Sailing Round Britain Update – puffins, dolphins and the magic of East Coast Sailing

2,741 views  |   May 20th, 2016 

Setting Sail for Epic Round Britain Adventure

Setting Sail for Epic Round Britain Adventure

What a fantastic two weeks sailing we have had. Glorious sunshine, amazing wildlife and mostly favourable winds.  Now as the boats sail on Loch Ness the weather is again fair and the wind perfect.

The highlight of the first week of the Sailing Round Britain adventure was undoubtedly seeing Puffins close up. These tiny birds are very timid and usually only seen through top quality telescopes and binoculars but they were within a few feet of us bobbing about on the water as we sailed past them.  Off Flamborough Head we came across the magnificent Gannet soaring high above the sea before diving into the depths for food.  Fish and chips in Whitby refreshed the crews ready for the early start, due to an 0400 tide, for Newcastle.

Holy Head Island

Holy Island

Leg two saw the boats visit Holy Island and the historic Castle of Lindisfarne before continuing on to Arbroath where the local delicacy of Arbroath Smokies were the order of the day. Martin, Rob and John all commented how delicious they were and how hospitable the Marina was.  So far on this journey, raising funds for Macmillan, we have enjoyed free berthing everywhere and our thanks go to all the marinas that have supported us.

Boats and Cranes

Boats and Cranes

A special thank you must go to the lovely little harbour of Whitehills and the staff, customers and management. The East Coast of the British Isles is often overlooked by nautical types and not considered beautiful but the opposite is true. The area changes from cliffs to rolling hills, to sand dunes in very short distances and navigation is challenging with very shallow waters. The wildlife is stunning and every new port is different from the last. The reception at Whitehills was unbelievable in that the staff and berth holders made donations to Macmillan and supported the project with free berthing. Then as Kingfisher departed Whitehills towards Inverness a pod of Dolphins played around the boat entertaining the crew to a magical display of grace and power.

The two boats sailing round Britain have stood up well so far with the only breakages being a couple of plates and a lost screw (from a lamp).  The crews have had a brilliant experience and have given 100% positive feedback. Jonathan, who was on leg 1, has now booked for leg 7. Just one space left on leg 7 and 3 spaces on the Cornish leg (6).

 

 

For more details on Sailing Round Britain and remaining berths available visit: https://www.firstclasssailing.com/Sail-Round-Britain.html 

Posted by: First Class Sailing

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