Kawasaki
Well-Known Member
Last Saturday AM.
BRIZA in a state and a half, done most of the Mechanical bit,s hopefully. Later on We may have found out.
Cosmetics. Things like the cover, this is a "Spare" fitted. Cushions, got none at the Mo,awaiting new uns and stuff like that to attend to.
Spare bits and bobs and rags oily and otherwise still littering the Cockpit.
Strim Stram She is right now!
Thought I,d show You All--- My %rse End!
Thought "Shall I chance a trip to Portmadoc"
Had talked about it for long enough with Dave Snelson (You know, that Cheapskate Who runs His quick Windy on LPG, when He can get it!) on the blower and on ere.
He seemed a nice enough sort of Chappie but had never met Him in the Flesh, well if I go maybe if I get there We shall find out!
Oh well here goes
Tarra for now Port Dinorwic!
Looking back at the entrance to the Basin.
Thinking"I hope that info from DS about the Easterly 5 max and all will be sheltered down there is correct, ah bugger it lets go its Ok up ere!"
Out of Port We will turn to Port (South) I Know! It,s a crap piccie, gis a chance I,ve only just got this Camera off colmce, had some brief instructions Off Lake Sailor and havent RTFM. Plus I wanted to show You the Plotter also seconhand off another Forumite Dog Watch and No, I haven,t RTFM on the Plotter either!
You can tell how well prepared we are for this trip!
When I say We, I mean Me and BRIZA taint nobody else aboard!
Saving grace I hope, is that I have done 35 hours since sticking the eng back in and other bits up and down the Straits .
Oh and the new Pilot and Co pilot seats were stuck in Friday night.
Don,t want to do another 35 hours stood up!
Observing the 5mph speed limit as We leave PD ,on the way to Pormadoc now ,70 something Miles to go.
A sailing CAT on our Port and a Motor CAT on our Starboard Stern
Well I can tell on My pute, plus I was there as well!
So W,eve past Cearnarfon and Yoh! the Southern end of the Straits appear. Lifted the eng hatch all looks ok, lifted the aft hatch, gland dripping a bit, nah!, lrave it for now.
Couple more piccies Fort Belan next. Then Llanddwyn Island to Starboard as We head down the Lleyn Peninsular.
We,re heading down there
The three peaks at right backround, are called "Yr Eiflys" in Welsh.
Known by the English (and most everybody) as "The Rivals" I know You All wanted to know that!
Anyway, the Lleyn is starting to look good from the "Wheelhouse"
About half way down the Lleyn, pretty unaventfull so far.
Well a bit of a glicht , just after I piccied Llanddwyn and We were then just out at sea and definately not going to even think of going back (bit different later!) I thought I,d call Holyhead Coastgaurd with The Plan.
Gordun Benit no Transmissiom! Could hear them though. Never mind I,ll fix it on the way or summat.
Called on the mobile whilst We still had reception.
Funny thing, on the phone, as opposed to the VHF I got all tongue tied and confused.
Anybody who knows Me will tell You "What that big gobbed Old Welsh git got tongue tied, Yer avin a Larf!" "Confused Yes, tongue tied, give over".
I was! I couldn,t word it propper like without saying over and goin 67 and where I was goin and from where and when and how many and all that there!
Totally different sensation.
I felt a Right Pirrock! No flippen radio now and stutterin and a slutterin.
What would Holyhead think of BRIZA next time.
Was there gonna be a next time? ok, ok OK I know I dribble on a bit, but I,ve started so I,ll finish. You can always press ignore or summat.
Or go on the Lounge or start a Col regs thread or summat interesting.
I aint done one of these before, so I can,t stop now!
So more pics of the Lleyn with Snowdon in the background.
I passed a Yacht with some nicely coloured raggy stuff sticing up on a pole thinghy.
Gave Him plenty of room, like yer do.
Only cos I didn,t know what the F He was doing!
Anyway when I glanced astern the Scenery had changed colour.
The piccie with theRaggie in it is now My Screen Saver. That,s a bit bloody sad innit!.
So a few piccies of the Lleyn half way down towards Bardsey Isle.
The colours that you get are the colours i got.
Great little OLYMPUS D 545 off colmce, thanks again Mate.
See, taking photos aint My thing, so here we are then
"Hey up! That looks like Bardsey on the Horizon" Checks position on chart. "Yep waypoint 3 Bang on!" Checks Doggies ex plotter "Bloody Hell it Agrees!"
"2.1/2 hours ish to here, that,s ang on ,counting on fingures that,s 15.9 kts average inc the Speed limits in the Straits, slowing down to check stuff and failing to contat Holyhead and all that there"
Yer sees Shipmates We normally Cruise at 12 kts.
Proved the tide had helped + the 105 hp Green Lump was behaving ok At Last.
We are in the Sound, that,s Bardsey Isle on Our port side.
The tip of The Lleyn Peninsular to Starboard
No piccies for a bit now cos it all went a bit "Different"
About 3 hours ish into the trip by now and no wipers used. Apart from diverting round Laods and Loads of Pots and Nets pretty much as Plotted/ Planned before We left.
Well not before really.
Initially I went by eyeball to "Off Llanddwyn" to check the Weather and eng and the Gland which His given Me probs for ages.
I checked position there and Plotted on the Chart a CTS all the way to Portmadoc from there.
Having not used a plotter before I experimented with it on the way to Bardsey.
This shakedown cruise was all about that sort of stuff.
Gave Me chance to play with Rubber Band type autopilot too.
Dead handy piece of kit. Enables a quick pee and to put the kettle on ,ready for another one!
Anyway almost through Bardsey sound now--- Anyone still awake out there?
Cos it gets a bit "Different" now.
"Crikey, splashes! Oh well knew it couldn,t last."
No, not rain, the sea is a bit lumpy all of a sudden.
The wind is up a bit too.
"East? it,s on our nose and We aint heading East?"
Then it got a bit rougher, then it got confused.
Now I knew there were overfalls but I thought I,d left them to Port.
Hadn,t actually, whilst taking piccies and playing with the plotter and leaving the Autopilot on, which I found out later had gone a bit out of tune.
I motored too close to the land a port of Me and was in the overfalls.
But with the predicted wind that shouldn,t have benn a prob.
But I ended up with wind against tide as well!
Back to Present tence.
"Flip where did that come from, bash there,s another un.
Slow down Dick head, Oops! there goes Me Binocs!
Flip think I,ll phone DS in PM see what the weather is like there, cos now weve got white Horses everywhere too"Thiks I.
Vis was good but the Sea had changedvery quickly, like it does.
White horses as far as the eye could sea and it felt to be getting worse.
"Hi ya Dave, Oh not bad really in the Sound. No its not it,s a bit lumpy". Actually just before I rang I had actually turned around and was thinking of another angle of attack and even aborting."Hang on mate Oops almost broached then, Tarra"
"Damm so near Yet so Far "I thought.
"Whimp pull yerself together I thought"
I also thought. Hmm no vhf, but the phone works, but no liferaft or Dinghy.
Hsad BRIZA for 3 Years but most of that time has been spent fettling, so didn,t really "Know her".
Anyway We turned back into it.
What I had noticed when running wuth once I got the tabs and speed right She was Great.
Heading into it I learnt something else.
It was better to go at about 7 kts ,tabs down obviuosly, well theuy dont make much difference at that speed.
Any way I pushed on a bit more comfortable with the boat now. Wipers couldn,t keep up but I could just make out wher I was going and geat ready for the next crest.. Out of the ovefalls so at least theu were coming from ahed only.
Phones Ds back. Fair play His local knowledge helped. So I headed to a sticky out bit called Trwyn Cillan. I knew it off the Chart and could see it ok.
I was not going to go close in on the Plan but I knew I was Now!
Dave gave Mereassurance that I could tuck right in , like 20 ft away if needed, deep water and no hidden bits.
Ok I had looked at the chartas best I could but it,s not good when yer a rockin and A rollin Next piccies are of St Tudwald sand Abersoch in the distance and I forget the name of the next one!
Back to about 12.5 kts cruising for the next hour or so
Plot a different course To PM ,quick call to DS again for information ref where to berth, Wind in PM and to give an ETA.
BRIZA is slipping along lovely now. Stick the throttle a bit forward and We up to 13.5 nicely at 3400 rpm. Still 350 rpm left Nice!
"Oh No! Not Again"--- We were about 5 miles ish off the Fairway bouy, Criccieth Castle of Our Port bow about 3/4 miles away and the wind returns right on Our nose again. Worse this time. "This aint No 5" Well it was probably 4 gusting 6.
But wind against again.
Now we were probably 3 hours into the Flood too.
Actually We were at this position earlier than We had origionally "Provisionall" planned the night before.
2 reasons set off early to check conditions at Llanddwyn as mentioned and a real good leg as far as Bardsey.
Anyway it got worse. Worse thah the first bit!
Crash ,Bang splerdoosh.
Bugger this We swung round,. Jeez hadn,t surfed like this before! Think I,ll run to Pwllheli, be there in 3 mins at this rate!
Didn,t though , turned back into it.
5 kts 5.5 kts 6 kts 6.5 kts 7 kts nope it was best at 6.5
Ploughed into it for 1/2 an Hour and took stock.
This were the Plotter did come in handy and the Radar.
They both agreed we were making half decent progress.
Getting used to the boat helped too.
Anyway got bounced around but nothing hairy.Sky one minute then burying the anchor and windlass in the Oggin, quite good fun--- Aterwards!
It just fells a little different when Your not in Your back Yard and looking for a Harbour entrance You,ve never been too.
It,s ok when your on your own patch all the Landmarks are familiar etc etc.
Anyway finds the Fairway bouy.
Bit east of where I should have been cos tried to get a smoother ride.
Pics follow of Hanging about outside PM. You can see from My Ensign it,s blowing a bit there and We are sheltered with only little waves.
The other boat pictured was about 40 ft I think.
They had come "With" trhe weather , obviously had enough and were waiting fot water too
Eventually We snuck in.
1/2 an hour before You should do really but by now I was ready for a pint.
Just see 5.5 on the Depthy. Bought off Malthouse another Forum member, new this time!
Great we were in. Ok lets potole along to the next Red can. 12 showing on Depthy now, Good piece of kit off Malty I thought and what a nice Man
"Boing" Oh no I thought We,d picked a pot or rope up or summat.
Can,t be aground I thought, just touched a little with 5.5 showing?
On the putty We were!
Found out why Depthy told lies but that,s another thread! (thank Christ fer that I hear the cries)
Piccies of Sand and a Kedge preparedaft. I know She in a mess but I got no cushions and We,ve been a rockin and a rollin, lest yer fergets!!!
Found summat else I didn,t know about BRIZA too.
When We stopped. I gingerly plonked Her into reverse with clenched cheeks.
"BLEEP" an alarm went off and the eng cut out!
Initially I thought We had picked up something.
Then it dawned on Me that the prop was hard in the Sand and I had a safety device for free!
Kedge was made ready.
If We lifted, the wind would have us the sand again before You could say. "That Tw%t Malties gonna get an earfull"!!
Anyway waited 20 mins bumping Her bum on the sand, when another boat camein.
Didn,t offer to help but he did without knowing it. As his wake hit the Stern She lifted I bunged Her gently into backwards and We held position. Then as the tide rose I nudged and nudged with a bit more throttle untill there was enough Sea to spin Her round and off We went again. Didn,t trust the Depthy cos it stuck on 21 for a bit, but that,s another sorey!!!
Anybody still with Me?
Look who,s here! That must be Dog Watches Cat. Well blow Me down with a feather!
A bit further in next.
Then piccies of Dave Snelson about to go out with two Crew and Colin the Pontoon Manger for PM Yacht Club.
A small fleet assembled to scatter the Ashes of a Club Member and Dave and Co were joining them.
Dave is not only Smiling for the Camera, he,s grinning cos He knows how much fright he is going to give the Raggie crew on boardafter the Ceremony!
The crew are not just grinning for the Camera cos they are smiling thinking they are in Safe Hands!!!
Colin is still grinning after Dave had told Him the little tale. I had at some time rung Dave inadvertantly on the Moby, must have pushed the Transmit button without knowing it.
Dave said He answered and all He could hear wash Bang crash Splerdooshh. [--word removed--] where didt that come from!!!
Another of CI
The kettle on at last.
Oh1 and the back of Me new Co pilot,s seat!
Oh1 and Mebinocs are colour coded to Doggies old plotter!
BRIZA finally safe on The Berth, with DS sticking His cover back on CI.
I didn,t think about it till afterwards that was the furthest I,d been solo on one leg.
No not one leg like that, mind You at one point I felt I had no legs at all!
So a good shake down trip.
First time to take piccies with a nice Camera, played with the plotter for the first time, gone to a new Harbour. Eng ok, gland still not right but good enough for 70 odd miles. Learnt a bit about BRIZA etc etc etc.
Just got to mention Thanks to Dave Snelson and everybody at Porthmadoc Yacht Club, What a welcome and nice bods.
Even met some nice Raggies!!!
Dave arranged the berth and couldn,t do enough. Thanks again Dave.
Oh! and THANKS AGAIN Dave the Hangover lasted till Tuesday!
Seriously and as You know I don,t do Serious.
What a great night in the Yacht Club.
I liked it so much there I,m seriosly (look there goes seriously again have to pack it in) considering Joining the Club and spending some time there with BRIZA.
Too much wind forecast Sunday to return + A VERY SORE HEAD!
Plan to return Fri or Sat with new VHF spike a new hand hed vhf and a dinghy with no holes.
Part 2 can,t be so dramatic Can It?
Phew that took a bit of time.
Suppose it does the first Go!
Tarra K /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
