We woke to a beautiful
warm and sunny day, with a light South Easterly breeze, and after a
walk along to the Bede Cross just outside Roker park went back
towards the harbour and ate a cooked breakfast at the Bungalow Cafe.
What a view!
The weather was too
perfect for sailing to stay in port, so we headed out at 1115 and
sailed slowly north at 3 knots on a very broad reach. WE had to gybe
occasionally to keep close to the shore but it felt good to be under
sail, and we could stay close to the attractive shoreline as there
are few outlying dangers.
Julian got a text
message to say that some friends of ours in the Naze Shanty Crew
would be on Radio 2 between 12 and 2pm, so we set the radio up and
listened. It was the 70th anniversary celebration of D-Day, broadcast
from HMS Belfast, an interesting show, and the war time songs made
our sailing along the coast in a pre war boat feel ageless.
We reached Tynemouth by
1400 and watched a bulk carrier enter, then kept sailing slowly north
along to St Mary's Island lighthouse. We passed a fishing boat on the
way with a drift net out behind that we had to avoid, and there was
an outlying rock that needed us to pay some attention to our course,
but we kept going at our steady pace.
Eventually we had to
turn back towards the Tyne, as Julian had a train to catch from
Newcastle at 6am the next morning. It felt colder immediately as we
were beating not running, and our speed slowed to 1.5-2 knots. That
annoying outlying rock south of St Mary's lighthouse needed a none
making tack off shore, and while Julian had the patience to try to
sail all the way back I was very conscious of the bridge lift we had
booked!
The tide was against us
too on the return south, and we ended up putting the engine on at
1615 to motor sail. The sea was slight, but it had been a little
rougher by the harbour entrance when we went past before, so we got
the main sail down about half a mile short of the Tyne entrance.
.
Julian called up Tyne
VTS, who gave us permission to enter, but advised that there was a
bulk carrier coming down, and we should stay well to starboard. Not a
problem as the harbour entrance is wide. We went in on engine and
staysail, then unfurled the jib and with only minor engine assist
made 4 knots all the way up the Tyne to the Millenium “winking”
bridge.
There is a lot to look
at on the 9 miles from Tynemouth to the City Marina; the abbey ruins
on the north side of the mouth, various docks and moorings, an
immense gas drilling rig lying on a barge on its side like some
insane meccano set, some huge cable drums that dwarfed Robinetta,
and occasional green oases where disused docks have been sculpted
into parks.
We got to the Millenium
bridge 15 minutes early, at 1950 and found Sally of Hamble
also waiting for the lift. We had talked to her owners Pete and Lindsey in Hartlepool,
and it was nice to see her again. We circled each other until the
bridge lifted, then took reciprocal pictures as we passed under it.
The City Marina is a
fancy name for what is actually just one pontoon alongside the quay,
but it does have water, power, and secure access, and can not be
beaten for central location! When the tide is out it is quite
private, although the boats are on full display to the public at high
tide. The tide flow was enough to let Robinetta ferry glide in
to tie up. Steering a boat side ways still feels like a magic trick!
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