Concerto
Well-known member
Yesterday turned out to be another long day.
I planned to leave at 8 and was only 5 minutes late because I decided to fill the water tank and my friend Steven and MisterE both came to see me off. As I was leaving the marina I put Concerto on to autopilot so I could remove the fenders. Just be warned there is a strong cross tide across the marina entrance and I realised I was getting a lot closer to a catamaran than usual and required a quick change of course. It was half tide and rising, there was far more water under the keel than when I entered shortly after low water. There did not appear to be much wind and I thought it would be another day motoring.
Outside the harbour there was a reasonable breeze, so raised full main and full genoa. It was on the beam and I was powering along at 6 knots, with sunshine as well. Once Bardsey Island was abeam the wind slowly started to drop, and I thought it would be perfect weather to try taking some drone video whilst sailing for the first time. Everything ready to go, but I could not fly the drone as I no longer had a mobile signal. What a bummer, I did not realise that.
When I was about halfway across Cardigan Bay the wind dropped so I was only making 2½ knots, so on went old faithful. Just before the engine went, on a pod of common dolphins passed near by, but did not stay. After about an hour the wind started increasing, but making it a run and within half an hour there were white cap waves rolling in from the NNE. Checking the information about Fishguard was a comment that it can get very uncomfortable with wind with any north in it. Looking at possible alternatives, there really were none close by. My quick research revealed the nearest quiet anchorage would be Solva. It meant rounding Strumble Head and rounding Ramsey Island as punching the tide in Ramsey Sound look like a big no. So instead of being moored by 1800, I was plodding on.
Concerto charged along to Strumble Head doing 6½ to 7 knots, but the tide was turning against me. Keeping close to the cliffs I had a wonderful back eddy with some rough water fast approaching. It certainly was turbulent and the boat speed dropped from 8½ knots over the ground to about 3 knots. Part of this was I had to ease the sheets to almost a dead run. Slowly I edged round the lighthouse and with several gybes I had worked my way back in to a bay to be shield from the worst of the tide with an acceptable 1½ to 2 knots compared to 4 knots. Suddenly there was an odd noise alongside the cockpit, it was a dolphin breathing, then there was a pod of about a dozen all round the boat and they stayed for about a quarter of an hour, but the light was beginning to fail. There was a fairly good sunset last night. The wind dropped with the sun, so on went old faithful.
It was only 9 miles to the entrance to Ramsey Sound, but this took 3 hours! Getting closer to the way point I checked when the tide was due to turn, in about an hour. I tried holding her steady close to the shore and found the wind had move easterly and the tide was starting to slacken. I found she would hold position without any engine, off it went for some peace and quiet. So I just sat there for about ¾ an hour watching the chart plotter to see when I started moving slightly southward, it was almost to the minute that the predictions gave. No point going round Ramsey Island when I could pass through Ramsey Sound at slack water. Chart plotters can be so useful if you use them as a position plotter while you drift. Slowly I motored in the sound and there was a little tide with me, but as I approached the narrowest point I had less than a knot with me. 20 minutes later and in a wider place, I had 3 knots of tide pushing me onward. I could not be bother to unfurl the headsail despite there being plenty of wind. Looking at where Solva was and Dale, it made sense to change course to Dale. as there were 3 yellow visitor buoys, had a pontoon and it was a larger anchorage,.
Heading almost due south to round the outside of Skomer Island, I saw a shooting star in the very dark sky. Spring tide and no moon, what a combination to find my way into a strange harbour. I do find that some buoys are not shown on the 1 mile scale of the chart plotter, but from 2000m only. So I was continually switching resolution on the plotter to check my course and identify the buoys I needed. After rounding Skomer, there was quite a lot of small waves as it was wind over tide. Then starting to enter Milford Haven, I started to punch the tide and wind, not to mention trying to identify the shoreline in the pitch black and the buoys with lights everywhere. As I approached Dale I rigged fenders to port with mooring lines and had a line ready for a mooring buoy and readied the anchor. Slowly I entered the anchorage, there were a number of anchor lights, then I saw a yellow buoy, but it was a speed limit marker. Even using a powerful torch I could not find the visitor buoys or the pontoon. Partly from being tired and it was now 3.30 in the morning, I decided to anchor clear of several larger boats. After checking it was holding, getting the anchor ball out and raised, plus putting the all round white light on, I went below. Again I used the chart plotter to see I was not dragging. There was a chop blowing into Dale as the wind had settled as an easterly. Pehaps I should have gone to Fishguard after all, it would have been more sheltered than here. Now I heard a slow tap of a halyard, so I remembered I had not tensioned the main halyard. Then another halyard noise so tensioned the spinnaker pole lift I had used to raise the anchor ball. Everything was tight, but the halyards inside the mast were moving, nothing I could do to stop that. Finally I climbed into bed at 4.45.
I slept soundly and when I looked outside at 10.30, everything seemed to be OK. Then I realised I had very slowly dragged about 50 to 75m overnight. Nothing was nearby so I was still fine, so after a late brunch, I decided I would move to Nayland Marina. Gave them a ring and they only had a berth in the basin behind the cill and I would not be able to enter until 1800. As I am sailing again tomorrow, I declined the berth and decided to stay in Dale. The pontoon was now easy to spot and there was plenty of space alongside. So up anchor and moved to the pontoon, which is not connected to the shore. The wind and chop are still here and the bow mooring lines are squeaking a lot. Might sleep in the main cabin tonight to reduce the noise, besides adding extra lines to spread the loading on more lines.
Shortly after leaving Pwllheli
Beautiful sailing weather and a gentle beam wind
Goose winged heading towards Fishguard after the wind filled in
Rounding Strumble Head just after 1900
The sun is setting at 20.00
10 minutes later
Passing through the Ramsey Sound at midnight
This was the full route I took
A detail of the additional part of the journey for those not familiar with the coastline
For anyone wanting to read the reports from the start, this is the link to first one.
All the links with place names are in my about me page available from my avatar.
Round Britian day 1
I planned to leave at 8 and was only 5 minutes late because I decided to fill the water tank and my friend Steven and MisterE both came to see me off. As I was leaving the marina I put Concerto on to autopilot so I could remove the fenders. Just be warned there is a strong cross tide across the marina entrance and I realised I was getting a lot closer to a catamaran than usual and required a quick change of course. It was half tide and rising, there was far more water under the keel than when I entered shortly after low water. There did not appear to be much wind and I thought it would be another day motoring.
Outside the harbour there was a reasonable breeze, so raised full main and full genoa. It was on the beam and I was powering along at 6 knots, with sunshine as well. Once Bardsey Island was abeam the wind slowly started to drop, and I thought it would be perfect weather to try taking some drone video whilst sailing for the first time. Everything ready to go, but I could not fly the drone as I no longer had a mobile signal. What a bummer, I did not realise that.
When I was about halfway across Cardigan Bay the wind dropped so I was only making 2½ knots, so on went old faithful. Just before the engine went, on a pod of common dolphins passed near by, but did not stay. After about an hour the wind started increasing, but making it a run and within half an hour there were white cap waves rolling in from the NNE. Checking the information about Fishguard was a comment that it can get very uncomfortable with wind with any north in it. Looking at possible alternatives, there really were none close by. My quick research revealed the nearest quiet anchorage would be Solva. It meant rounding Strumble Head and rounding Ramsey Island as punching the tide in Ramsey Sound look like a big no. So instead of being moored by 1800, I was plodding on.
Concerto charged along to Strumble Head doing 6½ to 7 knots, but the tide was turning against me. Keeping close to the cliffs I had a wonderful back eddy with some rough water fast approaching. It certainly was turbulent and the boat speed dropped from 8½ knots over the ground to about 3 knots. Part of this was I had to ease the sheets to almost a dead run. Slowly I edged round the lighthouse and with several gybes I had worked my way back in to a bay to be shield from the worst of the tide with an acceptable 1½ to 2 knots compared to 4 knots. Suddenly there was an odd noise alongside the cockpit, it was a dolphin breathing, then there was a pod of about a dozen all round the boat and they stayed for about a quarter of an hour, but the light was beginning to fail. There was a fairly good sunset last night. The wind dropped with the sun, so on went old faithful.
It was only 9 miles to the entrance to Ramsey Sound, but this took 3 hours! Getting closer to the way point I checked when the tide was due to turn, in about an hour. I tried holding her steady close to the shore and found the wind had move easterly and the tide was starting to slacken. I found she would hold position without any engine, off it went for some peace and quiet. So I just sat there for about ¾ an hour watching the chart plotter to see when I started moving slightly southward, it was almost to the minute that the predictions gave. No point going round Ramsey Island when I could pass through Ramsey Sound at slack water. Chart plotters can be so useful if you use them as a position plotter while you drift. Slowly I motored in the sound and there was a little tide with me, but as I approached the narrowest point I had less than a knot with me. 20 minutes later and in a wider place, I had 3 knots of tide pushing me onward. I could not be bother to unfurl the headsail despite there being plenty of wind. Looking at where Solva was and Dale, it made sense to change course to Dale. as there were 3 yellow visitor buoys, had a pontoon and it was a larger anchorage,.
Heading almost due south to round the outside of Skomer Island, I saw a shooting star in the very dark sky. Spring tide and no moon, what a combination to find my way into a strange harbour. I do find that some buoys are not shown on the 1 mile scale of the chart plotter, but from 2000m only. So I was continually switching resolution on the plotter to check my course and identify the buoys I needed. After rounding Skomer, there was quite a lot of small waves as it was wind over tide. Then starting to enter Milford Haven, I started to punch the tide and wind, not to mention trying to identify the shoreline in the pitch black and the buoys with lights everywhere. As I approached Dale I rigged fenders to port with mooring lines and had a line ready for a mooring buoy and readied the anchor. Slowly I entered the anchorage, there were a number of anchor lights, then I saw a yellow buoy, but it was a speed limit marker. Even using a powerful torch I could not find the visitor buoys or the pontoon. Partly from being tired and it was now 3.30 in the morning, I decided to anchor clear of several larger boats. After checking it was holding, getting the anchor ball out and raised, plus putting the all round white light on, I went below. Again I used the chart plotter to see I was not dragging. There was a chop blowing into Dale as the wind had settled as an easterly. Pehaps I should have gone to Fishguard after all, it would have been more sheltered than here. Now I heard a slow tap of a halyard, so I remembered I had not tensioned the main halyard. Then another halyard noise so tensioned the spinnaker pole lift I had used to raise the anchor ball. Everything was tight, but the halyards inside the mast were moving, nothing I could do to stop that. Finally I climbed into bed at 4.45.
I slept soundly and when I looked outside at 10.30, everything seemed to be OK. Then I realised I had very slowly dragged about 50 to 75m overnight. Nothing was nearby so I was still fine, so after a late brunch, I decided I would move to Nayland Marina. Gave them a ring and they only had a berth in the basin behind the cill and I would not be able to enter until 1800. As I am sailing again tomorrow, I declined the berth and decided to stay in Dale. The pontoon was now easy to spot and there was plenty of space alongside. So up anchor and moved to the pontoon, which is not connected to the shore. The wind and chop are still here and the bow mooring lines are squeaking a lot. Might sleep in the main cabin tonight to reduce the noise, besides adding extra lines to spread the loading on more lines.
Shortly after leaving Pwllheli
Beautiful sailing weather and a gentle beam wind
Goose winged heading towards Fishguard after the wind filled in
Rounding Strumble Head just after 1900
The sun is setting at 20.00
10 minutes later
Passing through the Ramsey Sound at midnight
This was the full route I took
A detail of the additional part of the journey for those not familiar with the coastline
For anyone wanting to read the reports from the start, this is the link to first one.
All the links with place names are in my about me page available from my avatar.
Round Britian day 1
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