John's Travel Blogs

Category: Sailing

  • Entering Milford Haven in a storm

    The sail from Fishguard past St David’s head outside Ramsey went very well with good winds and tides. After Ramsey the wind meant a more Southerly tack than I would have liked but we had plenty of time before a storm was due that night…. Mother nature had other ideas though.

    The winds picked up while we were a little over and hour away from safe anchorage at Dale in Milford Haven and within 10 minutes I had to take down the already reefed sails and switch to motor due to strong headwinds from the direction we needed to go. Speed over ground dropped to a couple of knots and what was due to take an hour, took three.

    I was shivering and soaked after dropping anchor and the anchorage was bumpy for the next 24 hours. But we were safe and best of all, crew were not sick… CREW?!! I hear you ask? Well, I guess it’s time to tell you Ffion has been with me since we left Aberystwyth 😃.

    About 4 weeks ago, Ffion asked if she could come with me if she could overcome her seasickness, at least until Southampton. She was ill for most of the Aberystwyth to Fishguard leg but recovered quickly and was only sick once on the next leg during the storm. This is a very good sign that although she will get sick, she can also get over it quickly.

    We have spent just under a week at Milford Haven marina for reasons Ffion will explain in her blog. Yesterday we sailed to Lundy in the middle of the Bristol Channel and today we are going as far as we can toward Cornwall.

  • What’s been going on and surprise reveal.

    Right then, where do I begin. Well since my last blog we have been quite busy.

    Lady Cindy was lifted out of the water so that John and I could do some work on the bottom of the boat.

    Working on Lady Cindy.

    We went for a walk on Aberystwyth pier head and decided to take some pictures. There were quite a few takes but these were the best ones 🙂

    The house move is slowly getting closer, my room is fully packed and ready to go. Sleeping on a mattress on the floor isn’t too bad.

    We’ve had some guests aboard which has been lovely because it has allowed me to spend time with my friends and we have also had good times with friends ashore having barbecues and going bowling.

    It has been lovely to be ashore for sometime spending time with family and friends.

    While all of this and more has been going on, I’ve been doing some planning and thinking about the surprise.

    For a while I’ve been debating whether or not to carry on with John on his journey and I’ve had a lot to think about like my family, friends and my animals.

    With John mentioning more and more often about finding crew, I decided to give it a go before I lost the opportunity.

    So yes, I have been aboard Lady Cindy with John and Dotty for a while now and we’ve found out that I can get over my seasickness by sleeping. For everyone who knows me, they know I really like my sleep and I’m really good at it. Haha 😂

    I still don’t know how far I’ll get but we’re taking it day by day and we’ll just see how it goes.

    My brother, sister in law and their children came over to my parents house to see John and myself before we left for Southampton and we had a Chinese takeaway and some drinks which was a lovely time.

    I needed to go back home for a bit due to needing to find a new home for my boa constrictor but I’m happy to say that I have found him a new home with someone experienced with big snakes.

    I also needed to go back to see my dog who has been unwell recently but he is doing good and is still happy and comfortable 🙂

    This is only some of the things that’s been going on recently so I might write another blog with more of the things that’s been happening but that’s all for now 🙂

  • We are heading South

    Yesterday morning we slipped the mooring lines and set sail for the South and warm weather. This has been after two years of planning and preparation.

    The sailing was almost perfect for the wind strength and direction but the sea swell did build throughout the day so I decided to stop at Fishguard overnight rather than chance adverse currents around St David’s Head at night. The anchorage has been a bit rolly overnight but is improving slowly. I will stay here another night because winds will drop to near zero later this evening.

    All systems on the boat worked well, I need to secure a few things better that fell over during the sail and a few other minor and easy jobs.

  • Aberystwyth Marina Review

    I have been over Wintering at Aberystwyth marina for the last six months and before that using it to shelter from strong northerlies when anchored at New Quay.

    Location

    The marina is the only suitable all weather shelter for deep keel boats between Milford Haven and Pwllheli. Nearby anchorages for deep keels are Fishguard (exposed to the East) and New Quay (exposed to the North). The harbour and entrance can be tricky with silted up sides; my 1.8m yacht can only get in 1.5 – 2 hours either side of the high tide. The entrance should not be attempted when big waves are coming in from the North. Care should be taken around the rocks either side of the entrance.

    Aberystwyth Harbour (c) David Jenkins, reproduced with permission.

    Marina

    Part of The Marine Group, it has a fuel Dock, on pontoon water and electricity, a marina office and a toilet/shower block with laundry facilities. There are liftout and yard services. The showers are clean, spacious and powerful. A couple of times I found the hot water ran out but that was rare.

    Local shops, the railway station, beach promenade, pier, Tescos, Matalan, pets at home, Iceland, takeaways etc. Are all a short walk away.

    The marina is badly silted so most deeper boats such as mine touch bottom at low tides, I understand there are plans to do some water blast dredging in the near future to improve this.

    Staff here are excellent. There is a pleasant and friendly atmosphere to the place. Some of the staff are ‘retired’ but still help out.

    There has been a recent change in management and there are some big plans announced by the Council for the Marina, I hope the marina keeps its character through these changes. My preference would be for the Council to get the basics right first by properly dredging the channel and dumping the spoil out at sea. Currently they use diggers and dumper trucks to move it from one point in the harbour to another. Mother nature just moves it back in the next storm.

  • In Aberystwyth for the Winter

    I have moved the boat to Aberystwyth Marina on a 6 month winter mooring package a week earlier than planned. The weather has changed this week with a colder and windier outlook.

    When preparing to leave Aber laat week, i noticed a leaking fuel hose, I managed to find a replacement online.

    Leaking pressurised fuel line

    During the winter I have lots of plans for doing improvements based on my first 6 months experience living on the boat. I want to move the anchor winch further forward, improve interior storage spaces, lower the front V berth beds to give more headroom, make the table a drop sided one so i dont need to keep putting it away when not in use, I also want to get the boat lifted out for anti fouling and other hull maintenance

    I also have other things i want to do this winter. It’s Ffions birthday and driving test next month so today Ffion and I have a 3 day trip to Alton Towers planned, it should be a lot of fun plus great driving experience for Ffion with new unfamiliar roads and following SatNav.

    Ffion and her dad need help up at the field to do some work in the farm shed and they are also preparing for a house move.

    I want to restart developing some computer software etc which will eventually provide me with an income.

    I also want to do sone winter sailing to gain more experience before heading off to the Med.

    I think I have a very busy winter ahead of me 🙂

  • Swansea

    I have sailed from New Quay to Swansea to see my eldest daughter and grandsons, I am now on my way back to New Quay.

    Towy Lock in Swansea

    On the way down I stopped at Fishguard and Milford Haven. The last and longest leg into Swansea was a bit touch and go because the Towy lock closed around 9.30pm which was my eta at one stage. Motoring and a turn of tide meant I eventually arrived with an hour to spare.

    It was great to spend time with family again, we went to a museum and had a meal.

    I am currently on the way back, I broke the Swansea to Milford Haven leg in two this time and caught a nice Thornback Ray while at anchor.

  • Stuck in marinas

    Due to northerly winds and now high winds, we have spent the last week first in Aberystwyth marina and now in Pwllheli marina. The forecast for the next two days are for 20knot plus winds so the plan is to stay till Saturday and then head back down to New Quay.

    The sail up to Pwllheli was actually a plan to sail to Caernarfon. Although the sailing was great with ideal winds for the direction we wanted to go, there was a big swell making the ride uncomfortable. Discretion being the greater part of valour, I decided to divert.

  • Storms, chores and chilling

    Due to northerly winds and a storm we are back in Aberystwyth but before then had a lovely day sailing with another friend.

    Rosie joined me for a day on the boat, we had variable winds so ended up motoring back but we also saw some dolphins and did some fishing.

    Unfortunately the uncomfortable swell at anchor in New Quay was making Ffion sick so when a storm blew in, we moved to Aberystwyth for some shelter. We are taking the opportunity to do some chores ashore and on the boat.

    We have been to Ffions parents house and the field where she keeps her horses and taken some drone footage, done laundry, helped with the shop VAT return, fixed a friends computer, sorted backups on Ffions phone, tablet and computer to free space, been shopping etc.

    We will stay here a few more days as we have appointments at the optician and then decide what’s next. We may sail to North Wales or may return to New Quay.

  • Back in New Quay

    After a week away in Milford Haven and Skomer Island we are back in New Quay. The forecast for the next few days is for a heat wave and little wind so the plan is to do some swimming and some jobs.

    Some of the highlights of the last week include: Dolphins, Puffins, Seals and Pysgod Wibbly Wobbly (Welsh for Jelly fish). We also did a lock to get into and out of Milford Haven marina and travelled through Ramsey Sound with 7-8 knots of current, surrounded by whirlpools. Much of the trip was done under motor as we have been becalmed more often than not but that’s a good excuse for loud music and listening to Ffion’s singing.

    Today we are off ashore to do a few jobs at home and do some driving plus we need to resupply.

  • To Ireland… or not

    We decided to take a trip over to Ireland for a few days, it would be my longest passage so far and first night sail on Lady Cindy. We set of with light winds but they were Westerly, the forecast was for North Westerly. The winds were variable but light so we motorsailed intermittently in the hope the winds would pick up. Overnight we had good wind but in the morning, just past Fishguard they died completely so on went the engine again.

    We named this one curly because it had a curl in the tip of it’s fin
    Dolphins escorting us away from New Quay

    I checked the updated wind forecast and it was obvious we were not going to be able to cross in the very light winds so decided to divert around St David’s Head to Milford Haven and reassess.

    In the distance I saw what looked like a half sunk boat drifting, I diverted to investigate and found a stand up paddle board, a radio call to the Coastguard revealed they had one reported missing the previous day that matched the description. They contacted the owners, who contacted us, and arranged for them to collect when we reached anchorage.

    We took the cut through Ramsey Sound but got caught out by the tidal race so had to pick up a mooring bouy to wait for the tide to turn. While there the paddleboard owners came to collect it an a trip boat skipper helped get it ashore. A quick Google search showed it was a very expensive board so no doubt they were pleased to get it back.

    After the wait, we had good winds all the way into Milford Haven and Dale anchorage. And saw lots of dolphins and Puffins on the way.

    Today we have had a chill out day but have been out in the tender fishing and caught some Pollock and found a nice beach for a barbecue later. Also done a few jobs on the boat.