Grimsby to Newcastle

We need an early start to catch the best of the tides so we are up at 04:15 and by 5:00 we’re leaving Grimsby behind as the sun and moon both rise together in the East over a calm sea.

By 07:00 the engine is off and we’re sailing under jib alone but doing well in the 17 knot winds.

All day we are able to sail, only putting the motor on around 15:00 to top the batteries up. The wind and waves are getting stronger and by 17:00 are averaging well above 20 knots so we put two reefs in the jib.

There are lots of sea birds by now and we see out first Guillemots (small fat bird) and Gannets (large muscular bird) and then at last a Puffin or two fly past with their distinctive beaks.

The wind continues to rise and we see gusts of over 30 knots of wind (just below gale and into a force 7) and the boat tops 8 knots through the water. The waves are getting tricky and 3 meters high blocking out the horizon behind us. Around 23:00 the sea is calmer and we shake out the reefs. We see very few ships but eventually spot a large brightly lit object far away which we can’t recognise.

Overnight we have decided to do two hour watches to try to avoid getting too cold. Our first real watch being the 21:00 to 23:00 one and Jana and I do 30 minute spells on the helm. I’m finding it hard to keep warm even with all my layers on and can’t get much sleep when off watch as I am just lying in the cabin.

Jana wakes me at 01:00 and I need a few minutes to get up as I have been dead to the world. The wind is still around 18 knots but the sea state is getting easier to manage. The large object we had spotted two hours earlier is still ahead of is and turns out to be a large tanker at anchor off the coast even though the water is over 50 meters deep. We sail past in near daylight as their lights are so bright.

We finish the watch and catch a bit more sleep, this time I lie down properly in the aft cabin and get some rest. At 05:00 it is my turn to be awake and have to shake Jana a couple of time to raise her. The wind has dropped to 8 knots and we are under motor as we approach Newcastle.

By 05:30 we are though the breakwater and heading for the lock. A 6:00 we berth in the North Shields Royal Quays Marina, tie the boat up and go to bed. It has taken 25 hours to do 143 miles (give or take the log error) so we averaged around 5 ½ knots.