Peterhead: Rest, Recharge and Where Next

Peterhead: Rest, Recharge, and the Quest for the Next Scottish Haven!

Peterhead was earmarked for a crucial couple of days' stopover, a chance to recover from the previous few, rather demanding, days at sea. Nick's mind, a whirlwind of weather forecasts, tidal charts, and passage plans, was starting to show signs of overload; he was even getting muddled about our past stops when talking to people! We had certainly experienced some challenging days on the water (for us, anyway), whether it was battling confused sea states or navigating the trickier entries of new marinas, a far cry from the comparatively sedate sailing of the Solent. The weather forecast for the coming days offered little encouragement to move, providing a perfect excuse to stay put and recharge.

As mentioned previously, Peterhead is primarily a commercial port, but its western corner hosts a pleasant marina and a sailing school. The small, gently sloping sandy beach nearby is a popular spot for wild swimming, and we often saw enthusiastic locals taking advantage of its sheltered waters early in the mornings. Crucially for us, Pepper had ample safe space to run off-lead, dig in the sand, and paddle in the sea – a true canine paradise. The harbour itself is vast, giving us plenty of room to set our fenders and lines within its protective walls before even approaching the marina. Not long after our arrival, Mutsch turned up, and a little while later, Kismet also arrived safely. Kismet had a young couple onboard, and we give full credit to Heather, the female crew member, who had bravely taken to sailing with no prior experience.

The marina facilities were a bit of a trek (a good five-minute walk), navigating a somewhat maze-like configuration of pontoons. However, the marina manager was incredibly helpful, and the berthing fees were refreshingly cheap. At just £26 per night for Halcyon Sea, it was the least we've paid since our journey began. Needing to replenish our food supplies, we discovered an Aldi about a 25-minute walk away. This time, the trusty shopping trolley was resurrected from its stowed position, and all three of us set off for a combined shopping trip and walk.

Bloo Toon Bliss and the Next Nautical Puzzle

Peterhead is a historic fishing port and holds the distinction of being the largest town in Aberdeenshire. It's affectionately nicknamed the "Bloo Toon," a nod to the traditional blue clothing worn by its local fishermen. The town proudly sits on the most easterly point of mainland Scotland. Its former prison has even been converted into a museum, though, regrettably, we didn't get a chance to visit. In truth, we did very little here, consciously dedicating our time to simply recharging our batteries.

Soon, it was time for us, or perhaps more accurately, Nick, to begin planning our next stop. However, indecision reigned. We considered a short hop to Fraserburgh, but a friend's blog, detailing their stop there, suggested the harbour wasn't particularly yacht-friendly, being another predominantly commercial port. Was the potential hassle worth the minimal progress along the coastline? We thought not. Our goal was to find a suitable midway point between Peterhead and Inverness, with the possibility of one additional stop if needed. We explored Banff, but the pilot information regrettably indicated that, at 12 meters, Halcyon Sea would exceed the maximum length of 10 meters for entry. Next, we looked at Buckie, but this involved coming alongside a wall again – an experience Tracey was distinctly unenthusiastic about repeating. This left us with Whitehills, situated between the two. Its entrance looked challenging, and, as usual, required us to enter two hours after low water to avoid lurking rocks. This was the one. Nick duly prepared our passage plan, and our departure from Peterhead was set for Tuesday, June 24th.Les mer