We couldn’t leave Arbroath until about 1130 when the gate opened. It was grey and damp. We got everything ready and eventually managed to pay the HM for our stay. The challenge for us today was that we wouldn’t be able to make the distance in time to get into Eyemouth. If the wind had been stronger and in the right direction, then Angelique can do an average of 8 nm/ hr, but in light winds on the nose ( southerly winds) we have to motor or tack which means we can only do 5. The result being, there won’t be enough depth of water in the channel into Eyemouth harbour when we arrive. What to do ? So our plan was to anchor somewhere but on this coast, it’s tricky, particularly when the wind is not coming from the west. We motored for about 5 hours. Dare I say quite relaxing! The greyness was gradually being replaced by hazy blue and a strange feeling of warmth seeped in. We crossed St Andrews bay and then the Firth of Forth. We passed a few miles from the famous Bell rock lighthouse. There were a few huge fishing boats around and we passed quite close to a rig with a crane near it….. building or decommissioning? Not sure. Eventually we put up sails in the middle of the sea, as the wind had increased a bit. We headed for the south shore to investigate suitable anchorages. We approached St Abbs which was an amazing place but absolutely untenable as an anchorage. The swell was considerable and breaking white water on rocks looked formidable. st Abbs head cliffs are home to thousands of Guillemots and they’re all flying and swimming around in the swell below the cliffs. Astonishing and a privilege to see. We were so close the distinctive seabird odour was very obvious! It seemed to me they were definitely letting us know that this place was for birds alone. The next possibility was Coldringham bay just after St Abbs. We went in …. just a beach with rocky side shores, the wind wasn’t strong but was kicking up choppy waves. It really wasn’t great but we anchored anyway. Pretty soon we decided it was going to be an awful night so our next and last choice was to anchor in the bay just outside Eyemouth. That is what we did. Coming in through two swathes of rocks called the Hurkars is okay but then having to anchor between them, the harbour wall, and the beach was a bit 😱. The sunset was awesome however and we managed to cook a meal and watch another episode of silent witness before going to bed fully clothed ready for a few hours time ………………
What I learned today …. if I’ve used the technology correctly all about Bell rock lighthouse. Constructed 1807-1810 and the worlds oldest surviving sea washed lighthouse built by Robert Stevenson.
Sue x
Bass rock in the centre…. home to thousands of gannets 
Bell Rick LH 
1st potential anchorage 
St Abbs head 
St Abbs 
Anchored outside Eyemouth
Angelique 