Sunday 18 July 2010 Whitby N54 29.03’ W000 36.67’

A day of exploring Whitby and laundry. But without the sunshine of yesterday.

As a schoolboy I vaguely recollect coming on some sort of study camp to Whitby, something I recollect to do with natural history. I seem to remember that in some way girls were involved, not bad for an all boys school.

Today Whitby is a tourist resort and clearly very popular. Historically it has always been a seafaring town, a major whaling port as well as coaling port. Apparently the town was light by whale oil lamps, with the oil being rendered down from blubber on the quay.

It is the place where James Cook served his apprenticeship as a sailor before embarking on his three voyages of discovery. A replica of Endeavour operates out of the harbour taking holiday makers for trip round the bay. The Endeavour was a Whitby built collier; strong roomy and could be sailed with minimal crew. cook knew them well. The Captain Cook Memorial Museum provides an intriguing insight into his life here in Whitby and subsequent voyages; one proclamation issued by the American States at the time of the War of Independence ordering American Ships not to attack Cook’s ships as his exploration was of such importance to the human race. Another model display show Endeavour and all the stores and men that had to be accommodated; I thought Alcyone had a stowage problem!!

Walking out along the harbour arm, we watched fascinated (horrified) as youths were jumping off the top of the light tower on the south harbour arm – is this called ‘tombstoning’? Each time they did it, there was a gasp from the watchers on the north harbour arm.

At Amble, we first noted Yorkshire cobles being used as inshore fishing boats. Subsequently we have passed them at sea and seen them at other harbours along the coast, including here at Whitby. Rightly or wrongly I associate these boats with being beach launched from such place as Filey where there is no harbour. It is evident that they are not being kept as historic boast but as working fishing boats.