KevL
New member
We (the misses and me) moved Sulida from Conwy to Fleetwood at the weekend, 65NM and 5hrs of rain and poor visibility, still we got there in one piece and the boat went like a dream. We got to Fleetwood at low tide and I've never seen as much shallow water and sand flats in my life, it really gave me an appreciation of what they mean by a buoyed channel. We picked up a mooring buoy outside the Marina and sat there for another 5 hours until they opened the gates so we could get in at 23:40. By about 00:30 we were tied up to a finger pontoon in the marina, the elec. was on and charging the batteries back up after the misses had virtually flattened one of them with the TV and video and it was bed time. What a journey, but looking back on it we learned loads and actually had a great time even if it didn't always feel like it at the time.
Here is a list of what we learned:
1, If you plan a course that keeps you "just" in sight of land for comfort, when the weather is bad you can't see the land.
2, The weather might be nice when you set off but a lot can happen in five hours.
3, Reading charts and plotting routes is nigh on impossible while being thrown around at sea.
4, Blackpool tower is a great landmark but there is naff all else to get a bearing off in poor visibility.
5, You need to be a bloody good shot to use a sea toilet while at sea, better to sit down.
6, Despite what she says the misses can actually steer a pretty good course as long as you give her something to point the boat at rather than ask her to follow a compass bearing, even if it is a cloud on the horizon.
7, We need some waterproof trousers
8, We need a dingy if only to get Penny (the dog) to the shore to do her business coz she can't use a sea toilet.
9, Picking up a mooring buoy is better done by lying down on the bow and passing a rope through the buoy loop rather than trying to use the boat hook which you tend to drop overboard.
10, Our boat hook floats.
The next big trip will be Ireland via the IOM around July for our 10th wedding anniversary this year, we'll be cruising for about a week and after proving we can do a trip from Conwy to Fleetwood in bad weather this should be a breeze. Really looking forward to it now.
KevL
Here is a list of what we learned:
1, If you plan a course that keeps you "just" in sight of land for comfort, when the weather is bad you can't see the land.
2, The weather might be nice when you set off but a lot can happen in five hours.
3, Reading charts and plotting routes is nigh on impossible while being thrown around at sea.
4, Blackpool tower is a great landmark but there is naff all else to get a bearing off in poor visibility.
5, You need to be a bloody good shot to use a sea toilet while at sea, better to sit down.
6, Despite what she says the misses can actually steer a pretty good course as long as you give her something to point the boat at rather than ask her to follow a compass bearing, even if it is a cloud on the horizon.
7, We need some waterproof trousers
8, We need a dingy if only to get Penny (the dog) to the shore to do her business coz she can't use a sea toilet.
9, Picking up a mooring buoy is better done by lying down on the bow and passing a rope through the buoy loop rather than trying to use the boat hook which you tend to drop overboard.
10, Our boat hook floats.
The next big trip will be Ireland via the IOM around July for our 10th wedding anniversary this year, we'll be cruising for about a week and after proving we can do a trip from Conwy to Fleetwood in bad weather this should be a breeze. Really looking forward to it now.
KevL
