The forecast for today was not ideal with predominantly southerly wind (i.e. on the nose) and rain showers, although only force 2 to 3 increasing late afternoon to force 5. But the forecast for the next few days was definitely not good with gusts of 42 mph and mention of severe gale Force 9 or storm Force 10. To make the next hop to Arbroath there are no good refuge harbours along the coast; Aberdeen does not welcome yachts and has no facilities and Stonehaven only has one berth, at the outer end of the harbour wall where one can lie afloat. Hence, it was decided to make a dash for Arbroath before the really bad weather closed in.
Motor sailing most of the way, we made a fairly quick passage; 65 miles in 14 hours, arriving off Arbroath at 1900 hours.
The Almanac stated that a green flashing light on the breakwater would indicate it is safe to enter the harbour and a red flashing would indicate it is unsafe to enter. The outer harbour dries out. The Pilot Book suggests that entry into the inner harbour can be made from mid tide to mid tide. With high water at 2200 hours, entering at 1900 hours we were at mid tide. No flashing lights were seen, nor was the noted red or green light indicating that the gate into the inner harbour was closed or open. We berthed in the inner harbour and presented ourselves to the Harbour Master to discover he was about to close the gate and go home; as we had not radioed in he did not know we were coming and hence had no reason to stay on. It does not bear thinking about what we would have done had the gate been closed – a night at sea perhaps in a rising wind. The moral is always radio ahead for permission to enter.
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