It was so foul last time we were out that Neil Black asked for more. And he’s right, we’ll be getting out more regularly this winter for those who like their pleasures windswept and interesting.. and yes, dreich.
The plan for the Farnes seemed out, given the offshore F6 forecast for our way home, (way ay). So I devised a cunning plan to go downwind from Cockenzie to N Berwick and keep the shuttle traffic to a minimum.(Baldrick’s better at it I suspect)
9 of us met in stages, Jamie J, Neil B, Fiona Mc, Tim G, Jonathan Hanson, Rob B, Nigel H ( using the vhf to pick up an itinerant Nick Owen off the Longniddry coast)- in bright sunlight and building wind had a really pleasant scoot downwind, past Gullane, Eyebroughty and landed at Fidra for a sunny but chilled lunch, watching the Fidra mallow bashers doing the same.
The wind got up and we worked well together to launch off the stony shore, ( admittedly probably more concerned about gelcoat than group cohesion) to gather in the lee of the south dog and then head round Fidra in a coherent group, organised into trios. Nice bounceback and waves and off we went to the Lamb. (That tree mallow is thriving there, someone really ought to organise something to deal with that.)
We decided against the detour downwind ( and back upwind!) to Craigleith and instead headed off to N Berwick, some rolling ( nice handroll Jamie, we all hate you) and so to coffee..and Cockenzie.. A good reminder of what a great bit of coast we often drive straight past. The wind was certainly well up by then and we were well out of it. It certainly wouldn’t have been much fun fighting our way back to Bamburgh against that!!
David S