The intrepid crew, minus Ron, fuelled by the amazing success of the Standedge Tunnel transition earlier in the month were anxious to tackle another even more dangerous waterway. They therefore elected to attempt to reach the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne along the entire length of the River Tyne from the North Sea ocean.
The adventure begins:
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Alan feared that his navigation system may not have been as accurate as he had hoped when they passed close to a North Sea gas platform as they made their way towards the River Tyne estuary. |
| After contact was made with the coastguard station at Cullercoats, the crew were grateful to hear that their calculated headings were indeed correct and that they would reach Tynemouth in only a few hours. |
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The crew were relieved to pass the entrance to the River Tyne, indicating the start of their adventure along the infamous river. |
| Bathers on the beech at South Shields stood and waved at the crew as they continued up the feared waterway. |
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Conditions became rough for the small craft as it headed upstream, but the crew were confident of their capabilities and proceeded at maximum speed. |
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Very quickly they were swept past the North Shields Fish Dock. The numerous trawlers in the dock remained firmly tied up, as their crews feared the conditions being encountered by the crew. |
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| The crew stood down the lifeboat, which had been put on alert by worried bystanders. The crew knew that they would be able to cope with any disasters that may occur on the difficult journey |
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The crew instinctively knew that this strange construction was not a mobile phone mast, but a nesting facility for Kittiwakes |
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The giant Norwegian car ferry was quickly passed in the Port of Tyne Dock |
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The owners of the enormous car carrying ship ordered that all loading work should stop, so as to minimise any distress to the crew. |
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The crew communicated additional loading instructions to the container ship as they knew more containers could be loaded on-board |
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The crew were shocked to see the remains of the once busy Swan Hunter shipbuilding yard in Wallsend. They were lucky to see the cranes being demolished as they passed. |
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The crew declined assistance from a passing tug, as they considered their engine had superior power. |
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They soon passed a factory that manufactured sub-terrarium fibre optic cables for giant cabling laying ships |
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Several marinas were passed on their incredible journey. However, the craft stayed firmly locked in the safety of the marinas, due to the terrible conditions. |
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After an hour and a half, the sights of Newcastle could be seen in the distance, much to relief of the crew
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The crew were amazed to see the famous Baltic Flour Mills, now an International centre for the contemporary visual arts |
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They crew were humbled to see the authorities raise the Millennium Bridge in their honour. |
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The delights of the Newcastle Quayside awaited the crew on their safe arrival in Newcastle |
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The crew congratulated themselves on yet another successful journey of danger and boatmanship, vowing to meet again on 4th September for more boating adventures.
