RSPB Skua & Shearwater Cruises
RSPB Skua & Shearwater Cruises27th August 2016 to 25th September 2016 at Bempton Cliffs, Cliff Lane, Bempton, Bridlington (114.8 miles)
When summer turns to autumn, this area is a fantastic place to be able to watch multitudes of migrating seabirds as they fly south for the winter. On the 3½ hour Skua and Shearwater cruises, which sail in September/October, we can expect to see many different species, including gannets, terns, auks and gulls, with skuas never far away. Manx and sooty shearwaters can sometimes be seen right alongside the boat.
Arctic skuas have also regularly been seen on these trips â?? sometimes in dramatic aerial chases of gulls and terns. Other skuas may also be seen and our searches are often rewarded by sightings of great pomarine and long-tailed skuas. As most of these birds travel well off-shore, the cruises sail up to 3 miles off Flamborough Head and around Bridlington Bay.Like all migration we never know what we will see and many other species have been spotted from these cruises in the past, including cetaceans like harbour porpoises. â??Chumâ?? â?? a mix of fish bits â?? is used to help attract the birds in close to the boat, helping with good views and photographic opportunities of these often hard-to-see birds.All cruises are aboard the MV Yorkshire Belle which is a fairly large pleasure boat. It has plenty of outdoor as well as indoor seating which - in cases of cold/inclement weather - will provide welcome protection whilst still giving great views through clear windows. There are onboard toilet facilities, and drinks and snacks can be purchased. The boat's facilities are great for families and, as we do not fill the boat to capacity, there is room to move around.Expert commentators, together with very experienced volunteers from the RSPBâ??s East Yorkshire Local Group, are on board each cruise to help you identify the birds and to ensure all passengers have a brilliant experience.Cruises run on the following dates and times:Saturday 27 August at 4.30 pmSunday 4 September at 8.30 amSaturday 10 September at 9.00 amSaturday 17 September at 3.00 pmSunday 25 September at 9.45 amThese cruises are very popular and booking in advance is strongly recommended. Please either telephone the cruise booking office on 01262 422211 to reserve your tickets and pay by credit or debit card, or you can send a cheque â?? made payable to The RSPB â?? with your name, address, contact telephone number, email address (to which tickets will be sent) and details of the tickets and date you wish to sail to: Seabird Cruises, RSPB, 9 Cliff Lane, Bempton, East Yorkshire, YO15 1JD. Please note the cruise office is manned on a part-time basis (8.30am â?? 3.30pm Mondays to Wednesdays, 8.30 am â?? 3.00 pm Thursdays, 9.00 am to 1.00 pm Fridays) and if we are not there please leave a message and we will phone you back.We are again running a membership promotion this year whereby if you join the RSPB as a result of booking a cruise, we will refund you one adult ticket per booking (minimum 2 passengers). One not to be missed! Full details on application. We run two other types of cruises which you may wish have a look at:Puffin & Gannets â?? every weekend between Sunday 15 May â?? Sunday 10 JulyGlorious Gannets â?? Saturday 16 July, Saturday 23 July and Saturday 13 August. Full details are also on this website â?? under the dates shown. Please read the following IMPORTANT INFORMATION before making your booking. All bookings are accepted on the basis that you understand and agree to the following:   All cruises will be aboard the MV Yorkshire Belle which complies with all current Marine & Coastguard Agency safety standards. There is ample covered and outdoor seating, with toilets on board.The maximum number of passengers will be 130 per cruise (even though the Yorkshire Belle is actually licensed to hold just under 200).Snacks, hot and cold drinks can be purchased on board, or you can bring your own if preferred.Cruises will leave from Bridlingtonâ??s North Pier promptly and we suggest you arrive at the quayside at least ½ hour before departure as queues tend to form early.Please be aware that seats cannot be reserved, so it's first come first served.Details of where to park will be sent with your tickets, and do please ensure that you allow plenty of time to park as Bridlington can be a busy seaside town.Tripods cannot be used on these cruises.All passengers with restricted mobility should phone 01262 422211 for advice before booking.We can take dogs on board but there are restrictions and they must be 'booked in'. Please phone 01262 422211 for more details.These cruises, as with any boat trip, can be affected by conditions in the North Sea. Please consider this if you suffer from motion sickness and take precautions if needed!Sailing on the North Sea can also be very cold at times (even if it's warm and sunny on land) and we strongly recommend bringing along warm, waterproof clothing.The RSPB reserves the right to cancel the cruise if there are not a sufficient number of passengers booked.Whilst tickets can be exchanged in extreme circumstances, please note that all tickets are non-refundable unless the RSPB or skipper has to cancel the cruise, the latter due to extreme sea conditions. CANCELLATION POLICYTo keep our passengers informed about the status of each cruise, we record a message on our answerphone the evening before every cruise. It is imperative that you use this to check your cruise is confirmed as sailing before travelling. The message will be left on 01262 422211 and will be available from 7.30 pm.Please bear in mind that it is the wind and sea conditions that cause cruises to be cancelled, and what appears to be a nice day on land may be very different out at sea!Although every effort will be made to sail, the owner and skipper of the Yorkshire Belle will always make the final decision. In the event of a cancellation - either by the skipper or RSPB - a full refund of the ticket price will be made automatically unless you wish to transfer to an alternative cruise.If you do wish to arrange a transfer following a cancellation, please phone 01262 422211 by the Wednesday of the week following the cruise date. Refunds will normally be processed on the Thursday.
Price: Adults £22, Children aged 16 and under £11, Children aged 2 and under sail free, Groups of 10 or more 11th (cheapest) ticket free
Booking essential
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