Left on the 0715 gate opening promptly, and reported our pasage plan to Forth Coastguard, who informed us there was force 5/6 off Fife Ness, to which we were intending to give safe clearance anyway. (Digression on passage plans: we are all supposed to report our planned passages and ETA to the relevant Coastguard, though many,  maybe most, don't bother. I have been rather inconsistent, but do report the longer passages or those with known hazards or in severe weather. However, I am prone to the cardinal sin of not reporting arrival at the destination, and wonder what the coastguards do with the half-reports of all those miscreant sailors missing presumed lost at sea! It would be more to the point to do the other thing we are supposed to, which is to let someone at home know the plan, as they are more likely to worry for our safety if they hear nothing at the end of the trip, but we never do that! End of digression!) We rounded St Abb's Head in a freshening SE wind (ie, on the nose as usual), and crossed the wide opening of the Firth of Forth with hazy views of the Isle of May to starboard, thinking how nice it would have been to put into Port Edgar and spend a week at the Edinburgh Festival, just about to start: note in the diary for another year maybe? The wind strengthened and the sea became decidedly rough rather than moderate as we progressed, and by 1500 it was F5+ and very lumpy indeed. Reaching Eyemouth we followed the leading marks into the   entrance, lining up two orange posts to give a bearing of 175deg, and into the shelter of the long narrow harbour. There is a long pontoon on the south side, and there was an inviting space (the only one) in front of Martha, a 30ft yacht with an enthusiastic sailing couple from Tayport who were also heading south. The HM met us and gave us directions to the facilities, which proved to be of a very high standard, housed in a modern building next to the fishing basin and ice making plant. The view across the harbour to the Maritime Museum and bars opposite had the look and feel of a Dutch port about it, the truncated sign of the  ' hip Inn' prominent, with its neighbour 'The Contented Sole'. We did the tour of the eating options, and avoided a loud party in the ' hip', opting for a meal at a comfortable if bland modern bistro