Sparkling Dunbar Strikes Gold Again!
What a stupendous event we had with our highest attendance yet with visitors enjoying superb events to arouse their interest. Relaxing in the sunshine, sparkling on the harbour waters, people came from near and far to enjoy the day. So many participated in our ‘Pirates and the Sea’ fancy-dress theme with enthusiasm and amazing outfits. Even a local yachtsman joined in the fun with a Jolly Roger sail!
'Tis oft heard whispered hereabouts, by Blackheart Wemyss of the Waterfront, that the booty spirited away amounted to nigh close on £1,000+ --- but dead men don't tell no tales, see... or else. (all funds gratefully received by DHT and will be popped into the treasure chest for next years' event)
Big Blu Pizza, The Donut Man, Sno Cream Ices, The Tasty Toastie and Bisset's Fish Van had queues all day long, whilst many plonked themselves onto the upcycled creel benches, painted by children at our Environmental Open Day, to enjoy a liquid refreshment provided by the Linton Hotel & Steakhouse.
Stalls were provided by Hoth Crochet, Sweet Delights, Cats Eyes Crafts, Handpict, Salt Pig Sea Salts, The Soap Farm, Lark and Sea and the RSPB --- a superb selection of quirky crafts and artisan foods, whilst Dominique Oldham painted hundreds of little faces.
The Battery was bustling with a fantastic turnout with the super-appreciative audience tapping toes to mellifluous music and smiling widely at the wonderful children from Dance Discovery. The quality of music at this year’s event, performed by Luke Hunter, Vinyl ’85, The Soul Foundation, Waiting for Pedro and Damson Jam was to be applauded, and was professionally projected by Liam Morrison and his ELJam crew.
One visitor from the West Coast, with family, wrote "We all thoroughly enjoyed it. We spent a fair bit of time exploring the town generally, not just the festival, which I guess is one of the main aims of the event."
Perhaps one of the most astounding things was the lack of litter during and after the event. We would like to thank everyone for being so responsible.
Finally, a huge thank you to the family and friends who worked tirelessly on the lead-up and on the day. Their support was phenomenal, and this event would not have been the success it was without their endless efforts to assist.
Looking forward to 2020 already!
photos by Kenny Maule, click "Read More" for photo 2.
Seal Pup
This grey seal pup hauled ashore on the old slip leading from Cromwell to the East Beach. Local residents called the rangers and everyone was warned to keep away: “dinnae scare him and dinnae gie him ony o’ yer germs, and they bite, ken?”.
The pup was monitored by rangers and the next day ‘ran away to sea’ whilst still a youngster.
Photo 1 by Kenny Maule (at a distance with a telephoto setting)
Note: Seals eat primarily fish, using their whiskers for locating prey. Seals can feel the slightest movements in the water. In that way, seals can ‘see’ in turbulent water where the fish are, up to a distance of 100 meters. Flatfish, lesser sandeel and cod species are their favorite food when available. Pups must teach themselves to catch fish after nursing ends. Their mother doesn’t teach them the tricks. In this period, young seals lose a lot of weight. But eventually, most of them learn it in time. Phew!
Click <<READ MORE>> for photo 2, credit Ecomare Museum, Texel, The Netherlands This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Zero Waste Harbour?
Dunbar Harbour has the ambition of becoming a 'zero waste harbour'. The grant application has been sent off, to work with consultants from 'Resource Efficient Scotland' for improving waste management and resource efficiency.
Harbourmaster Quentin took part in production of this short film for Zero Waste Scotland https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2558434291140848
Also, how everyone can help: https://bigplasticpledge.com/pledge/
Many thanks to Quentin, aka ‘The Neil Oliver of Dunbar’, for teaching us all good habits.
Photo of Quentin’s ‘Early Sea School’ (by Kenny Maule)
Angus MacDonald: dentist, linguist, sailor, and genial host
Angus, when and where did you start sailing? “It was a long, long time ago, in another country, far, far away.” In fact it was in the ‘70s on Lake Neuchatel, Switzerland, in a sailing dinghy.
What is more difficult: sailing or dentistry? “Dentistry is more difficult; there’s always the risk of falling down the patient’s throat and never re-appearing.”
What was your biggest race/regatta win? "East Coast Week feeder race at Blyth and The Scotsman trophy, Granton-to-Kirkwall Orkney."
Both yourself and your wife, Marie-Florence, have been Commodores of the Sailing Club. Any comments? "Nobody else volunteered so duty must be done”.
When husband and wife are both on their yacht, who is in charge? “We sail by committee: Marie-Florence on helm, Angus Cameron on sail-trim, Johnny Blyth on spinnaker, and I paid the bills and bought the drinks.”
Are all of your family sailors? “Yes, two sons, Finlay and Hector, then starting now are our grandchildren.”
Your yacht was called Nyvaig; what is the meaning? “In corrupted Gaelic it means ‘small warship’, used at the Battle of Largs, 1263, when evicting King Haakon of Norway.”
Your house is called Blawearie; what is the meaning? “The local burn is called Blawearie (tired of the wind). The wind blew constantly whilst sorting out the house and garden.”
What was your longest sail? “Galle, Sri Lanka to Al Mukalla, Yemen on a pal’s yacht. Is that far enough? Too many pirates nowadays. On Nyvaig we sailed to South Brittany and back to Sunny Dunbar.”
Who are the biggest drinkers around the North Sea? “The Norwegians can be ‘extremely immoderate’ when greeting an incoming yacht which has duty-free booze on board. However my pal ‘Norrie’ set off ‘three sheets to the wind’ and hit the Forth Bridge on a fine day with unlimited visibility. Not recommended.”
What is your advice to young sailors? “Take lessons with an experienced instructor, on a yacht with two sails and a spinnaker. You’ll learn the essentials of sail-balance. Small dinghies are good but you can learn wee Toppers and Lasers later.” Thank you, Angus, we'll take your advice.
Enjoy this video of Angus sailing on Nyvaig, from Dunbar to Seacliff and return https://vimeo.com/223353638. Use full-screen and volume up.
Photo: Nyvaig, spinnaker up, entering harbour (never to be repeated),
Photo credit Pamela Maule
