Thursday 16  rainy day so an easy time ashore at Port Edgar looking around historic South Queens-ferry under the bridges. Pub lunch and a visit to a museum. Lovely place with ancient organic architecture running down to the Forth under the huge bridges

 Friday 17 Port Edgar to Anstruther via Inchcombe Island 30 miles 7 hours.

Early start, good visability calm sea edging the northern shipping lane, easing past some basking seals into a lovely anchorage at Inchcolme island just under shore of ruined abbey. Breakfast with dramatic views across to Edinburgh.

Then a wonderful long sail all the way along the Fife coast past the numerous harbours, villages to Anstruther. Mooring against the wall, this time drying out.

Beautiful small town in 2 parts ancient and more recent harbour. Fish supper at the famous award winning fish restaurant.

Saturday 18 Anstruther to Isle of May to Inner Farne; 54 miles 11 hours, an endurance day

Late start, till afloat again. Short journey on a brief northerly to the Isle of May, a good place for a longer visit another time. Wind rapidly turned to southerly just off the nose, predicted stronger for the following day. Conscious decision to try to get back to the Farnes so as to make Sunday’s sail shorter. Sea big rolling in from the northeast. A long tiring day with deteriorating weather. Difficult making passage. Farnes most welcome tricky identifying safe buoyage because of the sea conditions. The Kettle mooring a refuge from moving all the time. Wonderful light and vistas. By 4 am tide full and the calm of our moorings a seething cauldron with a strong westerly and flying foam, moorings secure allowing a fitful sleep.

Sunday 19 Farnes to Blyth 32 miles, 8 and half hours.

Sea and gathering wind on the nose making for slow and painful passage, motor sailing and lots of tacking as without sail power speed down to 2 knots.

Slowly steadily ground covered, quickest closer in shore.

Home to Blyth eventually

Monday 13 June

Next trip, Alan Conn and I heading North. Day dawns misty, unfavourable, shall we sail?

Quietly slip past north east pier end, light house in the mist then head east then north, little wind so motor sailing in the contracted slightly confusing misty world, land out of sight.

Some hours later the mist starts to lift and 2 miles off shore we see Amble and north Northumberland, Craster and Dustanburgh pass. 6 hours into the journey we approach the Inner Farne. Birds every where arctic terns, guillemot, razor bills and lots of puffins, seals as we enter the shelter of the “kettle”

My favourite place, 4 castles in view, 360 degree panorama, smell of guana, bird sounds, inquisitive seals, distant warning lights Longstone light house.

Swallow creaks and sways on her mooring, it couldn’t be better.

Tuesday 14 Farnes to Dunbar 43 miles 10 hours.

A day for long distance sailors. Set off with modest visibility, against the tide towards Holy island, as we past, fog mist and rain descended and persisted. Fishing boat looming out of the mist. A day you knew you would enjoy more in retrospect.

Brief relief as we past St Abs head shrouded in mist and on to Dunbar a little early to enter so some circles in the bay waiting for the tide. Mooring against the harbour wall under the Kittywakes.

Wednesday 15 Dunbar to Port Edgar 36 miles 8 hours

Another wet, wild and atmospheric day punctuated by a close look at the Bass Rock and mooring for lunch at North Berwick.

Then mist and rain steering between islands on the chart plotter to arrive at the fairway buoy and enter the northern Forth shipping channel, with its significant shipping load, full of big ships

North Easterly brisk wind running sail ending under great bridges.

Shelter on a pontoon at Port Edgar