By Mim Robson
I was out walking at sunset the other night at the Fish Quay when I caught a whiff of bonfire. The tide was low and I looked down to see a man making a little fire on his fishing boat below me. I called down “hello!” and we got chatting.
He told me he was going to grill a couple of mackerel he had caught that afternoon. It was a lovely scene of pinkish sky, balmy, barbeque air and simple pleasures and I asked him a little more about himself and his boat. He told me his name is Ernest, he is Dutch, he picked up the boat (Arnborg – a Viking name) from Castle Bay in Barra, Scotland, and has sailed it from there through the lochs across the middle of Scotland and down to North Shields where he hoped to find a crew member. Next, he will sail across to Holland, and stop there to do a bit of work on the boat, a fresh lick of paint, etc. before heading south towards the Canary Islands. Finally, he plans to sail across the Atlantic for a couple of weeks to reach the Dominican Republic where he will settle and fish! What a grand adventure to come across on an evening walk. The next morning I came back to have a tour of the boat. Here’s a few photos from the boat visit.
I’ve asked Ernest to send some updates from his big voyage across the Atlantic, and I’ve been checking in on where he has got to so far on the Marine Traffic app. A couple of hitches have seen him stop at Hartlepool, and then at Bridlington, but he has been in touch to say he made it to Holland! Next – to the big blue ocean!
More photos at @mimrobsonartist
