Thursday, 14 June 2012
A New Main - A New Dawn?
With aspirations of moving up through the Club racing field and possibly entering the ISORA for the 2012 season, the decision was taken way back in the autumn to replace the 'well used' cruising main with something that might just swing the balance between lift and drag in favour of lift. Three days before the first ISORA (and a month late, having replaced the mast track fittings that didn't) the new 'racing' main was fitted to instant acclaim as we cruised round the cans in the lead. Truly a new dawn. This view was enhanced when we beat a local rival in the subsequent Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead ISORA (we came last and second to last, respectively). However, since then, some of the other Club boats have started racing and cruising round the cans in the lead has become a distant memory! Of more concern though, is the fact that the 'main' has been returned to the manufacturers after we found it to be delaminating at the leech. Sadly then, it seems this was a false dawn for our racing Pipedreamers.
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
New Season
We finally departed our winter refuge in Victoria Dock during the last week in march and made our way up to Port Dinorwic for a wash, scrub and coding survey, before moving on to the Isle of Man for Easter. Good Friday saw us making the Swellies a little late, but otherwise we made good time and were in Douglas for early evening. After a minor misunderstanding on the radio between our Ancient Mariner and the harbourmaster we tied up alongside the correct wall to wait for the gate and were in the Marina in time for a quick pint.
Waiting for the tide on Sat morning allowed 2 of the crew to shop for Manx kippers, before we drifted north towards Laxey and then headed south to spend the night in Port St Mary. It was party night in the sailing club and the pub, but we managed to negotiate the ladder back down to the boat unscathed and departed for Anglesey as soon as the tide would allow. We made such good time on the journey south that the ebb tide did not have time to take its full effect and we passed just to the east of the Skerries hard on the s'westerly wind and straight into Holyhead, pausing only to let the Jonathan Swift in first.
The following day should have been a charter day, but the wind was less kind than the skipper and the charter was rearranged!
Waiting for the tide on Sat morning allowed 2 of the crew to shop for Manx kippers, before we drifted north towards Laxey and then headed south to spend the night in Port St Mary. It was party night in the sailing club and the pub, but we managed to negotiate the ladder back down to the boat unscathed and departed for Anglesey as soon as the tide would allow. We made such good time on the journey south that the ebb tide did not have time to take its full effect and we passed just to the east of the Skerries hard on the s'westerly wind and straight into Holyhead, pausing only to let the Jonathan Swift in first.
The following day should have been a charter day, but the wind was less kind than the skipper and the charter was rearranged!
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
Racing Results Update 2011
Dear avid reader (you know who you are!),
I promised a report on our racing exploits. However, so far, the Club have not published the results of the latter part of the season (when we had scrubbed the bottom and hoped to be a little more competitive) and so we have no idea of our comparative performance or whether we were improving against the rest of the field. We do know that we crossed the finishing line first on several occasions. We also know we won the Trophy for not winning any trophies (does that mean we have to hand it straight back?), so we can asume we were not far enough ahead of the others to make up our handicap. We also know we were second in the Holyhead Sailing Club Regatta and that we had a most enjoyable season!
I promised a report on our racing exploits. However, so far, the Club have not published the results of the latter part of the season (when we had scrubbed the bottom and hoped to be a little more competitive) and so we have no idea of our comparative performance or whether we were improving against the rest of the field. We do know that we crossed the finishing line first on several occasions. We also know we won the Trophy for not winning any trophies (does that mean we have to hand it straight back?), so we can asume we were not far enough ahead of the others to make up our handicap. We also know we were second in the Holyhead Sailing Club Regatta and that we had a most enjoyable season!
Monday, 19 September 2011
Summer's last gasp
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.
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.
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.
Friday, 13 May 2011
Good Friday Guinness?
I had promised the Master Mariner on our way down on the delivery trip that I would take him to Ireland for a pint of Guinness. The first opportunity was this Easter - Good Friday to be precise. I had to be back for Easter Sunday, so a trip over on Fri and back on Sat looked good. A mutual friend, Nigel, came along for the ride.
The weather forecast was kind with an easterly on Fri veering all the way round to a north-westerly on Sat, both 3/4. As it turned out the wind was light as we left Holyhead at 0700 and we flew the spinnaker in lovely sunshine for 5 hours - until, with a huff and a puff, the wind headed us by changing to SW from E. After a detour to the N and a few expletives, while the spinnaker was retrieved from being backed over the front of the boat, we resumed our passage westward, now close hauled and making good time.
We arrived in Howth at 1845 to be met by some friends who had gone ahead on the crossing - using the engine! We put the boat to bed and went ashore to enjoy some of the local hospitality. We managed a meal in a local asian restaurant, but could only wash it down with water. That elusive Guinness will have to wait. You cannot buy a pint in Dublin on Good Friday!
The weather forecast was kind with an easterly on Fri veering all the way round to a north-westerly on Sat, both 3/4. As it turned out the wind was light as we left Holyhead at 0700 and we flew the spinnaker in lovely sunshine for 5 hours - until, with a huff and a puff, the wind headed us by changing to SW from E. After a detour to the N and a few expletives, while the spinnaker was retrieved from being backed over the front of the boat, we resumed our passage westward, now close hauled and making good time.
We arrived in Howth at 1845 to be met by some friends who had gone ahead on the crossing - using the engine! We put the boat to bed and went ashore to enjoy some of the local hospitality. We managed a meal in a local asian restaurant, but could only wash it down with water. That elusive Guinness will have to wait. You cannot buy a pint in Dublin on Good Friday!
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
Spring
With the winter berthing period in Caernarfon over, we sailed back to Holyhead on 2 Apr 11 in a brisk southwesterly (6-7) breeze. We made very good time, which bodes well for the forthcoming racing season, particularly after we have fitted the new genoa.
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