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.
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