Reduced to tourism

In the Met Office weather forecasts today the Inshore (12 miles from coast) at both ends was do-able but the 30 miles btw the two in the middle of the Irish Sea had a significant risk of NW F7 right on the nose according to the Shipping f/c – so with just the two of us and me perhaps not 100% we decided to be prudent. Another low passing through tomorrow, and then 3am on Thu looks like a good bet (at the moment) for leaving (better to leave a known port in the dark and arrive at a new port in the light).

Out & about in Fleetwood (ignore road markings!)

So today we took a 10-minute ferry ride across the river to Knott End to do some bird watching (only got Shelduck and Oyster Catcher) - Nic had a plate of chips in the 'caff' to celebrate.  Then on the way back (plenty walking as no car) we spent an hour in the Fleetwood Museum - very good - turns out Fleetwood was designed as a 'new town' at the behest of the Victorian landowner Peter Hesketh Fleetwood with oodles of railway and shipping.  The fishing came later, with 170 trawlers at its peak in the 30s ... today there are just 2 trawlers operating, it all stopped in the 70s.