Charter Boat: Sea Urchin IIl
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Boat and Skipper Details
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Availability Calendar
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Individual Spaces
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Reviews
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Location and directionsMap
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Bait & Tackle
Boat and Skipper Details
Launched in 2016, Sea Urchin is fitted with the latest electronics and a powerful Perkins M300C engine. She can get out to the wrecks fast and outrun the bad weather to get us back in when needed. Onboard, there is a sheltered area to get out of the weather, plus a private flushing toilet to keep things comfortable. The deck space is huge giving everyone ample room to fish. A central area to store tackle boxes and bags, plus bait cutting areas front and rear, keep the deck space tidy. Each angler has a dedicated fish box which is stored in a bespoke drawer system. No more lifting boxes or having them fly around in bad weather. Built for comfort, stability and speed, Sea Urchin has it all.
Trip Information:
General - Throughout Spring, Summer and Autumn we generally fish the wrecks and reefs out of Whitby for Cod, Ling and Pollock. In addition to the wreck and reef fishing, in Winter we offer uptiding trips for Cod on the inshore grounds around Sandsend, Kettleness and Robin Hoods Bay.
Our trips in Spring, Summer and Autumn usually commence at 07:00 hrs; but please be sure to check the evening before (as sometimes we may leave earlier). If the tide level requires the use of the Swing Bridge at 07:00 hrs then we need to be sat on the water waiting at 06:50 hrs. Late anglers can cost the whole party precious fishing time, so if you are late, the boat will not wait for you.
Winter uptiding trips see us leave Whitby around 07:30 hrs and come back in for around 16:00 – 16:30 hrs; Spring, Summer and Autumn trips have us back at the pontoon for roughly 16:30hrs.
If you are not staying in Whitby the night before your trip, we recommend you arrive early (05:00 – 06:00 hrs) in the morning to get a chance at a decent parking place. It can be particularly busy through the summer months and although the pay and display car park on Church Street has space for around forty cars, it fills quickly (parking for the day in the Church Street park costs £10.70 for 24hrs).
Once you’ve got the car parked, it’s worth a stroll to the excellent Singing Kettle for one of their fantastic breakfasts (open from 05:30hrs daily). If you need tackle for the day, I have everything aboard which you will need to fish effectively from Whitby. Don't waste money buying random stuff; I will give advice and supply you with terminal tackle and leads at very reasonable prices that are fit for the job.
Don’t forget to book your dates for the Whitby Charter Skippers Association Festival early, so you get the exact date and tide to suit your or your group. Most years, anglers leave it to the last minute and then struggle to get a good tide and space; don’t let it be you this year. You can view the tide heights on the availability page of the booking calendar. Many anglers enjoy a post-fishing pint, with The Station and Middle Earth Tavern being popular pubs in Whitby, where anglers can always be found discussing their day at sea over a cold beer.
As an Angler and Angling Coach. I have been an avid fisherman from the age of four, my fascination and passion for the sea was ignited by my Dad, who first took me fishing off the Marine Drive in Scarborough for Codling, Dabs and an odd Pollock throughout the 1980's. A twenty five year career in the Armed Forces saw me travel and fish all around the world, for everything that swims, from Sharks to Sea Bass; but the hallowed grounds of the North Yorkshire coast have always stolen my heart.
My first proper "wrecking trip" took place on my birthday in 1992 and having ben told the stories by other Whitby anglers, of boats almost sinking because of the weight of Cod they had caught (three doubles at a time, 20's for fun!!), had me a quivering "wreck" on the day of departure. Two hours later, when I was projectile vomiting like there was no tomorrow and sliding around the deck in a cocktail of fish slime and puke, things didn't seem so glamorous!! However, that was just the start of things to come, and I have boat fished the area around Whitby extensively for most of my adult life.
I am passionate about customer service and will do what is necessary to ensure you have an enjoyable day on Sea Urchin. My goal each day is for all anglers to catch fish and I will put pressure on myself to achieve this. Over the years, on the majority of boats, I have seen little guidance given to the first time anglers (apart from, drop it down there, and wind it up when you get a bite). Everyone starts from somewhere; so if you want to start your sea fishing journey with Sea Urchin, I can guarantee that you will get as much, (or as little) assistance as you require. We all have to start somewhere. There are absolutely no guarantees in fishing, but on Sea Urchin I will never be found lacking.
January 2025
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N.B. Not all Skippers keep this dairy up-to-date. Always check with skippers before making any plans. Last calendar update: 18-Mar-2025 |
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Upcoming Individual Spaces on Sea Urchin IIl
| Thu 20/03/2025 |
1 Space Available
Uptiding Trip - 4.81m
Stan Matthews - x 1
Ian Purdom - x 1
Richard Chapel - x 2
Richard Gotts - x 1
Steve Milnes - x 1
Peter Burton - x 1
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| Sun 23/03/2025 |
1 Space Available
Wrecking Trip - 4.15m
Ben Cope - x 3
Tony Martin - x 2
Mario Marczyk - x 3
Chris Ibbotson - x 1
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| Mon 24/03/2025 |
5 Spaces Available
Wrecking Trip - 4.14m
Tony Martin - x 2
Robin Lever - x 3
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| Tue 25/03/2025 |
6 Spaces Available
Wrecking Trip - 4.26m
Charlie Hewitt - x 1
Tony Martin - x 2
Ian Scrivens - x 1
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| Thu 27/03/2025 |
7 Spaces Available
Uptiding Trip - 5.00m
Will sail with 4 anglers.
Bod - x 1
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| Sun 30/03/2025 |
1 Space Available
Uptiding Trip - 5.71m
Greg Ince - x 1
Diane Lincoln-Price - x 3
Lee Wilson - x 3
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| Mon 31/03/2025 |
5 Spaces Available
Uptiding Trip - 5.73m
Will sail with 4 anglers.
Dave Sharp - x 1
Ian Kellock - x 1
Martin Novo - x 1
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| Thu 03/04/2025 |
9 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Trip - 5.16m
Will sail with 4 anglers.
Stan Matthews - x 1
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| Fri 04/04/2025 |
6 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Trip - 4.84m
Jeff Turner - x 1
Andy Burrell - x 1
Chris Chatham - x 1
Jacek Kokot - x 1
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| Wed 16/04/2025 |
Spring Festival
5 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Trip - 5.15m
Kev Totterdell - x 3
Pete Hinchcliffe - x 2
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| Thu 17/04/2025 |
Spring Festival
2 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Trip - 5.04m
Jeff Turner - x 1
Shane Broadley - x 2
John Metcalfe - x 2
Chris Chatham - x 2
Joe Clough - x 1
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| Sun 20/04/2025 |
Spring Festival
1 Space Available
Wrecking Trip - 4.48m
Ben Cope - x 4
Gaz Townend - x 1
Karl Crossland - x 2
Jimmy Yeung - x 1
Toby Plotzitzka - x 1
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| Mon 21/04/2025 |
1 Space Available
Wrecking Trip - 4.31m
Peter Burton - x 2
Joe - x 7
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| Tue 22/04/2025 |
4 Spaces Available
Wrecking Trip - 4.30m
Ian Kellock - x 1
Charlie Hewitt - x 1
Dave Sharp - x 1
Derek Coulson - x 3
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| Thu 24/04/2025 |
7 Spaces Available
Wrecking Trip - 4.68m
Will sail with 4 anglers.
Stan Matthews - x 1
Chris Chatham - x 2
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| Fri 25/04/2025 |
8 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Trip - 5.02m
Will sail with 4 anglers.
Nick Gray - x 2
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| Fri 02/05/2025 |
9 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Trip - 5.18m
Will sail with 4 anglers.
Jeff Turner - x 1
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| Wed 07/05/2025 |
2 Spaces Available
Wrecking Trip - 4.43m
Ian Kellock x 1
Charlie Hewitt - x 1
Andy Baxter - x 4
Steve Milnes - x 1
Dave Sharp - x 1
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| Thu 08/05/2025 |
1 Space Available
Wrecking Trip - 4.58m
Stan Matthews - x 1
Peter Burton - x 2
Dave Coote - x 3
Derek Coulson - x 3
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| Sun 11/05/2025 |
1 Space Available
Wreck & Reef Trip - 5.02m
Dave Coverdale - x 2
Nabeel Ismail - x 7
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Reviews
Summary:
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Sean Coupland (03/11/2024)
First time aboard Sea Urchin uptiding Andy was fantastic made us all welcome and a hive of information, tips , knowledge we all caught a varied selection of fish , and had a fantastic day
Looking forward to a few trips for next year �� thanks Andy
SeanSkippers Reponse: Thanks very much Sean.
It was great to have you and Phil aboard. You were brilliant company and fished really well. I could tell you were shore anglers by how fast you picked it up!
Look forward to seeing you again.
Best Regards
Andy -
Paul Edwards (31/08/2024)
As always great to be onboard , Andys a guy who will tell you as it is , no bull shit , right or wrong a straight answer.
always on hand to help and give advice to both novice and seasoned anglers . he makes it a pleasure to fish with helping with issues and tangles.(some dont )..we always have a chat to see what the day will consist of ,,, ground / wrecks or a mix of both .taking tide and wind into account .
this day was the first day of the WCSA LATE SUMMER FESTIVAL, and boy did we smash it , Andy put us on the fish on the first wreck . OUR CLUB THE KEEL INN BARNSLEY took 1st 2nd and 3rd for the day, you ask for any better results than that. Always a pleasure to be on SEA URCHIN 111.
BE BACK SOON FOR ROUND 2 WEATHER PERMITTING .....TOG EDWARDS THE COMMITEESkippers Reponse: Thanks very much for the kind words Tog. You and the rest of the Keel Inn Club are an absolute pleasure to have aboard. #ifcarlsbergdidcustomers
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Paul Marsh (20/11/2023)
Excellent day uptiding,none of us had done it before but with Andy's help and knowledge we all got to grips and caught plenty of fish. As far as skippers go Andy takes some beating. Highly recommend.Thank Andy can't wait till April. Paul.
Skippers Reponse: Thanks very much for the kind words and taking the time to do a review, I really appreciate it.
You were all fantastic company and great to have aboard. Look forward to seeing you again next year.
Many Thanks
Andy -
Mariusz Marczyk (16/02/2023)
Great trip with fantastic, very helpful skipper. Andy’s knowledge helped us to catch nice fish. Good fun, comfortable, clean boat. Thanks Andy. See You soon again. Big “Thank You” from my dad Jurek��
Skippers Reponse: Thanks for the kind words Mariusz. I really enjoyed having you and your Dad on board. Hope he’s bought himself a nice new rod after the monster Pouting broke the last one!!
Look forward to seeing you both again. -
peter mccullagh (19/05/2022)
Good day out on Sea Urchin. Cup of tea to start the day most welcome. Extremely clean and well organised boat with plenty of buckets for bait and washing hands.Very friendly Skipper(Andy) took a lot of care and attention to every body especially the beginers who ,I think enjoyed their day(apart from being seasick but he felt better later) All very happy with the trip. I for one will be back soon...Pouting Pete
Skippers Reponse: Thank you for the kind words Pete. It’s great having you on board. The new anglers couldn’t have fished next to a better bloke. I saw and heard you offering help and advice when I was helping other anglers. Hopefully see you again soon.
Location
Bait & Tackle
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SKYLARK TACKLE WAREHOUSE
Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the Humber, England
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Anglers Choice
Middlesborough, North Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the Humber, England
Catch Stats
- CBUK Catch Log: 18 Species have been caught onboard Sea Urchin IIl, including: Ballan Wrasse | Coalfish (Coley/Saithe) | Cod | Cuckoo Wrasse | European Squid | Garfish | Haddock | Lesser Spotted Dogfish | Ling | Lobster | Mackerel | Monkfish | Octopus | Pollock | Tope | Tub Gurnard | Whiting | Wolf Fish
Latest Catches 953 photos uploaded
Latest Fishing Reports and News
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08/03/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
8 Mar 2025 by Andy Savage
It’s been a couple of months since we’ve had the opportunity to have a go on the wrecks, but today was a dinky 4.4m Neap tide which was ideal for it. With the winds from the South East, it could have gone a bit pear-shaped if they lifted, but thankfully, it was a beautiful day out in Springlike weather.
I had a group of mixed experience anglers aboard, who were happy to run offshore to try a few wrecks in the 20 mile stream. Whilst I really don’t like spending hours steaming back and forth, I’m happy to do it if I think it’s going to give us the best opportunity of finding a few fish. To make the most of the day, we headed off early and arrived at the first stop at 0830hrs with the tide Flooding against the SE wind. This resulted in the boat being held up on the drift and we literally crept across the wreck, which is ideal as it is a bit snaggy!
The first half a dozen drifts saw fish each run through falling to mainly Squid baited muppet traces. They were all small bright white Codling, but it wasn’t really what I’d hoped for. Then for some reason, the Pouting decided to muscle in on the action and they were stripping hooks and hanging themselves and just generally being a nuisance. Change of plan required…..
There were another couple of small wrecks nearby, so I opted to give them a go whilst the drift speed was so slow. Unfortunately that turned out to be a complete waste of time, as we just lost three sets of gear and never had a bite; never mind a fish. As we’d already had a few Codling from the first wreck and with plenty of different areas still to try, we dropped back onto it and set up a drift right at the very top end.
First run over and we put up four nice Codling between 3-5lb, pressure off!! Thankfully we had 3-6 fish every drift for the remainder of the day. Everyone got a few and whilst we didn’t find anything enormous our biggest Codling went 6lb 8oz, but the average stamp was much improved from the morning.
Squid, or Squid & Mackerel did the majority of the bites today. Big thanks to the lads for a really enjoyable day out. -
02/03/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
2 Mar 2025 by Andy Savage
Two day report aboard Sea Urchin. It’s been a weekend of two halves…..
Saturday saw a lovely mixed group of anglers aboard. After a reasonable day on Friday, I pointed Sea Urchin south and ran back to the same area to see if the fish would oblige us again. With light SW winds, the conditions were lovely and the lads got stuck in with the usual baits of Squid, Black Lug and Crab Cart as the Ebb Tide was just nicely away. Barry Allcock had two Codling up before I’d even explained how to bait and cast to the anglers on hire tackle, which gave me some optimism for the day.
Unfortunately, that was fairly short lived as after half a dozen fish, the action dried up. I nudged us further south to find a little more tide and we had a few more small Codling, but there were no flushes of fish moving through. Unfortunately, this was the pattern for the rest of the Ebb. Catch a few after a move and then sport dried up. I hoped the Flood tide might be better, but sadly, that was even worse. With the big Spring running through, we never even put up a fish for the last couple of hours. Everyone kept at it, but it wasn’t the day I hoped to deliver.
Today was a similar day as Saturday…except that today the fish were feeding and bites were consistent throughout. We headed back to the same area that I favour at this time of year and Tony Firman had fish straight away whilst I got the six lads on hire tackle going. Colin Frankland and five friends had good bait, listened to the advice offered and caught steadily all day. There was always a rod top nodding somewhere on the boat and Codling came up regularly.
Squid and Black Lug, Cart, Live Worm all did fish today. Nothing was a standout bait, as everything got a response. Tony Firman took the biggest at just over 6lb, which was a nice clean fish.
Massive thanks to everyone for coming, you were excellent company. Look forward to seeing you again soon. -
28/02/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
28 Feb 2025 by Andy Savage
A sharp overnight frost had me scraping the windows on Sea Urchin this morning, but thankfully it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day spent with a fantastic bunch of lads.
We’re back in big Spring Tide phase at the moment and today saw a 5.5m which was Ebbing nicely as we left the harbour. I chose to push tide and run South down towards Robin Hoods Bay as I always feel at this time of year there’s a chance of a better fish that way.
After a 30 minute steam, we had the anchor down and the lads got organised; fishing with a mixture of Dirty Squid, Black Lugworm and Crab Cart. It didn’t take too long before the rod tips started twitching and a few small Codling started to come up. There were quite a few tentative rattles which didn’t develop and sure enough Lobsters were the likely culprits as a couple were caught amongst the Codling. After a steady hour we chose to have a move a bit further down, to find a touch more tide.
We had similar results here as well, with fairly regular bites around the boat. Whilst the sport wasn’t frantic, it was much better than the last couple of Uptiding trips, with everyone getting in on the sport. Surprisingly, slack water even did a few fish today. As the first sniff of the Flood tide came through we repositioned the boat to make sure the anchor didn’t get jammed. As soon as we got going the bites started up again.
In all honesty, the consistency of the bites around the boat exceeded my expectations. Some of the lads had quiet spells during the day, but from a Skippers perspective, there was always something happening somewhere.
The average stamp of Codling wasn’t exceptional, with Ian Kellock taking the biggest one at 5lb 8oz amongst the dozen fish he caught. Everyone came armed with good bait today; which is essential. Overall, Crab Cart was the most effective, but Squid & Blacks received more attention on the Ebb. We had four moves during the day and caught at all four, I was happy with that. The chat and laughs amongst the anglers was brilliant and the day flew by for me. Hopefully tomorrow will yield similar results for us.
Thanks lads, you were brilliant company. -
06/02/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
6 Feb 2025 by Andy Savage
The last wrecking trip we ran was on the 27th December, so with perfect tide and weather conditions today, we had another go.
I’d explained to the lads that it’s a high risk strategy running off a long way in the winter, but they were happy to give it a try. We headed out at first light for a two hour steam North to the first wreck. The fishing conditions were perfect with all the lines being vertical and a lovely slow drift straight along the wreck. Unfortunately that meant nothing to the fish, as in half a dozen drifts we caught nothing but a strap Ling. It was at that point that we saw a pair of seals moving around us. Unsure if they had put the fish down, we pushed on to the next wreck.
We didn’t do much better on the second wreck. Each drift there were Pouting clattering the baits and a few hung themselves. We did catch a handful of small Codling, and I even took a picture of a 3lb fish that Paul Hargreaves caught, just in case we didn’t get anything else!! After 45 minutes or so, we pushed on to another wreck, which would have us arrive just as the tide was running into slack. It was only a small piece of scrap, so hopefully the lack of tide would allow us a bit more time to extract a fish or two.
Thankfully, after giving the “all in” four rods went over almost immediately and I breathed a sigh of relief! We spent the rest of the day drifting slowly across the wreck, taking 2,3 or 4 each time.
The biggest fish were a pair of Ling at 9lb 8oz to Chris and 8lb to Andy; plus a Codling just over 7lb to Joe Clough. Muppet traces with Squid and/or Mackerel seemed to work well. Although one of the lads put down a set of Daylights and took a triple shot of Pouting and a double shot of Codling.
The weather was fantastic all day and whilst we didn’t break any records, everyone got a few fish. When we set off, I feared the worse, but hoped for the best; and at the end of the day we were probably somewhere in between. It wasn’t too bad. The company and weather were fantastic, so thanks for a lovely day out lads. -
03/02/2025
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
3 Feb 2025 by Andy Savage
They say that a picture paints a thousand words……..don’t be fooled is my advice! Whilst there were some lovely clean fish caught over the last two days, the fishing has been rock hard and the quantity of fish caught has been poor.
After a reasonable days sport on Saturday, I hoped for something similar on Sundaonday. For whatever reason, it just didn’t materialise that way.
We kept on the move, had decent bait, fished with the right gear, but the fish just weren’t feeding well. Each stop would see a few bites/fish on arrival, but there seemed to be no flushes of fish moving through and it just died off.
The weather and sea conditions weren’t perfect, but there were decent periods both days, where it was spot on. We just didn’t seem to be able to string together a decent run of bites. No bait was best, the fish that we caught came to the usual suspects of. Squid, Lug and/or Cart randomly. I found it very frustrating, so I’m sure the anglers must have as well.
Over the two days, Ian Kellock took the biggest Codling at 6lb 8oz and Dave Sharp had a surprise Pollock of 5lb 12oz first drop at a new spot today. We’ve got to take the rough with the smooth and I know it’s a cliche, but “it’s called fishing, not catching”.
I’m grateful to all the lads who’ve been out with us and I really wish I could have produced more productive trips. That said, everyone was excellent company and the chat and banter made the days go too quickly. Thanks a lot.
Hopefully the fishing will improve again soon and give us more consistent sport.
Tight Lines
Andy
