Neddie_Seagoon
Well-Known Member
Made it at last. Enormous thanks to PickledPig who skippered, we left Liverpool at 6AM and Andy steered us through the Mersey, Crosby Channel and Queens Channel in the dark, before we finally turned North. I knew the Liverpool approach was long, but I really had no idea how long!
The threatened fog didn't materialise, but a thin drizzle kept visibility down to 500m - 1Km for much of the trip, by the time dawn broke and there was sufficient breeze to be worth sailing we were allegedly being pursued by strong to gale force winds coming up the Irish Sea, so with the engine plugging along nicely to give us 6 knots over ground we stuck with it rather than slow down and let the gale catch up. The haze finally lifted for the last 10 miles and we gingerly crept our way along the channel to Fleetwood two hours after low tide, threading our way through the sands, to tie up on the waiting bouys at Knott End around 14:30.
The marina gate opend at 15:15, rather earlier than expected, and we slipped in, berthed and drove away before any of the threatened strong winds arrived. Perhaps the Met Office were over cautious again, certainly looking at windfinder.com the gale which was apparently upon us hasn't materialised yet, but better safe than sorry, funnily enough I had no desire to try my new boat for the first time in F6 upwards - so somehow I don't think I'll be sailing again this weekend /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
Anyway - thanks again to Andy - how generous can anyone be - giving up a whole perfectly good day to help out a forumite whom he hadn't previously met or corresponded with - sailing an unknown MAB in sea that is well known to be tricky and fickle water at times knowing that the Met. O. had given an ominous forecast - I really can't say thankyou enough.
Here's the approach to Fleetwood this afternoon - could have been a cracking sailing day without the gale warning.
Steve
The threatened fog didn't materialise, but a thin drizzle kept visibility down to 500m - 1Km for much of the trip, by the time dawn broke and there was sufficient breeze to be worth sailing we were allegedly being pursued by strong to gale force winds coming up the Irish Sea, so with the engine plugging along nicely to give us 6 knots over ground we stuck with it rather than slow down and let the gale catch up. The haze finally lifted for the last 10 miles and we gingerly crept our way along the channel to Fleetwood two hours after low tide, threading our way through the sands, to tie up on the waiting bouys at Knott End around 14:30.
The marina gate opend at 15:15, rather earlier than expected, and we slipped in, berthed and drove away before any of the threatened strong winds arrived. Perhaps the Met Office were over cautious again, certainly looking at windfinder.com the gale which was apparently upon us hasn't materialised yet, but better safe than sorry, funnily enough I had no desire to try my new boat for the first time in F6 upwards - so somehow I don't think I'll be sailing again this weekend /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
Anyway - thanks again to Andy - how generous can anyone be - giving up a whole perfectly good day to help out a forumite whom he hadn't previously met or corresponded with - sailing an unknown MAB in sea that is well known to be tricky and fickle water at times knowing that the Met. O. had given an ominous forecast - I really can't say thankyou enough.
Here's the approach to Fleetwood this afternoon - could have been a cracking sailing day without the gale warning.
Steve
