Port Edgar open weekend

Well-behind on my blogging, so I’m cracking out updates when I can. On the second weekend in May, we had an early-morning start to catch the tide and make our destination – which for the first time this season was Port Edgar marina.

We didn’t plan it, however it was the marina’s open weekend, which meant that it was busy …very busy. No doubt in part due to reasonably good weather. The marina pontoons have restricted access, so apart from the occasional stray tourist, it was business as usual away from the retail hub (above).

The crew took forever to spot that the landmark Port Edgar crane had been dismantled. It’s a pity, but the reality is that it had become a bit of a liability …so had to go.

One definite plus of the marina open day is that we got all six lifejackets checked by the RNLI – we were pleased to learn that they’re all in good condition. Later, we had a great night catching up with our chums onboard Tight Fit V.

There had been wall-to-wall sunshine for much of the weekend. Leaving our berth didn’t go to plan, as we pivoted on a snagged fender and very quickly ended-up reversing out. Not ideal, but the crew spotted an opportunity for me to pull-off a J-turn and we were back on track.

On the way back home we passed by HMS Prince Of Wales (Prince of Whales, to you Mr President), and HMS Queen Elizabeth, who’s captain was under scrutiny at the time and was subsequently replaced by the time she passed under the Forth Bridges just after midday on 23rd May 2019

The sun was getting low in the sky by the time we made it back to our mooring, but there was still more than enough visibility.

The following weekend was very useable, however we had other commitments which meant that the best we could do was to squeeze in some time onboard, pottering and reading…

…and getting some rowing exercise in too. All-in-all, May proved to be a bit like April and June, which were unfortunately lacking in actual sailing.