I go about half a mile off strumble then within a couple of hundred yds off the coast to fishguard, I went around the outside one time, blowing a sw 5 black as the hobs of hell, caught the wild goose race on the outside! 13knts over the ground, all done on chart plotter and radar, exciting! Coming the other way once I chickened out of the Bishops run, it looked too white and lumpy, went to whitesands? bay and stooged around till it was time to brave ramsey!
I've got waypoint 'GOOSE' stored in my plotter as somewhere to avoid. I've also got 'WP HORSE' stored for going through Ramsey.
Coming from Milford year before last, another 4 hr bank holiday drive from Llangollen, said bolleaux, lets take her back up north. Tide was rightish so off we went, got to opposite dale, blowing 5ish, going dark. Port control told us to go out on the east channel there was a tanker coming in on the west channel. Sh it! another hour! Then they said as I was under 12m that I asnt bound by the rules! I called the tanker up, I could see him visually and on the radar, he said he could see me and if I wanted to scoot over to St Annes head side he would watch me. So we hung a right, it got bloody lumpy going around St Annes head, we plodded on, wind almost on the nose, then started being pushed north. I had the donk working hard, watching the tip of the skokholm getting closer, radar and chart plotter confirming where we were, we were crabbing sideways! Anyway kept going and when we were about 2 miles past headed north. The sails filled nicely, a reef in the main and we flew, 13kts over the ground! The south bishops light was looming ahead, the big bits were swooshing past. Bearing in mind I have chickened out coming south this way in daylight it seemed pretty easy in the dark! What you cant see doesn't worry you!
