damo
New member
Been back at work for a while, and catching up on the BC forum posts, and wishing I was still out sailing.
I got the best of the conditions I think in the first half of the month, and visited some fantastic places. I went down to Lundy first, had a drink with some friends there and then over to Tenby. The HM doesn't answer the phone it seems so I anchored off, which was just as well because I would never have squeezed Snow Petrel onto the wall! I went up to the sailing club and met up with two Lydney boats, one of whom I had locked in to Portishead in foul conditions a few days before, who had had a good run down.
I then picked up the kids and had a lovely couple of days coasteering at Barafundle, mackerel fishing at Caldy (lovely anchorages there if you haven't been) and then tucked under Worms Head out of the strong SW wind. The kids went canoeing among the seals before I dropped them off at Gower and had a screaming reach through the night with two reefs in all the way to Kilmore Quay in Wexford.
I spent a day there getting my breath back before another bouncy run down to Crosshaven in Cork. After a visit to an old relative it was back across to Polventon, near Padstow, enjoying a superb meteorite display on the way. Cork CG were asking for info on a reported light at sea, so I called up and said I thought it was probably a spectacular meteor fireball which I had seen at that time.
Lots of Severn and Portishead boats were in Padstow, so I had a pleasant time visiting, before heading up to Appledore. I found it very useful going into Padstow and Appledore for the first time in easy conditions, so I could get a feel for the channels and plot the buoys (some of which are in very different positions from my charts!)
Over to Lundy again to wait the tide, then another sleighride up the channel, with a NW7 pushing me past the Holms at 11kn over the ground. I was worried about the seas there because I had been having 2-3m breaking waves, but as it happened I shot through without a drop on the decks. A fast goosewinged ride back to Portishead capped the best fortnight sailing I've had. I passed 4000 passage miles for my boat on the trip, and having been more than 60M offshore for a few hours, can I regard myself as a bluewater sailor now?!
I went up to the Cardiff Festival on Saturday, and had a ringside seat on Mermaid Quay. Just before that I passed Lizzy D, who was looking very dapper decked all over with pretty flags. Unfortunately we were manoeuvering in a tight spot so there was no time for a chat with Mike - and we STILL haven't had that beer together! (BTW Mike, I intend to print out your Bristol Harbour pilotage notes for customers here at the Marina, if you don't object)
Unfortunately my digi camera played up while I was away so I haven't got any pics to post.
Hope you all have had some decent sailing this "summer"
I got the best of the conditions I think in the first half of the month, and visited some fantastic places. I went down to Lundy first, had a drink with some friends there and then over to Tenby. The HM doesn't answer the phone it seems so I anchored off, which was just as well because I would never have squeezed Snow Petrel onto the wall! I went up to the sailing club and met up with two Lydney boats, one of whom I had locked in to Portishead in foul conditions a few days before, who had had a good run down.
I then picked up the kids and had a lovely couple of days coasteering at Barafundle, mackerel fishing at Caldy (lovely anchorages there if you haven't been) and then tucked under Worms Head out of the strong SW wind. The kids went canoeing among the seals before I dropped them off at Gower and had a screaming reach through the night with two reefs in all the way to Kilmore Quay in Wexford.
I spent a day there getting my breath back before another bouncy run down to Crosshaven in Cork. After a visit to an old relative it was back across to Polventon, near Padstow, enjoying a superb meteorite display on the way. Cork CG were asking for info on a reported light at sea, so I called up and said I thought it was probably a spectacular meteor fireball which I had seen at that time.
Lots of Severn and Portishead boats were in Padstow, so I had a pleasant time visiting, before heading up to Appledore. I found it very useful going into Padstow and Appledore for the first time in easy conditions, so I could get a feel for the channels and plot the buoys (some of which are in very different positions from my charts!)
Over to Lundy again to wait the tide, then another sleighride up the channel, with a NW7 pushing me past the Holms at 11kn over the ground. I was worried about the seas there because I had been having 2-3m breaking waves, but as it happened I shot through without a drop on the decks. A fast goosewinged ride back to Portishead capped the best fortnight sailing I've had. I passed 4000 passage miles for my boat on the trip, and having been more than 60M offshore for a few hours, can I regard myself as a bluewater sailor now?!
I went up to the Cardiff Festival on Saturday, and had a ringside seat on Mermaid Quay. Just before that I passed Lizzy D, who was looking very dapper decked all over with pretty flags. Unfortunately we were manoeuvering in a tight spot so there was no time for a chat with Mike - and we STILL haven't had that beer together! (BTW Mike, I intend to print out your Bristol Harbour pilotage notes for customers here at the Marina, if you don't object)
Unfortunately my digi camera played up while I was away so I haven't got any pics to post.
Hope you all have had some decent sailing this "summer"
