The History Of Whitby Harbour, And What To Expect On A Trip To Whitby Harbour Nowadays.

Whitby is a all-natural harbour on the North Yorkshire Coastline, having been a place of shelter for passing ships for many 100's of years. From as early as Roman times, the port of Whitby has been host to a variety of craft from whalers to traders. There is possible evidence of a Roman Lighthouse on the East Side cliff top.



Captain James Cook is certainly Whitby's most famous seafaring connection Having been apprenticed in Whitby, he left to enlist in the Navy and started his well-known career. The Endeavour with which he is synonymously linked with the charting of the shoreline of Australia was, in fact, a Whitby cat (a coal vessel).



With the increase in the whaling industry another Whitby son, Sir William Scoresby along with his son, became famous Whaling Captains. The crow's nest was the idea of Sir William Scoresby which helped the easier visibility of the location of schools of whales. It was adopted by many other sorts of sailing vessels for the purpose of both lookout for pirates and dangerous rocks. A structure of a crow's nest dedicated to Sir William Scoresby is located alongside Whitby Harbour close to the Tourist Information Centre.



The quantity of commercial trade carried out at Whitby Harbour, has decreased in recent times. The unloading of freight and storage at Dock End has all but stopped together with the work of the Custom men.



Nowadays, the harbour continues to be vibrant but this is nearly entirely due to tourism, the exception being the boat builders and repairers further upstream, and the last few remaining full-time fishermen striving to make a living in the face of the current economic climate and legislation.



The boat trips and pleasure trips to sea are a daily and colourful sight in the harbour at this time of the year. The calls of the boatmen attracting attention to the various boats available, the shriek of the seagulls swooping above the harbour looking for titbits and leftovers left by the visitors and the constant hum of engines beating like hearts in the engine holds, guarantee that Whitby Harbour remains alive and continues to provide both income and pleasure to the townsfolk and the ever increasing visitors.

There's a great deal of different boat trips on offer. These include the Mary Anne Hepworth, Whitby's old lifeboat and a mini replica of Captain Cooks Endeavor! Some of the bigger boats take longer trips including sunset cruises and even whale watching trips.