graham
Well-known member
Good Luck. Just saw what looked very much like a blue Sabre heading west past Barry about 18.30. Not much wind unfortunately but at least it was from behind you. Have a safe passage and a well earned Guinness.
which is the nearest irish port to milford haven with a marina?
- Thread starter SteveSarabande
- Start date
Good Luck. Just saw what looked very much like a blue Sabre heading west past Barry about 18.30. Not much wind unfortunately but at least it was from behind you. Have a safe passage and a well earned Guinness.
SteveSarabande
Active member
That's me, no-one else out here. Passed Breaksea at 19:15, tide is just turning. Not much wind.Good Luck. Just saw what looked very much like a blue Sabre heading west past Barry about 18.30. Not much wind unfortunately but at least it was from behind you. Have a safe passage and a well earned Guinness.
SteveSarabande
Active member
Arrived safely in Dale, 15hours from locking out. Didn't see a soul, even Dale is quiet.
Next job is to work out the best time to leave for Ireland
Next job is to work out the best time to leave for Ireland
single
New member
Looks like a perfect day for the crossing. Have a good trip.
operator6
New member
Avoid Wexford for your first trip - Kilmore is good. I went from Dale to Waterford last year, and once you are past the mouth of the Suir, it's a great sail (with tide, NOT against it) to Waterford (be wary of tiredness - I went into micro-sleeps, and although quite amusing, it was interesting to be sailing in one direction one minute, and then suddenly jolt awake with a river bank dead ahead, several times). Dunmore East can be used to stop off for the tide, or longer once you can get ashore (no marina). It's a lovely piece of water
SteveSarabande
Active member
Time for an update as promised. I didn't make Ireland yet
I left Cardiff on Friday at 5pm (HW-2), stuck close in to the coastline to beat the tide for a while. I got past Barry, then Breaksea in good time, and decided at Nash point to head direct for Milford. There wasn't a great deal of wind overnight so motor sailed all the way. I had the tide against me across camarthan bay, then with me from St Gowans head to Dale. I took the inshore route along the coast rather than go offshore past the cardinal buoys. It was Saturday morning and Castlemartin range was closed.
It took 15 hours to Dale, I arrived around 7:30am. I anchored away from the moorings on the North side and got some sleep. Then a lazy day of sunbathing on deck.
I made a plan to leave the next morning for Kilmore Quay, I called them to check a berth was free. I double and triple checked the complicated pilotage into the harbour. So I left at 5am, motor sailed out towards Skomer and then had a change of plan. There was no wind, it was forcast as a F3 variable, so not much hope of a lot of wind. The next day had a forecast of 3-4, SE, right in my face for the journey home. I decided the I wanted to sail to Ireland not motor so diverted north towards Fishguard instead.
With the calm seas it was an ideal day to explore the islands and I headed off for a wild ride through Ramsey Sound. I went through with the tide and hit an SOG of 12.5kt (boat speed of 5ky). Got passed the bithces ok, then remembered saw a mess of a whirlpool at horse rock and avoided that nicely. It really is wild around there, lots of whirlpools trying to spin the boat around.
I motorsailed up the coast towards Fishguard but decided to anchor for a while at Aber Eiddy. Breakfast on-board and some sunbathing. I set off again on when the tide changed and headed around North Bishop, South Bishop and into North Haven at Skomer. I great day out with a bit more wind in the afternoon. Lots of overfalls, sticky out rocky bits, quite a change from Cardiff and Somerset mud.
On Monday I decided to head back through Jack Sound. I thought I had planned it for slack tide, but made a rookiee mistake of not addin an hour for BST to the almanac time. I got through but spent ages tacking against the tide for an hour trying to get away form the sound. The wind was forecast to pick up so I headed up river to a quite, sheltered spot by Lawrenny and dropped the anchor overnight.
Since then things turned bad, the forecast is for high winds, force 8 today apparently. I decided to book the boat into Milford Marina were I willl leave it for the weekend. I need to be in Cardiff for the weekend but am sailing next week. This gives me a chance again next week if the weather is good and saved me making a passage to Cardiff in high winds. Singlehanded in a 27' boat in a F6 for 15 hours is no fun. The tiller pilot is ok in calm seas but doesn't handle waves very well.
Next weeks plans depend on the weather, at the moment it is so unsettled. I can't afford to get trapped in Milford next weekend as I am of sailing in Gibraltar after that. So if the weather looks settled I will be off to Ireland, if not either direct back to Cardiff. I am learning that plans need to be flexible when the weather is unsettled.
Being on-board in the marina in heavy rain has revealed a few leaky deck fittings so the time isn't all wasted, lots of time for maintenance tasks.
I left Cardiff on Friday at 5pm (HW-2), stuck close in to the coastline to beat the tide for a while. I got past Barry, then Breaksea in good time, and decided at Nash point to head direct for Milford. There wasn't a great deal of wind overnight so motor sailed all the way. I had the tide against me across camarthan bay, then with me from St Gowans head to Dale. I took the inshore route along the coast rather than go offshore past the cardinal buoys. It was Saturday morning and Castlemartin range was closed.
It took 15 hours to Dale, I arrived around 7:30am. I anchored away from the moorings on the North side and got some sleep. Then a lazy day of sunbathing on deck.
I made a plan to leave the next morning for Kilmore Quay, I called them to check a berth was free. I double and triple checked the complicated pilotage into the harbour. So I left at 5am, motor sailed out towards Skomer and then had a change of plan. There was no wind, it was forcast as a F3 variable, so not much hope of a lot of wind. The next day had a forecast of 3-4, SE, right in my face for the journey home. I decided the I wanted to sail to Ireland not motor so diverted north towards Fishguard instead.
With the calm seas it was an ideal day to explore the islands and I headed off for a wild ride through Ramsey Sound. I went through with the tide and hit an SOG of 12.5kt (boat speed of 5ky). Got passed the bithces ok, then remembered saw a mess of a whirlpool at horse rock and avoided that nicely. It really is wild around there, lots of whirlpools trying to spin the boat around.
I motorsailed up the coast towards Fishguard but decided to anchor for a while at Aber Eiddy. Breakfast on-board and some sunbathing. I set off again on when the tide changed and headed around North Bishop, South Bishop and into North Haven at Skomer. I great day out with a bit more wind in the afternoon. Lots of overfalls, sticky out rocky bits, quite a change from Cardiff and Somerset mud.
On Monday I decided to head back through Jack Sound. I thought I had planned it for slack tide, but made a rookiee mistake of not addin an hour for BST to the almanac time. I got through but spent ages tacking against the tide for an hour trying to get away form the sound. The wind was forecast to pick up so I headed up river to a quite, sheltered spot by Lawrenny and dropped the anchor overnight.
Since then things turned bad, the forecast is for high winds, force 8 today apparently. I decided to book the boat into Milford Marina were I willl leave it for the weekend. I need to be in Cardiff for the weekend but am sailing next week. This gives me a chance again next week if the weather is good and saved me making a passage to Cardiff in high winds. Singlehanded in a 27' boat in a F6 for 15 hours is no fun. The tiller pilot is ok in calm seas but doesn't handle waves very well.
Next weeks plans depend on the weather, at the moment it is so unsettled. I can't afford to get trapped in Milford next weekend as I am of sailing in Gibraltar after that. So if the weather looks settled I will be off to Ireland, if not either direct back to Cardiff. I am learning that plans need to be flexible when the weather is unsettled.
Being on-board in the marina in heavy rain has revealed a few leaky deck fittings so the time isn't all wasted, lots of time for maintenance tasks.
graham
Well-known member
Great that you did as much as you did. Better to look at it as a succesfull West Wales cruise than an unsuccessfull Irish cruise.
It would have been a long passage back from K.Q. into the SE headwind I think you definitely made the right descision .
It would have been a long passage back from K.Q. into the SE headwind I think you definitely made the right descision .