruising conditions that I started to have thoughts of missing out Hartlepool and going straight on to hull. I didn’t have enough fuel for that and so I decided that a refuel stop at Royal Quay Marina on the River Tyne would mean that I then had the option to go on to Hull if the conditions remained as they were or I could revert back to my original plan of stopping at Hartlepool and then I wouldn’t have to worry about having to get petrol there. Either way the stop at the Tyne made sense and so I set up a waypoint at the entrance.

Entering the River Tyne is quite imposing. The entrance to the river has a double pier, once from each side, like a set of crab claws protecting the river. Each pier has a lighthouse on the end and when I arrived the tide was running quite hard. Even so the entrance is easy and making my way up to Royal Quays made me wish I was staying as I have never been to Newcastle. Having said that, I feel that about so many places I passed on this trip and it has inspired me to return and see some of them although perhaps not by boat. Refuelling was easy (except when I paid!) and I was soon on my way back down the river.

I was in the river no more than 1 hour but the sea state had worsened somewhat in that time and although it was still good and I was still able to keep up the speed, I felt that any deterioration indicated bad news if I were to go on to Hull and so I soon decided that the Hull leg should be kept for next week and so I settled on Hartlepool for this leg.

When about 10 miles from Hartlepool I encountered a fishing boat in the distance but right on my track and so I turned to starboard (right!) a bit to pass behind it in accordance with the anti-collision rules . No sooner had I altered course then the boat turned 180 degrees so to block my path. I decided that something was amiss as he was deliberately blocking my path so I slowed down to speak to him. He had a net, unmarked, and he told me to go well out to port. Of course I was happy to comply but it did make me wonder what would have happened if I came from the other direction so he couldn’t block me and inform me…

Hartlepool is one of the modern marina breed… shops, flats and wine bars surrounding the marina and it is new and modern. It also has a lock to enter and after calling on the radio to request locking the light went green and I entered the lock. My experience of the locks on the Caledonian Canal told me to be at the back of the lock if I were the only occupant and that is where I went. This allowed the lock to be filledextra fast and the water poured in so fast that a white foam filled the surface of the lock! They even opened the gates slightly when the water level inside was still 4 or 5 feet below that of the marina and the water just cascaded in. I have never been in a lock that was filled so fast. Great.

So, I am on my pontoon, near the centre of action should I want it… I won’t. I will spend the weekend listening to the cricket test match, the grandprix or The Open Championship… a great weekend of sport and a great place to be weathered in.

The weather conditions do not look like being suitable for my departure until Monday or Tuesday so more info on weather over the weekend.

I arrived in Hartlepool earlier this afternoon after an excellent run from Eyemouth and an extra, unexpected stop off up the River Tyne for fuel.

As usual I will post the full leg report later today.

The weather looks bad over the weekend and so I will be staying here at least until Monday when a high pressure system looks like it might edge up from the south. I will try to keep you informed on the progress of that over the weekend.

I haven’t had much chance to upload pictures recently as I haven’t had wifi or 3G. I have 3G here so I will have a go at uploading the pics later.

It isn’t looking dreadful but I don’t suppose it will be a scenic trip as the rain continues in these parts but the wind is F3-4 this morning and F4-5 later.

Next stop Royal Quay Marina on the Tyne for fuel then on to Hartlepool for this evening.