Due to continuing Northerly winds, we are still at Aberystwyth and likely to be here until next week at least. We have still managed to do some sailing though.
Ffion at the helm, checking the wind direction indicator.
We sailed up the coast on Wednesday, very light winds meant that we went backwards in the current several times but we used that time to fish, sing and listen to music. Ffion has a fantastic voice, especially when she ups the volume and belts out a tune. Fortunately for me she likes the same kind of music as i do, so I had my own personal concert featuring the likes of Queen, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and even some heavy metal numbers.
Lady Cindy’s crew.
We took a bus ride yesterday to pick up Ffions car and plan to do as much driving practice as we can in the unfamiliar roads of Aberystwyth and surrounding area. Ffion proved on the drive back here that she is a good and competent driver. We just need to overcome some driving test nerves.
I have arrived back in New Quay, made an expensive mistake, spent time talking with and getting help from amazing friends and family and ready to laze away the summer in this fantastic place.
New Quay RNLI going out on excersice
The trip up from Milford Haven was mostly uneventful with light winds but St David’s Head was a little exciting. Winds, tides and waves constantly changing direction and a rocky coastline stretching miles out to sea. I motor sailed through the last section because I took a short cut between two rocky islands to reduce the time in those confusing seas, visibility was poor so I was cross checking the chart plotter with the GPS on my phone. In strong winds, I would avoid this area by passing much further out. This is exactly the place where I needed the radar, but never used it 🤔. For lots of reasons, the display is at the nav station and I did not want to leave the cockpit, I trust the charts, no other shipping etc. So why do I have it? Well the short answer is it came with the boat. I need to consider what to do in future about this.
After an overnight in Fishguard, my arrival in New Quay was special. I knew there were several people on the shore welcoming me in but frustrating for me not to be able to rush ashore to meet them. I had to anchor, tidy everything and get the tender out before coming ashore. New Quay needs a deeper harbour, in fact all the harbours along this coast could be a sailing mecca if the authorities invested time and money in dredging and providing docks.
I posted this on Facebook just before I arrived…
About 1.5 hours away from New Quay. Feeling a mixture of excitement, impatience and a little emotional. Under a year ago I was sat on my own in a tiny flat watching YouTube videos for days on end about other people’s adventures. I said to myself the same thing I said 5 years earlier before I went to Africa on a motorbike, stop dreaming, do it. So here I am doing it. I set myself some milestones to achieve before I cross the channel. The last was to sail around from the South of England to New Quay. I have proved to myself that I am physically, mentally and emotionally prepared to sail around the world and that the boat is capable and safe to do it in. Thank you to all that have helped me get this far. Here’s to a great summer in New Quay and the next step, whatever that may be 🤔
Now the the expensive mistake, again summed up in a post…
Overnight I lost my tender, its my own stupid fault, I secured it to the boat last night and got dotty and my shopping aboard and could not of tied it correctly. It was there when I went to bed and gone when I woke up. Its an offshore wind so likely on its way to Ireland. Reported to coastguard but on the off-chance someone finds a small zodiac inflatable with a black 3.5hp motor of the back mark TT Lady Cindy, please contact me or the coast guard. In the mean time if anyone has a tender for sale in the New Quay area, please let me know. I am OK on the boat, I have plenty of everything I need for at least a week, although I would like to get ashore to see friends and family at some point in the next few days.
The response has been overwhelming from offers of lifts, loans of tenders, watching local sales sites in case it was stolen and messages of support. To cut a very long story short, I got a new tender with a Honda 2.5hp engine from a local dealer, it went pop on first usage, has been patched and will be replaced under warranty. And thank you Clive for the book on knots 🤣
The last few days have been amazing for me, I cannot walk 100 paces without somebody saying “hi john” and stopping to chat. My sister did my washing, I have had lots of offers of lifts, been out fishing with my stepson, drinks and a meal with friends, even sat on the box outside my old shop with dotty like we did for days on end during lockdown. This is a special place.
I am getting my second covid jab today and need to do some shopping so a day mostly ashore, I have been invited to a steak night with a very special family tomorrow, need to help with some book keeping in the shop and I want to take as many friends out on the boat as possible so really looking forward to the next few days.
I have done some miles since my last blog post, I am now in Milford Haven in the lovely Dale anchorage.
Milford Haven at Dusk
Padstow
I have struggled at times with low and intermittent wind speeds but its all part of learning about getting the best from the boat. I have not been ashore now for a week and I still have plenty of supplies, water, fuel and gas and have not got low on electricity at any time. With my current usage, which has not been rationing, I could easily survive another week without resupply, if I rationed, I could probably stay offshore for at least 3-4 weeks. On long passages when I would stock up more, I would have no problems with a month or more at sea.
I was escorted by dolphins for just under 3 hours while arriving at Milford Haven. From a distance of 100 meters or more you could see them racing in to join others bow surfing the boat. As they got bored and moved on, others would move in. I must have seen over a hundred different dolphins yesterday. What a welcome back to Wales.
Milford Haven Dolphins
I am having a rest day then it is one, maybe two days more to get to New Quay, my former physical home but I think my spiritual home.
I am moving west at a reasonable pace and hope to go around lands end today. A major milestone in my trip to West Wales. I’ve seen some stunning coastlines but had a couple of small setbacks.
The Lizard Peninsular
Setback one is my wind speed measuring device (anemometer) has been unreliable and as its at the top of the mast I can do nothing about it yet. I can see that one of the three cups is missing, an easy repair when I get the opportunity to get up there.
Setback two was as we were leaving Falmouth Dottty followed me onto the pontoon as I was slipping the lines. Normally she jumps on and off without problem but this time she had her lifehacket on. The top of this touched the safety rail halting her mid leap and there gravity took over, splosh she was in the water. Fortunately there is a handle on the top of her lifejacket so I lifted her in. She looked very confused.
Setback three was the lizard peninsular. This is notorious for its tidal race. I had the tide with me but wind was against so it made for some big rolling seas that I had to motor through. OK this is not really a setback thats just sailing but hey it made a better headline.
I am currently crossing Penzance Bay with the engine running because of light winds. Forecast is for it to pick up later but the next few days are looking bad for sailing, good for everyone else with little wind. I want to get to St Ives then will reassess but I may be there a few days.
The last few days sailing have been downwind in light Easterly winds. I have learned a lot about how the boat handles and have used the whisker and preventers a lot. I am still not happy I am rigging them the best way, I am still tinkering to make it easier single handed.
I am currently in Falmouth harbour, that was plan B. Plan A was to get to penzance because the wind is very changeable the next few days. The predicted increase in wind speed due about 11am never happened till 2pm, just after I turned for Falmouth, before then the winds were light so slow progress. The winds are confused tomorrow as it changes from Easterly to South West so I will stay here 2 nights and resupply.
The day started with a great downwind sail in a light breeze and ended with no wind and motoring nearly 2 hours into Brixham. Some highlights were:
Using the wind vane steering downwind, rigging a preventer, using the whisker pole and sailing wing to wing.
Meeting a pod of common dolphins.
And some things I did not photograph, such as getting caught in the Portland Race tidal flow and having to motor out, and running out of wind and having to motor the last two hours.
No wind again today so a day at anchor in Brixham chilling, blogging, fixing a few things, the best bit is for the first time this year I only have a pair of shorts on because it is warm and sunny.
While sailing into Weymouth today a motor yacht came up from behind me on my starboard side, he was on a similar heading to me put our paths were merging. He was under motor power, I was under sail so I had priority. He will change course or speed in a minute or two…. Has he seen me?…. errr, we are going to collide so I started shouting across to him, a man and woman on deck were busy looking down, they looked up…. and just looked, did not change course… OK I was getting frantic now, pointing at my sails shouting “I have priority” finally they reacted and steered Starboard, they matched my speed and course and were about 10 meters from me – far too close. They seemed happy with that, I wasn’t. I shouted across and pointed in the direction I needed to go, finally they slowed and passed astern of me.
I stayed three nights in Poole Haven marina to avoid the worst of a few storms passing through the area. Today I returned to the anchorage by old Harry rocks and Studland Bay because although the winds have died down, they are still mainly from the West which is where I am trying to go. I plan to spend a couple of days here doing some fishing. The weather is set to improve from next Tuesday.
After dropping anchor, a coastguard weather warning of gales tomorrow came over the radio 🤔😳. I checked the forecast before I left and strong winds were forecast for Sunday, not gales. I check various online forecast sites and they do not agree with the gales prediction.
I decided for peace of mind, I would drop the second anchor now so I can sleep soundly tonight. I am protected from the wind direction by the headland plus l know the holding is good here with sand plus the currents are not strong here.
I spent two nights in Swanage, it was nice there. I went ashore, saw the sights and returned with fish and chips. I caught a few mackerel too.
Swanage
I headed to Poole harbour today to escape some big storms over the next two days. First I tried an anchorage South of Brownsea island but its very silted up over that side, I grounded twice, I deliberately came in on a rising tide so the first time I waited 10 minutes and I was free, the second time I waited 20 minutes with no sign of coming off. I took the anchor to the back of the boat and dropped it, then back to the winch and that pulled me off the muddy bottom toward the channel. My depth sounder alarm went off both times as I hit the bottom, I think I need to look at the calibration because I want an alarm before I bottom, not as I hit the dirt. I wasn’t going to try that again so made my way back to the North of the harbour and booked into an expensive marina. Do cheap ones exist?
Poole is really nice, lots of small traditional shops and LOTS of pubs. Much of it is pedestrianised, the last time i was here many many years ago it was traffic mayhem. The RNLI have a training college here.
