At 0730 hours Alcyone escaped from Amble and once more turned south, this time bound for Sunderland. There was a surprisingly large sea running but with little wind although it did get up to Force 5 through the day. We arrived in Sunderland by 1400 hours. And after some confusions berthed in Sunderland Marina.
The port at Sunderland had become outdated with little or no traffic. But over the past few years has been upgraded; the new marina is part of that upgrading with the marina built in one of the old docks and housing development all round to make an attractive facility. Walking along the coast out of town it is surprising the extent to which it is a holiday resort with a promenade. The old outer breakwater with its lighthouse on the end is an attractive feature.
One reason for electing to come to Sunderland is that the firm for which I worked for over 30 years, Halcrow, started as Thomas Meek & Sons and the first project to which they can lay claim is a lighthouse in Sunderland. It was not regrettably the one on the end of Roker Pier, the outer breakwater. As far as I could determine, it was originally erected on the South Pier in 1865 but in 1983 was dismantled and re-erected on the sea front to the north of thee town. At present it is surrounded in scaffold being repainted – I was told it had to made to look it’s best for the forthcoming air tattoo.
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