Asked if he had enjoyed the journey Trevor commented " I had a fantastic time and want to join again" It was sad to see the crews depart for home but great to welcome new crew members ready for the border crossing into Scotland.

Here the boats are seen entering the lock at Royal Quays Marina, part of the Boatfolk group, where the staff were super helpful in getting the boats refuelled with diesel and gas ready for the next challenge.

As with any journey of this type there were minor repairs to be carried out while in North Shields including replacement of a battery charger and mainsheet block. Our thanks to Marinestore for their support and to one of our customers (Lukas) who, after DPD's failure, kindly stepped into the breach and took the spares to Florence.

Once the vessels left the Tyne the first stop was a peaceful anchorage at Holy Island in the lee of Lindisfarne Castle.  This really is a magical location to anchor and take in the calming atmosphere.

The night at anchor was not that long as the anchor was brought up at 0400 and Florence and Galliver set sail for Arbroath. The promise of Arbroath Smokies provided the motivation and the vessels made good speed with some fantastic sailing to arrive in Arbroath late afternoon.

The following day saw an early lunch of the promised smokies.  If you eat fish and have never had them then a trip to Arbroath is a must. They are best eaten straight from the smoker and beware:: they are big!!

Click here for the video.https://vimeo.com/825817461

And then it was to be a long sail from Arbroath up the coast, past industrial Aberdeen, Stonehaven and Peterhead into the Moray Firth and a visit to lovely Whitehills.

The night sail was more of a motor sail due to a lack of wind but click here to see who joined us the next morning.

And that was after this glorious sunrise!

The journey along the coast from Fraserburgh towards Whitehills was a  downwind sail requiring total concentration to avoid gybing. It was also a tad chilly and the Gill offshore waterproofs were put to good use.

Whitehills is a lovely little fishing port with a delicate entrance but run by the village for the benefit of all. We always get a fantastic welcome.

This year the community, when they heard from a crew member of James's passing and the situation with his brother, made an unasked for donation to Macmillan. A donation that brought us to tears for its generosity.  If you would like to donate to Macmillan the do follow this link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/premier-sailing23

The boats left Whitehills on a flat milk like sea with zero wind an motor sailed for most of the morning. Later in the day the crews enjoyed a downwind sail with a preventer rigged mainsail and poled out genoa.

On arrival at Inverness a quiet evening before the departing crews packed their bags for the trip home.

The final picture shows a happy bunch of intrepid adventurers - many new friendships made and experiences shared.  I am sure memories will be talked about for years to come - sailing does that to you!

Premier Sailing would also like to thank all of our sponsors and crews for this year’s endeavours. Their generous donations are all going straight to Macmillan, so they can help those who need it most.

Volspec Ltd, Marinestore, MOB Lifesavers, Tiptree, http://www.whitehillsmarina.co.uk/,, clarkeandcarter.co.uk/,