Thought it was time to say hello

[NicM]

Hi all I have been lurking in the back ground for a few weeks but thought it was time to say hello.

I live near Cowbridge just outside Cardiff but do most of my boaty stuff, which isn't much at the moment, in west Wales near Cardigan. In the past I have done quite a bit of sailing on various boats. From dinghys as a kid, a few years crewing on a Westerley Centaur out of Barry YC, sailing a friends Lysander out of the Ely to fish for cod in winter and sailing my own Seamaster 23 out of the same river.

My familly have a bungalow in Aberporth outside Cardigan so I have been sailing/motoring out from there for about 35 years to fish, water ski, dive or just about anything else that would get me out on the water.

The wife and I have gained three kids in the last nine years so everything has been on stop or a go slow but I am now itching to get back on the water a bit more regularly. I am hoping to get something traditional and seaworthy like a lugger later in the year or maybe if I can pluck up the courage build a Highlander by Selway Fisher. I'll be sailing it off the beach in west Wales to get the kids started and also doing a bit of fishing and a pot or two.

As I am self taught, plus a Coastal Skipper theory course, my knowledge ranges from good to zero.

Ultimately I will want to get a cruiser again so I hope to do a bit of crewing during the winter when I have more time. Not a racing type sailer but it gets you on the water.

Best wishes to you all and I hope I'll meet up with one or two of you some time.

 

[LizzyD]

HSP,

How's it going mate. Nice to hear from you and welcome aboard the forum. I'm a near neighbour (Bridgend). You'll have to keep us all posted about your boat situation. I can feel a forum get together coming on - if this %***&@("$ weather ever ^$*)"£!!>? improves!!!

Take care mate,

Lizzy D

 

[Alcyone]

Hi, nice to hear from you. Louise and I are new to sailing and new to the forum, too. Cardigan is a lovely area. I have a mate who used to sail around there some years back, Tom Bennett? Don't know if you ever came across him.

 

[tangomoon]

Hi 2u2

Know Pembrokeshire well, fished for crabs and lobsters all along the coast and scallops off Cardigan, Seal Bay smugglers/friends across the water? and Aberbach #4M cannabis smuggling - happy days!

Ceredigion is a nice spot too. Aberporth, trying to think of the Welsh language adventure activities there, children used to go for weekends. Was it Urth?

Shan't bore you or me with, do you know or remember when!

Hope you get involved in the bun fights on other forums - this one is civilised fortunately

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

All the best

 

[Csail]

Welcome, as you may have noticed we are in Rhoose (boats Cardiff) if you do fancy a forumite meet up how about the 'Plough & Harrow' Broughton...... pretty central between Bridgend,Cowbridge & Rhoose. Great pub too. (Off the road between Wick & Llantwit)
http://www.theploughmonknash.com/

 

[LizzyD]

Brilliant idea. Count me in. They sell Old Rosie there, so I'll probably get a taxi there - and an ambulance back!!

Lizzy D

 

[Csail]

Shall i book two ambulances then /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Csail]

I will start a new thread for a meet up. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[NicM]

Thanks for the welcome.

Alcyone - I haven't come across Tom Bennett but I am pretty much Aberporth based and he probably sailed out of the Teifi. Do you recall what boat he sailed?

csail - excellent choice of pub.

tangomoon - the Urdd camp is at Llangrannog which is very near to Aberporth we often sail or motor across for lunch in the pub on the front. Useless fact of the day they filmed an episode of Lovejoy there.

 

[NicM]

Forgot to ask, alcyone, did you dive, dreg or how did you get the scallops. I know their are good beds of that part of the coast having been protected by the missile firing range but no one seems to fish for them.

 

[chrishelen]

Hi Homer,wellcome,

Me and Helen spend lots of time in New Quey,LLangranog and Aberporth are ports of call on our little dingy, weather permitting, hope to bump into you for a beer,
Cheers
Chris.

 

[NicM]

let me have a description of your dinghy and I'll keep an eye out for you during the summer.

 

[graham]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I used to have a Lysander in the Rumney River and sometimes saw one coming out of Cardiff with a bowsprit and large headsail.Could have been your mates?

Our Lysander "Magpie"

 

[NicM]

There is a good chance it was. It was all varnished wood topsides and a little short as the transom was rotten when he bought it so he cut 8" to 10" off and rebuilt the transom. It was based in Newport, Pembs during the summer and we used to take it out from a pontoon on the ely during the winter to fish.

Used to be good fun. One day we were anchored about 3/4 of a mile off about level with ASW in very lumpy conditions. In fact we were sure the bait was coming out of the water when we were on top of a wave. We had noticed a yacht with a lone yachtsman aboard slowly working his way towards us and thought he was probably going to ask if we were ok.

After some time he passed across our bows, we were sat with our backs to the saloon looking over the transom and we thought that was that. Only to have him tack across our stern with him leaning over the gaurd rail.

As he passed his only words were..." You're f*@king nuts!" and off he sailed. We are still laughing about it now.

 

[Alcyone]

Tom used to Live up near Cardigan, but I don't know what his boat was then. He had another called the 'perky puffin'. He wrote a few books on shipwrecks and a sea guide to pembs?

Scallops, always dive for them. If you know where to look there are quite a few about. I usually limit myself to half a dozen, a couple of times a season. Not because there is a shortage, but because I have seen so many other shellfish decimated. I see almost no Crayfish now, few lobsters and even good sized edible crabs are rare.

 

[NicM]

Ah Yes. His name did sound familiar but it was because I have a couple of his wreck books from when I was diving. Didn't know he was from Cardigan thought. Live and learn.

 

[tangomoon]

The scallops were fished for, in fact fished out!

Late 70s/early 80s one stage more than sixty beamers working out of Fishguard all on scallops off Cardigan. Earnings ahem, vast for some months.

Still pockets of them of course.

Always thought it odd when fishermen find a good spot they don't keep quiet, went from one boat to a whole fleet practically overnight.

Very big specimens and best scallops in the country.