Liverpool to the Isle of Man

We left Liverpool as predicted, on Wednesday. Liverpool is a great city to visit. We visited the new Alder Hey Children's Hospital site on Monday, the project that David was working on when he retired, the hospital that is not supposed to look like a hospital. Now nearing completion it looked like living up to its brief. Good to meet some old colleagues but I don't miss the stress they are working under!

The hospital that is not supposed to look like a hospital.

On Tuesday we did more conventional tourist things, spending the morning and part of the afternoon in the Liverpool Museum. An excellent facility with plenty to see, you really need several visits to take it all in. We then visited the rebuilt Cavern Club, home of the Beatles.
We locked out of the marina at 0900 on Wednesday morning. A good marina, very helpful staff although the showers and washing facilities could do with some attention! The hardest part of visiting Liverpool is the Mersey, strong currents, a long exit/entry channel and plenty of commercial shipping in a narrow channel.

Locking out.

New and old contrast on the waterfront.

" Psychedelic ferry cross the Mersey!

The forecast for our trip to Douglas, IOM, was SW veering W 5 to 7 with moderate seas, not ideal but if we had waited another day the locking out times would have limited the distance we could have achieved in a day. The forecast proved to be accurate and gave us a challenging sail. We had set up the inner forestay and staysail and prepared sandwiches and drinks the night before on the basis that if we had got it all ready we wouldn't need it, but we needed it all. We had three reefs in the mainsail and the staysail for the entire 80 mile trip and need to concentrate hard on steering in the beam seas. Plenty of water over the deck but, other than the niggly window leaks that we have had for a while, not much found it's way below. We approached Douglas at about 2130, half an hour over our predicted ETA, but were asked by Harbour Control to stand off and wait for the SeaCat to enter and berth. Not what we wanted when we were tired and cold, but Harbour Control were very good, giving us clear instructions on where to go, arranging lifting the road bridge so we could enter the inner Harbour and having someone waiting for us at our berth alongside a tour boat for the night.

Well wrapped up.i

On passage.

We moved up to a pontoon berth at the head of the inner Harbour next morning. Good facilities but very expensive at £3.00 per metre. Very sheltered, which is exactly what we need. We've had enough of force 6 and 7 for a while!

Very quiet in the inner Harbour.

As the forecast is giving strong winds for the next few days we are staying put and have bought rover tickets to explore the island by public transport for the next three days, planning to leave for Northern Ireland on Monday.

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Menai Straits to Liverpool

We thought for a while that we would have to miss Liverpool off our itinerary but a suitable weather window appeared on Saturday. As planned, we left Port Dinorwic Marina on Friday afternoon and part motored, part sailed up the Straits and through the Swellies to Menai Bridge. The Dockmaster at PD recommended Menai Bridge as a quieter overnight stop than Beaumaris.

Nelson, looking over us on the way to the Swellies

Menai Suspension Bridge

The Swellies are a notorious area of rocks and varying water depths under the two bridges to Angelsey where the tide runs very strongly apart from at high water slack so that dictated our timing and gave us an uneventful passage through. At Menai Bridge there are a group of 4 huge yellow visitors moorings. We moored to one of these, not easy with a strong wind against a strong tide. We settled down but then realized that the hard plastic mooring buoy had sharp chunks sticking out of it which were scraping along Lacerta's top sides so we moved to a private mooring with a smaller, round buoy just inshore of the yellow ones and finally settled down for the night.

We needed a 07.20 start the next morning for the 50 mile sail to Liverpool to be sure of getting there in time for the lock into Liverpol Marina. We left with a strong SW breeze, cloud and rain with just the mainsail up with 1 reef in and were making a good 6 - 7 knots over the ground out of the Straits and across to Great Orme's Head and then across to Liverpool bay.

Through Puffin Sound, leaving the Straits

Grey skies and rain with Great Orme behind us.

Although wind farms and oil and gas platforms were marked on the chart we were unprepared for the number of wind turbines and platforms in the sea. We had to plot a course between the banks of wind turbines, which fortunately did not take us too far out of our way. The weather had been raining on and off all morning but, as we were approaching the Hoyle wind farm off the Dee estuary we could see dark clouds building up on our left, from the North West. We gybed the mainsail and quickly put in 2 reefs and unrolled a small amount of foresail in readiness for the forecast veer and increase in wind strength. Within 10 minutes the wind had veered to the NW and increased to 22 to 26 knots, force 5 to 6 with heavy rain. This was a classic example of a cold front moving in. We were still able lay our course to the Queens Channel into Liverpool. We had left the spray hood up for this trip due to the rain and were now grateful for the shelter it gave us from the spray as Lacerta was roaring along at 7 to 8 knots.

Wind turbines and a gas platform with the sky promising the onset of the cold front and the change in wind direction and strength.

Entering the Queens Channel we still had 15 miles to sail to get to the marina but were well in time for the lock. As we sailed down the channel the seas eased off as we were sheltered by the shallows of the Burbo Bank to the West of us. There were only a few commercial ships under way so the passage into the Mersey was uneventful. Sailing past some of the famous Liverpool landmarks like the Liver Building and the newer galleries gave us a different perspective of the city.

City landscape.

The Liver Building.

Entering the lock to the marina proved to be a challenge as the lock master was operating on VHF channel 37, which we do not have! Eventually, relayed mobile phone messages established when we could go in and we berthed in the marina in Coburg dock by 16.15.

Our friends, Gail and Bryan Marshall drove down from Southport and took us back to their house for a meal and our first night off the boat for 3 weeks. We had not seen Gail and Bryan since our children were sailing together about 12 years ago so we had a very convivial evening reminiscing, assisted by gin and tonics, expertly mixed by son, Greg, and a few glasses of wine.

Back on the boat this afternoon we had other visitors, Janet and Bruce Mager, who had driven over from Littleborough to see us. We had another round of catching up with family goings on.

We intend to spend a couple of days doing the tourist bit in Liverpool, waiting for a weather window for a passage to the Isle of Man, which looks like being on Wednesday at the moment.

 

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North to the Menai Straits

We left Barmouth late morning on Tuesday 21st April. One of the problems with sailing around these coasts is that there are a number of tidal constraints to be taken into account, the first of which is leaving Barmouth. Although we have been using a deep water mooring it is in a tidal pool and we have to wait for enough water to allow us to get out of it. Added to this is that the flood tide flows very strongly through the entrance so waiting until high water when the current has eased off makes sense.

Coming out of Barmouth at high water creates the second constraint, which is that the ebb tide in the Irish Sea flows Southwards so heading North is, for almost six hours, against the tide.

The third constraint is Bardsey Island, off the tip of the Lleyn Peninsula. As with all headlands, the tide flows strongly through the narrow channel between the island and the mainland so going through at slack water is the best option.

Leaving Barmouth in the sunshine.

The fourth constraint is getting into the Menai Straits over Caernarfon Bar, only accessible three hours either side of high water in settled weather.

It is rarely possible to satisfy all these constraints and, as this time, when the weather plays tricks on you, it's impossible!

We left at high water with a forecast East or North East wind in bright sunshine.

This should have meant that the first part of the 55 mile trip would be with a favourable wind behind us. The favourable wind lasted until about half a mile outside of the harbour, when it swung around to the North West, yet again we were sailing as close to the wind as we could, which meant that we could not sail a straight line between the waypoints of our passage. Despite this the sun was shining, the sea was flat, the breeze was an ideal 14 to 16 knots, and this was the best sail of the trip so far.

Not quite shorts and tee shirts yet!

Added to the pleasure of sailing, we were visited by two pods of Dolphins, the first were the largest Dolphins we had seen and were very acrobatic, somersaulting completely out of the water, fantastic! They played alongside us for 15 minutes or so then swam off, to be replaced by another less energetic group after another hours sailing.

K

Because of the good breeze we arrived early at Bardsey Sound and had to plug against the tide for an hour or so, making 3 knots over the ground when we were sailing at 7 or 8 knots through the water.

Approaching Bardsey Sound

After exiting Bardsey Sound we expected a quick down wind sail towards the Menai Straits but the wind had other ideas, reverting from the North West to the forecast North East direction! The timing for the passage over Caernarfon Bar would have meant entering in the dark, not to be recommended, so we opted to furl the headsail, start the engine and motor sail towards Malltraeth Bay, a wide sandy bay just North of Caernarfon Bar with no outlying dangers, which we knew we could enter in the dark. We anchored at 23.30, tidied up and, with a glass of malt whisky as a night cap, retired to bed.

Raising the anchor Malltraeth Bay

 

Passing Caernarfon.

1000 on Wednesday morning was the earliest time for crossing the bar. We were into the Menai Straits at 1115 and were moored in the old slate dock at Port Dinorwic at 1220.

In the entrance lock.

Moored in the old slate dock.

 

We used to keep our E Boat at Port Dinorwic in the eighties. Our old friends, Pete and Margaret Clews, still lived here, we used to keep our dinghy in their garden. This time they fed us and allowed Debbie to put a couple of loads of washing through their machine. Clean sheets were very welcome!

Thursday has been spent shopping, again courtesy of Pete and Margaret, catching up with the blog (David) and Debbie's FLP and home accounts together with a visit from another old friend, Jill Griffiths.

Plan for tomorrow is to go through the Swellies, under the bridges in the centre of the Straits, then overnight off Beaumaris for an early start to Liverpool on Saturday morning.

 

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Barmouth in the sunshine

I write this on a balmy Monday evening having just returned to the boat from a day ashore, the weather today has been fantastic. More of Barmouth later, the last post was as we arrived into Fishguard. What started out to be a quiet night did not turn out that way. The wind, which had deserted us all day, returned after dark, and from the North East, the worst possible direction for the Lower Harbour anchorage. We did not get the night's rest we expected! In the morning there was still quite a large swell and Lacerta was rolling and pitching a lot.

Lacerta anchored outside the Fishguard Lower Harbour moorings.

We decide to risk going ashore to see if we could get a shower and some rest at the Fishguard Bay Yacht club on the quay. Despite, or because of, both of us being quite anxious about launching the dinghy and getting the engine on the back, we managed it and got ashore without getting any water in
the boat.

Fishguard inner Harbour.

The ladies at Fishguard Bay Yacht Club were preparing for the club fitting out supper so the cafe they
normally operate was closed but they showed us the very welcome showers and allowed us to leave our gear there while we went shopping. Be warned, if you visit Fishguard Lower Harbour it is very picturesque but there is nothing there! All the shops are in the upper town, which is a good walk up the hill. We made the mistake of not having a drink before we started out and were feeling quite dehydrated when we got to the upper town. We found a farmers market in the community hall and bought fresh food for dinner. Debbie begged a glass of water but was feeling quite faint. As the
market was closing one of the stall holders kindly offered us a lift back down the hill to the Yacht
Club. By this time it was about 14.00, the club ladies had finished their initial preparations and were preparing to leave but they very kindly allowed us to stay in the clubhouse so Debbie could have a lie
down and recover in the lounge area. David was then given a lift back up the hill in search of lunch, which had been forgotten when Debbie was not feeling so good. As we had a long wait before the tide came back in having somewhere quiet to rest was just what we needed so thank you FBYC and
particularly Gaye, Gwynnie and husband Peter for your kindness.
By the time there was enough tide for the dinghy to float again the wind had dropped and shifted to the East so things were much quieter. We enjoyed excellent rump steaks and got ready for a 20.00 departure for Barmouth. The overnight sail was a proper sail for a change, although it was a beat and we ended up motor sailing as we could not quite lay our course and would have missed the tide over Barmouth bar.

Closing Barmouth as the sun rises.

We eventually found Barmouth Outer buoy, confusing because it did not have its proper red and white vertical stripes (we found the proper buoy being painted on the quay when we got in), and made our way across the bar.
We were borrowing a mooring from Dave Holborn. Dave's son Matt lodges with our Richard in Cardiff and we met Dave in Cardiff, celebrating Matt's birthday. Dave has one of the few deep water moorings on Barmouth which was not being used as his boat was in the Isle of Man so he kindly allowed us to use it and even appeared on the beach on a cold Sunday morning to direct us to the right buoy. A big thank you Dave.

Barmouth Quay from the mooring.

Walking on Dinas Oleu

After a couple of hours kip we blew up the dinghy and went ashore to meet our old friend, Wendy Ponsford. The cafe, Davy Jones Locker, looked exactly as it did 30 years ago when it was the breakfast gathering place for E Boat sailors so a bacon and egg butty was required for old times sake!
As the dinghy was high and dry again we spent most of the day with Wendy, finishing with dinner in the Last Inn, another haunt from E Boat days.
Wendy had to go to London to visit her daughter today but kindly allowed us to use Brynmeirion, the cottage we used to use when we visited Barmouth with the children, as a shore base. We walked up the hill at Dinas Oleu and lunched in the sunshine with splendid views over Cader Idris before returning to the town for shopping, showers, the inevitable ice cream and dinner before the tide floated the dinghy and allowed us back on the boat.

Moored by th railway bridge

We leave on tomorrow's high tide bound for the Menai Straits.

Round the corner to Cardigan Bay

No blog yesterday as we were anchored in Sandy Haven Bay, inside the entrance to Milford Haven with no internet or phone signal. Very strange when just out of site around the corner were huge oil tanker jetties and on shore oil storage tanks!
We left Oxwich Bay at 0500 as planned to catch the tide. Light winds to start with but a nice NE breeze sprang up giving us a great sail in bright sunshine. Approaching Milford Haven we had to sail South of the Saint Gowan and Tusker Rock buoys to avoid the Castle Martin firing range. Still quite disconcerting to hear the booms and see the smoke onshore from the artillery. Entering Milford Haven at midday we anchored in Sandy Haven Bay for lunch. After lunch we decided to motor further up the Cleddau river to see if Milford Haven deserved it's reputation as an inland cruising area. Huge oil tankers and loading jetties gave way, after passing under the Cleddau bridge, to more rural scenes as we motored up to Lawrenny before turning back to spend the night back at Sandy Haven Bay.

Oil Jetties

Sandy Bay Haven anchorage

Cleddau Bridge , passing under the wrong, shallower, span to keep out of the tide.

Rural scenery towards Lawrenny.
Today's plan was to head for Fishguard through the inshore passages of Jack Sound and Ramsey Sound on the tip of Pembroke. Strong tidal streams through both sounds dictated the timing and
would have meant leaving Milford Haven at 1200 but we opted to leave earlier and anchor off Skomer Island nature reserve to watch some of the wildlife while waiting for slack water in Jack Sound.
A nice Easterly breeze allowed us to sail out of Milford Haven and around St Anne's Head until we had to lower the sails to anchor in a South Haven on Skomer Island. The hour's lunch stop at Skomer was brilliant, sea birds nesting on the cliffs, gatherings of Puffins (what is the collective term for a group of Puffins?) and a couple of seals, none of which wanted to come close enough to get a decent
photograph.

Skomer South Haven anchorage
After Jack Sound the wind, forecast to be force 4 to 5, deserted us so yet again we motored in a flat
calm to anchor off Fishguard Lower Harbour at 18.30 ( the main harbour is reserved for commercial traffic).

Fishguard Northern breakwater.
Tomorrow is a day's rest before a planned overnight sail to catch the morning tide into Barmouth, wher the next blog will come from.

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Oxwich Bay

We are now anchored in Oxwich Bay, on the Gower, having arrived just before 2100 last night. We left Cardiff at the 1430 lock through the barrage to get the best of the ebb tide.

Leaving Cardiff Yacht Club.
As we left the barrage the Tall Ships Youth Trust brig, Stavros S Niarchos was leaving Cardiff Docks
bound for Dartmouth so we were in company with her for a while. The last voyage we did on her was from the Azores to Portsmouth in 2008 and Debbie did a voyage around the Canaries in 2012.

Stavros
The trip Westwards was uneventful, the wind, forecast to be SW, stayed stubbornly in the West so, mindful of wanting to get to Oxwich Bay before dark we kept the engine on. Off Port Talbot the wind did back a little and we were able to bear off a little which allowed us to motor sail the last couple of hours, anchoring in the West end of the bay next to the fishing boat moorings just as the light was fading. Dinner at anchor with a glass of wine was most welcome, finishing with a healthy slice of Linda's cake, but we are nearly at the end of it. We may have to send out for a fresh supply!
Today we have used the dinghy for the first time on this trip, rowing to the beach, then walking up the headland past the very old St. Illtyd church (6th century with 14th century additions) then through the woods and onto the sand dunes in the bay and back along the beach to a welcome cup of tea at the beach cafe. Oxwich is as beautiful as everyone had told us it would be.

St. Illtyd's church.

Lacerta at anchor.

First use of the dinghy.
We aim to have an early start (0500) tomorrow to catch the ebb Westwards to Milford Haven. The forecast is for the wind to go North East, force 3 or 4 which will make a nice change from the Westerlies and should allow us to sail pretty directly to Milford Haven, depending on what is happening on the coastal firing ranges East of the entrance.

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On our way Westwards

Cardiff has been very kind to us but we woke this morning to grey skies, almost as if Cardiff was saying, we've looked after you for a while, time to move on!
We have been well looked after, not least by the members of Cardiff Yacht Club, who have been very friendly and welcoming. We enjoyed an evening's friendly banter in the bar between fishermen and yachties! We have also enjoyed the company of our son, Richard, and his friends,allowing us to join in on a splendid curry night and Liz and Toby inviting us for a meal at their house.
On Saturday Richard took us to St. Fagans, to the Museum of Welsh Life, an excellent way to spend a day, especially on a fine day. The collection of historic Welsh buildings was fascinating, ranging from a long house, where the animals lived in one end of the building and the family in the other, through to the castle, really a fine manor house with splendid ornate carved furniture, and many others in between. Definitely to be visited if you have a day to spare in this part of the world.
On Sunday our old friend, Linda Ingram, and her daughter, Alison, paid us a visit from Bridgend. Linda and Debbie sailed together in the Women's World Championships in Acapulco in the early 80's so there was much reminiscing over lunch and a bottle of Prosecco. Linda's cake has kept us going for a few days and there is still some left after sharing it with Richard and friends!

Debbie and Linda after a few hours reminiscing.
At Monday lunchtime Force 4 rang to say that the new pump head had arrived so David fitted that on Monday afternoon, refilled the water tank, tried the taps and nothing leaked so we are good to go. Thanks again to Stuart and his team at Force 4, who sorted out the replacement part for us. After 5 days without sailing we will lock out in the early afternoon to catch the West going ebb tide, heading for Oxwich Bay, on the Gower and then onwards to Milford Haven.

Pump head replacement.

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A few days in Cardiff

Padstow seems a while ago now as we have had a couple of days in Cardiff, but more of that later. We spent a pleasant day in Padstow, walking along the Camel estuary in bright sunshine and having a look at the Doom Bar without as much water over it. With the wind in the East it looked fairly peaceful.

The Camel Estuary.

The channel into Padstow Harbour with the port hand marks on the sand.

We met a couple from Cardiff Bay Yacht Club who suggested that the strategy for our passage to Cardiff should be to leave Padstow inner harbour as late as possible before the gate shuts, then cross the bar and anchor in the bay to let the worst of the ebb ease off. This worked for us, not least because we didn't have to get up early! We finished off the evening with the obligatory Rick Steins fish and chips, good but debatable whether they were the best we ever had.

We left the harbour at 10.00 on Wednesday and crossed the bar to anchor in Hayle Bay and watch the surfers. Leaving the bay at 12.10 we rounded Pentire Point and found a perfect SE breeze between 15 and 18 knots and bright sunshine.

Pentire Point.

Tintagel Head

7.5 knots through the water and flat seas, perfect!

Hartland Point

Apart from an hour when the wind failed us we had a steady breeze for the rest of the day. Rounding Hartland Point and crossing Bideford Bay the breeze stayed with us and only played tricks on us just after passing Ilfracombe when a squall, just at coffee making time, forced us to drop a couple of reefs in the main and partially reef the genoa. Two hours later, at 22.00 the wind died and went to the East so the engine went on. As the tide slackened and turned against us we started to question the timing strategy we had been given. The tide is much stronger as the Bristol Channel narrows past Ilfracombe than it had been off Padstow. We spent a few hours making less than a knot over the ground, which pushed our original arrival time back but at least meant that we arrived at Cardiff Bay Barrage in the daylight.

Entering the Barrage for the first time when the tide is low is quite daunting, there are some very high walls and enormous lock gates!

Debbie at the helm, waiting for the gates to open.

Turbulence as the lock fills.

Tide free Cardiff Bay is quite a contrast to the Channel outside. We made our way to the visitors pontoon at Cardiff Yacht Club, where our son, Richard is a member, the reason for coming to Cardiff in the first place.

On the visitors pontoon.

We had always intended to stay a few days in Cardiff with Richard but our stay has now been extended. We topped up the water tank, turned a tap on and the outlet fitting on the pump burst off, showering the galley area with water! A call to Whale pumps determined that we needed a new pump head kit. Stuart at Force 4 managed to find a kit at another chandlers which he could have with us on Monday so it looks like Tuesday earliest departure and no sailing blog for a few days.

 

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