Pwllheli to Milford Haven

Friday's blog post - Friday 29 July 2016

We departed Pwllheli at 0700 after saying good-bye to Jamie who had to return home. Fortunately John had arrived to replace him, and Avril came to wave us off too. There was a reasonable wind initially to put us on a close reach starboard tack, although the sea was rather ‘lumpy’. After a while the sea flattened and the wind came from further behind to give us a reasonable sail. Eventually however, as we progressed further across Cardigan Bay, the wind died too and we had to use the motor to maintain progress. Out in the bay there was nothing to see except the grey sea itself and a sky of similar colour – no other vessels and  no land. We plodded on. Eventually the sea was flat enough to brave going below and preparing a lunch of stewing steak and vegetables. The left-overs became our dinner later in the day too. It was very nice, but the steak was a bit tough – we decided that the butcher had ‘seen us coming’ or perhaps thought we had asked for ‘chewing steak’ instead of ‘stewing steak’! We took turns in going below for a lie down. Eventually South Wales turned up on the port bow and we motored through Ramsey Sound, the narrow stretch of water between the island of Ramsey and the mainland as we listened to music on deck. I had a message from Dan to say he was feeling a little better, which was brilliant! We were welcomed into the seas beyond the Ramsey Sound by huge numbers of birds and dolphins. The birds were resting in the sea and as we motored past them they all flew off to the sound of Take That singing ‘the world comes alive’ – a magical moment which we caught on camera! Onwards we motored as it turned dark, past Skomer and finally into Milford Haven as we picked our way through the flashing lights of the navigation buoys. As we motored down the Haven towards the marina we made radio contact with harbour control and were asked to navigate along the north side of the harbour to make way for a large tanker exiting the Haven. Dolphins made another appearance, this time very close to the boat, jumping and playing alongside us as we made our final approach to the marina which we entered via a lock. A wonderful day to remember!

Joke:

When the chemist died they had to barium.

Approaching St David's Point

 The birds greeting us after passing through Ramsey Sound heading towards Skomer

Click on THIS LINK to see another video of us sailing through the flock of birds
(If you can't get the video to play, try it on your pc, or try using Firefox as your browser and clicking the 3 dots in the top right hand corner and selecting 'request desktop site')

Locking in to Milford Haven marina late at night

Port Dinorwic to Pwllheli

Yesterday's post, Wednesday 27 July 2016
We departed Port Dinorwic at 1500hrs. The marina fee was a special £0 on account of us sailing to raise funds for charity. Thank you Port Dinorwic! We really appreciate your support! I must say also that the staff at the marina were also extremely helpful giving directions, advice and helping with our lines.

It had to be a 1500hrs departure since we needed the high water to lock out of the marina. It was dry, and a little overcast. In the marina we picked up a new would-be crew member, John. We had been chatting to John and Avril who had a motor cruiser, Bliss, which they were taking back to Pwllheli. John expressed interest in sailing and said he would give us a ring with a view to joining us for the next leg from Pwllheli to Milford Haven, and of course he would make a donation to the CF Trust. We decided not to race them to Pwllheli, especially since we cruise at 5 knots and Bliss goes at about 20 knots! It needs to be remembered however that Bliss requires about 30 litres of diesel per hour, whereas Blue Star needs about 50 litres per average week, depending on how much we use wind power.

The journey to Pwllheli took us 12 hours. We wormed our way out of the channel past Caernarfon which seemed to take forever, and then set a course for Bardsey Sound at the end of the Lleyn Peninsula. Initially we were able to sail, but before we reached Bardsey the wind had backed from north-west to south-west and we had to motor instead, almost directly into the wind. Darkness came after we had passed Porth Dinllaen but before Bardsey Island was reached. Night sailing brings a different sensation to the sailing experience, with only stars, a range of shore and navigation lights, and a series of silhouettes and half-lit clouds to break the pitch black night. Even so, I am not a great fan. Whilst the sailing experience itself is valued, I cannot help but feel that you miss out on the scenery, and arrive at your destination too tired to do justice to the following day. After Bardsey, Aberdaron was lit up, and then onwards past Hells Mouth, Porth Ceiriad, Abersoch, and finally we picked out the leading lights for Pwllheli marina.

A week or so ago I had arrived home to find a package on my doorstep. It tuned out to be a cake, left by my good friend David Shepherd from SCCC. When I telephoned to thank him David had said that he always felt that it was ‘really nice’ to have a cup of hot tea and ‘nice piece of cake’ when on night watch. ‘But then’, he went on to say, ‘you always do day sailing so it doesn’t really apply to you!’. I can now report that in the dark, somewhere off Aberdarron and with Bardsey just astern, we partook of a ‘nice cup of tea’ with a piece of Shepcake! Very nice too! Thank you David!

Layton’s jokes:

Q. Why do cows have lips?

A. If they didn’t they would go ‘Oooo!’

Q. Why do seagulls live in the sea?

A. Because if they lived in the bay they would be bagels!

The lock and Port Dinorwic with the marina beyond

The other side of the lock at low water

John and Avril, aboard Bliss, locking out with us

Sailing into the dark around midnight

Today? We walked into Pwllheli in the rain, bought some groceries, floor cloths and a flashlight in readiness for our next night-time entry to a port (probably Milford Haven).

Conwy to Port Dinorwic

Yesterday's post:

Tuesday 26 July 2016

Blue Star departed Conwy at 0530 to catch the high water that enabled passage over the sand bar at the entrance to the river. An easy passage took the crew to Beaumaris where they picked up a mooring buoy to await slack water at the Swellies, the stretch of water between Anglesey and the Welsh mainland, notorious for its strong currents and rocky hazards. Taken at the right time passage presents no difficulties, but history has many accounts of boats that came to grief. Fortunately the Blue Star crew got it right! The original destination was planned as Caernarfon but it proved impossible to communicate with the marina there and so the crew put in to Port Dinorwic instead, where I joined them later in the afternoon. (I have temporarily joined the ‘sailing team’ for the rest of the week, and been substituted in the ‘hospital visiting team’ by Cliff, Diane, Jess and anyone else that can make it! I am hopeful that Dan’s health is about to improve). Port Dinorwic is a narrow inlet which was once the main port for exporting slate from nearby the welsh slate mines. After the demise of the slate mines it was turned into a marina. It has to be accessed via a lock which maintains the depth needed for the yachts berthed there.

Joke:

A boat carrying red paint crashed into a boat carrying blue paint and the crew were marooned....

Blue Star after passage through the Swellies, the bridge over the Menai starits in the background.

Douglas to Conwy

Blog comments from Layton and Jamie:
The crew had an early start from Douglas this morning in order to catch the high water which enabled departure from Douglas marina. The original destination was planned as Holyhead, but once clear of Douglas it became clear that the wind direction and sea state suggested a more confortable point of sail would lead to Conwy, and so that is where the crew finished their day! The days saw Blue Star sail really fast and the whole journey was completed under sail! Well done to Blue Star and her crew! There was a little bit of queasiness along the way (mmm, typical of the Irish Sea), dolphins were spotted, and there was a 'faff' whilst preparing for entry to Conwy (I'm not sure what the faff was, but Jamie says 'It won't happen again Cap'n!').

Joke:

Layton had never been on a yacht before, and he was now thinking it was the stupidest thing he'd ever done in his life. Who would ever have believed that seasickness could be this awful? With every pitch and roll, Layton wondered how he was going to survive the remaining two hours of the trip.

After a while the Captain came up to him and said, "Don't worry, young fella. Nobody ever died of seasickness."

"Oh no!" said Layton, "You've just taken away my last hope for relief!"

Douglas at night

Approaching Conwy

(P.S. Diane, Cliff and Jess are planning to continue the visiting schedule to Dan so that I should be able to join the crew tomorrow in Caernarfon. Hopefully Dan will start to improve soon.)

Resuming the challenge

Team GBchallengecrew resume the sailing this weekend with a planned initial trip from Douglas to Holyhead. After all of the sun we've had recently it looks like it might be a rainy trip! I'm very disappointed to report that I will not be aboard personally for some/all of this week because my son Dan is ill in hospital and I am needed at home. It is a sobering reminder of one of the reasons that we are taking on this challenge. It is also a convenient time to remind myself that this is a team event with lots of different people contributing - to fund raising, organising, and sailing, and so it is not essential that I sail every part of the trip (although I really REALLY wanted to!). I may be able to join the crew if Dan's situation improves, but I wish Roger, Len, Layton and Jamie all the best.

We also heard recently from Chris Mason who was one of the crew of Wizard, the yacht we sailed from Kinlochbervie with. Chris sent us the photo below, which brings back some great memories.

I don't think it was meant as a joke, but.....
"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it...."
- Al Gore, Vice President

Dan with Ace, before he became ill recently

Blue Star on her way to Cape Wrath, photo by Chris Mason from on board yacht Wizard

Paddy and the RNLI, Bangor, Douglas and a return home

Those of you following the blog closely will have noted the absence of any posts recently. That has been because of the absence of any reliable wifi where we have visited in Northern Ireland and in the Isle of Man. Here are some belated posts to bring you up to date:

Wednesday 6 July - Glenarm to Bangor

We had a relaxing time in Glenarm, the seat of the Earl of Antrim in Glenarm Castle where we had taken our afternoon tea yesterday. We left at 1100 bound for Red Bay where the lifeboat sponsored by Roger is based. There was no wind and so we motored (again!). As we passed the headland between Glenarm Bay and Red Bay the wind increased considerably, from straight ahead, and we increased the engine revs to power our way through the wind onwards to the part of the bay where Paddy, Roger’s friend and coxswain of the local RNLI, and said a mooring buoy would be ready for us. Unfortunately another boat had taken the mooring, but Paddy came out to move one of his boats off a mooring buoy so that we could use it. We were then taxied ashore in a RIB by Paddy who then showed us around the RNLI station and took us to Harry’s Restaurant (owned by Paddy) where we treated a wonderful meal. Paddy asked that £10 be collected off crew members for the meal and donated to the CF Trust. Thank you Paddy!

Travelling back after our lunch we stopped off at Red Bay Boats, a factory that builds RIBs used by the RNLI and commercial operators as well as private individuals. The factory is owned by Paddy’s brother and exports boats to many countries. We looked at one boat that had been adapted for use by its wheelchair-bound owner.

As we returned to Blue Star Paddy pointed to a small, aged motor boat being launched, saying that he saw lots of people in boats that seemed, perhaps like that one, ill prepared for sea, that he ended up having to rescue. Paddy ferried us back to Blue Star and as we prepared to leave, the boat Paddy had pointed out lost its power and requested help from Paddy and the RNLI, having come only 100yds off shore!

We set our headsail and sailed away out of the bay, then soon took in the sail and motored as the wind came from ahead. We motored on past Glenarm once more, and onwards down the coast for some six hours to Bangor. The sea state became lumpy, then flattened out; the light faded and we put on our navigation lights. Finally we crossed Belfast Lough and entered Bangor marina. It is a large marina, staffed for 24 hours per day and has wonderful toilets and showers!

Peter's jokes:

1. I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me!
2. Jokes about German sausages are the wurst.

Looking back as we are taken ashore at Red Bay

The lifeboat station at Red Bay

The Blue Star crew with Liam and Paddy of Red Bay RNLI, (L-R: Roger, David, Liam, Robert, Paddy, Peter, Mike/me)

Thursday 7 July - Bangor to Douglas

We left Bangor at 0800 after refuelling. There was no wind so we motored. Copeland Island lies a short distance off Belfast Lough southern edge, and we navigated carefully between it and the Irish mainland. There are two sets of small green and red buoys that have to be found, and passage made between them to avoid various groups of rocks. After passing Copeland, another yacht, Ajax, was following us past Copeland Island and then followed a course along the coast whilst we set a course for the Isle of Man. The wind slowly appeared and we set the mainsail and motor-sailed. Eventually the wind veered and we were able to make way under sail alone. Our course took us into the large waves that were rolling towards us and passage was at the limit of comfort for a while before the sea flattened out once more. A fishing boat came towards us; we are required to keep clear so we altered course. The fishing boat altered course so as to head towards us again. We altered course again, and so did the fishing boat. Eventually we resumed engine power and crossed ahead of the fishing boat.

We planned to pass through the Sound of Calf, the small stretch of water between the Isle of Man and the island (the Calf of Man) at its southern tip. The tide was ripping through at 3 knots against us as we powered ahead at 7 knots through the water. The water was very confused and we spun this way and that before forcing our way through into the smooth water beyond. Once on the ‘English side’ of the island we noticed that the sun came out, the wind came from behind us, the sea settled down, and we enjoyed a relaxing sail for a few hours. We envisaged an enjoyable end to the day sailing to Douglas. Not a bit of it! Just then a cold fog drifted in from the east and visibility reduced to no more than 100 yards! We continued to navigate with the help of our electronic chartplotter, relying on our radar and AIS to be seen and to ‘see’ other vessels. We felt confident, but all of a sudden a ‘ghost ship’ appeared out of the mist, about the size of a large tug, although it looked like a passenger vessel. It had no AIS representation (it should have!) and hardly gave any echo on our radar! We detected it only by mark one eyeball when it was about 100 yards abreast of our port side. Did it actually exist?! It powered past us and was not seen again!

As we approached Douglas harbour we radioed ahead for permission to enter, and to check there were no other vessels leaving that we might collide with. Suddenly there were lots of loud foghorn signals from the harbour, and another yacht, Drumbeat, was also radioing in. As we entered the harbour Drumbeat and several other yachts appeared out of the murk and followed us to the waiting pontoon. We had to wait until about 30 mins past midnight when the tide has risen enough for us to enter the marina, passing a bridge that had to be raised for us.

The next day (Friday 8 July) we cleaned the boat, walked into Douglas for coffee, ate a crew dinner out, booked our tickets home for Saturday and watched Shep throw his ‘oilies’ into the bin – they had been slowly falling apart during the week! Because of difficulties with the timing of high water over the next few days, and anticipated bad weather, we decided to leave Blue Star in Douglas for a while instead of proceeding to Fleetwood, before resuming our voyage with new crew in a few weeks time.

Another joke from Peter:

I tried to catch some fog but mist!

A very dodgy joke from me:
* Mooo!
* What's that?
* Calf Sound

Looking back through Calf Sound after we had powered through it

Looking through the fog towards the harbour entrance after arrival in Douglas

The fog is still dense later in the evening

David throws away his oilies after a lot of ribbing from the crew about them falling apart!

Roger and I in Douglas

The marina in Douglas

On our way home - the Liver Building in Liverpool is the home of Amaze who have sponsored our trip (see the link to the right of this page). Amaze are amazing!

Port Ellen to Glenarm

We departed Port Ellen, our last port of call in Scotland, at 0630 under an overcast sky. We set the main with one reef, expecting the wind to fill in as forecast. It didn’t though, so we kept up our speed under engine power. The early start enables us to take advantage of the strong tides, and at one point we were making ten knots over the ground! We headed out along the north-western edge of the traffic separation scheme (a sort of dual carriageway for commercial shipping where yachts have limited entitlement to navigate). After a few hours we were approaching the Mull of Kintyre and we turned ninety degrees to starboard to go across the TSS whilst also still being swept sideways by the tide. The wind finally arrived and we shook out the reef and completed our journey under full sail, arriving in Northern Ireland in a very short time. As we approached the coast we decided to take an early lunch of bacon and egg sandwiches provided by David. After tying up at Glenarm marina at 1300 we walked into the town before returning aboard for spaghetti bolognese cooked by Peter.

Peter’s joke:

Q. Why do owls not mate in stormy weather?

A. Too wet to woo!

The marina at Glenarm

Looking down the river towards the town

Crinan to Port Ellen

We departed Crinan yacht basin at 0930. We had looked forward to getting some scones from the café prior to departure, but they had none. David resolved to make some pancakes to compensate us, but instead made scrambled egg for lunch, which was very well received! The sea was flat but the day was grey and cloudy, and the rain came and went throughout the day as other vessels appeared and disappeared again in the misty murk. There was no wind and all day was spent motoring. We entered Port Ellen in another shower and were grateful to tie up and dry out. Roger cooked chicken and rice whilst the rest of us invested in socialising with the local community. David made a new girlfriend in the local hotel whilst we sampled the local whiskies and ales.

Tomorrow is an early start, bound for Glenarm in Northern Ireland.

Jokes:

It turns out yesterday's joke was Roger's joke, but these really are Peter's:

Q. Guess who I bumped into at Specsavers'?

A. Everybody!

I bought a litre of Tipex yesterday! Big mistake!

Q. What does a hungry clock do?

A. Goes back 4 seconds!

Crinan yacht basin

Shep cooking scrambled egg as we motor towards Port Ellen

Back on board, and a trip to Crinan

We arrived on board Blue Star yesterday afternoon and spent some time loading the groceries (bought in Oban) and other gear, and fitted the new water pump. New crewmate Peter joined us, with Robert and David who had sailed with us before. This morning we completed the water pump repair and waited until the office opened so that we could reclaim our mainsail that had been repaired whilst we had been away. We then spent some time filling up with diesel and fitting the mainsail. By the time all the tasks were complete it was nearly 1100 when we finally left Dunstaffnage. It was a grey showery morning, the wind was against us and we motored against a lumpy sea which made life uncomfortable. David and new crewmate, Peter, made soup and sandwiches which were very well received. Slowly the sea state improved, the wind changed direction, and we finished the day sailing on a flat sea into Loch Crinan with another yacht following us. we entered the sea lock to stay overnight in the yacht basin after an enjoyable end to the day. As we came through the sea lock we had lots of spectators; locks always attract lots of spectators! Salmon steaks for dinner tonight.

Peter's joke:

Two men in a kayak were out on the sea. It was rather cold so they decided to light a fire in their kayak. It sank. It just goes to show that you can't have your kayak and heat it!

Roger helmimg, with Peter alongside, and the other yacht following us.