Charter Boat: Sea Urchin IIl
Boat and Skipper Details
Launched in 2016, Sea Urchin III 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 III 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 with Skipper 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 07:00 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 17:00 hrs where you can finish off your filleting, if you haven’t already done it at sea (recommended).
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 £9.00 for 24hrs).
Once you’ve got the car parked, it’s worth a stroll to the excellent Singing Kettle for one of their hearty breakfasts (open from 05:30hrs daily). If you need to grab any bait or tackle for the day, Paula and Malcolm at Hook, Line and Sinker on Church Street, will be pleased to see you, give advice and sort you out with your bait and tackle needs.
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 Fleece and Middle Earth Tavern being popular Church Street pubs, 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 we will never be found lacking.
August 2020
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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: 24-Apr-2024 |
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Upcoming Individual Spaces on Sea Urchin IIl
Mon 29/04/2024 |
Spring Festival
1 Space Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 4.90m
Aaron Soloman - x 4
Kev Jackson - x 2
Tony Rimington - x 3
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Wed 01/05/2024 |
3 Spaces Available
Good Wrecking Tide - 4.53m
Tim Little - x 4
Neil Pickard - x 1
Ian Kellock - x 1
Dave Sharp - x 1
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Thu 02/05/2024 |
3 Spaces Available
Good Wrecking Tide - 4.48m
Jeff Turner - x 1
Arturas Jurela - x 4
Steve Ralphson - x 2
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Mon 06/05/2024 |
4 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.27m
Joe Clough - x 3
Laurence Byrne - x 1
Dave Sharp - x 1
Ian Hardy - x 1
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Mon 13/05/2024 |
1 Space Available
Good Wrecking Tide - 4.73m
Peter Burton - x 2
Volker - x 3
Nik Khan - x 2
John Armstrong - x 2
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Thu 23/05/2024 |
5 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.14m
Dave & Del - x 2
David Craine - x 2
Jane - x 1
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Fri 24/05/2024 |
9 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.21m
Will sail with 5 anglers.
Joe Clough - x 1
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Sat 25/05/2024 |
6 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.23m
Will Sail with 5 Anglers
Ed Hardy - x 2
Harry Magias - x 2
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Fri 31/05/2024 |
5 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 4.81m
Nick Gray - x 2
Mike Mellors - x 3
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Sun 02/06/2024 |
2 Spaces Available
Good Wrecking Tide - 4.77m
Will Freeman - x 3
Richard Cunliffe - x 2
Jamie Britton - x 1
Neil Fell-Edwards - x 1
Nik Khan - x 1
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Tue 04/06/2024 |
3 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.09m
Charlie Hewitt - x 2
Jonathan Thompson - x 5
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Thu 06/06/2024 |
6 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.34m
Will sail with 5 anglers.
Marius - x 4
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Sun 09/06/2024 |
3 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.32m
Robert Blackburn - x 5
Ed Hardy - x 2
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Mon 10/06/2024 |
5 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.21m
Volker - x 3
Martin Novo - x 2
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Thu 20/06/2024 |
1 Space Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 4.88m
Marius - x 4
Jamie Britton - x 1
Michael Mcculley - x 1
Dave & Del - x 2
Romas Geringsonas - x 1
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Fri 21/06/2024 |
5 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.04m
Matus Antalic - x 4
Joe Clough - x 1
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Tue 25/06/2024 |
9 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.38m
Will sail with 5 anglers.
Keith Pickering - x 1
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Thu 27/06/2024 |
6 Spaces Available
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.31m
Will sail with 5 anglers.
Marius - x 4
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Sun 30/06/2024 |
1 Space Available
Summer Festival
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.03m
Juned Islam - x 2
Keith McCance - x 1
Mike Dunn - x 1
Greg Francis - x 1
Nik Khan - x 1
Dave Bewley - x 3
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Sun 07/07/2024 |
1 Space Available
Summer Festival
Wreck & Reef Tide - 5.35m
Jonathan Thompson - x 5
Keith McCance - x 1
Dave Broadley - x 1
Shane Broadley - x 1
Pawel Perczynski - x 1
| View details |
Reviews
Summary:
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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.
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Rob Noble (17/01/2022)
What a great day out. Andy’s knowledge of the fishing grounds was bob on (always moving to better locations in search of more fish). I’ve been put off charter fishing in the past by various ‘uninterested’ skippers, Andy is not like this, he has a zest for being out and catching fish and will help anyone in need of a few pointers. We will definitely be back very soon! Thanks again.
RobSkippers Reponse: Thanks Rob.
It was great having you on board, thanks for the kind words. You were both great company. Look forward to seeing you again soon. Hopefully Sammy will give us a break next time!! -
Nick Chandley (09/08/2021)
A great day out that my son and I had been really looking forward to. Everything fell into place and Andy, Pete and the other people on the boat went the extra mile to help a pair of novices have a successful and very memorable trip. Highly recommended and I’m sure we’ll be back!
Skippers Reponse: Thank you for the kind words Nick. You both did brilliantly; took on all the advice and fished really well. Looking forward to seeing you on board again soon.
Best Regards
Andy
Location
Bait & Tackle
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At HOOK, LINE & SINKER
WHITBY, North Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the Humber, England
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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: 17 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 (Common) | Lobster | Mackerel | Monkfish | Pollock | Tope | Tub Gurnard | Whiting | Wolf Fish
Latest Catches 743 photos uploaded
Latest Fishing Reports and News
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19/03/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
19 Mar 2024 by Andy Savage
Don’t be fooled by the pictures…..today was was a really tough fishing day, made into a thoroughly enjoyable day by the anglers aboard.
We had a small tide but the winds were a bit too fresh for running out to offshore wrecks. That gave us the option of fishing inside at anchor as the inshore wrecks and ground still haven’t sparked up yet. We headed South to make the most of the tide and after an hours run we put the anchor down. With the area receiving little pressure this winter, I hoped there would be a few willing resident Codling that would come and find us.
I was wrong, simple as that. We had dropped anchor in the fishy equivalent of Dogs Trust, with a constant stream of DogFish and Pouting snaffling the baits. Three moves later we conceded defeat and ran back a few miles towards Whitby; arriving about an hour before slack water. Before I’d even had chance to finish making the brews, I saw Chris Chatham bring up a Codling which was a relief. Thankfully an odd Codling started to make an appearance, but it certainly wasn’t prolific.
Once the bites dried up, we had a short move as it appeared there weren’t many fish running. I put us on a short anchor as we were about to lose the tide and start swinging about. Interestingly, as we lost the tide we had a bit of a flurry of Pollock. We don’t seem to get too many of them when Uptiding, but we had half a dozen of them today. With Charlie Hewitt taking the biggest at 6lb 12oz.
Most of the lads switched over to regular leads (as opposed to breakaway leads) while the boat was swinging and we kept picking up odd fish which certainly hasn’t been the case recently.
Once the Ebb Tide came through, things tailed off again and despite another three moves, we ended with only an odd fish here and there. I would have loved to be able to deliver a few more fish for the boys, but it just wasn’t to be.
From a personal perspective, it was great to have a group of “anglers” (not freezer fillers) aboard, most of whom I hadn’t seen this winter with the rubbish weather we’ve had. A good catch up with some great banter. Thanks very much to you all -
18/03/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
18 Mar 2024 by Andy Savage
We had the weather today to have a run out and try a few wrecks. I haven’t been offshore since last year, so didn’t really know what to expect; but I wasn’t hugely optimistic having spoken with Rich Ward from Shy-Torque, who had tried recently. Almost with a sense of impending doom I pointed us North and headed out to some wrecks in the 20 mile stream.
Just to be clear; I much prefer to fish the inshore wrecks which saves so much time steaming around, but unfortunately at this time of year we’ve found them to hold very little until the water starts to clear out. The offshore wrecks are usually a little more prolific, hence the reason for heading out that far.
I had a great crew aboard today, who love wrecking and knew what to do, so at least I knew if the fish were present and feeding they’d catch them. We had half a dozen drifts on the first wreck (which had a huge seal mooching around it) for a grand total of two Pouting, a Plaice and a bitten off Codling!! Oh S**t…..Time to move on.
We arrived at the next wreck with 90 minutes or so until slack water. I breathed a sigh of relief as three fish came up on the second drift (we missed the wreck first drift with the wind blowing us out to sea). We then proceeded to have a few fish each drift for the next 3 hours. Our best drift saw six Codling come up, nothing massive, but good to get bites. As usual, a few patterns emerged as the day progressed. When the tide was at full speed, smaller baits on Hokkai’s did the business, but as it eased, muppet traces baited with Squid or Mackerel seemed best.
A couple of things worthy of mention: Sea Urchin regular Allan Knaggs was top rod today, with nine fish to keep plus throwbacks. He fished really well, especially with the lines streaming a bit after dinner. Tony Firman caught plenty of fish (mainly Coalie’s) using the Slow Pitched Jig which was good to see.
Once the Ebb Tide came through it slowed the fishing right down, so we had half an hour on a wreck on the way back in for another half a dozen fish. It wasn’t a Red Letter Day, but equally, it wasn’t a disaster. Great to spend a day in the sunshine in excellent company. Thanks lads. -
17/03/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
17 Mar 2024 by Andy Savage
Well that’s been a very productive few days……
After two years in the water, it was time to lift Sea Urchin out for a good clean up. Thankfully there were no nasty surprises after inspecting the hull, rudder and prop, and it was just a case of rolling up my sleeves and getting stuck in.
First job after jet washing the hull was to wash it again; this time with a gentle soap solution, to remove any last bits of debris. After two years, the white hull had lots of discolouration and it was covered in yellowy brown stains caused primarily by the sunlight reflecting off the water. Starbright Hull Cleaner made short work of the task, bringing it back to bright white, so I could move onto preparing the underside for painting on the Antifoul.
Antifoul is essential for any vessel permanently moored in the water. It protects the hull from any type of marine growth, which in turn improves fuel efficiency, as the boat moves through the water with minimal drag. I don’t remove all the old Antifoul, but ensure the underside is scrubbed with a wire brush to remove any foreign matter.
Once that was completed, all that was left to do was apply two coats of Starbright Marine Polish with PTEF (which prolongs the staining to the GRP) to the hull and then one coat of International Cruiser 250 Antifoul to the underside. Last but not least was to replace the Sacrificial Anodes which help protect the metal of the boat which is permanently underwater from electrolytic corrosion.
Sadistically, I really enjoy doing the hard work and it only took me three full days to get the job done. It’s so rewarding to see her brought back to looking her absolute best. We’re back in the water now and looking forward to running off to some wrecks in the morning. -
03/03/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
3 Mar 2024 by Andy Savage
It’s been great to get a few trips in recently, and today we had lovely weather conditions once again. With all the poor weather and the countless trips I’ve had to cancel, it was frustrating when a group of four people didn’t bother turning up today. I’m sure there were plenty of anglers who would have jumped at the chance to have a run out..…..
That left plenty of room on deck for the other anglers, and we set about running South for a days Uptiding. Only a 4.5m tide today, so we targeted the areas where we get the most tide. Bait was a bit of a compromise, as the shop in Whitby didn’t have any Black Lugworm, so we had Squid, Mussels and Mackerel. We arrived at the first stop with about two hours or so of the Flood tide remaining.
Once we got everyone fishing properly a few bites started coming. Mainly small Codling and a few Dogfish, but they were fairly consistent and it didn’t take long for everyone to get off the mark. Just as we began to lose the tide Sergejs hooked something a bit better and dragged up a 7lb 4oz Codling which was nice to see and turned out to be the biggest fish of the day. Slack water wasn’t too bad today. The boat held pretty steady and a selection of Whiting, Pouting, Doggie’s and a couple of Codling came up to much smaller baits and hooks.
The Ebb Tide in the afternoon saw much the same as the morning. Andy Townend had a much better “second half” and caught consistently for the rest of the day. He took the only Pollock of the day as well as a token Lobster (which went straight back), plus some nice Codling which he gave away to the other lads.
The bites dried up a bit in the last hour, but I think that was mainly down to everyone running out of bait. I can’t emphasise enough how crucial good bait in quantity is for Uptiding. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day for me, spent in good company. -
29/02/2024
Fishing Report by Andy Savage
29 Feb 2024 by Andy Savage
At the end of last week, I had the pleasure of Shaun Marchington, Bob Jones and Jack booking the boat for themselves. We’d had to cancel the three previous trips due to poor weather, so it was great to finally get them out.
With there only being the three of them, I provided an extra rod each, so they could fish with two rods and they were also happy for me to fish as well (which I don’t ordinarily do on regular trips).
With a 5.2m tide, we chose to head North; running up towards Port Mulgrave and then working our way back to Whitby. Bait for the day was Squid, Black Lugworm, Mackerel or Prawns, but it turned out that Squid and Worm did the most bites as usual.
On arrival at our first stop, we had to wait a while for the Ebb Tide to push through, so we just set off fishing one rod as the boat was swinging around. The boys picked up a few small Codling, whilst I switched to a lighter setup, fishing 2/0 hooks baited with small bits of Squid, which actually brought plenty of bites from small Codling, Whiting, and a single Dogfish. Once the tide picked up, the boat held steady and we got stuck in with two rods each. The bites came fairly regularly for around an hour, with a few flushes of fish moving through, which was good to see.
Once it quietened down we moved on and at the next stop we had a frantic 30 minutes where we caught a fair few 3-4lb Codling which was nice, but then it just died a death. Interestingly, that turned out to be a pattern we identified later on in the day. Two spots we fished had a better average size of Codling, but died completely after 30 minutes or so and three other spots we fished did more bites for longer, but the average size was smaller.
Over the course of the day we caught Codling, Whiting, Haddock, Pollock, Coalfish, Pouting, Poor Cod, and Dogfish. With the exception of one grey bellied fish, every other Codling we caught was absolutely pristine, bright white bellied and fresh run, which hopefully bodes well for the coming trips.
The lads were fantastic company and before we knew it, the day had flown by and it was time to head for home. Thanks boys, see you next time.