Plymouth to Scotland, an update

J

john_morris_uk

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Crew gathered on Monday, briefings and final stow and we were in Falmouth by 1900. Not a bad sail. Some went ashore and watched some line dancing. They claim that the dancers were young and attractive, but that's not the image of line dancers I have in my mind. I turned in early...

Tuesday we left to catch the tide round the Lizard and Lands end. Some cracking sailing until the wind died and after dodging inside the Runnelstone and Long Ships light house we motored all night and arrive in Milford Haven at 0600.
Locked in and spent a happy night with strong winds and rain passing over. The Lord Nelson pub featured a couple of times, and we were the only customers in another pub where we played pool and drank beer that wasn't good enough to persuade us to stay for more.

Up this morning and sailed round to Fishguard and now anchored in F6 gusting F7 (although now beginning to moderate). Fantastic sail, though the visibility was very poor which made the pilotage through Jack Sound and Ramsey Sound a bit hairy. We did over 10kn SOG for whole sections of the passage.

Pwllheli tomorrow all being well and Holyhead on Saturday for a crew change on Sunday. We had to land one crew today (she was a late addition when the original crew was rushed into hospital after collapsing on a run.) and she could only manage until today. She just texted to say that she was on her way after being questioned by customs as soon as she landed!

More later with photos when I get a chance.
 
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john_morris_uk said:
after dodging inside the Runnelstone and Long Ships light house we motored all night and arrive in Milford Haven at 0600.
Click to expand...

Thats either brave or foolhardy. Or am I too timid? I've just aborted a weekend trip down that coast and round the corner because it would have involved motoring the north cornish coast at night through the forest of pots and occasional nets that appear.
 
wotayottie said:
Thats either brave or foolhardy. Or am I too timid? I've just aborted a weekend trip down that coast and round the corner because it would have involved motoring the north cornish coast at night through the forest of pots and occasional nets that appear.
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No problem with either, you just have to know where you are. There's a proper passage inside both.
 
wotayottie said:
Thats either brave or foolhardy. Or am I too timid? I've just aborted a weekend trip down that coast and round the corner because it would have involved motoring the north cornish coast at night through the forest of pots and occasional nets that appear.
Click to expand...

I am not sure whether you are referring to my taking the inshore passage inside the Runnelstone and Long Ships or motoring all night as being either brave or foolish?

The inshore passages are not very difficult and are well recognised and as for motoring all night, we were in good visibility when we turned the engine on by LongShips and it didn't get dark until we were well off the coast and out of the lobster pot main zones. Of course you do get some pots laid a long way out, but we have a prop rope cutter and we haven't had a snag for years. We did sail straight over a floating pot line today (having avoided the pot we discovered that there was a long floating line on the buoy :(. We snagged it for a second or two and then it all bobbed clear. Brave or foolish is a bit strong perhaps? We wouldnt get anywhere if we stayed in harbour and worried about everything...
 
oldbilbo said:
Yoo wotch out now fer them sneeky perishers in them's subnarines, Prester John! ;)
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Well no submarines, but a fair few dolphins (or common porpoises?).

Fishguard to Pwllheli was brisk (perhaps that should read 'rough!') with moderate seas and some fast sailing. 30 knots over the deck two reefs and part of the genoa out. Aberporth Range control called us and asked us to alter to starboard to avoid a firing exercise. Although we knew that they couldnt make us move, and only ask us politely, most of us have been on the other side of 'foul range' and we dutifully obliged. This meant we couldn't quite lay our destination once we were clear, but we had a cracking sail and got into Pwllheli by 1700. The crew did ask if it was RAF and if it was then to aim straight for us as they were bound to miss. A little trouble finding the berth in Pwllheli not helped by us finding what we thought was the berth, being watched as we tied up and made secure in the strong winds and then the watching boat helpfully pointed out we were in someone else's berth.

Pwllheli to Holyhead meant an early start and we had some really good sailing. We were over taken by a Sadler 34 motoring as we tacked round the headland inside Bardsey Island. Bright blue skies and sunshine. We tried the spinnaker for the last few miles as we bore away for Holyhead, but the wind had dropped and there was a lot of slop round the headland and we slammed and rolled and ended up dropping it and motoring in.

There's a party in the yacht club tonight with a disco and the crew are licking their lips. This could get very messy. Holyhead had been very warm and welcoming so far...
 
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john_morris_uk said:
Well no submarines, but a fair few dolphins (or common porpoises?).

Fishguard to Pwllheli was brisk (perhaps that should read 'rough!') with moderate seas and some fast sailing. 30 knots over the deck two reefs and part of the genoa out. Aberporth Range control called us and asked us to alter to starboard to avoid a firing exercise. Although we knew that they couldnt make us move, and only ask us politely, most of us have been on the other side of 'foul range' and we dutifully obliged. This meant we couldn't quite lay our destination once we were clear, but we had a cracking sail and got into Pwllheli by 1700. The crew did ask if it was RAF and if it was then to aim straight for us as they were bound to miss. A little trouble finding the berth in Pwllheli not helped by us finding what we thought was the berth, being watched as we tied up and made secure in the strong winds and then the watching boat helpfully pointed out we were in someone else's berth.

Pwllheli to Holyhead meant an early start and we had some really good sailing. We were over taken by a Sadler 34 motoring as we tacked round the headland inside Bardsey Island. Bright blue skies and sunshine. We tried the spinnaker for the last few miles as we bore away for Holyhead, but the wind had dropped and there was a lot of slop round the headland and we slammed and rolled and ended up dropping it and motoring in.

There's a party in the yacht club tonight with a disco and the crew are licking their lips. This could get very messy. Holyhead had been very warm and welcoming so far...
Click to expand...

I plan to sail to Pwllheli in June but cannot find much current information re the entry depth / sand. I am told there is a dredger currently working there. Did you need to plan your entry / exit time carefully?. I would not want to be waiting outside in a brisk wind from the south. Also what depth do you need.
Thanks
 
Apologies for the silence for a few days but we have been without Internet access....

We left Pwllelhi early the next morning and had a cracking sail round to Holyhead. We passed inside Bardsey Island tacking a couple of times to clear the headland but finding a very helpful back eddy. We were slightly early for the north going tide, but sailed on in a perfect full white sail breeze. We were overtaken by a Sadler 34 motoring and many were the negative comments from my crew about the Sadlers use of the iron topsail.

Holyhead was interesting and good and bad. The good was to meet a fellow forumite who was charming and helpful and who very kindly drive me to the supermarket for some shopping. The bad was the weather (not Holyheads fault) and the town centre. Some crew were leaving, so a meal ashore was decided on. Local advice said try the local pub place. When we got there, the boys thought that we could do better in town. A certain amount of hiking all round town saw us eventually into a pub near the front. No ale and they stopped serving food at 1500. We ended up back in the pub we had been recommended in the first place. The Karaoke in the yacht club later that night was memorable. I retired at midnight and I am told the party moved on. All the men went one way and then the boys noticed the women were all going to another pub. No guesses which way my sailors went. The wind roared and blew all night.

With trepidation about what the sea state mighf be we set off the next day for Douglas I O M It wasn't too bad but one of the new crew was sick ALL the way! Sip of water - sick. Think of food - sick. We also had an accident with the spinnaker. On the drop, one of the allegedly experience new didn't knock the clutch right forward on the spinnaker halyard. We were running the guy and something caught and I now need a new spinnaker pole. :o

Douglas was good and the harbourmaster was one if the most helpful and friendly I have ever met. I asked about a couple of things and he drove me round in his van to sort things out! Nothing seemed to much trouble. Well worth a return trip to explore a bit more. The crew were impresses by the US super yacht Vertigo arriving later that day. In the evening we sailed down the coast to St Mary's. A pleasant night on the wall and we set off in the early morning having paid our £15 through Calf Sound M towards Scotland.

We had thought of going to N Ireland but the wind was in the NW so we close hauled on stbd tack up to the Mull of Galloway and into Portpatrick. Again, a great welcome with the chairman of the harbour escorting me to the cash machine to allow me to pay the harbour dues. (actually he lived next door and was showing me which way to go). Some very friendly pubs and the harbour entrance has recently been dredged by the RNLI who are also building a new lifeboat station. The local community has recently bought the harbour and I commend it to anyone passing to stop for a night or two. Facilities are limited but they are working on it and for a traditional harbour it was excellent.

As I write thus we are motoring in flat calm and drizzle towards Ardrossan. Hopefully on my new mooring at Rhu tomorrow.

Apologies for any typos. I am on my phone sitting at the chart table.
 
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john_morris_uk said:
Apologies for the silence for a few days but we have been without Internet access....

We left Pwllelhi early the next morning and had a cracking sail round to Holyhead. We passed inside Bardsey Island tacking a couple of times to clear the headland but finding a very helpful back eddy. We were slightly early for the north going tide, but sailed on in a perfect full white sail breeze. We were overtaken by a Sadler 34 motoring and many were the negative comments from my crew about the Sadlers use of the it iron topsail.

Holyhead was interesting and good and bad. The good was to meet a fellow forumite who was charming and helpful and who very kindly drive me to the supermarket for some shopping. The bad was the weather (not Holyheads fault) and the town centre. Some crew were leaving, so a meal ashore was decided on. Local advice said try the local pub place. When we got there, the boys thought that we could do better in town. A certain amount of hiking all round town saw us eventually into a pub near the front. No ale and they stopped serving food at 1500. We ended up back in the pub we had been recommended in the first place. The Karaoke in the yacht club later that night was memorable. I retired at midnight and I am told the party moved on. All the men went one way and then the boys noticed the women were all going to another pub. No guesses which way my sailors went. The wind roared and blew all night.

With trepidation about what the sea state mighf be we set off the next day for Douglas I O M It wasn't too bad but one of the new crew was sick ALL the way! Sip of water - sick. Think of food - sick. We also had an accident with the spinnaker. On the drop, one of the allegedly experience new didn't knock the clutch right forward on the spinnaker halyard. We were running the guy and something caught and I now need a new spinnaker pole. :o

Douglas was good and the harbourmaster was one if the most helpful and friendly I have ever met. I asked about a couple of things and he drove me round in his van to sort things out! Nothing seemed to much trouble. Well worth a return trip to explore a bit more. The crew were impresses by the US super yacht Vertigo arriving later that day. In the evening we sailed down the coast to St Mary's. A pleasant night on the wall and we set off in the early morning having paid our £15 through Calf Sound M towards Scotland.

We had thought of going to N Ireland but the wind was in the NW so we close hauled on stbd tack up to the Mull of Galloway and into Portpatrick. Again, a great welcome with the chairman of the harbour escorting me to the cash machine to allow me to pay the harbour dues. (actually he lived next door and was showing me which way to go). Some very friendly pubs and the harbour entrance has recently been dredged by the RNLI who are also building a new lifeboat station. The local community has recently bought the harbour and I commend it to anyone passing to stop for a night or two. Facilities are limited but they are working on it and for a traditional harbour it was excellent.

As I write thus we are motoring in flat calm and drizzle towards Ardrossan. Hopefully on my new mooring at Rhu tomorrow.

Apologies for any typos. I am on my phone sitting at the chart table.
Click to expand...

Drizzle up here at Largs at 15.20, but seems like a bit more wind - F3/4 from the SW and a few yachts moving nicely off the house. Maybe you should come the extra 10 miles!
 
Way to go John!

Sounds a good trip - apart from the breakage(s).
There's been a thread about Portpatrick over the past week or so. Might you post a reply there about your visit?
Hope you get some good sailing on/from the Clyde.

A1
 
I've just noticed in a moment of mental aberration I put stbd tack instead of port tack in my previous post! :o If you work out the wind and where we were it would all be obvious. My only excuse is several hundred miles in the last few days and being encouraged to try the malts in the pub last night.

To the previous enquirer about our draft it's 1.8 metres.

I'll look up the Portpatrick post when I get wifi.
 
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Give us a buzz when you arrive?

john_morris_uk said:
A little trouble finding the berth in Pwllheli not helped by us finding what we thought was the berth, being watched as we tied up and made secure in the strong winds and then the watching boat helpfully pointed out we were in someone else's berth.
Click to expand...

Why do people do this? Unless there's a clear sign saying 'reserved for Nonsuch of Whereisthat' only psychics are likely to avoid the situation.

As for your pole, look at it as a godgiven opportunity to upgrade; drill the rivets out to remove the fittings and buy a section of CF tube to rebuild! :D
 
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penfold said:
Give us a buzz when you arrive?



Why do people do this? Unless there's a clear sign saying 'reserved for Nonsuch of Whereisthat' only psychics are likely to avoid the situation.

As for your pole, look at it as a godgiven opportunity to upgrade; drill the rivets out to remove the fittings and buy a section of CF tube to rebuild! :D
Click to expand...
I think that the people probably thought we'd been told to go there and realised we weren't in the right place too late.

Regarding the pole, you must be psychic as I have already drilled out the rivets from the end I've got left. (the other end is lost to the deep!) I need another end and a length of pole!
 
Speak to Duncan Farquhar at Silvers Marine or Murray Caldwell at Nicolson Hughes Sails; they both have odd bits of used gear and may have a suitable pole-end in the 'come in handy' box.
 
Take it that was you flying along off Bute with a reefed main and putting in a tack off Toward Point Lighthouse at 11.00 this morning. You looked to be really motoring and enjoying your sail up the Clyde. Nice way to finish a trip, abet a bit cool and drizzle. Next week is looking up weather wise, that said March / April have been good up here, May so far disappointing.
 
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