Passage - Aberystwyth to Milford Haven

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hanbrowes

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Hi.
Planning a passage Aberystwyth to Milford Haven, 2nd week in October.
Anyone experience of doing this? Struggling to see how to get through the sounds in daylight hours.
 
Fishguard is a good stop en route. There are anchoring spots in Ramsey Sound, Whitesands Bay and St Brides Bay/Skomer,obviously weather depending, to wait for slack water. Tide is surprisingly strong along the coast from Newquay to St David's, and surprisingly weak within Brides Bay.

In calm (sub 10 knts) weather without a large swell running both sounds are ok with the tide if you are used to that sort of thing. They are easy at slack water and if you catch it at slack for Ramsey you should be ok on the start of the S flow in Jack Sound.

Be careful of large swells out of Jack Sound and wind over tide. It can be quite a rough stretch from Jack Sound to Milford in wind over tide.

A trip best done using the tides to help as much as possible and avoiding moderate to fresh winds.

Going outside Skomer puts in more overfalls which are spectacular in big swells and going well offshore outside everything adds a lot of miles (but would allow a night passage).

Hope that helps, lovely bit of coastline.
 
We have done this passage a few times in a 29' sail boat - though in the summer months. We stop overnight at Fishguard.
It's difficult going south to go through both sounds on the same tide at slack water. Last time we anchored off Solva and waited for the next tide.
If you use both HW and LW slack it should possible to do in daylight?
 
Both Ramsey and Jack sounds run South from approx HW+2:15hrs until LW+2:15 Milford.
If you overnight at Fishguard, It’s generally possible to pass Strumble head at HW milford or a little after, and have fair tides and quite a boost in SOG all the way to Jack sound just before the flow turns north.
Spring tides (or a few days after) give you HW just after breakfast, which usually sees you in Milford late afternoon. The 10th Oct or a few days after are good tide times for this, you just need to get the weather to play ball…
Check any tidal charts you can find to find any back eddies between Skomer and St Anne’s head as you can be beating into 2-3kts of foul tide by this part of the journey if you are towards the end of the passage window.
You don’t need to pass through either sound at slack, you will rocket through both if you’re going with the tide, but the overfalls at the south of Jack sound are daunting the first few times. If you are sailing through Jack sound, keep the engine on ready in case the wind is suddenly a hindrance at any point.
As said in earlier posts, an interesting coast but it can be unforgiving, Strumble head can be a very slow slog with big swell if the wind and tide conspire, and Skomer to St Anne’s can be like a washing machine too. Yesterday it was fine, it was a big long slow swell that was quite soothing, apart making the stern waddle a bit as each wave overtook.
 

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All good advice I would just add that if you stop in Fishguard you will be going against the tide to get to Ramsey Sound in time for slack, so allow extra time. Whitesand bay is a delightful anchorage in the right conditions.
 
dansaskip said:
All good advice I would just add that if you stop in Fishguard you will be going against the tide to get to Ramsey Sound in time for slack, so allow extra time. Whitesand bay is a delightful anchorage in the right conditions.
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I’ve found it better to get to Strumble head at about slack water Ramsey and get a southbound flow all the way from Strumble to Jack sound, than try to arrive at Ramsey at slack, having slogged against the tide all along that forlorn coast from Fishguard to St David’s head.
 
Really good holding ground at Fishguard ! It may take a bit of effort to clean up your anchor afterwards.
 
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