Today looked hopeful with a good breeze and a reasonable forecast so we disentangled ourselves from the pontoon at Eyemouth at about 8 am. We had a fine sail to Lindisfarne in bright sunshine and a brisk westerly wind arriving at about midday. We were feeling pleased with ourselves as everything was going so well until we dropped the anchor in the designated anchorage and fouled an old mooring chain. We worked at clearing our anchor for about an hour, and it took two of us heaving away on Bonitas winch to bring the chain to the surface. The winch is a robust affair with a huge mechanical advantage so the old mooring chain took some shifting. We eventually disentangled our anchor, dropped the old chain, and being wise after the event, re-anchored with a tripping line.
We launched the dinghy, rowed ashore and explored this fascinating island with its ancient ruined priory and relics of the earliest days of Christianity in Britain. After our labours at the anchor winch we felt we deserved a relaxed evening ashore. We returned to the boat serenaded by the wailing of dozens of seals socialising on the surrounding sand banks.
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