Day 6 - Ijmuiden

Monday 8^th June 2015 – Ijmuiden – Day 6

A lost day, woke up at 16.30, I had been asleep for 14 hours, the whiskey helped, but the 3 hours of sleep in the last 48, during the crossing had not help.

Visitor's box mooring

I went to the marina office to enquire where the nearest chandler was and informed a 15 minute bicycle ride away.  Not being in possession of one, they lent be one of theirs.  A sit- up and beg cycle with a fixed wheel and no brakes. To stop the thing, you attempt to pedal backwards.

It was a very comfortable ride to the ‘Herman’s Chandlers’ on a designated cycle path, when you came to a road crossing, the cars give way to the bicycle, a nice touch.

In the chandlers, I purchase three Dutch charts of the south of Ijmuiden, to take me through the canals and back up to Amsterdam.

Clean Again

Back on board, we got into tiding up the boat, cleaning out the heads (loo), washed down the decks, changed mooring lines and sorted out the large aft storage locker.

The No.2 foresail was put away and the sheets re-attached to the furling genoa.

Dutch marinas are wonderful compared with the UK, this marina in euro terms is 21 euros ( £16.50) per night but the facilities are twice as good as back home.

At 21.00 ashore to the ‘Zilt’ beach bar for a few beers, looking out onto the expansive beach but there was very few walkers on it, although still in evening sunshine, the northerly wind still blew cold and strong.

Onto the ‘De Boulevard’ next to the marina, for a sit by the fire, before dining on an excellent wiener schnitzel.  A chat with the young owners who had only started three months ago, they really made us welcome and we wish them well for the future.

On board for midnight, after being rested, fed and watered, we were building up to our next challenge.

Day 5 - Ijmiden, Holland

Sunday 7^th June 2015 – Ijmuiden, Holland – Day 5

In the early hours while on watch, I had been observing an array of lights on the horizon which looked like yet another oil production rig and guard vessel.  As we sailed closer, it turned out to be a massive crane ship with a large tug laying out an anchor cable, and the tug was coming towards me.  Decided, I should not be here and started the engine for quarter of an hour, headed round the tug and the bows of the crane ship.  Needless to say, the crew sleeping in their beds, never appeared on deck, to see what was going on.

At change of watch at 04.00, the wind had died away and with the dawn a flatter sea, the engine was started at 04.15; foresail was taken down and stowed on the deck.

A-NE buoy

IJ 11 buoy

The entrance into the port of Ijmuiden is marked by yellow buoys and at 06.00, we were passing A-NE buoy which is a lead-in mark and twenty five miles from the coast.

At 09.30 we were passing to the south of IJ-11 buoy; ten miles from the piers.

Though it was a Sunday, I still expected to see more ships in the vicinity, but only one big car carrier went by.

South Breakwater Lighthouse

Ijmuiden Steelworks

 At 12.00 we passed the south breakwater lighthouse and off to the north the other breakwater with the backdrop of the massive steelworks which dominates the Ijmuiden skyline.  This plant like those in the UK is owned by Tata Steel and Indian owned, how did we all go wrong?

At 12.15 inside the visitors box M5 with a happy, relieved crew.  Opened the boat’s fridge for beers to celebrate; then into bed.

Ashore at 20.30 but Jack stayed in his bed, while Dave and myself, headed off for the beach and the bar ‘Zilt’, the kitchen was closing but they managed to give us meat balls and chips.

Into the marina bar ‘De Boulevard’ which was cosy and warm, sitting by the ornamental fire, as outside, it was still freezing in the cold northerly wind.

Back on board for midnight for a nightcap and managed to finish off the other bottle of whiskey, as we had survived the crossing; into bed for 02.00.

Day 4 - North Sea

Friday 5^th June 2015 – North Sea – Day 4

The early hour watch was clear, starry and moonlit but the wind and seas from the west were building up and the auto helm was having problems holding our course, with the bows yawing in the swell.

At 04.00, we were on hand steering passing the Outer Dowsing north cardinal mark and keeping her running done the channel either side of the shallow banks.

Dave was not too happy about taking the helm in these conditions, with a little encouragement, he got the hang of it, apart from the fact, no way only two of us were going to steer all the way to Holland.

Shortened Sail

At 10.30 we had to shorten sail to three reefs in the main, while the No.2 foresail was looking after itself.  Luckily by 12.00 the wind was being to abate and the auto-helm was put back into use.

North Sea rig of the day

While passing oil rigs of which there are many, in mid-afternoon two of the reefs were shaken out the mainsail.

While everything appeared to be calming down, ran the engine for two hours in the evening to charge the batteries.

Big ship Channel

There are two main deep water channels you have to cross which the big ships use while navigating in the middle of the North Sea. We found them to be quiet with very little traffic to worry about.

A warm evening meal of pasta bake set us all up for the night watches.

The navigation lights went on at 21.30 and by midnight we were passing the Brown Ridge west cardinal mark slightly disadvantaged, as it was not lit, but we were closing in on the Dutch coast.

Day 3 - Scarborough to Ijmuiden

Friday 5^th June 2015 – Scarborough to Ijmuiden – Day 3

At 07.45 woken by the Harbour Master to move our boat, as were on one of the local boat owner’s pontoon and he was arriving back today.  We duly moved the boat onto the visitor’s pontoon.

Off into the town for the last of the shopping and had breakfast in Debenham's department store.

Jack (the Mate) waiting for the tide

The noon forecast for the area gave westerly force four to five , occasionally six, the wind was in the right direction but maybe a little too strong.  We made the decision to go, as the forecast was even worse in the days ahead.  In Scarborough you have to wait for the tide to fill the harbour, before you can leave.

The foresail is a furling genoa which is difficult to get the right sail shape when it is shortened, so I rigged up my No.2 sail which is hanked onto my additional forestay and once set, can be left no matter the wind strength.

We left at 15.30 with sufficient water over the harbour entrance mud flats.  Outside the harbour, hoisted the foresail and with one reef in the main, headed south, staying inshore with north westerly 2/3 wind and a slight swell.

Flamborough Head

By 18.00 we were passing the imposing Flamborough Head lighthouse 1.5 miles away, as we headed on our course of 120 degrees.

Dave prepared for night watch

A cooked meal of shepherd’s pie and peas sets you up for the night and the navigation lights were switched on at 21.45

.

Rough Gas field

We were passing through the Rough Gas field at 23.00 with these massive structures lit up like Christmas trees.  It makes you wonder the amount of effort which is put into, being able to heat your homes and cook your meals.

A successful day, we were at sea and on our way to the Continent.

Day 2 - Scarborough

Thursday 14^th June 2015 – Scarborough – Day 2

Jack had brought a bottle of whiskey for the voyage, so we decided why not try it and see how it tasted.

Moon light over Scarborough Harbour

With the MP3 playing suitable music  we caught up on where we had been since last sailing together, what lay in the future and of course, sorting out the world’s problems.

Dawn

Not until the dawn, the bottle empty, we decide it may be better, if we went to bed, as it was four in the morning.

Up and ready for some action at lunch time, we showered in the not so good facilities at the end of the pier underneath the lighthouse.

Scarborough Marina

 As it was a nice warm sunny day, we wandered along to the Harbour Master’s office on the commercial fisherman’s quay.  I had been having trouble finding out the weather forecast as all of my communications were not functioning very well.  I asked the Harbour Master for the latest forecast and he replied, “it’s sunny”, so no help there.

Dave lived and worked in Scarborough for a while and in the evening we wandered into the town to where his lodgings used to be.  He was very pleased to find it, after the photos, wandered up the hill on the main street to the  ‘Lord Roseberry’, a Weatherspoon’s pub and dined on fish and chips, but I have to say it was not very good.  The first time I have been disappointed in one of these establishments.

The town had now become very quiet, as the day trippers had now all left, it was up to us and the locals to keep the economy going.  Into the ‘Leeds Arms’ on the way back, a lovely cosy pub with lots of old photos and memorabilia of times gone by.

Back on board for midnight, night caps tried the gin, and we were very good, into bed for two in the morning.

Day 1 - Blyth to Scarborough

Selene

Wednesday 3^rd June 2015 - Blyth to Scarborough - Day One

The Crew

With Alex Tweddle (skipper), Jack Evans (crew) and Dave Durrant (crew), "Selene" left her home port of Blyth at 10.00.

We had been waiting two days for a break in the weather, the original plan to sail straight for Den Helder in Northern Holland. It had to be abandoned and this year’s adventure totally reversed from the original itinerary.  We hoisted the main sail with one reef within the harbour and set off towards the piers and headed south.

St. Mary's Island

Passing St. Mary’s lighthouse we unfurled the genoa by 1/3^rd and passing the river Tyne piers the engine was switched off.

The weather forecast was for west/south westerly winds of force 3 to 4 and with a southerly going spring tide, we were making very good progress.  Staying closer inshore than normal, this gave us a little shelter and by 16.00 we were into Tees Bay, looking at its newly erected wind turbine farm.

Staithes

Into Yorkshire and passing the wonderful fishing village of Staithes, here I have very happy memories, as this is where we came for the school summer holiday and stayed in an army camp at the top of the village.  In those days, it was still mainly a fishing village with the women dressed in their long dresses and shawls.  Today its dependency is on tourism.

Whitby High Lighthouse

With the shelter from the imposing Yorkshire cliffs, we took out the reef from the mainsail and pulled out the full genoa.  Past the very popular town of Whitby is the Whitby High Lighthouse, standing proudly on it’s cliffs.

Sunset

The engine was started and genoa furled at 21.00, as the tide was now against us and trying to make port before low water at our destination.  We entered Scarborough harbour at 22.00 with one metre of water beneath the keel and mighty relieved to be alongside a marina pontoon.

Ashore at 22.30 and into the nearest pub, the ‘Golden Ball’, the two pints of beer were like nectar and a fitting end to successful day.