hlb
RIP
Having so far seemed to concentrate my time, on disaster stories,
And being as I’m sat here with little else to do.
I thought I’d have a go at writing one about a trip where nearly nothing went wrong.
I’m not very good with the descriptive stuff, so you will just have to do your own adlibbing about the scenery, pools of light on silken water and any other crap you can think of, just to spin it out.
For those with only small, or no boat at all. Or for the raggies who wonder what a boat with engines is all about. This trip might do some thing for you.
It was probably about 6 years ago.
The trip again in our Princess 33 at the time, again set off from Pwlheli North Wales.
The weather was calm for once as we headed SW for the 25 miles or so, down the Lleyn peninsular. Even the races round Bardsey were behaving themselves. The course was to lead us north, up to Holly Head for the night, but everything being very uneventful. We just carried on up the Irish sea to The Isle Of Man.
Now I would not call Douglas a pretty place, But some body had the fore thought to put it in a handy refuelling spot.
I know the island is supposed to be a nice place. But the wander round Douglas just confirmed the lack of visitors. B&B £8 on the sea front, pick your own hotel!
The next day the sea looked a bit more lively but we headed out, East for some reason, to go round the island before heading NW up the Mull Of Gallway. I know I’ve said it before. But look on an Admiralty Chart of this area and it says. Dangerous For Small Vessels. And my pilot book says. That means. Mine Sweepers and Destroyers!
I hadn’t thought the weather was bad enough to worry about the over falls or wind over tide, but the look was horrific. White water, everywhere in front!
Well we sort of bounced and sploshed through it. At least it all seemed to be coming from the same direction. Still it seemed a bloody long hour till coming out the other side of it.
But once turned north again, everything went much better.
Soon Portpatrick was in sight, and thank god for GPS. The entrance is just a gap in the cliffs about fifty feet wide. The current was doing about five knots across the entrance and the trick is To line up an orange blob on the harbour wall with one on a house up the hill. The you crab in at about fourty five deg's.
Its this sort of place that I feel very privileged to have a boat.
A lovely little harbour in the centre of the village, about eight quid a night and we’ve got pride of place, with all the cars being booted out of town.
Mind you its also a bit like being a goldfish with all the tourists gorping down at you when the tides out. It was here that we met the two Brooms on there round Britain trip.
So onward and upward, the next stop was Campbeltown on the West coast of the Mull Of Kintyre. Southerners would think they were going to fall off the planet from here on. A bit like going in a time warp, fifty years back.
Then it was into proper West Coast of Scotland sailing. Best place in Europe so they say. Isle of Arran on the right and Mull Of Kintyre on the left, with dolphins and us in the middle. Just a gentle cruise now. No need for serious navigating. Up the fly bridge with a chart. Except it’s a bit like a scenic spaghetti junction, with all the Islands and locks. Spent the night in Tarbert.
Then its up Lock Fyne for Ardishaig (must spell it right.) For the Crinan Canal.
Now all cruises have to be about something and that’s what this one was all about. Take the boat up a Canal! Don’t sound like much but then this was the Crinan.
It was built to save boats going West round the outside of the Mull of Kintyre, that’s before the time of Paul Macartney!
The canal is 9 miles long and consists of 15 locks and 7 bridges, all a DIY job except the sea locks a either end. So its out the sea, up a mountain and back down the other side and into the sea again. By which time your completely knackered.
Arriving at Crinan I was pleasantly surprised to see the steam Coasters The Vital Spark and its mate, but cant remember name of tother.
There was a series on the telly about them , Para Hanley or sumat. Sure theres a bloke on Shuterbum called himself after it!
The sunset over the islands round Crinan was unbelievable.
You might get another verse another day. But see nothing much went wrong and were still going north!
Haydn
And being as I’m sat here with little else to do.
I thought I’d have a go at writing one about a trip where nearly nothing went wrong.
I’m not very good with the descriptive stuff, so you will just have to do your own adlibbing about the scenery, pools of light on silken water and any other crap you can think of, just to spin it out.
For those with only small, or no boat at all. Or for the raggies who wonder what a boat with engines is all about. This trip might do some thing for you.
It was probably about 6 years ago.
The trip again in our Princess 33 at the time, again set off from Pwlheli North Wales.
The weather was calm for once as we headed SW for the 25 miles or so, down the Lleyn peninsular. Even the races round Bardsey were behaving themselves. The course was to lead us north, up to Holly Head for the night, but everything being very uneventful. We just carried on up the Irish sea to The Isle Of Man.
Now I would not call Douglas a pretty place, But some body had the fore thought to put it in a handy refuelling spot.
I know the island is supposed to be a nice place. But the wander round Douglas just confirmed the lack of visitors. B&B £8 on the sea front, pick your own hotel!
The next day the sea looked a bit more lively but we headed out, East for some reason, to go round the island before heading NW up the Mull Of Gallway. I know I’ve said it before. But look on an Admiralty Chart of this area and it says. Dangerous For Small Vessels. And my pilot book says. That means. Mine Sweepers and Destroyers!
I hadn’t thought the weather was bad enough to worry about the over falls or wind over tide, but the look was horrific. White water, everywhere in front!
Well we sort of bounced and sploshed through it. At least it all seemed to be coming from the same direction. Still it seemed a bloody long hour till coming out the other side of it.
But once turned north again, everything went much better.
Soon Portpatrick was in sight, and thank god for GPS. The entrance is just a gap in the cliffs about fifty feet wide. The current was doing about five knots across the entrance and the trick is To line up an orange blob on the harbour wall with one on a house up the hill. The you crab in at about fourty five deg's.
Its this sort of place that I feel very privileged to have a boat.
A lovely little harbour in the centre of the village, about eight quid a night and we’ve got pride of place, with all the cars being booted out of town.
Mind you its also a bit like being a goldfish with all the tourists gorping down at you when the tides out. It was here that we met the two Brooms on there round Britain trip.
So onward and upward, the next stop was Campbeltown on the West coast of the Mull Of Kintyre. Southerners would think they were going to fall off the planet from here on. A bit like going in a time warp, fifty years back.
Then it was into proper West Coast of Scotland sailing. Best place in Europe so they say. Isle of Arran on the right and Mull Of Kintyre on the left, with dolphins and us in the middle. Just a gentle cruise now. No need for serious navigating. Up the fly bridge with a chart. Except it’s a bit like a scenic spaghetti junction, with all the Islands and locks. Spent the night in Tarbert.
Then its up Lock Fyne for Ardishaig (must spell it right.) For the Crinan Canal.
Now all cruises have to be about something and that’s what this one was all about. Take the boat up a Canal! Don’t sound like much but then this was the Crinan.
It was built to save boats going West round the outside of the Mull of Kintyre, that’s before the time of Paul Macartney!
The canal is 9 miles long and consists of 15 locks and 7 bridges, all a DIY job except the sea locks a either end. So its out the sea, up a mountain and back down the other side and into the sea again. By which time your completely knackered.
Arriving at Crinan I was pleasantly surprised to see the steam Coasters The Vital Spark and its mate, but cant remember name of tother.
There was a series on the telly about them , Para Hanley or sumat. Sure theres a bloke on Shuterbum called himself after it!
The sunset over the islands round Crinan was unbelievable.
You might get another verse another day. But see nothing much went wrong and were still going north!
Haydn
