[martin kitching]

Hi all

It's that time of year again when thoughts turn to the gentle rolling of a small boat in the North Sea surrounded by birds and cetaceans..............

There are a limited number of places left on the following trips;

Friday July 29th 4 hour evening pelagic £15pp
Saturday 20th August 8 hour day trip £25pp
Saturday 3rd September 8 hour day trip £25pp

In order to reserve a place on any of these please PM me and then send a deposit cheque for £10 to Sarah Barratt, NTBC, 18 Frances Ville, Scotland Gate, Northumberland, NE62 5ST once I have confirmed that you have been pencilled in on the list.

best wishes
martin

[Keith Reeder]

Very interested in this - where do you sail from, Martin?

[martin kitching]

All three trips sail from North Shields Fish Quay. Have now only got one place left on July pelagic, a limited number left on the other two.

martin

[dan pointon]

What are the target species or the species you would expect to see?

Dan

[martin kitching]

Pelagics are as unpredictable as land-based seawatching so some highlights of the last three years (rather than things we would necessarily expect to see) have been;

Storm Petrel
Wilson's Petrel (still smiling about that)
Great, Arctic, Pom and Long-tailed Skuas
Quite good numbers of Sooty Shearwaters (30+ on one trip in 2002)
Bottlenose Dolphin
White-beaked Dolphin (pod of ~15 on one trip)
Minke Whale

The species we see in the greatest numbers are Fulmar (often hundreds on the water around the boat) and Kittiwake and other species where we often are treated to quite a spectacle (although not particularly high numbers) are Great Skua (often 4 or 5 following the boat at the same time) and Gannet (which plunge-dive into the wake of the boat).

The July evening pelagic is now full although I am currently trying to arrange a second boat for that evening. If anyone is interested in that trip then please contact me asap so that I can make a definite booking of another boat (I have five names on this second list already).

best wishes
martin

[Rob Smallwood]

Martin,

Did you arrange a second boat for Friday evening?

If so, are there any spare places - and what time do you leave?

Rob

[martin kitching]

Rob

There is a second boat on Friday evening. Departing North Shields Fish Quay at 18:00. Only two places remaining. We are intending to go for a curry afterwards so if anyone wants the final places on the boat then please also let me know if you are interested in joining us for this.

martin

[martin kitching]

I've just had an e-mail saying there had been another reply to this thread, enquiring about the 20th August pelagic. However, the message isn't here. Has anyone else had this happen?

So, for information; There are 4 places left on the August 20th pelagic, departing North Shields at 09:00 and returning at ~17:00. Booking details as in previous postings.

Our July 29th trip was cancelled owing to the adverse weather conditions.

martin

[IanF]

Hi Martin,

The member who posted the query deleted their own message which explains the missing post.

In this reply you answered the query which was from a new member just getting used to the site operation.

[Gill Osborne]

Thanks for the PM Martin...sticking deposit in post NOW!!!

Oooh SO excited - never been on a proper pelagic before...just one/two hour boat trips which I absolutely adored!!!

Gill

[Gill Osborne]

Make that Monday Martin .........post office was shut when I drove up yesterday! Forgot about these back-of-beyond small ones closing at funny times!!! LOL

Gill

[martin kitching]

dwayne950, you have too many messages in your PM folder so I have been unable to send your confirmation for the August 20th pelagic. Payment details as in the first post in this thread.

There are two places left on September 3rd pelagic.

Details of potential pelagics from Seahouses in September and November will be posted on BF shortly.

martin

[dan pointon]

Sorry about that Martin, it was places on the Sept 3rd pelagic i needed confirming, not the August 3rd, slight misunderstanding somewhere along the line, hope this doesn't cause a problem.

Can't wait for the trip, even sea sickness won't stop my excitement!

Dan

[martin kitching]

The September 3rd pelagic is now full. There are spaces left for August 20th though. Anyone interested please contact me asap.

martin

[Denis J]

Hi Martin
I sent you a pm a couple of days ago and have not yet recieved a reply did you get it? if not can you pm me your phone number so i can contact you fri night to confirm the trip on sat 20th is going ahead?
Denis j

[Denis J]

My first pelagic
It was.....exciting
Great views of the commoner seabirds including Kittiwake at 3 feet! also added Sooty shearwater to my year list, just a couple of questions though
1 : shouldnt it be possible to actually leave go of the rail and use your bins?
2 : is it normal for the boat to be rolling so far that the water comes over the side and runs knee deep across the deck?
well Martin did say it might be a bit bumpy!
I will be trying again next year, hopefully the chum bin wont be chasing us around the deck next time:@)
Thanks Martin definitely an experience!

[martin kitching]

This was one of the most interesting trips that I've ever run

The forecast N/NW winds were in fact NE and this had caused the sea to stack up somewhat. We went ahead after determining that it would be safe to do so, and I had agreed a set of criteria, which would necessitate a very early return to shore, with the boatman. At the times when we were heading directly into the swell it wasn't too bad a ride. It did become difficult though when we had a cross-swell. The weather was glorious.

Within a couple of minutes of departing we were entertained by a Bottlenose Dolphin around the boat (like last years pelagic, although not the same dolphin). Once at sea we passed the only angling trip that had remained out for more than a few minutes. Kittiwakes and Fulmars showed particularly well very close overhead and we saw a Manx Shearwater and 2 distant Sooties. On the way back to North Shields we had a classic pelagic moment as a Sooty appeared out of the swell behind the boat and came into the wake. As it arced above the huge sea....................an enormous wave came over the front of the boat and everyone received an icy cold soaking - and the Sooty disappeared. The Bottlenose rejoined us as we sailed back into the Tyne and it was noticeable how many faces changed from green back to pink once we were on dry land.

I'm pleased to say that I've only had positive comments from those who ventured onto the sea with us yesterday morning and I'm praying for better conditions in a fortnight from now.

martin

[martin kitching]

Originally Posted by martin kitching

I'm pleased to say that I've only had positive comments from those who ventured onto the sea with us yesterday morning and I'm praying for better conditions in a fortnight from now.

martin

And speaking of those better conditions.... a cancellation has led to the availability of one place on the September 3rd pelagic, departing North Shields at 09:00. Costs and booking details as in earlier post.

martin

[martin kitching]

Originally Posted by martin kitching

And speaking of those better conditions.... a cancellation has led to the availability of one place on the September 3rd pelagic, departing North Shields at 09:00. Costs and booking details as in earlier post.

martin

Hi all

If anyone is interested in the following then please get in touch asap;

Saturday 3rd September 8 hour pelagic (09:00 - 17:00) £25 per person. One place remaining.

I will be unable to check my e-mail from 26th August-2nd September so during this period I can be contacted on O79O4O9O845

I am also trying to arrange trips out of Seahouses in September and November (Date and cost tbc). If anyone is interested in these then a provisional list is in operation.

martin kitching

[dan pointon]

The big day looms............i have both dread and excited anticipation as my first pelagic approaches, see how much my sea legs can stand up to!!!!!!

[Allen S. Moore]

Originally Posted by dwayne950

The big day looms............i have both dread and excited anticipation as my first pelagic approaches, see how much my sea legs can stand up to!!!!!!

It is not your legs that you need to worry about!

[russkie]

martin
are there any planned for later in sept as i have just joined the forum and have missed 3rd sept
nigel

[dan pointon]

Pelagics over, and it was cracking!!!!! Luckily did no self chumming, although i still feel like i'm still on the boat a whole 5 hours later! Thanks to Martin for organising the trip and that, and thanks to Lindsay for providing the entertainment by getting covered in chum!! Species seen: 1 juv Sabine's Gull!!, 3 Bonxie, 4+ Arctic Skuas, 5-10 Sooties, 17 Manxies, 10 White Beaked Dolphins, and 1 poss. juv L T Skua, that was the classic 'the one that got away'!

Anyway thanks again to Martin, and i hope to see you the same time next year.

Cheers,

Dan

[cuddy]

Originally Posted by dwayne950

Pelagics over, and it was cracking!!!!! Luckily did no self chumming, although i still feel like i'm still on the boat a whole 5 hours later! Thanks to Martin for organising the trip and that, and thanks to Lindsay for providing the entertainment by getting covered in chum!! Species seen: 1 juv Sabine's Gull!!, 3 Bonxie, 4+ Arctic Skuas, 5-10 Sooties, 17 Manxies, 10 White Beaked Dolphins, and 1 poss. juv L T Skua, that was the classic 'the one that got away'!

Anyway thanks again to Martin, and i hope to see you the same time next year.

Cheers,

Dan

So you had a canny trip trip after all, nice to meet you yesterday, and you also caught the Wilsons Phalarope at Amble if my sources are correct, good weekend then

[dan pointon]

Yep, a very good weekend indeed, also a nice Baird's Sand at Saltholme on the way back down was a tick for me. Nice to meet you too,(another tick for my BF 200 list, lol) maybe see you again at St Marys Island sometime.

Cheers,

Dan