St Abbs
July 12, 2021
12 Jul '21 HM 139. I was on a mission when I sailed into St Abbs, to take accurate photos of the entrance for the new Imray Pilot Book. It has a very rocky entrance! See photos 3 to 6.
It was too shallow for Good Dog to berth overnight, but as we entered a kind man was moving his boat to give us room on the harbour wall. It would not be another two days, before I bicycled back to interview the HM, that I was able to find him and thank him.
The Lifeboat house dominates the harbour. In 2015 the RNLI made the controversial decision to close down their life boat after 104 years service. Within 12 months, the St Abbs community had raised a £260k to replace it with a privately run one. Photo 9 explains how "Tunnocks Teacakes" came to the rescue with a donation - and why the new lifeboat is named Thomas Tunnock.
The water around St Abbs is crystal clear, an unusual confluation of cold and warm sea currents. This attracts a combination of rare arctic fish and tropical corals, and as a result a lot of keen divers.
Looking after this busy place is a delightful HM Rae Skelly. Previously Rae had been an unusual type of fisherman - netting salmon at a coastal "Salmon Station" south of Berwick upon Tweed. He described how they caught them (see his sketch of a T net - photo 10) in a very sustainable way, with strict rules about seasons, hours and not fishing on the sabbath.
Rae told me St Abbs has had a strange problem recently..... it featured in the new Avengers film Endgame as Thor's town "New Asgard" and is now overrun by Avengers' fans. Thank you Rae, with whom I enjoyed a pub lunch nearby - something I wish I could do with all the HMs I meet!
It was too shallow for Good Dog to berth overnight, but as we entered a kind man was moving his boat to give us room on the harbour wall. It would not be another two days, before I bicycled back to interview the HM, that I was able to find him and thank him.
The Lifeboat house dominates the harbour. In 2015 the RNLI made the controversial decision to close down their life boat after 104 years service. Within 12 months, the St Abbs community had raised a £260k to replace it with a privately run one. Photo 9 explains how "Tunnocks Teacakes" came to the rescue with a donation - and why the new lifeboat is named Thomas Tunnock.
The water around St Abbs is crystal clear, an unusual confluation of cold and warm sea currents. This attracts a combination of rare arctic fish and tropical corals, and as a result a lot of keen divers.
Looking after this busy place is a delightful HM Rae Skelly. Previously Rae had been an unusual type of fisherman - netting salmon at a coastal "Salmon Station" south of Berwick upon Tweed. He described how they caught them (see his sketch of a T net - photo 10) in a very sustainable way, with strict rules about seasons, hours and not fishing on the sabbath.
Rae told me St Abbs has had a strange problem recently..... it featured in the new Avengers film Endgame as Thor's town "New Asgard" and is now overrun by Avengers' fans. Thank you Rae, with whom I enjoyed a pub lunch nearby - something I wish I could do with all the HMs I meet!