i left Peterborogh UK and motored down the river nene to Port Sutton where i rigged the boat and headed out into the wash,i was treated to an air display by a pair of USAF F15s just as day light was fading,my intention was to moor up on some floating pontoons and leave early on the morning tide,as it got dark i checked the CP and thought that i was near the bouys,i saw a shape bobbing up in the dark and choppy waters so i steered for it,after about 10 mins or so i gave up and grabbed the flashlight,i let out a laugh as i found out that i had been chasing a seal
i then made a few attempts at catching the real buoy but gave up as it had become to choppy,so i returned to Sutton.Next morning i set out and the winds were light but the sun was shining as it does on odd occasions over here
I motored for abour 5 hours then i managed to get high enough into the NE wind to put the sails up,it was motorsailing from then on as i cruised the Lincolnshire coast all the way up to the Humber,as i got closer to the humber my angle on the wind inprooved and it was 6 knots on a reach then the tide picked up and i was hitting an easy 8.I dropped anchor at an old WW2 fort,then as tide allowed i picked my way over a shallow channel to the south Humber haven,i was sooo glad that i had a mac,if i had a keel it would have been impossible.I set out again the following morning,i crossed the Humber,the UKS,busiest shipping lanes and crossed over a dangerous spot called the Binks,it was no problem to a Mac at high tide,i motorsailed up the Holderness coast,its a strange place,30 miles of sandy cliffs with very little on top, the sea is erroding the coast line at 3ft a year here and there is the occasional building on the beach.I got as far as hornsea motorsailing then a slight switch in the wind and i began tacking across Bridlington Bay,the wind picked up a bit and i was going to reef but deccided to hit the motor and get into harbour,this was a wise decision as Farnborough Head was in my sights and the wind ended up blowing at 35 mph+.I moored up at Bridlinton harbour alongside a mac26m,the skipper was a guy that c130 and i had met the previous year,it was good to talk to the guy,there were 4 boats in total moored up alongside eac other,a 35ft steel hulled motor cruiser held the wall and the rest of us just piggy backed on.I ended up spending 5 days at Bridlington as the weather was a nono even for the fishermen and as you walk up to the harbour office,the plaques with the names of the "Fallen" on them brings the danger home,there area is a graveyard for ships so i stayed tight.The crew of the 35footer were musicians and i hung about with them,,we were singing old sea chanties in the pubs of bridlington.
I cleared brid harbour at 5.15 am and headed south on the 7th day of my trip,i sailed down to grimbsby passing the same coastline again,i spent the night at grimbsby marina and inthe morning crossed the humber for Spurn head,an area of scientific interest,i walked the beach and spooked myslelf and a deer at the same time.
Day 10 saw me heading back towards home,i sailed down past Skegness and was winess to some excellent wild life,there were huge flocks of birds doing their stuff at sunset,it was magnificent.I picked out the channel to wainfleet haven,again another one where the macgregor is the master,shallow creeks and fast tides keep your focus, then the moorings give your a conundrum,i was fortunate that a couple of club members had seen me so they held back to help me moor up,these were the strangest looking moorings that i had ever encountered.After tying up i was given the pass codes to their club house and invited to use the facilitys,Yachtsmen on the whole are such a friendly bunch.
Day 11 saw me head over to hunstanton for supplys and a walk up the beach,the coast guard came over to me to enquire after my safety,i explianed that a mac is designed for beaching and that i was ok,i thanked them for their concern
day 12 was spent sailing around the wash tacking and just generally enjoying sailing,then i started a slow journey back up the river to Peterborough.
Things that i took from this trip are
Auto pilots are the solo sailors best buddy
i must increase my fuel capacity
and i want to do it again
