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My ears ache. It’s not just the grey mist that’s penetrated by the insistent blast of the foghorn. Standing at the foot of the red and white painted Longstone Lighthouse on a desolate outcrop of rocks in the Farne Islands, I suspect it’s moments like this when former lighthouse keepers might be thankful it was automated in 1990. I try to imagine the raging storm on that fateful night in September 1838 when the steamer Forfarshire ran aground on nearby rocks, and lighthouse keeper William Darling and his daughter Grace rowed heroically through frighteningly heavy seas to rescue nine members of her crew.

“Better not go too far,” says Graham Adnitt, Second Officer of the Trinity House Vessel Patricia, anchored nearby, as interesting rock pools and inquisitive seals tempt me to wander further. “The tide’s coming up.”

THV Patricia is no ordinary ship. The flagship of Trinity House Lighthouse Service, her function is to cruise the coastal waters of England, Wales and the Channel Islands, servicing and repairing lighthouses, lightships, buoys and other navigational markers. Now we’re at Longstone, four miles off the Northumberland coast, where the day before she’d topped up the lighthouse’s fuel supply with 13,650 litres of diesel. That should keep the generator which powers the light going for the next year, but they’ll be back before then.

The reason I’m aboard Patricia is rather less vital to the immediate needs of safe navigation. I’m one of just two passengers, trying out a new venture to offer people cruises with a difference. While Patricia is very much a working ship, the accommodation for passengers is much more than purely functional. The six double outside cabins, used by the visiting committee of Elder Brethren - Trinity House’s governing council headed up by HRH Prince Philip - are a good deal better than you’d find in many top class hotels, let alone cruise ships. And now you have the chance to see for yourself.

Trinity House has a history going back to the reign of Henry VIII, and the public areas of Patricia ooze much of it, with exclusive works of art, photographs of the Queen and Prince Philip, and group photos of Elder Brethren, including one with Sir Winston Churchill to celebrate his 80th birthday. My cabin is just across the way from the one used by the Duke of Edinburgh, on occasions such as Cowes Week. While the Royal Yacht Britannia was in commission, Patricia was the only ship allowed to sail ahead of her when the Queen was on board, a right which would be exercised annually by escorting the Royal Yacht out of Portsmouth.

While cruise ships have every conceivable entertainment, Patricia’s is limited to a beautifully appointed lounge with stereo and TV/video, and a few games and books. The cabins have satellite TV and videos, too. But whilst you might get a rough idea of your itinerary before you book, you can’t bank on sticking to the letter of it. That’s because Patricia’s work schedule is dictated by the weather and operational requirements, including what Chief Officer John Mallett describes as “casualties” - where something goes wrong with a navigational aid requiring immediate attention.

In fact, when I’m aboard, what was going to involve a couple of days cruising down the North Sea picking buoys out of the water for general maintenance ends up with a 24 hour run down to Harwich to pick up a lightship which needed to be towed to Hull. So you can never be absolutely certain what the ship’s going to be doing, or where. You do also need to be mindful that while the diesel-electrically powered Patricia is very quiet, she’s no large cruise ship with stabilisers, so expect a little movement when the sea’s lumpy.

It’s fascinating to watch as the ship pulls up to a buoy, and hauls it out of the water so the accumulations of seaweed and seabird droppings can be removed with a pressure hose. The chain which connects it to its sinker - a weight which might be up to eight tons - is inspected for signs of wear, and the solar-charged batteries which power its light are checked and replaced if necessary. It wasn’t so long ago that the lanterns on buoys were powered by acetylene gas, requiring more frequent visits to replace the gas, and to relight pilot lights which could be blown out. The consequences of hazards not being marked properly are hammered home with events such as when the luxury car-carrying cargo ship Tricolor sank in the Channel after a collision last December. “We did offer to help,” I was told. “But the French preferred to take charge.” The implication is that perhaps with better marking, the subsequent accidents with two other vessels running into the wreck might have been avoided.

There’s a friendly open bridge policy, so you can nip up to the ship’s nerve centre, have a cup of tea, and learn a bit more about Patricia’s busy life. She’s on call 365 days a year, and her crew of 25 do shifts of three weeks on, three weeks off.

But as far as the passenger is concerned, just enjoying a leisurely life on board is what it’s all about. With a maximum of 12 passengers, you’re not likely to be treading on each other’s toes, but with the single large table in the dining room, the idea is to engender an exclusive house party kind of atmosphere. Jean-Claude, our Breton steward, is a former submariner, merchant seaman and hotelier, and his charming character - occasionally lapsing into French as he discusses the menu - certainly helps on that score. The food is fantastic, too, cooked in a special kitchen by Andy, a top chef from P&O’s elegant Oriana. There’s a good selection of very favourably-priced wines to go with the meals, and Jean-Claude knows his stuff when it comes to recommending which one to choose. He’s used to dealing with VIPs and royalty, and that’s exactly how he makes you feel - as though you’re on your own private yacht.

As one of the first to sample Patricia’s new venture, I proffered one or two helpful suggestions on how they might make a good thing even better. So if at some time you happen to take a voyage on the “Pat”, and you find yourself lounging lazily in a newly-installed hot-tub on one of the aft decks, think of me…

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