A SMALL BOAT ROUND BRITAIN

The marinas we have chosen for our circumnavigation of Britain have been selected for two reasons – they have fuel and 24-hour access.

Grimsby is a rare exception as it only has access two hours either side of high water, which for us means leaving between 7am and 11am. The forecast is fair with a slight sea state for the 110-mile leg to Sunderland — a six-hour run at our Rhea 850’s comfortable cruising speed of 18 knots.

Fully refuelled, we exit the lock at 10am and make our way back through the Humber estuary before pointing the bows north up the Yorkshire coast.

I am feeling guilty about not going into Whitby as it looks rather lovely and is said to serve the best fish and chips in England. As if to spite us the sea picks up from slight to moderate as we pass, forcing us to reduce our speed below 14 knots and drop off the plane. We