Wander Lost

Month: May 2022

  • Plans Re-written (again)

    I spent the first part of this week finalising plans to sail across the Channel. As I had to wait a week to get Dotty’s animal health certificate, I decided to hire a car and go to see Ffions family doing their first live gig since before Covid. The hire cost per week was not much more than the 3 days I needed so I booked it for a whole week and have spent the entire time with Ffion.

    Ffions parents have been preparing to move house and in the process her Dad has made an already bad back much worse. So I have volunteered to stay with them for a while to help with the heavy lifting. There is a lot of work needed at both the new house and at their field. Its not all hard work though. I get to use a mini digger and spent more time with Ffion and her family.

    The boat is going to be moved to Deacons Marina at Swanwick where it will be lifted and stored ashore, its cheaper than a pontoon mooring. At the end of August she will be put back in the water and I will cross the Channel in September.

  • Southampton Town Quay

    I am at Town Quay marina in Southampton and will be here another week preparing and supplying to cross the Channel at the beginning of June.

    I am spending time with family, taking a road trip to see Ffion perform a gig with her family, and getting an animal health certificate for Dotty.

  • St Ives to Portland

    It’s been a tiring week of sailing, sometimes it’s been fun, sometimes relaxing, sometimes exciting and a couple of times a little scary.

    From St Ives I went around Lands End and stopped just before the Lizard point at a small anchorage called Mullion, I stopped there on the way up too.

    From Mullion I went to Falmouth where I stopped in the marina for a couple of nights to alow a predicted storm to pass. Next was Cawsand just inside Plymouth sound and then on to Brixham and then Weymouth.

    I had some excitement with an aircraft carrier. It came within 5 miles ahead of me then turned back. Ha.. scared her off I thought… then she came back and passed within a mile of me. Two helicopters were on deck loading with personnel one of which later flew off.

  • Milford Haven to St Ives

    Winds were good to cross the Bristol Channel but with good winds come choppy seas. For the first time on Lady Cindy I felt queezy. It lasted about 3 hours before the seas started to calm a little and so did my stomach. I wasn’t sick and I have been in worse conditions but I think it started at dusk when I would have lost the horizon as a fix for my eyes.

    I arrived in St Ives at dawn, dropped anchor, had a meal and spent the rest of the day napping and reading.

    I left St Ives about 8.30 this morning after a few chores and plan to get around at least as far as Penzance, preferably further but with no winds and under motor at the moment, that looks unlikely. I want to get to the safety of Falmouth by Wednesday because a storm is predicted for then. It should only last a couple of days giving me a clear run along the South Coast.

  • Crossing the Bristol Channel (again)

    After spending two weeks in Milford Haven, I am on the move again.

    Ffion went home yesterday and I moved the boat to Dale anchorage in the evening. I plan to set off this morning on a 24 hour sail to St Ives, the winds look good but then should drop off in the following few days. I will make the choice at St Ives to either wait for better wind or, more likely, motor around Lands End.

    Whatever I do, I will be out of contact for at least 24 hours.