11 Aug 11 saw Pipedreamer and her skipper along with 2 guests slip towards Port Dinllaen. The weather had been rough and the trip delayed by a day. Consequently, the sea was a little lively round the south of the Island, but we made good time. We anchored in Porth Dinllaen, a delightful anchorage on the Lleyn peninsular which has its own pub. We, however, stayed onboard for lunch. As we made the return journey in the afternoon, the wind died and we completed the voyage motoring on a near calm sea.
12 Aug 11 and the same crew slipped north to Langdon buoy before heading east for Cemaes Bay.
Two days later we headed to Porth Wen with some friends for lunch. Porth Wen is well sheltered from southerlies, which was just as well, given the lively gusts and showers. It is also notable for its old brickworks and the fact that it is relatively inaccessible from land. The return journey provided little comment from the crew until we came to berth. The wind has an uncanny knack of conspiring to make fools of us. I usually refer to this part of the trip as the comedy moment and we certainly provided some entertainment as we tried to come alongside the leeward side of the finger pontoon. No matter how well briefed the crew or how alert and skilful the helmsman, a sharp gust at just the wrong moment can bring grown men to tears! Still we made it at the third attempt without making premature contact with anything solid.
The weekend of 20/21 Aug was notable for the boisterous conditions we encountered at Carmel Head. The forecast had been for SSW 3-4, increasing S 4-5 occasionally 6 later. During our return voyage from Lligwy, we encountered gusts over 45kts in wind-over-tide conditions, which made for some interesting seas. Berthing in these conditions on our normal pontoon would have been more tragedy than comedy and we elected to come alongside an into wind pontoon. In stark contrast, the following day provided flat water and a gentle breeze to take us to the Stacks, Skerries Lagoon and back.
Two more trips are planned, but the weather is once more conspiring against us.
Monday 19 September 2011
Sunday 11 September 2011
Where has the summer gone?
It is now the beginning of september and I have not made an entry since the first charter of the season back in may. In my defence, there has been a lot happening and the summer seems to have flown by. That said, all that activity should have given me something to report!
There have really been 2 main themes to the season: racing and chartering. I shall deal with the racing separately as the season is not quite over. However, I have probably finished chartering for the year. I should have been out yesterday, but with a near gale in the forecast I cancelled.
Casting my mind back to earlier in the season, over the weekend of 9/10 Jul I took some friends on a circumnavigation of Anglesey. The weather was fine and the winds light, which set the scene for a very pleasant weekend. We caught the tide around the north of the Island with the intention of anchoring for lunch in Lligwy bay which is a beautiful beach just north of Moelfre. Unfortuantely, the windlass decided this was the time to stop working and, after a 30 minute faff, we moved on, having a leisurely lunch under sail. We made the swellies about 20 minutes after high water slack and sailed on to Victoria Dock, Caernarfon and a night in the marina with a fabulous chinese meal in Foos, just beside the dock.
The next day we were up early to cross Caernarfon bar before the ebb set in, so as to avoid any wind over tide. In the event the wind was very light and the sea benign. Shortly afterwards we found ourselves in company with a pod of dolphins. However, they, like us, clearly thought it far too early and did not stop to play as they sometimes do. We anchored for lunch just off Rhosneigr and returned to Holyhead, passing close in to South Stack to get the best view of the wildlife. We were back on the pontoon by 1600, having covered 78 nautical miles and had a lovely weekend.
As it happens, the next charter was the following weekend. A family of 4 just wanted to do as much sailing as possible. The wind was much fresher than the previous weekend and indeed, we brought the whole thing forward 24 hours to avoid the strong winds forecast for the sunday. We day-sailed round the north of the Island both days, seeking flatter water, and made it as far as Puffin Island on the second day before returning. We covered 88 nautical miles in the 2 days and managed 8kts across Red Wharf Bay.
The next time out was with family and friends on 2 Aug. It was a lovely day and we spent the afternoon making our way up to the Skerries lagoon - a 'secret' anchorage, where the provisions for the lighthouse used to be offloaded.
Well that's where some of the summer went. At least I've caught up a little.
There have really been 2 main themes to the season: racing and chartering. I shall deal with the racing separately as the season is not quite over. However, I have probably finished chartering for the year. I should have been out yesterday, but with a near gale in the forecast I cancelled.
Casting my mind back to earlier in the season, over the weekend of 9/10 Jul I took some friends on a circumnavigation of Anglesey. The weather was fine and the winds light, which set the scene for a very pleasant weekend. We caught the tide around the north of the Island with the intention of anchoring for lunch in Lligwy bay which is a beautiful beach just north of Moelfre. Unfortuantely, the windlass decided this was the time to stop working and, after a 30 minute faff, we moved on, having a leisurely lunch under sail. We made the swellies about 20 minutes after high water slack and sailed on to Victoria Dock, Caernarfon and a night in the marina with a fabulous chinese meal in Foos, just beside the dock.
The next day we were up early to cross Caernarfon bar before the ebb set in, so as to avoid any wind over tide. In the event the wind was very light and the sea benign. Shortly afterwards we found ourselves in company with a pod of dolphins. However, they, like us, clearly thought it far too early and did not stop to play as they sometimes do. We anchored for lunch just off Rhosneigr and returned to Holyhead, passing close in to South Stack to get the best view of the wildlife. We were back on the pontoon by 1600, having covered 78 nautical miles and had a lovely weekend.
As it happens, the next charter was the following weekend. A family of 4 just wanted to do as much sailing as possible. The wind was much fresher than the previous weekend and indeed, we brought the whole thing forward 24 hours to avoid the strong winds forecast for the sunday. We day-sailed round the north of the Island both days, seeking flatter water, and made it as far as Puffin Island on the second day before returning. We covered 88 nautical miles in the 2 days and managed 8kts across Red Wharf Bay.
The next time out was with family and friends on 2 Aug. It was a lovely day and we spent the afternoon making our way up to the Skerries lagoon - a 'secret' anchorage, where the provisions for the lighthouse used to be offloaded.
Well that's where some of the summer went. At least I've caught up a little.
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