Arbroath
June 9, 2021
9 Jun '21. HM 122. Arbroath is not just famous for its hot-smoked Haddocks - the Arbroath Smokie - which have had "Protected Geographical Indication" since 2004.
Much older is The Bell Rock Lighthouse - the world’s oldest working sea-washed lighthouse. It is said that the Abbot of Aberbrothock first placed a "bell" on this treacherous reef, 12 miles off Arbroath, hundreds of years before the 120ft lighthouse was built by Robert Stevenson in 1811. It was a staggering feat of engineering - the surface of the rock is uncovered only at low water while at high water it is submerged to a depth of some 16 ft. The lighthouse was the first "revolving light" in Scotland and only de-manned in 1988.
Having successfully avoided the reef, when we entered the harbour for the first time from the sea, it did have an ancient and "protected" feel about it. The town's first harbour was built by another Abbot, John Gedy in 1394 - one of the earliest recorded dates I have encountered. The double 90 degree turn to get inside the inner harbour does make a skipper feel very secure.
It was on the quayside, where no haddock (!) but many thousands of tons of Lobster and Scallop get landed, I met the Assistant HM Jim Swankie. A fisherman himself, he told me how there are now 35,000 lobster creels laid out at any one time off Arbroath. It seems there is no legal limit on how many can be placed, and over the next few days of sailing we had to keep a very watchful eye not to run over the marker buoys and ropes which tether the long lines of creels on the seabed.
Jim told me Swankies have been fishing on this coast for as long as anyone could remember and when looking through the RNLI roll of honour, many Swankies are mentioned, including two who died in the 1952 tragedy. Fishing, storms and death always make for a very close community, which clearly Arbroath is. Thank you Jim for hosting us in your very secure and ancient harbour.
Much older is The Bell Rock Lighthouse - the world’s oldest working sea-washed lighthouse. It is said that the Abbot of Aberbrothock first placed a "bell" on this treacherous reef, 12 miles off Arbroath, hundreds of years before the 120ft lighthouse was built by Robert Stevenson in 1811. It was a staggering feat of engineering - the surface of the rock is uncovered only at low water while at high water it is submerged to a depth of some 16 ft. The lighthouse was the first "revolving light" in Scotland and only de-manned in 1988.
Having successfully avoided the reef, when we entered the harbour for the first time from the sea, it did have an ancient and "protected" feel about it. The town's first harbour was built by another Abbot, John Gedy in 1394 - one of the earliest recorded dates I have encountered. The double 90 degree turn to get inside the inner harbour does make a skipper feel very secure.
It was on the quayside, where no haddock (!) but many thousands of tons of Lobster and Scallop get landed, I met the Assistant HM Jim Swankie. A fisherman himself, he told me how there are now 35,000 lobster creels laid out at any one time off Arbroath. It seems there is no legal limit on how many can be placed, and over the next few days of sailing we had to keep a very watchful eye not to run over the marker buoys and ropes which tether the long lines of creels on the seabed.
Jim told me Swankies have been fishing on this coast for as long as anyone could remember and when looking through the RNLI roll of honour, many Swankies are mentioned, including two who died in the 1952 tragedy. Fishing, storms and death always make for a very close community, which clearly Arbroath is. Thank you Jim for hosting us in your very secure and ancient harbour.