Homeward Bound

Kersey Breeks, New Zealand

Memories of a passage home from Yarmouth (East Anglia) by a hired man in one of the sailboats of the Scottish herring fleet

engaged in the Autumn fishing there. The boat (a large zulu) belonged to the Buckie district, and the date was over ninety years ago.)

The fishin' at Yarmooth wis noo at an en',

B.F boats hid deen weel, plenty siller tae spen',

Fan the fleet arrives hame there'll be joy an' mirth,

An' weddin's alang the hale Moray Firth

A gale fae the nor' east, wi' baith hail an' sleet,

Hid tied up, win' bound, the hale Scottish fleet,

Blaw up fair win', an lat us be gone -

Oor decks, they are clear an' the hatches are on.

"Stan'in by", we heard the skipper say;

"Come awa", my lads, lat's get under way,"

So we set set up the foresail wi'thoot mair adee,

An' eagerly we pit oot tae the sea.

The cream o' the Scottish fleet set awa'

On their passage hame wi' a'thing braw;

There were boats fae ilka port i the north,

As weel as fae the Firth of Forth.

Wi' a fine fair win' fae the sou'-sou' west,

Tae try oot oor boats in a sailin' test;

The Banffshire zulus, neen ower slow,

Are also gyaun tae mak' a show.

Oor boat wis ane John McIntosh made,

In his yaird in the Sloch her keel wis laid;

An' from east tae wast along the coast

A finer craft nae man could boast.

Logie Brithers supplied her sails an gear -

A firm weel-kent for mony a year;

Their ropes an' sails were o' the best,

An' in a breeze aye stood the test.

Oor foresail set wi' peak sae high,

The yaird seemed tae stab against the sky;

An' wi' a strong breeze in oor favour,

Oor boat seen showed her best behaviour.

Some fifie skippers made the pace,

An' tried tae beat us in the race;

Fan some fast zulus gained the lead,

An' forged aheid at a ten knot speed.

On the passage hame I tried my best,

O' the lichts tae mak' a memory test;

So gin ye kindly pey attention,

The names o' some o' them I'll mention.

We sicht the `Dudgeon', then the `Spurn',

`Flamborough Heid' comes next in turn;

`Filey Briggs' then heaves in sight,

An' Scarborough lichthoose in the bicht.

`Whitby High' will neist appear,

So a coorse for the `Coquet' then we steer;

An' wi' this fair win' we hope tae find,

The `Coquet' will seen be left behind.

We neist pass the `Longstone' known by name,

On the Farne Isles o' Grace Darling fame;

The strong sou'-wast win' still prevails,

An' we're carrying on wi' unreefed sails.

`St Abbs' will seen appear in view-

A cheerful sicht for a north-bound crew;

We are nearing hame fan we sicht the `May',

Sen'in' oot its fower-flash, pooerful ray.

The `Bell Rock' neist shows up abeam,

An' `Sturdy Ness' is plainly seen;

`Todd Heid' appears on oor port boo,

An' the `Girdle Ness' is looked for noo.

The fair win' hauds on oor way,

At dawn we sail past `Cruden Bay';

The `Buchan Ness' in daylicht seen,

Is bearin' wast on oor port beam.

Fae `Rattray Heid' we keep weel clear,

A dangerous place this time o' year;

We pass `Kinnaird', `Troup Heid' in sicht-

Oor hame port we shid mak' the nicht.

Same aifterneen safe hame we got,

First o' the fleet tae be on the spot;

A splendid passage, I maun say-

Oor best for lang an' mony a day.

Jist fower days since we left oor berth

At Yarmooth for the Moray Firth;

Oor zulu boat the "Dawn O' Day",

His surely shown the fleet the way.

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