Amble (Warkworth Harbour)
"The Friendliest Port" in so many ways!
Amble's nickname as "The Friendliest Port" has its origins in a 1935 telegram sent by Amble Council to the captain of the famous Cunard Liner Mauretania as she steamed past on her way north to be scrapped. “Greetings from Amble, last port in England, to still the finest ship on the seas”. Back came the reply: “Mauretania to Urban Council, Amble, to the last and kindliest port in England, greetings and thanks. Mauretania.” Decades of retelling this story means ‘kindliest’ has now turned into ‘friendliest’.
As you sail into Amble Harbour, a long pier towers over you to the south. We are now in "coal mining country" and this quayside once housed huge coal "staithes" (photo 6) where rail trucks tipped coal directly into ships.
Born by the sea in nearby Craster, HM Alan Punton worked in mental health before becoming harbour master. A subject close to my heart, having suffered depression myself, and having had a Downs Syndrome sister. We had a lot to talk about and Alan told me it was when regulations no longer allowed him to "hug" his Downs Syndrome patients, he decided to return to the sea and he became HM in 2017.
Like so many harbours, local history is often best documented in the HM's office, and Alan showed me some amazing 100 year old "minute books (photo 7). Going back even further, the impressive Warkworth Castle (photo 3) dominates the River Coquet and gives the harbour its official name.
More Amble friendliness came when I needed a repair to Good Dog at very short notice (yes the troublesome Bow Thruster!), engineer Steve from SDS Marine dropped everything to help me (photo 8).
My final surprise was to meet 14 year old Katie McAbe (photo 9 and 10) who was half way through her record breaking single handed circumnavigation of GB in her 26 foot, 50 year old wooden boat! So many congratulations to you Katie!
As you sail into Amble Harbour, a long pier towers over you to the south. We are now in "coal mining country" and this quayside once housed huge coal "staithes" (photo 6) where rail trucks tipped coal directly into ships.
Born by the sea in nearby Craster, HM Alan Punton worked in mental health before becoming harbour master. A subject close to my heart, having suffered depression myself, and having had a Downs Syndrome sister. We had a lot to talk about and Alan told me it was when regulations no longer allowed him to "hug" his Downs Syndrome patients, he decided to return to the sea and he became HM in 2017.
Like so many harbours, local history is often best documented in the HM's office, and Alan showed me some amazing 100 year old "minute books (photo 7). Going back even further, the impressive Warkworth Castle (photo 3) dominates the River Coquet and gives the harbour its official name.
More Amble friendliness came when I needed a repair to Good Dog at very short notice (yes the troublesome Bow Thruster!), engineer Steve from SDS Marine dropped everything to help me (photo 8).
My final surprise was to meet 14 year old Katie McAbe (photo 9 and 10) who was half way through her record breaking single handed circumnavigation of GB in her 26 foot, 50 year old wooden boat! So many congratulations to you Katie!