Spreading my wings - Porth Dinllaen via Bardsey Island

skipper_stu said:
I never liked Aberdaron, too many variables to think about.
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First time I ever used a stern kedge was at Aberdaron. There was quite a bit of west in the wind and the beach was bumping so we went to the inlet at Porth Meudwy. We were lying beam on to the swell there so I put a stern anchor out to hold the bow into it. Worked fine until sometime in the middle of the night when the tide turned. I never knew until then how much tide flows through there! The stern warp was like a bowstring, almost dragging the transom under. We let it go, the boat swung 180 degrees and all was well.
 
With a northerly wind you can use the early flood tide that runs close in shore and the protection the cliffs give to get through bardsey sound up to 1.5 hours before low water slack. You run very close in to the mainland keeping a watch out for lobby pot markers.
This course takes you inside the large rock in the sound! There is as much water underneath your keel as the towering cliffs that make up the end of the Llyn. Nothing to hit if you straight line from one point to the next headland. I have done this in a small yacht with only a 6 hp outboard. The yacht I was sailing in company as we crossed Hells Mouth stood out in the channel and arrived at Porth Dinllaen over an hour later than us!
Regarding slack water I will pm a reliable spreadsheet.
 
Hi there,
we did our first Bardsey Sound crossing from Pwllheli, going through the sound on the 23rd August. This is in a 20ft bilge keeler, 6hp outboard, with North Westerlies forecast.

I had the spreadsheet with the low water time for Bardsey and the Bardsey Sound slack time, but was concerned about the NW'ly against the flooding tide, so set off from Aberdaron early, around the low water Bardsey time, which is about 2hrs before the Bardsey Sound slack, spent 2 hours, bxggering about with 2-3 knots of water against us. As we were finally getting out of the sound a yacht appeared behind us taking the "inside line" (we were over by the island), they motored through on the sound slack, hmmmm next time I'll do that!

Coming back on the 30th, close to spring tides (!) I followed the advice from here: http://www.sailingalmanac.com/Almanac/Navigation/bardseysound.html
There were SW/W winds forecast and we had to motor the 12 miles from Porth Dinllaen against the wind and swell. Not exactly comfortable, we had to get back to Pwllheli, so needs must!
Not sure if "disconcerting" or "intimidating" should be used to describe how I felt holding a bearing towards the island ready to turn east, amongst standing swells that must have been 15-20ft high, whilst doing 8+ knots! :rolleyes:

With regard Aberdaron - we anchored there before heading North - I read on here, I think, to anchor in front of the wall that follows the graveyards' wall west side, which we did previously - no problem. I tried my luck further over to the west of the bay in the hope of filling my crab pot and also to hide from the NW'erlies - no good! Think it's stoney over that side.

Edit:Tryweryn - Are you the guy who has recently got the Moody 30ft'er on the pile moorings at Pwllheli? If so - I'm the guy who's chatted to you, paddling past on the kayak! ;)
 
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Well done & thanks for the feedback.

What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. Now you understand why people say that the boat will usually take a lot more than the crew can.

Was Porth Dinllaen worth the effort? It usually is.
 
Marc What depth is there at low tide in the Pwllheli marina approach channel as we may be sailing in company with a deep keel 40 foot ketch to Pwllheli later this week?
 
TSB240 said:
Marc What depth is there at low tide in the Pwllheli marina approach channel as we may be sailing in company with a deep keel 40 foot ketch to Pwllheli later this week?
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Sorry I can't help with this, we can enter/exit at any state of the tide, but only draw 0.7M. Give the marina a ring, they're very helpful! http://hafanpwllheli.co.uk/cms/index.php?cID=88
 
I used to enjoy entering there at any tide but we used to have the ability to reduce our draft from 1.7 to 0.5 m in less than 30 seconds! Would create a degree of panic amongst following fin keelers when I also lifted the rudder!

Is it still deeper water alongside the remaining pile moored boats by Partingtons?

Will give the Marina a call as I there is no way I am paying their full visitor prices if I bring other boats with me!

Passage planning from Porth Dinllaen usually means you struggle to get in before half tide.
 
Yes we couldn't get back on our pile moorings and left the boat over night in the marina. The pile moorings by Partingtons don't dry out, but I don't know what the depth is.
 
MarcJ said:
Yes we couldn't get back on our pile moorings and left the boat over night in the marina. The pile moorings by Partingtons don't dry out, but I don't know what the depth is.
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The depthfinder showed 2.6 meters for me but i haven't checked but assume they allowed for the keel and that's depth below.
 
TSB240 said:
I used to enjoy entering there at any tide but we used to have the ability to reduce our draft from 1.7 to 0.5 m in less than 30 seconds! Would create a degree of panic amongst following fin keelers when I also lifted the rudder!

Is it still deeper water alongside the remaining pile moored boats by Partingtons?

Will give the Marina a call as I there is no way I am paying their full visitor prices if I bring other boats with me!

Passage planning from Porth Dinllaen usually means you struggle to get in before half tide.
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I'm outside Partingtons if ever you need toim sure you could moor onto me. Unless they dont like things like that, only been there a few months.
 
MarcJ said:
Hi there,
we did our first Bardsey Sound crossing from Pwllheli, going through the sound on the 23rd August. This is in a 20ft bilge keeler, 6hp outboard, with North Westerlies forecast.

I had the spreadsheet with the low water time for Bardsey and the Bardsey Sound slack time, but was concerned about the NW'ly against the flooding tide, so set off from Aberdaron early, around the low water Bardsey time, which is about 2hrs before the Bardsey Sound slack, spent 2 hours, bxggering about with 2-3 knots of water against us. As we were finally getting out of the sound a yacht appeared behind us taking the "inside line" (we were over by the island), they motored through on the sound slack, hmmmm next time I'll do that!

Coming back on the 30th, close to spring tides (!) I followed the advice from here: http://www.sailingalmanac.com/Almanac/Navigation/bardseysound.html
There were SW/W winds forecast and we had to motor the 12 miles from Porth Dinllaen against the wind and swell. Not exactly comfortable, we had to get back to Pwllheli, so needs must!
Not sure if "disconcerting" or "intimidating" should be used to describe how I felt holding a bearing towards the island ready to turn east, amongst standing swells that must have been 15-20ft high, whilst doing 8+ knots! :rolleyes:

With regard Aberdaron - we anchored there before heading North - I read on here, I think, to anchor in front of the wall that follows the graveyards' wall west side, which we did previously - no problem. I tried my luck further over to the west of the bay in the hope of filling my crab pot and also to hide from the NW'erlies - no good! Think it's stoney over that side.

Edit:Tryweryn - Are you the guy who has recently got the Moody 30ft'er on the pile moorings at Pwllheli? If so - I'm the guy who's chatted to you, paddling past on the kayak! ;)
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Its me, or whats left of me. It was like Das boot crashing through the waves. Went through Tudwals etc and all was fine till i turned up after Bardsey. I slowed from 6 knots to 1 or even less. The boat was fine but crew got tossed around. I think I got the timing wrong. But surprised the turning after Bardsey was the worst. Huge waves. Being my 3rd time out in the boat I have to say a few hail marys were said and I have now adopted all religions to save my sorry butt. Boat, Moody 30,was so well behaved. On the way back as Mark said getting it on the trots was a nightmare better done at night with no onlookers. I'm moored by the lifeboat and u could almost hear them saying "it's only a matter of time lol". Nice to know Mark others find the trots hard. Its a fair flow of water at certain times past the moorings.

Joking apart is Bardsey rough for veteran sailors if you get the timing wrong? As if I'm honest the turn after Bardsey to Dinllaen was a bit of a knuckle ride. It was by the Tripods I had problems.
 
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Veteran sailors don't get the timing wrong! The Tripods always have some overfalls (they're shown on the chart) except at slack water. If you miss slack or it looks iffy, go outside Bardsey - you don't have to go through the sound.
 
The boats can take it OK, it's the soft scrunchy people inside that get damaged.

It's no accident that those little squiggly lines are drawn on charts, even in really big boats it's worth going round them except at slack water. The Tripods are basically underwater mountains and there is a lot of water zooming over the top of them.
 
Tryweryn said:
The depthfinder showed 2.6 meters for me but i haven't checked but assume they allowed for the keel and that's depth below.
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Some people like to know water depth, others prefer depth under the keel. It's pretty fundamental to know, understand and have confidence in your depth instrument. It's a couple of minute job to throw a weighted tape measure over the side. It should take only a couple of minutes more to recalibrate the instrument, if necessary.
 
davidjackson said:
Some people like to know water depth, others prefer depth under the keel. It's pretty fundamental to know, understand and have confidence in your depth instrument. It's a couple of minute job to throw a weighted tape measure over the side. It should take only a couple of minutes more to recalibrate the instrument, if necessary.
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It used to be a regular event in our season's calendar to ground the boat on the sandbank just opposite the Sea Zoo in the Menai Strait in order to set the depth gauge to zero. Always manged to remeber to do it on a rising tide.
 
Tryweryn said:
Its me, or whats left of me. It was like Das boot crashing through the waves. Went through Tudwals etc and all was fine till i turned up after Bardsey. I slowed from 6 knots to 1 or even less. The boat was fine but crew got tossed around. I think I got the timing wrong. But surprised the turning after Bardsey was the worst. Huge waves. Being my 3rd time out in the boat I have to say a few hail marys were said and I have now adopted all religions to save my sorry butt. Boat, Moody 30,was so well behaved. On the way back as Mark said getting it on the trots was a nightmare better done at night with no onlookers. I'm moored by the lifeboat and u could almost hear them saying "it's only a matter of time lol". Nice to know Mark others find the trots hard. Its a fair flow of water at certain times past the moorings.

Joking apart is Bardsey rough for veteran sailors if you get the timing wrong? As if I'm honest the turn after Bardsey to Dinllaen was a bit of a knuckle ride. It was by the Tripods I had problems.
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When we went North through the sound, the water seemed to keep coming out, against us, all the way through the Bardsey Sound slack water time, we only felt the benefit of the tide until we were round the corner. Sounds like you were too early, maybe.. At Bardsey low water time (around 2 hrs before the Sound slack) the tide was pushing out at 3-5 knots and we struggled to make headway against it. Glad you made it ok! :)
 
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