Chris771
New member
What a lovely weekend. Set off down the Ribble on yesterday afternoon tide. There were a couple of powerboats and the usual dozen or so raggies in the river, but once out over the bar I seemed to have the whole southeastern Irish Sea to myself. Set Arctic Fox up on an economical cruise of about 20 kts on 230 degs for Conway.
As I passed the Lennox Gas Platform there were three little fishing boats anchored in the lee of the “Sefton Supporter” (the field standby vessel) . A few miles later, passing Jordan’s Spit, the wind had dropped away and the sea was oily smooth. I could not believe it, a beautiful day and not a boat in sight!
Another 15 miles and there was a bulk carrier anchored near the Douglas Platform (waiting for the Mersey) but still no boats. Another 10 miles and the Super Sea Cat (Liverpool-Dublin ferry) was rapidly coming up on a crossing course from starboard. Having no wish to cross his substantial wake it was time to gun her up to 25 kts to pass safely ahead. The smooth sea lasted all the way to the Orme’s Head when a stiff southerly breeze suddenly came up and quite a steep choppy sea, so it was back to 16 kts for the last few miles into the fairway. Once in Conway it was again flat and calm, then the penny dropped, it must have been the diurnal flow, where the hot air goes up the mountains during the day and rushes back down in the evening as it cools.
A pleasant night was spent at Conwy Marina and this morning it was a trip across to Puffin Island and down the channel to the Menai Strait. Soon after leaving Conway it became quite foggy, and had to rely on the chartplotter to find Puffin Island in about 1 mile visibility. Arrived at the Menai Bridge just right at slack water and made a passage down the Strait towards Port Dinorwic before turning back through the Strait and into Bangor on the top of the tide, where Arctic Fox was lifted out for the remainder of the commissioning jobs to be done .
The ride home on the train to collect the car at Preston soon brought me back to reality, but it is hard to believe that there was hardly a boat in the southeast Irish Sea. What happens to the hundreds of boats in all the marina’s ? Am I the only one who ever goes anywhere other than a ten mile trip down the river and back? How was everyone else’s weekend? The only blight is going back to Africa next week, but the need to earn the money to pay for the toys rules.
www.impact-computers.net/boat/cruiser.htm
As I passed the Lennox Gas Platform there were three little fishing boats anchored in the lee of the “Sefton Supporter” (the field standby vessel) . A few miles later, passing Jordan’s Spit, the wind had dropped away and the sea was oily smooth. I could not believe it, a beautiful day and not a boat in sight!
Another 15 miles and there was a bulk carrier anchored near the Douglas Platform (waiting for the Mersey) but still no boats. Another 10 miles and the Super Sea Cat (Liverpool-Dublin ferry) was rapidly coming up on a crossing course from starboard. Having no wish to cross his substantial wake it was time to gun her up to 25 kts to pass safely ahead. The smooth sea lasted all the way to the Orme’s Head when a stiff southerly breeze suddenly came up and quite a steep choppy sea, so it was back to 16 kts for the last few miles into the fairway. Once in Conway it was again flat and calm, then the penny dropped, it must have been the diurnal flow, where the hot air goes up the mountains during the day and rushes back down in the evening as it cools.
A pleasant night was spent at Conwy Marina and this morning it was a trip across to Puffin Island and down the channel to the Menai Strait. Soon after leaving Conway it became quite foggy, and had to rely on the chartplotter to find Puffin Island in about 1 mile visibility. Arrived at the Menai Bridge just right at slack water and made a passage down the Strait towards Port Dinorwic before turning back through the Strait and into Bangor on the top of the tide, where Arctic Fox was lifted out for the remainder of the commissioning jobs to be done .
The ride home on the train to collect the car at Preston soon brought me back to reality, but it is hard to believe that there was hardly a boat in the southeast Irish Sea. What happens to the hundreds of boats in all the marina’s ? Am I the only one who ever goes anywhere other than a ten mile trip down the river and back? How was everyone else’s weekend? The only blight is going back to Africa next week, but the need to earn the money to pay for the toys rules.
www.impact-computers.net/boat/cruiser.htm
