Leaving boat at Eyemouth

[roblpm]

I'm based in the Forth. Non sailing family.

In order to get the kids on the boat this summer I am thinking about a trip down the East Coast.

However I think planning to go from Queensferry down the coast and back with the kids is a bit much. So thinking I will get the boat to Eyemouth on my own or with a mate and come back.

Then plan 3-4 days out of Eyemouth to Lindisfarne, Farnes, Seahouses and back. No big distances.

Drive the kids home. Then go back and retrieve the boat.

So

a) Anyone know if you can leave a boat at Eyemouth? (Obviously i will call the harbour master next).

b) Lindisfarne looks good. I have a lifting keel boat so drying right in should be ok.

c) Anyone anchored overnight in the Farnes? (I have a spade anchor btw....!)

d) Anyone been in Seahouses recently? North Sunderland I believe it really is.

All dangerous in much of an Easterly I think.

Obviously I have the pilot book and will ring round but any recent experiences welcome.

Cheers

Rob

 

[Halo]

If you can dry out why not take the boat to Dunbar. Get the family to joIn you there (train is handy). Then go to Eyemouth via Bass Rock. The kids will love seeing the gannets which are amazing and there are good facilities at Eyemouth including pontoon walk on access
The vital thing is not to scare or bore the family. Keep it short and enjoyable. Don't take them out if it's rough or wet.
I think the Farnes are a bit hard core for new family use with the exception of Holy Island if it is very quiet and settled

 

[MagicalArmchair]

We left my fathers boat (Wanda) at Eyemouth for, err, three weeks I suppose on our way from the Medway up to Oban? We could have left her there for as long as we liked as it was very friendly with excellent facilities (if a slightly alarming entrance). You must have a fry up at the greasy spoon opposite the dock - the lorne sausage, black pud and haggis is exceptional (god help your arteries....)!

Check out the below at about 3 minutes from the video we made at the time of the mini adventure (there is only of a few seconds of Eyemouth mind you).

 

[AntarcticPilot]

If you can dry out why not take the boat to Dunbar. Get the family to joIn you there (train is handy). Then go to Eyemouth via Bass Rock. The kids will love seeing the gannets which are amazing and there are good facilities at Eyemouth including pontoon walk on access
The vital thing is not to scare or bore the family. Keep it short and enjoyable. Don't take them out if it's rough or wet.
I think the Farnes are a bit hard core for new family use with the exception of Holy Island if it is very quiet and settled

Agree Dunbar is a good option. Don't be put off by people saying the entrance is difficult - it isn't, really, but you can't see the way in until you're amongst the rocks! But study the chart carefully and you'll be fine. Dad kept a boat there for many years, though I gather the harbour has silted up a lot since then. When coming from the north, the cement factory east of Dunbar is a good mark - the smoke from its chimney usually shows up long before anything else.

Small correction - Bass Rock is the opposite direction to Eyemouth from Dunbar! Bass Rock is a nice day sail from Dunbar - we often did it, and having Gannets fishing all round you is great - the first time you wonder what's going on when a column of seawater suddenly appears! Another good day sail from Dunbar is round the Isle of May - in our day you could rely on seeing puffins, but I understand their numbers have nose-dived since then. But there's nothing more comical than a puffin with a belly and beak full of fish frantically trying to take off from the water! And there's the perennial problem when you see a puffin with a beak full of fish - it's easy to see how it caught the first, but how did it get the second and third?

Eyemouth is then a reasonable day sail from Dunbar, and St Abb's Head is worth seeing. Again, check the chart carefully before entering - it isn't difficult, but there are hazards on both sides of the entrance, the Hurkars being the most obvious. Last year we touched at the bottom of the spring tides when on the visiting yacht pontoon in the innermost part of the harbour - Capricious draws about 1.6 m. There's a good museum about smuggling just next to the harbour!

Finally, one of the most important sites for the history of Geology lies between Dunbar and St Abb's Head - Siccar Point has an unconformity between the Old Red Sandstone and much older rock below. Hutton used this to show that rocks that were originally laid down flat could be twisted and folded by later earth movements. Not a particularly visible point from the sea, but might be worth a visit by land.

 

[richardsn9]

Your plan is certainly workable, but you will need settled weather as things can turn nasty in a easterly as you say. Eyemouth is fairly bomb proof as long as you can get in. If the eataher turns and yuo have a car, there are loads on things to see nearby.
The anchorage in the Kettle beside Inner Farne is good in calm weather - check for landing times as they are sometimes restricted by the bird breeding season. Holy Island is well worth a visit if you can dry out (the anchorage can get tricky when the tide turns). Seahouses is also a good spot for the kids if a bit tacky, but the harbour can be quite busy.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Finally, one of the most important sites for the history of Geology lies between Dunbar and St Abb's Head - Siccar Point has an unconformity between the Old Red Sandstone and much older rock below. Hutton used this to show that rocks that were originally laid down flat could be twisted and folded by later earth movements. Not a particularly visible point from the sea, but might be worth a visit by land.

I thought Hutton's original unconformity was the one at the Cock of Arran. Google now tells me that it was the first of several, but that Hutton misinterpreted the strata there and went on looking for conclusive proof, which he found at Siccar Point.

One learns something new every day. Coo.

 

[Halo]

If you stay in The Kettle at Inner Farne then be aware that the tide runs through at a serious rate and make sure you are awake when the tide turns to make sure the anchor re sets . I woke up at 0200 in the dark and amongst the kelp bed when the anchor alarm went off.

 

[awol]

Drop the mast and take the kids through the F&C ditch to the Clyde instead. They'll love the canal then lots of places to drop the hook and explore. Lots of swimming pools, ice rink at Loch Goilhead, get chased by the ModPlod, marinas if you want them and it doesn't matter much which way the wind blows. Danger is you might get vertigo when you realise how much water is under you!

 

[chrisclin]

Did exactly that a couple of years ago. Agree it's a long slog from Queensferry. We stopped off at Anstruther but had to hang around for the tide. Then sailed into the harbour on May Isle and stopped for the night at the entrance to North Berwick. Nearly lost the fillings in my teeth as the swell comes round the corner and there was quite a lot of banging as we dried out and then floated again.
Eyemouth is great if you can get in and I wouldn't think there is any problem in leaving your boat there. A couple of years ago, we went down to Lindisfarne and dried out beside the pier. It was great, but last time they had added a metre or so to the height of the pier so it was impossible to get ashore that way. Instead, we anchored in the channel but the tide flows like the clappers and rowing ashore wasn't an option. The anchor held all right but when the tide changed we were very close to another boat so we fled back to Eyemouth.
Last year we did as the previous poster suggested and went West through the canal. Made me realise the Forth is a crap place for cruising!

 

[roblpm]

Drop the mast and take the kids through the F&C ditch to the Clyde instead. They'll love the canal then lots of places to drop the hook and explore. Lots of swimming pools, ice rink at Loch Goilhead, get chased by the ModPlod, marinas if you want them and it doesn't matter much which way the wind blows. Danger is you might get vertigo when you realise how much water is under you!

Yes this was the original plan. However the problem as ever is time. I have working out thag even in boat money (which has a secret exchange rate) the cost of parking in a marina for a few weeks in the clyde and getting her towed back is not worth it. My wife originally said great plan. Then i explained that to make it worth it meant probably 4-5 weekends running over there and 4 days there and a couple back. So maybe next year. With the other formative plan i can do the long bits with roughty toughty mates paid for in beer and then just drive down for a few days with the kids.

 

[roblpm]

Did exactly that a couple of years ago. Agree it's a long slog from Queensferry. We stopped off at Anstruther but had to hang around for the tide. Then sailed into the harbour on May Isle and stopped for the night at the entrance to North Berwick. Nearly lost the fillings in my teeth as the swell comes round the corner and there was quite a lot of banging as we dried out and then floated again.
Eyemouth is great if you can get in and I wouldn't think there is any problem in leaving your boat there. A couple of years ago, we went down to Lindisfarne and dried out beside the pier. It was great, but last time they had added a metre or so to the height of the pier so it was impossible to get ashore that way. Instead, we anchored in the channel but the tide flows like the clappers and rowing ashore wasn't an option. The anchor held all right but when the tide changed we were very close to another boat so we fled back to Eyemouth.
Last year we did as the previous poster suggested and went West through the canal. Made me realise the Forth is a crap place for cruising!

Yes i had a night at north Berwick. Was like sleeping in a washing machine.

Great night racing tonight on the forth. Beautiful! But not a place for convincing the kids that cruising is fun!

 

[roblpm]

If you can dry out why not take the boat to Dunbar. Get the family to joIn you there (train is handy). Then go to Eyemouth via Bass Rock. The kids will love seeing the gannets which are amazing and there are good facilities at Eyemouth including pontoon walk on access
The vital thing is not to scare or bore the family. Keep it short and enjoyable. Don't take them out if it's rough or wet.
I think the Farnes are a bit hard core for new family use with the exception of Holy Island if it is very quiet and settled

Quite agree about not scaring them!

 

[roblpm]

We left my fathers boat (Wanda) at Eyemouth for, err, three weeks I suppose on our way from the Medway up to Oban? We could have left her there for as long as we liked as it was very friendly with excellent facilities (if a slightly alarming entrance). You must have a fry up at the greasy spoon opposite the dock - the lorne sausage, black pud and haggis is exceptional (god help your arteries....)!

Check out the below at about 3 minutes from the video we made at the time of the mini adventure (there is only of a few seconds of Eyemouth mind you).

Looks great!

 

[roblpm]

Boat is lifting keel so drying out is fine.