"All Four Corners"

You'd have been a few hundred yards away at most!

Next time take a trip up to Dittisham and pick up a buoy, it's a beautiful (& sheltered) place.

Good luck with the rest of your circumnavigation. It's on my to do list so may well see you N of the border sometime.......
 
You'd have been a few hundred yards away at most!

Next time take a trip up to Dittisham and pick up a buoy, it's a beautiful (& sheltered) place.

Good luck with the rest of your circumnavigation. It's on my to do list so may well see you N of the border sometime.......

Och! as they say in Scotland!

Yes, when you get yourself organised and committed, let me know and there'll be hospitality for you!

I find that when I'm doing long.ish days I like a marina for facilities, but I'd much rather have the peace and less cost of a mooring - better still a nice quiet, sheltered anchorage; of which there have been precious few since I left Scotland!
 
I reached Lowestoft yesterday, intending to go to Wells-next-the-Sea today. I'm still in Lowestoft having decided last night that the Norfolk Coast is void of havens and I didn't fancy a late arrival into that narrow river in a strong westerly or northerly.

I'm glad I didn't go as we've just had a wow of a thunderstorm and I've never been in one at sea!

Anyone of you with tips for onward from Lowestoft, entry into Wells and then onward to the Humber/North East?

Remember, I'm s/h, with a broken rib and I don't do dark-time sailing/motoring - especially without plenty of bolt-holes?
 
I reached Lowestoft yesterday, intending to go to Wells-next-the-Sea today. I'm still in Lowestoft having decided last night that the Norfolk Coast is void of havens and I didn't fancy a late arrival into that narrow river in a strong westerly or northerly.

I'm glad I didn't go as we've just had a wow of a thunderstorm and I've never been in one at sea!

Anyone of you with tips for onward from Lowestoft, entry into Wells and then onward to the Humber/North East?

Remember, I'm s/h, with a broken rib and I don't do dark-time sailing/motoring - especially without plenty of bolt-holes?

my advice...

after having spent two years around North Norfolk and the Wash and really enjoying the place is a boat that dopes not fall over when the tide goes out. The local became quite familiar with the slug sitting aground in unlikely places

wells is a challenge

and there is only one place for a deep keeler to go and that is beside the Baltic trader that is also a bar.... so sleeping is not easy until after midnight

the entrance is also tough and untenable in a northerly of any strength. Wells grabs people and does not let them go

there are deep pontoons in Wisbech - but you have to get the river people to open the bridge for you and it is an hour up the nene

in the other corner is Fosdyke - deep water pontoons available - but deep into the wash



I fear you might have to run straight from where you are now to the Humber

you can drop a hook behind the spit or go into Hull or Grimsby

long old schlep from Lowestoft to the Humber though even for a big boat

D

someone somewhere should make some films about the place I reckon
 
We have a deep fin, so we missed Wells.

The humber has very strong tides, so you can use it to suck you in and blow you out at the right time. From there it's a fair slog to Scarborough, though anchoring off Filey is also an option.

Whitby's very nice. We spent a night in the outer harbour, outside the bridge

Hartlepool ("so much more than a marina") might be interesting to your inner anthropologist but doesn't hold much else. 500 berths; no chandlers; no onsite mechanic. The mechanic the lockkeeper recommended charged £1000+ to change a hose, which included his travel from Newcastle. It might be better now. It's unlikely to be worse.

The next bit has a lot of options, which we skipped, wanting to get as far away from Hartlepool as possible. We spent a very roly night at anchor off Amble. There was very little swell, but the tide held us sideways to it, and we rolled a lot. The Admiral (fresh off a course on the West coast) said it's not actually a bona fide anchorage, and we'll be using a marina next time.

We missed the Farne islands because we've kids to entertain, but I'd like to go back and visit them.

Lindisfarne is lovely. The seals are inquisitive and noisy at night. It suited the admiral's definition of an anchorage.

Next stop for us was Eyemouth - Reeds was pretty negative about entering Berwick upon Tweed without local knowledge. There's an ice cream shop in Eyemouth which claims it makes the UK's best ice cream and I believe them.
 
Last edited:
Going into the Humber is actually quite a detour, that's why I opted to go straight from Scarborough to Lowestoft, just one long trip instead of two. But I appreciate that being solo you try to avoid overnight trips. On the other hand, apart from the tides, there are no real navigational hazards, the windfarms are conspicuous and shipping is not intense.
I second Sighmoon's feelings about Hartlepool, but it is in a convenient place. I was solo from Eyemouth to Scarborough and these were my stops: Holy Island and the Farne Islands, both anchorages not to be missed, the only ones on the East coast that can compare with your home waters. North Shields, a good Marina, but beware of agressive terns. Amble, a nice place, Whitby a must but beware the entrance in strongish onshore winds and Scarborough if you're into anthropology.
 
Hi Robert, I was there in April go here first http://www.wellsharbour.co.uk/ Staff are most obliging. They'll even send out a harbour launch if you are a first timer.

Hi Dylan, they've dredged the pontoon area. I draw 1m and didn't touch. I did not ask what they've dredged to. It's worth making the enquiry. also the outer windcat dock will accommodate deeper yachts with permission. Continuous dredging is done to the windcat dock.
 
Hi Robert, I was there in April go here first http://www.wellsharbour.co.uk/ Staff are most obliging. They'll even send out a harbour launch if you are a first timer.

Hi Dylan, they've dredged the pontoon area. I draw 1m and didn't touch. I did not ask what they've dredged to. It's worth making the enquiry. also the outer windcat dock will accommodate deeper yachts with permission. Continuous dredging is done to the windcat dock.

wells is lovely, really lovely and mid-way so worth a stopover I reckon

D
 
my advice...

after having spent two years around North Norfolk and the Wash and really enjoying the place is a boat that dopes not fall over when the tide goes out. The local became quite familiar with the slug sitting aground in unlikely places

wells is a challenge

and there is only one place for a deep keeler to go and that is beside the Baltic trader that is also a bar.... so sleeping is not easy until after midnight

the entrance is also tough and untenable in a northerly of any strength. Wells grabs people and does not let them go

there are deep pontoons in Wisbech - but you have to get the river people to open the bridge for you and it is an hour up the nene

in the other corner is Fosdyke - deep water pontoons available - but deep into the wash



I fear you might have to run straight from where you are now to the Humber

you can drop a hook behind the spit or go into Hull or Grimsby

long old schlep from Lowestoft to the Humber though even for a big boat

D

someone somewhere should make some films about the place I reckon

Many thanks Dylan,

I fear I will have to put up with the noise and to be honest, once I'm safely into a port, I become oblivious to all noise - except the metronomic annoyance of squeaking warps!!

As for getting stuck in Wells, I'll just have to risk that, but the next two/three days forecast are looking favourable.Good to hear about Spurn, especially as the winds look like going round to the North/Northeast.
I also reckon that by the time I divert into the Wash havens I could be almost at Spurn/The Humber. Time and luck will tell
Fingers crossed.
 
Hi Robert, I was there in April go here first http://www.wellsharbour.co.uk/ Staff are most obliging. They'll even send out a harbour launch if you are a first timer.

Hi Dylan, they've dredged the pontoon area. I draw 1m and didn't touch. I did not ask what they've dredged to. It's worth making the enquiry. also the outer windcat dock will accommodate deeper yachts with permission. Continuous dredging is done to the windcat dock.

I am in touch with the most helpful and friendly Harbour staff. They will indeed send a launch to guide me in, even after 9pm! They assure me the latest dredging will accommodate my 1.5m fin keel.
 
I am from the north east of England and familiar (from landward) with Whitby, Hartlepool, Tynemouth, Amble, The Farnes and Eyemouth.
Hartlepool it will have to be for a couple of days, because a group of my old friends want to see me and entertain me (i.e. bed, bath and hospitality!)

Thank you one and all, all appreciated advice. Sadly, I just don't feel up to planned night passages, but I feel reasonably confident in the forecast which should at least get me to Scarborough. I'm in no particular hurry, but want to get on northwards.

With winds going into the north next week, Filey is a fairly good place to anchor I understand.
 
I am from the north east of England and familiar (from landward) with Whitby, Hartlepool, Tynemouth, Amble, The Farnes and Eyemouth.
Hartlepool it will have to be for a couple of days, because a group of my old friends want to see me and entertain me (i.e. bed, bath and hospitality!)

Thank you one and all, all appreciated advice. Sadly, I just don't feel up to planned night passages, but I feel reasonably confident in the forecast which should at least get me to Scarborough. I'm in no particular hurry, but want to get on northwards.

With winds going into the north next week, Filey is a fairly good place to anchor I understand.

Fileys good get in tight circa 2m contour why not skip Whitby and anchor at Runswick for peace then twenty miles to Hartlepool!

John
 
Just a quick update.

After two days "off" in Hartlepool meeting up with family and friends from my old stamping ground I am now in Eyemouth, heading for Dundee tomorrow.

Then I'm leaving the boat for a party weekend at my daughter's. Normal northbound service will resume next week.

1440 nm done, about 450 to go.

A lot of motoring/motor sailing, but some great sails,especially from Wells-next-the-Sea to Spurn Point

Bye f'now

Robert
 
A further quick update.
Made Lossiemouth tonight, from Peterhead - in a foggy and light wind day.
I left behind a Jeanneau and lo and behold, it' s here in front of me.
And he's a YBW forumite - only the second I've met/ or been seen by, in the whole 1565 miles to date!
Possibly only 200 miles to go - if The Pentland Firth plays fair on Saturday; otherwise it'll be up through Orkney/Scapa Flow and away across from Stromness.

Onwards and northwards for two more stints.
 
Top