Phil Robertson, who is Isle of Whithorn born and bred, now lives in North Berwick. Phil is joining us on our adventure as part of our safety crew. He is an accomplished yachtsman and coastal rower, who has achieved great results with his rowing club North Berwick Rowing Club
Asked what he remembers about growing up at the Isle and working life in and around our waters, Phil said ‘We spent the first 16 years of our lives enjoying an idyllic childhood, mostly around the shores of the Isle of Whithorn. In all seasons, and in all weathers. No sports facilities, just the joy of freedom to come and go as far as parental control allowed. Mealtimes were vague, we’d far rather be fishing, sailing, gathering gull’s eggs, beachcombing- anything dictated by the weather and tide. The local joiner had a sideline with his workshop on the harbour, in finishing off glass fibre hulls, using his woodwork skills. Many fishing boats were launched, indeed still can be found in nearby villages. Working fishing boats, local and further away, were part of the landscape. Many times, the lights shone brightly on the harbour as boats unloaded their catch throughout the hours of darkness.’
‘We learned from our parents the rules of being in or on the water: treat the tide and currents with care, especially if heading out of the bay “keep west is best”. We always wore a lifejacket. The positions of the outlying rocks were usually discovered from experience: either a tangled fishing line or a wee bump in the bottom of the boat. One of the acquired skills of sailing, was knowing how close to the rocks you could go to get an advantage, but not so close to hit anything hard.’
‘There was a yacht, Ninian, that had a tractor tyre lashed to the bow. She was often seen under full sail, entering the harbour area coming to an abrupt halt at the harbour wall. Thus, the tractor tyre, as the skipper hadn’t mastered all the required skills of boat handling.’
‘Several times vessels known to have set off from the Isle, destination Ramsay, Isle of Man were found to have missed the Island and arrived at Anglesey, Port William or Garlieston!’
‘One particular yacht set off under sail from Ramsay to return to the Isle. A distance of some 20+ miles, it should have taken 5 or 6 hours. It eventually arrived off the Cairn 12 hours after setting off; when the skipper asked the crew to lift the keel, as they were returning on the low tide, it was found to be already up. Thus, why it had taken so long!’
‘The Isle’s Doctor Robertson formed the Wigtown Bay Sailing club along with local fishermen. In the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s the Dr only had every other weekend off from visiting his patients. He loved to sail, so Saturdays when he went sailing, but was on call, he needed to be contactable. Fortunately, his house Knockanharrie, overlooks the bay. The system with Mrs Robertson was, if there was a call from a patient, one white sheet was placed over the hedge, visible from the bay. If it was urgent, two white sheets were placed over the hedge.
If it was too late, three sheets. Washing day? 4 sheets. There were 6 children in the family-they couldn’t afford 5 or 6 sheets!’
To the question about what people should respect about this coast, Phil said ‘The skills and knowledge required to enjoy and work in the waters around the Isle don’t come just from books. You must live and experience it. Senses must be tuned to the weather, the feel of the wind and waves; the appearance of the waves, tide, coastline, near and far, and the sound and smell of the sea. None of that has changed, but modern-day seafarers need to remember that technology can only do so much. Common sense and respect are as important as they have always been.’
Phil says ‘The challenge that WBRC is planning could be the start of many similar adventures around the UK coastal waters. The St Ayles skiff was designed on similar lines to a traditional island fishing skiff, so has proven sea worthiness qualities. To date, there have been but a few offshore trips in the 17 years since the St Ayles was first designed.
This could be a new chapter…..