under the bridges
PROGRESS
Andrew and Hilary Clark
Sat 13 Jun 2009 22:22
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55:59.7N 03: 24.7W
 So here we are in Port Edgar, which some will
remember as 'Lochinvar'. The last time I was here was in a minesweeper,
and evidently not much dredging has been done since then. We arrived after a
steady flog from Holy Island on a day without much wind, but punctuated with
heavy showers. The absence of the north-easter was a blessing, as for the first
time since we left Chatham it was almost warm in the cockpit. But the rain
chilled things down nicely, before we became complacent.
The harbour and marina are owned by Edinburgh
Council, and managed on thier behalf. We arrived at 1635, just 5 minutes after
all the staff had gone home for the evening, leaving the whole place with a
rather deserted tumbledown aire. The berth that we squeezed into was about half
the size that PROGRESS needs for comfort, and a few huddled locals cheered us up
by telling us that it was the deepest part of the harbour, and that it was soft
mud anyway, and did we know that the tripper boat berthed next to us? We were
debating all the worst case scenarios when said tripper boat arrived, albeit
only to tie up for the night as her proper berth was silted up and needed
dredging. Her urbane, experienced and thoroughly practicle skipper put the whole
Port Edgar experience into a relaxed context.
Entering the firth of Forth from the south, we
passed Bass Rock, which appeared from a distance to be white. Only when we got
closer did we realise that it was a thriving gannet colony.
 They were everywhere!
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