Our planned trip on the "Audrey" for Easter 2000 was disappointingly under-subscribed but the six of us who DID go had a wonderful time, and girls - you'll be sorry you missed out!
We joined the "Audrey" in Hull Marina early on Easter Monday morning and soon got settled in - at least with only six of us and cabin space for twelve, we could spread out a bit! "Audrey" was built in 1915 but was completely refitted in 1998 and is surprisingly spacious and comfortable - like the Tardis, there seems to be more space inside than out.
We set off under cloudy skies and with very little wind, heading out of the Humber en route for Bridlington. As we rounded Spurn Point, the sun came out and the wind picked up a little so we hoisted the sails (amid much giggling and falling over), shut down the engine and sped (did I say SPED? The Audrey does about six knots flat out! OK - ambled...) northwards up the North Sea.
It was dark by the time we reached Bridlington harbour, where we were to spend the night, and the climb up the ladder set in the harbour wall was interesting to say the least, but we all managed to scramble up onto the quayside without TOO much difficulty.
As it was already quite late, Bridlington was shutting up for the night so we contented ourselves with a stroll round before bedtime.
The next morning we rose bright and early and set about cooking (and eating) a monumental "Full English Breakfast," much to the amazement of the crew who kept marvelling at our capacity for food and saying that they "don't normally eat as well as this...." We stowed all the pots safely away and then set out to sea (the skipper bravely allowing Laura to take us out of harbour with only an occasional "left a bit.....right a bit...." as directions.)
Once out of Bridlington harbour we rounded Flamborough Head to set off north for Scarborough, and ran straight into head winds, making sailing impossible, so we had to run on the engines. The seas got decidedly lumpy and we got decidedly greener. Every so often we would be hit sideways by a larger-then-usual wave, there would be a resounding crash from below decks and we took it in turns to go below and retrieve whatever had gone flying. Amazingly, nothing was broken (although it took two days for us to find the vinegar bottle) but we soon realised that we all felt a LOT better on deck! Some of us parted with our breakfast fairly soon, others felt queasy but had the sense to stay on deck in the fresh air.
Scarborough is not all that far from Bridlington by road, but it took HOURS by sea! Eventually we spotted the castle on the headland and all experienced miraculous cures - although it was low tide, the harbour master let us tie up at the fish quay until there was sufficient water for us to cross to the main harbour wall, and once into sheltered waters we set about cooking once more, as everyone was absolutely ravenous (we hadn't dared eat much during the day!)
The girls were eager to go ashore - considering how delicate their stomachs had been at sea, they were amazingly robust once they got on the rides at the funfair! We finished the evening with another adventure back down the ladder to the boat in the dark - made all the more exciting this time by the tiny detail that the tide had gone out, Audrey was resting on the bottom - and with her rail a good yard or more away from the bottom of the ladder with lots of gloop and sludge to fall into if anyone missed her step. Laura nobly offered to go first, and helped the rest of us back on board, saving us from having to swallow our pride and go to find the men to help!!
The following day was a "Lay Day" - a day off in harbour, so we had a leisurely morning and then went for a wander around Scarborough in the rain. On one of the steep narrow streets near the harbour we stumbled across a quaint little photographic studio, and decided to (in the local vernacular) "Get us photos took." We had enormous fun and completely bemused the poor photographer, who was more used to family and baby portraits, but we were all well pleased with the result!
Having got the official mission of food shopping done, we wandered back to the harbour via lots of nice little gift shops and got back to the serious business of cooking and eating again....
The following morning dawned with thick mist, but after an early breakfast we set off on the long voyage south again. We had learned from Tuesday's experiences, and had prepared lunch and our evening meal in advance, in harbour the night before, so we could settle down in the fresh air on deck. The mist quickly cleared and the day became sunny although cool, with the wind once more in totally the wrong direction to get the sails up! We all took our turns at the wheel, the younger girls finding it particularly difficult to manage more than half-an-hour at a time.
We learnt how to steer by eye, focussing on landmarks as we were never more than six miles from land, and often much closer, and by the compass (much harder) when there were no suitable landmarks. We learnt to look out for and avoid fishermen's marker buoys, and we also learnt to avoid small fishing boats which seemed oblivious of our approach and would change course at the last minute immediately in front of us!
The journey south was under clear skies and bright sunshine - pity about the cold wind - and we all stayed on deck and managed to avoid seasickness this time! As dusk was falling, we reached the mouth of the Humber and, unlike the big ocean-going cargo vessels and tankers which had to sit at anchor just outside the estuary to wait for the tide, we slipped "round the corner" around Spurn Point and tied up for the night to a buoy. Our evening meal was all ready and just waiting to be reheated - beef stew and dumplings - and we were well and truly ready for it!
That night, after an evening of card games and conversation, we fell asleep rocked by the gentle movement of the river (stirred slightly whenever something big enough to throw out a large wake passed) and woke the following morning for the final leg of our journey.
Dawn on our last day came all too soon, and misty too - but we were still allowed to drive! Peering intently through the mist, we learned how to navigate by following the buoys. We had to concentrate hard - the Humber is a busy estuary, serving the ports of Hull, Grimsby and as far inland as Goole, besides the major oil terminals of Immingham, Killingholme and Saltend - and there were some BIG ships manouevring around us, but we got to the lock at the entrance to Hull Marina without incident.
It didn't take long for us to tied up, pack our belongings and do a thorough cleaning session, and we went our separate ways. We had a wonderful holiday, and made some lasting friendships. Every one of us vowed to repeat the experience and to tell all our friends to come too - all we need now is to book a suitable date!
Click here for the pictures of our trip on the "Audrey."
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