Dave Gray'sPuffin Cruises

Dave Gray's Puffin Cruises has sailed from Amble harbour out to Coquet Island since 1969. The family-run operation, skippered today by David Gray and Steven Banks aboard two boats, G Fisher III and Rachel K, crosses the mile of water separating the harbour from the island, where around 40,000 seabirds nest each summer, including puffins, Arctic and Sandwich terns and the rare roseate tern, alongside a resident grey seal colony. Standard sailings run about an hour; extended 90-minute trips include sunset cruises and dedicated seabird-watching sailings, with seal-watching trips continuing from August through March once the birds have left the island. Tickets are sold from the booking office and gift shop in Amble Harbour Village, with sailings booked by phone rather than online. The business has featured on Robson Green's Weekend Escapes and in national press coverage of the Northumberland coast. Sailings depend on tide and weather, with the week's schedule posted on the company's Facebook page.