Early July 2019 – Peterhead and Aberdeen

26th June – Arbroath to Peterhead

We left Arbroath at 07.30 to make the 65nm trip to Peterhead.  A small flotilla of British, Dutch and Belgian craft all left at about the same time, as it was the time the lock opened, so not much choice really.  We then spent the next two hours gingerly navigating through the laced network of pots strewn in the channel.  It feels as though no thought is taken in the placing of the pots and it is the worst example we have seen so far. 

The wind was cool, but the sun was out and became warmer in the afternoon.  The large swell of the morning also decreased as we arrived in Peterhead at 19.30, a long day motor-sailing.

Some interesting vessels passed by.  This is an offshore service vehicle.  We met a chief engineer who told us that his vessel serviced 3 rigs and they worked 28 days on 28 days off.  The flat back deck holds half sized containers which are easier to crane on and off the rigs.

Anyone know what this one does?  It was huge.

This one has a helipad on the front.  As we were passing Aberdeen at 5pm we saw several heavy duty helicopters ferrying passengers.  They really thunder overhead.

Inside the harbour wall at Peterhead the offshore vehicles are loaded, refueled etc.  The tiny sign between them is the sign for the marina fuel berth.  Glad we did not have to use that.

Entrance to Peterhead marina.  Make sure you pass the green buoy correctly to Starboard as the rocks are very close.

I could now explain how we passed the next 9 nights here, but I won’t bore you.  Here are the highlights.

The harbourmaster came the next day to tell us we had to move the boat.  A couple had waved us to a berth the night before but it turned out not to be for visitors.  As it was a little windy the couple and a man with a large dog offered to help.  As we were entering the new mooring, the helpers took the ropes, but did not tie them off as the dog was in the way.  The dog then put its two front paws on the side of the boat.  It being a big dog, then pushed the boat away from the pontoon, and in slow motion to its great surprise landed in the water.  The dog, we now know as Hugo, floundered to the pontoon and our kind helper picked him out of the water by his doggy lifejacket, which has a handle.  Only to the rewarded with a soaking from Hugo, who we now know was on his first visit to his owners boat.  Quite a baptism.

North View of the harbour, with caravan site.

South View with caravan site and small marina, next to offshore service vehicles.

We thought they would make a lot of noise, but were surprisingly quiet.

29th June – Saturday – To Aberdeen on the bus.

Mick had never been to Aberdeen and I had only been briefly on the work trip so off we went.  The bus stop is literally above the marina on the main road.  The buses depart at three minutes passed the hour.  I had my change ready, but soon found out it was not enough.  Mick swooped in with a card to pay the £27 return for two.  It is a one hour journey, but we have done similar in Europe for 4 euros each.  Stagecoach has a monopoly around here and the train station closed in 1976.

We arrived to a parade for Armed Forces day, which had a 1940s theme.

These pictures show off the long streets of the granite city well too.

Top of the agenda was the Maritime Museum, which is free.  Just a short walk from the bus station.

Underwater Explorer up close.  Approx 8 ft long.

Mick controlling a smaller version in a tank.

I had never seen a ‘Tea Brick’ before, from the times when tea was a very expensive commodity.

Drill bits from a oil rig.

A model of an oil rig, showing the depth of the structure under the water.

The display regarding windfarms was particularly enlightening as we have seen so many this year.  Each turbine produces per year enough energy to power 2,000 households.  With new turbines, producing more.  Most are built in waters 25 metres deep, weighing 450 tonnes, which is the equivalent of 35 double decker buses.

It was great to find out more about the oil, gas and wind industries, as well as the maritime history.  Highly recommended if you are in Aberdeen.

Next stop was the Tollbooth House.  A small museum about the prison which was once part of the current court buildings.

One of the doors and impressive locks.

The museum is in three parts, two cells and a display area, which are connected by three small spiral staircases comprising 80 steps.  The guides radio between floors when visitors move around to avoid pile-ups.  Again this is free and only takes half an hour.  The people in the maritime museum told us about it.

We found a square courtyard in the middle of a building to have a sit and an ice cream.  The beautiful leopard sculpture was the centre piece.  The two tonne cat was perched on a pole 20 metres in the air.  There was a display explaining how they managed to make it and get it into position.

There is good shopping in Aberdeen and it all made for a Grand Day Out.  We just got back to the boat as a thunder and lightning display started.  I took solace in the fact that the service vehicles next door are so much big, the lightning would hopefully get them first.

When we could, due to the terrible weather, we went for walks in and around  Peterhead over the next few days.

From the small esplanade there is a good view of the rock pools near the fishing harbour.  Peterhead is still one of the largest harbours.

We saw this marina resident a few times on our walks.

Sailors Port Info

We spent 9 nights in Peterhead marina at the very small cost of £119.

On arrival there is a treasure hunt for the keys, if you arrive after 19.00.  Find the green box near the pontoon entrance.  Open the box to find the safe, insert the code and take out the envelope containing the key to the marina and facilities.

From the visitor moorings, which are not marked, there is a snaking system of pontoons to negotiate to get to the shore.  The facilities at first glance seemed dated, with old tie flooring.  But they were clean, freshly painted, had new curtains and a super hairdryer, tick.

On the downside there was no wifi.  The walk into town is a good 30 minutes.  Go through the caravan site and onto the bottom path.  There is an Aldi at the end of the path.  Lidl and Home Bargains are 40 minutes walk, as is Morrisons at the other end of town.  There is a Wetherspoons and a small high street.

There is a Victorian Prison museum which was recommended to us and there are walks along the coast to Cruden Bay, but the weather was so awful, we did not bother.  The lovely Belgian couple next door did not use their bikes for fear of being blown off them and hired a car for three days, which was a great idea.

On the plus side, the harbourmasters could not have been more pleasant.  One gave Mick a lift to the petrol station for diesel, another gave us a lift to the bus stop.  They gave us a bag of ‘Butteries’ one day, a local delicacy a bit like a squashed, round croissant, lovely with jam and butter.

I end with an additional to our occasional series on boat names.

Otherwise known as Seagulls….

Next stop Whitehills on the Moray Firth.  No I had not heard of it either, but it is a great little harbour.