20 August, 2009 - Grimsby
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16 August, 2009 - Bridlington
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21 August, 2009 - Grimsby to Wells next the sea
20 August, 2009 - Grimsby
Sean left us on 16 August but we were very lucky in that another Irishman, Brian Sinnott, came to join us on the same day. We dropped him in at the deep end, quite literally, as one of his first jobs was to make sure that Arty got into the water in one piece. Bridlington dries out, so we craned her in shortly before high water, grabbed a bite to eat and then all tried to get two hours sleep in a very hot car park.
We left Bridlington around 5 PM. Brian's 1st sail was an overnighter, so he'd had a couple of hours on board the RIB in the morning with Toby. Apart from that we were asking a huge amount as the trip to Grimsby involves crossing the Humber estuary, of which more anon... The wind was pretty strong coming out of Bridlington - we were right on the edge of our sailing limit and, with flat sandy beaches, there was no shelter from the land despite the fact it was a Westerly. Huw and I hoisted with two reefs, and increased to 3 within a couple of minutes.
We had a quick trip down to the mouth of the Humber. The wind dropped off for a while, but we still managed an average of over 5 kn for the whole trip. The Humber at night is an incredible array of lights. It's incredibly busy after miles of seaway where we have seen little. We had to wait for a pilot boat with two coasters following before being given permission from to cross the Traffic Separation Scheme. Once given, it was a race across and (of course) the wind chose just that moment to drop off a little! We were soon safely across and heading up the Haile Channel into the Humber itself. Once in, the traffic quickly drops away again and it was earie going into Number 2 Fish Dock at 2:30 AM.
Colin Dean, a Lion, was there to greet us along with the shore crew. He and his wife Doreen had been entertaining them in the bar until about 10 PM when he had gone home for a few hours sleep. The crew had done their usual great job at setting everything up so that we could just roll into bed. Humber Cruising Association Club has just been refurbished, so facilities for me were great. You know that life has changed when you find a disabled loo that is the right height and are overjoyed to see it!
We had a very busy day's "rest". I managed to grab a couple of hours in the afternoon in between various interviews and then the whole crew attended a reception the Lions put on. I was absolutely overwhelmed at the turnout. I think they were members of every club in the district represented as well as District Governors past and present. Not only had every club given us money, but they passed a bucket round at the end of the night and collected even more. As people who had already put their hands in their pockets once as Lions they were also incredibly personally generous.
It was a shame to say goodnight, but at 8:30 PM Helen had decreed that all RBD people should be in bed, particularly the wet crew, as we had to be up at 4:30 AM to leave at 6 AM. It was heartbreaking to say goodbye to Helen the following morning. I know she was sorry to leave and we will all miss her. She has special significance, particularly to me, as she was my carer and looked after the whole team last year. It will be great to see her at the end in Dover, a prospect that is getting closer.
Page last updated on 1 September 2009 at 22:10