First time anchoring Skokholm and Caldey

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mireland

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On the weekend of the 23rd July I plan on a trip out of Milford Haven, leaving HW-1 to Skokholm. I plan on going to the north of the island and anchoring there for 2 - 3 hours to practice anchoring. If all goes well with the tackle then taking the favourable tidal streams to Caldey Island where I will anchor overnight. Both anchoring scenarios will be first time events as skipper - a little nervous!

Any thoughts on proposed mini passage or on anchoring welcome - so long as they are polite of course!
 
for a first anchoring why not try dale- just north of the pontoon. plenty of depth and good holding. caldey has number of anchorages but the best depending on wind direction are priory bay and paul jones bay. . if there is north in the wind i would go over to tenby and anchor there. all lovely palces and so uncrowded compared with south coast
 
Anchoring is only difficult if in crowded anchorages... if you have plenty of space, take your time, let the anchor settle, pay out plenty of chain/warp, and reverse against it to set it firmly... big beginners mistake is to start reversing as soon as the anchor is dropping, thus never letting it settle onto the bottom, and pulling it more upwards than along...

You'll still sit and worry for an hour, constantly thinking you are dragging....even though you aren't /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif...

Enjoy... sounds like a lovely passage....
 
if the wind is Northerly what about South Haven on Skomer?

no moorings so anchoring is the only option.

In Southerlies you could go around to North Haven there are moorings here and a landing place.

As allready mentioned read pilot books etc for info regarding best times to go through Jack Sound if you decided to go that way. And dont try to anchor on the West side of Skokholm where the tide is strong.(Wild Goose race).

I only ever anchored off Caldy once in a bay on the North Side waiting for a SW gale to blow itself out.Half way through the night we decided not to continue with an anchor watch ,so it must be good holding there!

To check your not dragging once the boat has settled down look for a transit on your beam,anything will do ,2 trees in alignment a boulder and a tree is good,you normally hear the anchor and chain grumbling if your dragging anyway.

enjoy yourselves.
 
One mistake I've seen many people make is going too fast astern thinking possibly they will dig the anchor in deep. It wont, it just skips along the bottom.

What works best is to be going backwards quite slowly as the slack is taken up then as the boat comes to a near stop put the engine back in reverse and increase the revs slightly so you start to lift the chain off the bottom. If its good holding you'll stop and the anchor chain will be tight. Make sure whoever is handling the anchor has tied it off to a cleat and has hands and feet clear of the chain before you put any stern power on to avoid squashed fingers.

Personaly I never rely on the windlass brake to hold the chain and will always take a fig 8 round a cleat.

Have a nice trip.
 
Don't forget to soak the hook. This delightful phrase describes the equally delightful practice of spending the first hour after setting the anchor in the cockpit sipping a beer or possibly two depending on circumstances.

The crew can be directed to blowing up the dinghy, cooking the dinner etc. but it is essential that the skipper has a period of contemplation to commune with the anchor. This ritual virtually guarantees a well-set hook and a consequently undisturbed night's sleep.
 
Thanks everyone for all the good advice I feel more conifdent already!. Can you tell me more about Wild Goose Race. The pilot book says that rounding Skokholm is a good first excursion from Milford but then suggests avoiding the race by standing off some 2 miles west of the island. Is it unsafe or just uncomfortable? Can one hug the west of the island and avoid the race? etc
 
Sounds like a fine trip. Good places to visit, and sound advice from others. Most problems with anchoring are caused by insufficient chain out. There are perennial arguments about this, but the *minimum* recommended is not less than 4 x depth when using all chain, and 6 x depth when using a chain/rope combo.

When working coastwise, I keep the anchor ready-mounted on the roller fairlead - with a securing captive shackle and cord from one vertical cheek-piece to the other, so it cannot jump off the roller - the chain with one turn around the 'bits', and 30 metres of chain ready for use in a plastic box secured on the foredeck behind that. That's because the V-shaped anchor locker tends to 'snarl up' the chain down below.

I try to come to anchor in 4-5 metres, adjusting in or out as the tidal graph suggests is needed.

One other thing. As well as picking a couple of good transits that I'm likely to see even at night - and recording them at the chart table - I also work out and record how to get out of there, if required in the middle of the night, in the pitch black, in the driving rain.

Let us know how you get on?
 
Big tides (6+ metre range) on that weekend. The Goose Race can be quite alarming - if you are slightly apprehensive, stick to Broad Sound. It's our regatta on 24 and we have racing marks at Gateholm and Skokholm so tidal knowlwge is critical. At |Skokholm the flood (South going) starts 2 hours before low water and inshore at St Annes it can be an hour before that. If you are planning a direct route from Skokholm to Caldey be aware of the St Govans Shoal which can be naughty, particularly with wind against a big tide. Enjoy.
 
St Govans shoal lies a couple of miles offshore but if it is rough the overfalls extend well inshore so I would suggest staying south of the cardinal mark. In good conditions its well worth hugging the cliffs just for the scenery! Look out for the climbers apparently hanging on to St Govans Head by the fingernails - a few fall off every year.
 
Let us know how you get on. Some of my early formative sailing years were round those waters and I would love to hear how you get on with your first trip round Skokholm etc. I hope that it all goes smoothly for you and you have a great time! In those days, the Cleddau bridge was being built and there was almost no such things as a marina anywhere - let alone a marina anywhere in Milford Haven! Shows my age...
 
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