Ireland

ROUND IRELAND RACE



So there we were, 1300 on 18 Jun 2016, on the start line, just outside Wicklow,  with 3 MOD 70s (Musandam, Concise and Phaedo 3, start 1310) Rambler 88 and 60 others, with a warship as the committee boat, ready to race round Ireland.  But, of course, it did not really start there……..

Emails requesting expressions of interest from the crew went out around Christmas.  Volunteers came and went, but the crew finally settled at 5, not really enough to race, but probably sufficient to get round.  The race would be Cat 2 and so would require modifications to the boat.  The additional manual bilge pump was duly fitted over the winter and, once the final decision was made, the EPIRB was purchased and the entry fee paid.  Further modifications were made in pursuit of performance.  But things rarely run smoothly.  We destroyed the new spinnaker and, with a couple of days to go, the water pump was in pieces.  A replacement spinnaker was promised in time for the race, but never materialised.  However, the pump was fixed in time and an overnight delivery saw Pipedreamer in Wicklow Thursday morning, ready for the scrutineers.

In fact, the scrutineers did not visit until Friday, but when they did, there were few issues.  We had aimed off for the new rules on lifejackets (auto inflate, crotch/thigh straps, lights, spray hood, annual check, spare gas bottle and actuator) and had fitted MOB 1 DSC/AIS systems.  The heavy weather and storm sails were all in order as were the other safety related items.  We were ready to race!

So, back to the start.  With the tide taking us down to the start, we were a little too cautious as the clock ran down to 1300 and were well back at the gun.  However, we were able to tack into clean air and a fair tide and were soon making good progress on port tack – SOG 8Kts, COG 200 mag, wind 160/15.  We went for an early fishing expedition when we picked up a floating line from a pot!  We escaped after a 360 turn.  At 1530 we, along with most of the rest of the fleet, sailed into a hole (windless area), but were lucky enough to tack out fairly quickly and gain some advantage (wind 230/14).  By 1945, with 42 miles already sailed, we were short tacking against the tide down Rusk Bank.  We took the inner route at Lucifer Bank when the outer might have given a better angle to Tuskar, which we rounded at 2308, very much in touch with the fleet.  But with daylight gone and the wind forecast to increase we had missed the opportunity to run 2 sets of reefing lines.  We also took a northerly route, which did not seem to pay.

By 1500 on Sun we had a touch of a gale and were struggling to cope with the headsail and the single reefed main (ruing the earlier missed opportunity).  So we rolled away the Genoa and although we rigged the inner forestay, with the conditions becoming increasingly lumpy, we erred on the side of caution and did not send the crew forward with the heavy weather jib.  So we sat out the gale (we saw 39 kts true, 230) making little progress until 2300 when we unrolled the Genoa and were off again.  On reflection, we were now participants rather than competitors (if we had ever been), with this opportunity missed.  Still, we were sailing and there was a long way to go.

At 0900 on Mon morning we passed the mighty Fastnet at the start of a great day’s sail.  By midday we were off Mizzen Head in beautiful conditions, with the wind forecast to back offering the prospect of flying the kite, which duly went up for about 3 hours before dark, producing some spectacular sailing (wind 225/20+).  Unfortunately, we damaged the kite on the drop, but 300NM was up and we were going well.

As an aside, while doing some preparatory work for the spinnaker, I spent a wonderful 20 mins on the bow as the newest member of a pod of dolphins, several of whom were often close enough to touch and were clearly aware of my presence and not averse to a little showing off.

Over the next 12 hours or so the wind and waves were up and down and we responded with the first reef going in and then being shaken out, several times.  Our max speed was 14.7kts surfing down a wave.  Tue morning saw us repairing the kite – I sewed and Sam glued.

The log entry for for 2322, 21 Jun shows 533 NM covered,  the wind was 190/23kts, 54 52’.70 N 08 45’.50 W, making for Aran Island  with 1 reef in the main and by 0030 we were sailing under full sail.  0320 found us approaching Tory Island, which we passed at 0450 and the Asymetric went up.  Around midday we caught up with the group in front who had sailed into a hole under Rathlin – we joined them!  Not long after that Arcsine caught and overtook us while we (and the others) tried to find the merest hint of a zephyr to propel us forward.  By now the tidal stream in the channel was well and truly set against, with several of the boats further out caught in the overfalls.  We stayed close in, looking for and finding the back eddy, but still very little wind.  In some ways, what came next was our finest hour!  We had worked our way up the coast to the point where the 2 currents met and there was a breeze.  We noticed a gap in the overfalls and went for it.  We were the first boat to break free at 1530, but the others were quick to follow.  Having stayed out, looking for stronger breeze we were quickly overtaken by the others, who sought shelter closer in from the foul tide.

0820 Burial Island.  By now we had caught up with the group again.  Sam and Huw had worked out that by judicious use of the code zero and stemming the tide, we could make progress……just.  This they had done to good effect and we were back in touch.  The following 20 hours or so saw frustratingly light winds, fog and foul tide.  We entered another car park off Lambay, before the final run in to Wicklow with a fair tide for once.

Finished 0510 on Fri.  We stayed for the prize giving and sailed back to Holyhead overnight.  Job done!

Pipedreamer in Tatters

The overall plan had been to do the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle in 2015, The Round Ireland in 2016 and the Fastnet in 2017.  Of course, as you have heard me say before, no plan survives first contact and so it proved.  LYC announced their intention to come to Holyhead for their 2015 regatta and Dun Laoghaire to Dingle was off.  Surprisingly, however, despite this setback, the idea of going round Ireland gathered pace over the winter and we are now entered!  All of this is by way of a preamble to what happened 3 weeks ago.

To participate effectively (compete is a strong word!) in the above event(s) we had ordered a new deep reacher and about 3 weeks ago it arrived.  Keen to try it out and get to know it, we flew it in a Club Race, more or less straight out of the bag.  We were very impressed with its performance - and ours!  There had been one or 2 slight hitches.  The first recovery was a little laboured and the second hoist had not gone smoothly with someone standing on the halyard.  Nevertheless, we crossed the Club line, spinnaker flying and then went for the drop.  But it wouldn't, drop that is.  It was jammed.  We were now in amongst the moored boats, 4 or 5 boat lengths from a lee shore with the kite flying uncontrolled from the top of the mast, wind gusting over 20kts.  We tried everything we could think of, but to no avail.  In the meantime the kite started to tear itself to shreds.  It was not until we increased our skeletal manning with the addition of Dave and Max and sent Max up the mast that we finally resolved the problem - by now though, there was not much left of the new kite.  There was also no apparent reason for the snag and, while we have come up with some plausible theories, we are still really none the wiser.

So, here we are with a week to go to the big event.  A replacement sail is on order, but it will be touch and go as to whether it arrives in time.  Pipedreamer is due back in the water this afternoon, having been pressure washed.  There still seems a mountain of preparation work to do, but hopefully we will be on the start line in Wicklow at 1300 on Sat 18 Jun (with a new sail?).

Raced By

So that was how 2015 raced by.  We sailed in 14 of the Club's Wed evening races, 3 of the weekend long distance races (results here: http://www.holyheadsailingclub.org.uk/index.php/sailing/racing/offshore-racing/nhc-results), the ISORA series, Lyver Trophy, VDL Regatta, Royal Dee Offshore Championship, Welsh IRC Nationals and attended the Greystones Regatta.  All in all we sailed about 1800NM and had a lot of fun.

Last ISORA 12 Sep

Having positioned the boat from Holyhead the day before, the final ISORA was direct start to finish, Pwllheli to Dun Laoghaire.  With only 3 onboard, we made a poor, but safe, start.  Approaching Bardsey, the wind was WSW 5-7 and the Sound was horrible - I have seen the sea and over falls bigger, but I have not seen them so confused.  Nevertheless,  as we emerged from the Sound, we were still in touch with the Js, a position we maintained until they set their Code zeros to cross Bray/ Kish Bank.  We stayed higher to round Codling with the aim of setting the Asymetric, which we did with some success, but we were unable to make good the loss before we hit variable winds off Bray (again) and lost out with our slow sail changes, an inevitable consequence of being short-handed.  The results can be found here: http://isora.org/images/2015/OverallResults/OverallResults.htm

ISORA To Greystones

After a windy week, a reduced fleet of just 3 boats set off from Pwllheli bound for Greystones and their regatta weekend.  The course was to leave South Codling to starboard and finish just outside Greystones harbour.  Pipedreamer, with just 2 onboard, made a very conservative start, but made up a position by St Tudwalls, only to lose it again in Bardsey Sound.  The crossing was uneventful in a steady SW breeze, but as is often the case, flukey conditions awaited just off the Irish coast, which led to a frustrating finish.

The wind was very light on Sun and racing was eventually cancelled for the day.  Nevertheless, our thanks go to Jenny Hanafin for joining the crew at short notice and swelling the number to 3!  Thanks also to the organisers for a great day.  The transit to Holyhead the next day was uneventful, though it never fails to amaze me how shallow it is over Bray Bank!  We arrived home to find the Old Gaffers weekend winding up.

Spinlock IRC Welsh Championships 2015

So to the National Championships in Pwllheli, 21-23 Aug, hosted in the new Plas Heli centre and on the new pontoons.  Pipedreamer's crew changed during the weekend - 6 on Fri, 7 on Sat and 6 again on Sun.  Overall, we came 12th, never really pushing any of the leading boats.  Somewhat frustratingly we sailed 9 out of 9 windward/leeward courses, which is not usually our strength, but with this much practice may become so!  The only remarkable thing recorded in the log was the amount of rain and the fact that the wind instruments stopped working, probably as a result of the deluge and becoming waterlogged.

Round Anglesey

We slipped at 1545, 14 Aug,  from the Holyhead fuel pontoon, having taken on 20 litres, to position Pipedreamer for the Round Anglesey race the following day.  We made good time and were rafted up on St Georges pier by 2200, in time for a pint.  The forecast for the race was for fair conditions and f3-5 wind backing from NW to SW and so it turned out.  We made an excellent start and, despite a couple of scares (clearance both above and below) and seeing a number of groundings, we had a good leg through the Strait.  By the time (1308 from the logbook) the wind had backed as far as W and we were well up with the leading boats.  We set the symmetric spinnaker off the Stacks and stayed in close to avoid the worst of the tide.  However, this necessitated a few gybes in a following sea and we managed to push the pole through the kite, which cost us time to repair and allowed Bada Bing (eventual winners) to catch us.  We managed to fly the repaired kite across the north of the Island until Pt Lynas, where a combination of wind and heading change made further progress with the kite counter-productive.  The final leg from Puffin to Menai Bridge saw us short tacking in company with Kerageous and Bada Bing, both of whom ran out of water (albeit briefly) - a fate we only narrowly avoided at Gallows Point.  It was all looking good with 200m to go to the line when we lost the breeze (and possibly the race), resulting in a frustrating hour or so fighting the tide, until a kind puff pushed us over the line at 21:45.

We dropped most of the crew off on St Georges pier before Huw and I took the boat through the Swellies to Port Dinorwic for the night, ready for our delivery to Pwllheli the next day.  The trip south was pleasant enough.  We lost the wind in Bardsey Sound and motored most of the rest of the way, glad we had had the foresight to put the extra fuel onboard.  During the run up the south side of the Lleyn, we were concerned by changes in the engine note, which coincided with RPM gauge failure and a drop in voltage.  We concluded that the voltage regulator on the alternator was playing up and so it proved when we managed to have it repaired a week or so later.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

Pipedreamer stayed in Dun Laoghaire for the week, ready for the VDL Regatta.  For us, the Regatta comprised 4 coastal races around Dublin Bay in a variety of conditions, including 30+Kts.  The racing was great fun as was the 'craic' - the VDL generates a really good atmosphere, with all the waterfront clubs getting involved.  Pipedreamer put in a reasonable performance in the middle of the fleet, though with only 5 onboard,  we were always going to struggle a little in the more testing conditions.  Our section of the Regatta was won by a Farr 42, Wow, with a particularly impressive series, which, I think, also won them 'Boat of the Regatta'.

2015 was the bi-centenary for the Royal Dee Yacht Club, so they commemorated this by sponsoring the Royal Dee Offshore Championship, which was made up by combining the Lyver Trophy and the Offshore section of the VDLwith no discards.  By dint of having competed in both competitions, Pipedreamer VI managed a creditable 5th in a strong fleet.  The Trophy went to Mojito, one of the ISORA regulars, who also deserve a special mention for an outstanding performance in the 2015 Fastnet.



The return trip to Holyhead was completed under asymetric spinnaker in a record (for us) of 7hrs 20mins, breakwater to breakwater.

2015 Racing By

So, about that racing start.......

The plan had been to fit a retractable bowsprit, ready for a code zero, and have new sails for the beginning of the season.  Of course no plan survives first contact and although the bowsprit was fitted and proven to be effective with the asymetric spinnaker, the new sails had not arrived in time for the first race.  No matter, going into the final race of the first Club series we had an unassailable lead.  All we had to do was turn up........Clearly the crew had looked at the forecast and decided racing would be cancelled.  Gaz and I contemplated sailing 2 handed, but eventually decided we could not leave (or return to) the berth safely in the gusty conditions.

Our first ISORA was 9 May Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead - new sails still not arrived.  John and I slipped at 0705 on 8 May to catch the tide for our delivery trip to Dun  Laoghaire.  Conditions, were light ENE, but that did not save the old mainsail, which soon developed a 2m tear.  We still had a phone signal and asked the remainder of the crew who were coming over on the ferry to bring the even older cruising main, so we could complete the race home the next day.  Needless to say we were not very competitive and to make matters worse we were still carrying our old, much higher, handicap!

Our second ISORA was Holyhead to Douglas, Fri 22 May, evening start.  The new mainsail was fitted immediately prior to the start, but the headsail was still in transit, so we were carrying the old genoa and hence handicap.  The start was a drift, but a breeze soon filled in and we made good use of the tide to be close to the lead by Victoria Bank.  The night saw a tactical battle in light and shifting breezes.  However, the morning found Pipedreamer in a hole with the remainder of the fleet sailing round.  We finished last at 1400!

Our third ISORA was Douglas to Dun Laoghaire on Sun 24 May.  This turned out to be a better race for Pipedreamer and when the wind did drop we managed to sail round the worst of the holes and catch the leading pack - halyard tension?!  The transit home on 25 May was uneventful in light airs.

June arrived and so did the new (smaller) Genoa.  Pipedreamer immediately felt more responsive, appeared to point higher and promised much for the future, particularly as we would now be able to use our new handicap.  The first test was a windy Liverpool Regatta on 27 Jun and Pipedreamer won the day with a scratch crew.  Sadly, we were not able to put a crew together for the Sun and finished second overall for the regatta.

And so to the Lyver Trophy.  The 100NM course was set via 2 virtual waypoints and took us from Holyhead up to the west of the Isle of Man and then south to Dun Laoghaire.  The start was in an E'ly 3-4, but the forecast was for ESE 5-7 with gusts over 40 Kts.  The start can be seen on YouTube and the race progress followed on Yellowbrick.  Our plan was to start at the pin end on a starboard gybe and to stay on the SW side of the fleet, allowing for the flood tide.  This led to a slow start, possibly stemming more tide than really needed, though we avoided the risk of having to gybe for the mark.  We set the Asymetric as we hardened up at the first mark and, with the wind increasing, we flew down the next leg until a series of broaches led to us lowering the spinnaker, though that did not slow us much as we continued to surf down waves unseen in the dark.  We reached the northernmost point of the course at 0205 in rough conditions and in company with a number of other boats.  For a while we sailed a lower than ideal course to take the sting out of both wind and waves, but after a couple of hours we were able to set a higher mode, direct to The Ben of Howth.  At 0600 we had about 25NM to go and were quite well placed in the pack with the wind now decreasing and veering, but with the tide turning to the N.  This made the Ben something of a challenge with some close quarters tacking against wind and tide.  Once through, the fetch to the finish was relatively straight forward.  We finished just behind Mojito and just ahead of Tsunami and Bada Bing - 8th overall on handicap.  As we approached the National Yacht Club pontoon, we found Kerageous already there, but bow down, having taken on considerable quantities of water.  We were later to hear Stories of broaches, a Chinese gybe and halyards being cut - as exciting as it had been, our crossing was relatively uneventful.  Congratulations are due to Jacknife for their impressive win.

Holymed

Pipedreamer is once again back in Holyhead.  The sun is shining and the season is off to a racing start (sic).  That said, the weather is still throwing the odd curve ball - fog on Easter Sun and last Sat, despite the brilliant sunshine, the charter crew (you know who you are) found 32kts ENE waiting for them in the marina.  Fortunately, there was a lull and we managed to slip for a glorious sail to Llandwyn and back.

2014 Reflections

Reflecting on the season as a whole, it has been a contrasting tale.  While the racing was frustrating and, at times, exasperating, the cruising was delightful in generally warm weather.

Turning to the former, the main source of frustration was the lack of structural integrity of the mainsail, one of Ullman's finest, which spent more time in the loft being repaired than it did on the boat.  On the start line of the first ISORA, we noticed a foot-long tear and retired.  During the Douglas to Dun Laoghaire race, we conducted further repairs to a different tear, at sea.  At the end of the IRC Nationals in Pwllheli, it ripped from luff to leach (I groaned) and then a week later, after a further visit to a sailmakers, it ripped again, but in a different place (this time I laughed out loud).  It has been a difficult relationship.  First the sail was delivered in 2012 with the wrong track fittings - so it didn't.  Then, after a couple of weeks on the boat, the leach started to delaminate, necessitating a return to the manufacturer.  The 2013 season was relatively trouble free and the sail worked well, however, there were already worrying signs of wear and tear.  In fact, rather more tear than the wear might warrant.  The rest as they say is history.

After a long hard look in the mirror this season, we have concluded:

We need to have a full (dedicated) crew to be successful round the cans (we only had 5 onboard for the Nationals and could not always fly the kite).  Additional weight on the windward rail would also be helpful during the offshore races.

The boat is faster with the weight (60m of chain and 25 kg anchor) taken out of the bow.

This makes mixing cruising and racing increasingly difficult.

We need new sails and they will not be coming from Ullman

A New Start

After one of the wildest winters anyone can remember with 2 hurricanes and several severe storms, Pipedreamer VI is back in Holyhead.  We were relatively sheltered in Victoria Dock, but still suffered some superficial damage from contact with the boat next to us, presumably during the worst of the weather.

On 29 Mar we made our way up to Port Dinorwic for a lift and pressure wash, before sailing round to Holyhead the following day.  The weather was kind for both trips and the journeys and jobs were carried out in good time.  Unfortunately the same could not be said of the following weekend when we again lifted the boat, this time to get her weighed.  The weather was wet and windy, hardly conducive to any form of waterborne activity.  Nevertheless, with the help of Eifion Owen, the local RORC measurer, we completed the task and now wait to see if our efforts will be rewarded with a drop in our handicap.  Either way it has been an interesting exercise - it took the best part of a week to empty the boat - making one realise how much superfluous kit finds its way onto the boat, adding to its weight.  Of course, there is a balance to be struck, a compromise to be made, between the requirements of cruising and those of racing.  After all Pipedreamer VI is a cruiser/racer!?  Perhaps this is a new start.

2013 - Part 2

20 Jul.  Party onboard for a circumnavigation of Anglesey, via Maltraeth, Caernarfon (overnight) and Cemaes - 77 miles in great weather.

2 Aug.  The plan had been to pop down to Kinsale (185 NM) to support the Holyhead Sailing Club Squibs sailing in the Irish National Championships.  Unfortunately, the wind in Holyhead was F7-8 so departure was delayed.  3 Aug.  Wind only F5-7, so off we set.  Sadly, as well as being strong, the wind was also in the wrong direction and after beating to windward for the best part of 28 hours, we flopped into Kilmore Quay.  Kinsale was another 70 miles or so, which would have meant arriving in time to turn round for the return trip and missing all the racing, as well as probably facing a beat most of the way home!!  We elected to have a sleep, a pint and some more sleep, before setting off at 0430 to catch the tide north through St George's Channel.  After an unpromising and wet start, we had a great sail home and were back in 18 hours, almost all under sail except when we were playing with the Irish Coastguard helicopter.

8/9 Aug.  Family charter, which took us both south and north of Anglesey.  The original plan to anchor in Rhosneigr was foiled by a fresh S'ly breeze and associated swell.

16 and 18 Aug.  Circumnavigation of Anglesey, via Rhoscolyn, where we dropped the girls, and Caernarfon (2 nights to avoid strong winds).

21 Aug.  Positioning Dun Laoghaire for race to Pwllheli - departed 1430, arrived 0200.
22 Aug.  The start was a spinnaker reach in light NW'ly.  We stayed with the Js inside Kish Bank and were still with them at Codling where there were some spectacular overfalls caused by the spring tide.  Having gybed after Codling, we started to fall back a little with the light wind being knocked from our sails by the swell.  We just made it to Bardsey Sound before the tide turned and were almost through when the wind died completely..........we spent the next 6 hours stuck under St Tudwalls, before finishing at 05:13!!  We carried on sailing and were back in Holyhead 12 hours later.

1 Sep once more saw us setting off round the Island - this time stopping at Menai Bridge to sample the delights of Dylan's restaurant.  Having been through the swellies, the following morning, we were a little late for Caernarfon Bar and the wind against tide conditions made the passage more interesting than you would wish, but nontheless manageable.

6 Sep.  Two-handed delivery for Pwllheli to Dun Laoghaire race, the last ISORA of the season.
7 Sep.  Spring tides and wind forecast to be W F6 backing SW 3-5.  The course was start to finish with no intervening marks.  We made a good start and were up with the leaders into Bardsey Sound, where the wind against tide conditions became increasingly extreme and then we entered the overfalls.......all pretty predictable really, but the 4m breaking waves did make for an exciting passage!  However, with the excitement behind us, we were still well up with the leaders, with everything to play for and so it remained as we beat to windward with the wind and tide slowly taking us round to our desired course.  At one point it looked as though we would make it, but alas, we were either too slow or unable to point high enough, or a combination of the 2 and we finished being pushed by the incoming tide and having to work our way south against it, losing a couple of places in the process.  The results can be found on the ISORA website.  In the meantime we have the winter to consider how we are ever going to sail to our (rather too large) handicap!
8 Sep.  Back to Holyhead .....and the drawing board?

28 Sep.  Delivery to Caernarfon for the winter in glorious weather once again.  2013 summer over?

2013 Season

A summer at last!  The season has been pretty busy - hence the lack of posts - we covered a little over 2100 nautical miles, split evenly between cruising and racing.

Pre-season included replacing all the standing rigging and guard rails and then a full survey for coding.  We also took the opportunity to scrub the bottom, but left antifouling to the planned summer lift out.  So it was, with a clean bottom and shiny new standing rigging, that we delivered Pipedreamer to Holyhead on 30 Mar.

The early part of the season included 3 charters.  The first was boat handling for some prospective Yachtmasters.  The second was a family day trip to Rhosneigr.  The third was noteworthy as it was the first time Pipedreamer had played host to international guests - from Russia with love!

3 May saw us positioning Pipedreamer in Dun Laoghaire for our first ISORA. The delivery was a beat into a force 6, but we arrived in good time.  The race itself was to be a drag race to Holyhead via the M2 buoy.  The wind was still W F6, which meant a reach to start followed by a run.  We were first over the start line and stayed high on the wind in the hope of gaining an angle to fly the new asymmetric later on the leg.  The Js held a much lower course and flew their spinnakers from the start, with varying degrees of success.  Our tactic appeared to be working to start, but then a series or errors compounded to push us back through the fleet.  Despite the true wind gusting to 30kts, we had gained sufficient of an angle to fly the new spinnaker and were making good speed downwind.  However, a change over on the helm led to an accidental gybe, which nearly put a member of the crew overboard.  Consequently, the next 20 minutes were sailed very conservatively and we lost ground to the fleet.  The second error resulted from a misplotted waypoint on a handheld being used by some of the crew!  So, despite the skipper's protestations to the contrary, the crew maintained a course to the wrong waypoint!!  By the time we had found the correct waypoint (M2) we had sailed at least a mile further than the rest of the fleet.  Finally, adding insult to injury, we flew the spinnaker from the top of the mast for a good 10 minutes when the sheet escaped overboard!  That said, we were still in sight of the leaders at the finish - a marked improvement on the same race last year.

The next ISORA for us was 19 May, Douglas to Dun Laoghaire, with a party in Douglas on the Sat evening.  So, to make it in time we set off from Holyhead at 2030 Fri night, aiming for HW Douglas at 0530, and were tied up alongside by 0700.  Unfortunately, the new Lopolight Tri-colour was not working, which meant a trip to the top of the mast where the absence of anything untoward led to the conclusion that the light itself was faulty, which indeed turned out to be the case.  The party was excellent, but the race that followed proved to be a real test of stamina and perseverance for the 3 on board.  The winds were very light and variable and the 80 miles took 21 hours.  After a couple of
hours kip, we were back sailing, heading for Holyhead, which we made by 1830, Mon, 20 May.

The 21/22 May saw a circumnavigation of Anglesey with friends, just beating the NNW gale on 23 May.

24 May and it was another overnight trip to the Isle of Man.  This time it was for the TT practice sessions.  Light and variable winds meant a lot of motoring, but there was a spectacular sunrise by way of compensation.  The TT itself was great.  I had not been before and I was impressed by the atmosphere as much as by the incredible speeds achieved by the bikes.  We had a quick day sail on 26 May and took the opportunity to put some more fuel on board.  This proved just as well as our return journey (again overnight) involved a good deal of motoring, after we discovered a rigging problem on the starboard intermediate shroud.  We were back in Holyhead by 1430 on 28 May.

The following weekend comprised a circumnavigation of the Island via Rhoscolyn (overnight), Porth Dinllaen, the Swellies and Moelfre (overnight), in near perfect conditions.

After anti fouling, the next big race was the Lyver Trophy from Holyhead to Howth, via a virtual mark down by Bardsey Island.  This was another overnighter!  Again there were only 3 of us on board and, if truth were told, I think we were getting tired by the end.  This resulted in a reluctance to swap spinnakers at the end of the race which probably cost us a place or 2.

ISORA

The first 2 ISORA races could at best be described as a learning experience or, indeed character building.  Those less relaxed about these things might say they were bewilderingly frustrating as we languished at the back of the pack with one apparent disaster following hard on the heels of another.

The Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead race saw us make a couple of tactical errors at the start followed by at least 2 hours spent tantalisingly close to the M2 buoy, but stuck against a fickle wind and foul tide, unable to round the mark.

The Conwy to Howth race was to be a straight downwind blast, having first worked upwind to the West Constable buoy.  Progress to windward was relatively slow and we were almost the last boat to round the mark, but with the prospect of a downwind sleigh ride, which would benefit our longer waterline length, all was not lost.  The spinnaker went up at Point Lynas and we flew downwind.  Until, that is, there was a resounding thud and the halyard parted.  The wind was strong enough to keep most of the sail out of the water until the crew could recover it, with only minor damage.  No matter, there was a second halyard.  About an hour later, with repairs made, the second halyard was used to hoist the spinnaker and we were off again.  Now, of course, lightning never strikes twice.......  But about an hour west of the Skerries there was a repeat thud and the spinnaker was down again.  Clearly, we had a major problem (and no more spinnaker halyards).  We limped over the finish line - last - and returned straight back to Holyhead to lick our wounds.  To add insult to injury, no sooner had we fixed what we surmised was the problem with the spinnaker (spectacles), than the prop fell off and we were forced to miss the next race in Pwllheli altogether.

As luck would have it, this proved (with hindsight!) to be the turning point in the season.  With the prop gone, we were forced to make a decision that had been pending (for lack of funds) for a while and a new folding prop was fitted as the replacement.

The Dun Laoghaire to Pwllheli race started promisingly enough and we were second to the first mark, the Muglins lighthouse, having avoided the melee towards the right-hand end of the line.  However, we soon found ourselves stopped in a 'hole' with no wind and foul tide and there we remained for a couple of hours as we watched some of the lighter boats crawling their way up the coast, out of the worst of the tide.  When we eventually made it to the Moulditch buoy, we were again towards the back of the fleet, but still had boats around us.  Better yet, we were able to match their speed on the reach to Bardsey Sound and our tactic of staying to windward and making allowance for when the tide again turned foul (as we entered the sound) paid dividends and we overtook a couple of boats.  However, we now paid for our early slow pace as we plugged the tide in a failing breeze and then ghosted our way up to Pwllheli, crossing the line well after midnight.  But there was cause for celebration -  we were not last!

The Pwllheli day race confirmed our improved performance, if it also demonstrated our lack of light wind options and, ultimately, pace.  Although, we were not able to compete with the J109s, particularly to windward, we had a most interesting tussle in the middle of the fleet.

So to the last ISORA race of the season.  Yahtzee have already written an account on the ISORA website news page(http://isora.org/?page_id=125), which strikes a resonant chord with our experience of the season.  For the first time we were in sight of the leaders as they crossed the line.  We were fourth boat to finish (though we dropped 3 places on handicap).  We beat a J109 on the water.  But, perhaps more importantly, we made it to the bar long before it closed!

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.