We've had to change the way we're going to log our journey via the satellite email. Facebook has removed the option for updating by email and so has our Google blog. This has created a big problem for those of us trying to keep our friends up to date via a low bandwidth connection. We've settled on the following website, www.sailblogs.com
You can now watch our offshore progress in a number of ways.
The new way, probably the most frequent updates after this post:
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/arcticmonkeyadventure/ (A semi-daily update via satellite)
The old ways when we have WiFi or better access:
http://usa51008.blogspot.com (This website updated when we have WiFi)
https://www.facebook.com/ArcticMonkeyAdventure (When we have WiFi or mobile phone access)
http://cornellsailing.com/c-tracking/?boat=Arctic%20Monkey (Our offshore position tracker)
This is a link to our coastal tracking when in VHF range:
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:3089630/mmsi:367656310/vessel:ARCTIC%20MONKEY
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Stromness, Orkney Islands
Stromness - Orkney Islands, UK
Somehow even though I'd written it, I lost the text for this post! I'll update when possible in the future. In a nutshell, we had a great time in Stromness, although a little longer than expected. A little medical issue with Leah and strong winds prevented a departure for more than a week. The area is steeped in history and archaeology and we had fun learning about it. We thank the Stromness Harbourmaster, Bob, for all his help and all the friendly people in the town.
Somehow even though I'd written it, I lost the text for this post! I'll update when possible in the future. In a nutshell, we had a great time in Stromness, although a little longer than expected. A little medical issue with Leah and strong winds prevented a departure for more than a week. The area is steeped in history and archaeology and we had fun learning about it. We thank the Stromness Harbourmaster, Bob, for all his help and all the friendly people in the town.
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| We're number 23 in the Blue Planet Odyssey, ready to go! |
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| Zoe and Leah checking out Skara Brae, a settlement from 3500 B.C. |
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| Leah and Rose in St. Magnus Cathedral, pirate grave? (No, common engraving) |
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| Dad and Zoe selfie, double decker bus, Bob Ucker seats, front row! |
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| Picnic during our 16 mile bike ride. Zoe did the whole thing by herself, very proud of her. |
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| My future surfer checking out the break at Skara Brae. |
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| Monkey's |
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| Susie, Ian, Chris, Rose and Zetty on one of many bus rides in the Orkney's. |
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| The Arctic Monkey's, Orkney Islands, UK |
Inverness, Scotland - The Last Full Stop
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| Rainbows and Unicorns, pretty bright up here. |
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| Teaching Zoe how to row. |
First on the agenda was the heater. Alistair Mackay from Mackay Boat Repair Services came with a new heater unit. We discussed the problem and decided that swapping out the units would be the easiest and best solution. Alistair worked for most of the day and we tested along the way. By the end, all good and back to normal, no more leaking electrical. He called back a couple days later just to make sure everything was still OK. Highly recommended.
Next up was a small leak on the shaft seal only at 2,300rpm and greater. We think it's caused by the air pipe being slightly too tight. We've loosened it off and will test on the way out. We generally never motor at that high of rpm so its not critical and its not a gusher. John Macbean at Carley Marine has been great help, checking in on us and giving it a once over.
Zetty and Susie have been working diligently on provisioning and meal planning. We want to have enough food on board here to last us through the Northwest Passage which could be two months. This is in addition to the food for our passages to Orkneys, Faroes, Iceland and Greenland. We've rented ("hired" as they say here) a car and will be starting non-stop trips to all our favorite markets in the next two days. The list is long and we're still trying to figure out where to store it all. Glad I bought all those, (6), 100L dry bags on sale in Plymouth.
Our friend Ian Jansing arrived on May 26th and will be on for the rest of the trip. He and I will handle some of the Arctic boat prep, installing the polypropylene mooring lines, swapping out the mast head wind gauges, refilling gas bottles, installing some extra shelving, placing some chafe guards on the spreaders, re-rigging our fourth reef point and organizing contingency items. Our posts may be sporadic from this point onward, highly dependent on WiFi hotspots around various marinas and coffee shops.
We will be joined by another of Zetty's cousins, Chris Boot on Thurs. Chris is a highly active sailor on the Solent and has many ocean miles under his belt. He'll sail with us until we get to Reykjavik, Iceland where he has a return flight back to the UK.
I can't say enough about the Scottish Canals and the people that run them. The lock keepers are friendly and very helpful with local advice. The marina staff are wonderful and keep the facilities in clean working order. I would recommend this trip to anyone.
I was up at the top of the mast doing a little work on the wind gauges and there was a fella looking at the boat down below. When I got down he said, "Same thing happened to mine, eagle landed on it, broke it right off." He's on a boat on the next pontoon. Turns out the man is Alain Bateadat, owner of S/V Leava, from France. Alain did the NWP in 2011. We traded a few war stories, he told us that we had a good boat for the attempt. Small world.
And off we go....
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| Just a few of the provisions Zetty and Susie bought for our 2 months in the Arctic. |
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| Our spare dinghy is a fast two person kayak, just in case. |
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| Crazy kids in Inverness playing water polo in kayaks. |
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| Up top, working on the mast head, 65ft to the deck. Could have used 4771 here;) |
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| A view out to the last of the locks on the Caledonian Canal, known as the sea locks. |
Tvoroyri, Faroe Islands
We arrived at Tvoroyri, Faroe Islands after our second try. Our first attempt was aborted 60 miles offshore when Leah presented with signs of appendicitis. We sailed back to Stromness where Zetty and Leah spent the night in the hospital for observation. While the doctors didn't find anything she did show signs of a UTI and antibiotics were prescribed. We kept a close eye on her over the next couple of days as the gale force winds prevented a comfortable sail up to the Faroe's. We finally did have a window, 15-25kts upwind on a port tack. We went for it and made it just in time as the wind picked up to 35-50kts just as we entered the fjord leading to the harbor. We first tried to anchor in a protected bay but we couldn't get the anchor to hold, kelp being the main problem. After two attempts, we aborted and went for the harbor. We contacted the harbor master and he gave us a wall to lie against. As luck would have it, we were a touch too deep drafted and the rudder just hit bottom. With 6" of tide left before low tide and it being neaps we didn't want to chance it, so we went for the next best option of a lee wall. That was not a good option but the only option as it turns out the "harbor" had been filled in for container storage. This was not on the charts or in the pilot/guide book. Arctic Monkey is now braving out gale force winds against the wall filled with giant Michelin tires. I think we'll have a little extra scrubbing to do in Torshavn as the boat's a mess. We're holed up here until Friday, June 12th as the gales are to continue until then. The local people here say the same thing, the worst spring in years, too much wind and rain. I've been in contact with our weather routing team at Commander's Weather and we may not have a good weather window to make it to Iceland until the 19th of June. We may be getting a little behind schedule but you can't fight Mother Nature, well you can but most of the time you loose...
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| Leah, Zoe, LJ and Susie enjoying a laugh on passage to Tvoroyri, Faroe Islands. |
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| Zetty, Rosie and Ian on passage. |
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| Chris Boot and Susie Theis on watch. |
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| The boys having a well deserved sandwich after securing the boat to a lee wall, not the best but any port in a storm. |
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| Ian was the first up and out to the Hans Olaf bakery, fresh danish pastries make it all worth it! |
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| The girls. |
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| Little Rosie looking good in her new hair cut. |
Friday, May 29, 2015
The Scottish Canals
The Crinny - The Crinan Canal
Granny Felicity joined us in Conwy, and stayed for our trip through our first Scottish canal until Oban. Oh, the beauty...After locking in through the first lock, our first experience with a large "sea" lock, we almost squashed a smaller boat beside us. We weren't quite ready when the lock keeper opened up the sluice gates and we got a little sideways. We stayed overnight between locks 10-11 and had a nice dinner at Cairnbaan Hotel, a one mile walk each way, a good stretch of the legs, except for Rosie who rode on my shoulders the entire way home. (Not much more than an air pack weighs (firefighter speak), she's a light weight!)
Heres a youtube link to the raw video we shot from the Quadcopter at our overnight stay and the exit in Crinan.
https://youtu.be/q8VyGGKPcZ0
Oban
Our arrival in Oban was bittersweet. We had made it through our first canal but it was time to say good bye to Granny as she had to get home to prepare for her next adventure to Alaska. We met Zetty's friend Renee Lindsay (we met through the awesome facebook group 'Women who Sail' - Ed), her husband Guy and their two children Phoebe (8) and Poppy (5) aboard their boat SV Emerald Bay. We had a really fun time playing, eating and making hopefully a life long friendship. The girls were especially thrilled to meet up with some more soon-to-be liveaboard children, though actually at this point, they try to make friends with anyone under 5ft tall, they're so in need of 'playdates'!! We also had the great fortune to arrange a meeting with the legendary Arctic sailor,
Rev Bob Shepton from S/V Dodo's Delight. Bob has transited the NWP twice and has cruised Greenland and the Arctic waters extensively. We had a great day together, I asked a lot of questions and received some very good advice. Bob is a delight, pun intended, and we had a wonderful time. I showed him my Quadcopter and how I managed to justify its existence on the boat, looking for leads in the pack ice of course.;) I think he liked it and I know a group of climbers that might have one next time they're aboard Dodo's Delight!
Say hello to our new crew member, Susie Theis. or SusieTheis.com Susie joined us in Oban and will be with us for the rest of the journey. She's an Oconomowoc native, an avid skier, adventurer and sailor. We're glad to have her aboard! Zetty's cousin Ruth Iliffe also came aboard in Oban and stayed with us through the Caledonian canal to Inverness. Zoe has a 'boatschool' assignment to interview all our crew, visiting and permanent, and these will be posted on the blog once the scribe (somehow I got conned into this - Ed.) types them up!
The Cally - The Caledonian Canal
Corpach - We made it to the Corpach Sea Lock at around 12:30. The lock keeper was nowhere to be found as he was helping another group at the next lock. He showed up around 13:00 and said we had to wait for a few boats to lock out at 13:30. We locked in at 14:00 and that was it for the day. The basin it was for the night. An early start the next day got us up and out to Neptune's Staircase, a flight of back-to-back locks that takes you up 64ft.
Banavie -
Swimming in Loch Oich - The map tells of the Great Glen Water Park located in the middle of Loch Oich. Sounded pretty good for this clan so we thought we'd check it out. Whoa, not a water park like we expected, the "water" was Loch Oich, the park was a small playground for the kids. The "swimming pool" was an oversized hottub, with a 12 person limit. Fun was had anyway and we all needed a bath.
Invergarry Castle - Spent the night at Invergarry Castle, or the ruins of it.
Fort Augustus - Now on our way down, we stopped for the night for the flight of 5 locks going down the next morning. Fish and Chip shop. Best burgers so far from the local butcher shop, D.J. Macdougall. If you get anywhere near here, make sure you visit!
Drumnadrochit - Spending the night here in a small marina in order to visit the Loch Ness Monster Exhibit and the Urquhart Castle, the most visited spot on Loch Ness.
Granny Felicity joined us in Conwy, and stayed for our trip through our first Scottish canal until Oban. Oh, the beauty...After locking in through the first lock, our first experience with a large "sea" lock, we almost squashed a smaller boat beside us. We weren't quite ready when the lock keeper opened up the sluice gates and we got a little sideways. We stayed overnight between locks 10-11 and had a nice dinner at Cairnbaan Hotel, a one mile walk each way, a good stretch of the legs, except for Rosie who rode on my shoulders the entire way home. (Not much more than an air pack weighs (firefighter speak), she's a light weight!)
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| Granny Felicity on the lookout, we're up 65ft already. |
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| I'm not sure we're going to get lost... |
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| Leah ready with a finger in case it starts leaking more! |
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| Two little buddy's. A local man brings them down to the canal in a cat box for grass as he doesn't have a lawn. |
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| Leah decided she needed a Spa Day, Dad can you save your Green Tea bags please? |
Heres a youtube link to the raw video we shot from the Quadcopter at our overnight stay and the exit in Crinan.
https://youtu.be/q8VyGGKPcZ0
Oban
Our arrival in Oban was bittersweet. We had made it through our first canal but it was time to say good bye to Granny as she had to get home to prepare for her next adventure to Alaska. We met Zetty's friend Renee Lindsay (we met through the awesome facebook group 'Women who Sail' - Ed), her husband Guy and their two children Phoebe (8) and Poppy (5) aboard their boat SV Emerald Bay. We had a really fun time playing, eating and making hopefully a life long friendship. The girls were especially thrilled to meet up with some more soon-to-be liveaboard children, though actually at this point, they try to make friends with anyone under 5ft tall, they're so in need of 'playdates'!! We also had the great fortune to arrange a meeting with the legendary Arctic sailor,
Rev Bob Shepton from S/V Dodo's Delight. Bob has transited the NWP twice and has cruised Greenland and the Arctic waters extensively. We had a great day together, I asked a lot of questions and received some very good advice. Bob is a delight, pun intended, and we had a wonderful time. I showed him my Quadcopter and how I managed to justify its existence on the boat, looking for leads in the pack ice of course.;) I think he liked it and I know a group of climbers that might have one next time they're aboard Dodo's Delight!
Say hello to our new crew member, Susie Theis. or SusieTheis.com Susie joined us in Oban and will be with us for the rest of the journey. She's an Oconomowoc native, an avid skier, adventurer and sailor. We're glad to have her aboard! Zetty's cousin Ruth Iliffe also came aboard in Oban and stayed with us through the Caledonian canal to Inverness. Zoe has a 'boatschool' assignment to interview all our crew, visiting and permanent, and these will be posted on the blog once the scribe (somehow I got conned into this - Ed.) types them up!
The Cally - The Caledonian Canal
Corpach - We made it to the Corpach Sea Lock at around 12:30. The lock keeper was nowhere to be found as he was helping another group at the next lock. He showed up around 13:00 and said we had to wait for a few boats to lock out at 13:30. We locked in at 14:00 and that was it for the day. The basin it was for the night. An early start the next day got us up and out to Neptune's Staircase, a flight of back-to-back locks that takes you up 64ft.
Banavie -
Swimming in Loch Oich - The map tells of the Great Glen Water Park located in the middle of Loch Oich. Sounded pretty good for this clan so we thought we'd check it out. Whoa, not a water park like we expected, the "water" was Loch Oich, the park was a small playground for the kids. The "swimming pool" was an oversized hottub, with a 12 person limit. Fun was had anyway and we all needed a bath.
Invergarry Castle - Spent the night at Invergarry Castle, or the ruins of it.
Fort Augustus - Now on our way down, we stopped for the night for the flight of 5 locks going down the next morning. Fish and Chip shop. Best burgers so far from the local butcher shop, D.J. Macdougall. If you get anywhere near here, make sure you visit!
Drumnadrochit - Spending the night here in a small marina in order to visit the Loch Ness Monster Exhibit and the Urquhart Castle, the most visited spot on Loch Ness.
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| Camping picnic and... |
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| complete with marshmallow roasting! |
Peel, Isle of Man
Peel, Isle of Man. (by Zetty)
We sailed from Conwy, Wales to the Isle of Man with my Mum as official "stowaway/able seagranny" aboard, leaving with the tide in the morning and arriving in the dark around 10:30pm. We had to wait in the outer harbour for about 30 mins before entering the inner harbour and marina in low light, past the beautiful castle overlooking the bay and through the tidal flap gate and swing bridge that was remotely operated for us by the Douglas harbormaster on the other side of the island. The Isle of Man is an interesting place, small enough to make a great holiday destination with lots of outdoor activities, whale and dolphin watching and steeped in ancient history. The day after we arrived my Mum took the older two girls off to the House of Manannan while Louie and I did laundry and Rosie took her nap. They had such a good time (very interesting and interactive museum about the ancient history through to modern life on the Isle of Man) that we all went back the following morning. In the afternoon we walked over to the castle, played on the beach collecting 'Queenie'
shells (queen scallops - Isle of Man is the largest harvester of this yummy shellfish in the UK) and jumping in the rolling breakers. At one point I turned around and saw Rosie on her hands and knees in the surf, grinning like a madwomen, until she walked out and realized how cold it would be for the walk home!! The Monkeys, coming from the inland lakes of Wisconsin, are real newbies when it comes to beaches and waves and we always seem to leave with one, if not all, completely soaked and freezing cold! After walking around the castle, spotting a lot of new seabirds and wildflowers (Rosie's favorite thing to do) we came across the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute) lifeboat station, and discovered it was open to visitors. Louie, with his interest in firefighting and all forms of rescue, soon had all the girls and Granny and I exploring and learning about the history of the RNLI as well as how it operates today. The RNLI has always been one of my favorite charities - as a British sailor you never know when you'll need them, and as a completely volunteer and charity run operation they are always needing support. There was a film running in the station (turns out the very first lifeboat station in the UK was in Peel, I of M) about the history and running of the RNLI and we watched fascinated for as long as Rosie would let us. We left before it was finished and Zoe was not (at all) happy to leave before it was over. If any of our British readers know what this movie would have been, please let us know as we could perhaps find it online for her to watch. I know for a fact that if Lou lived here he'd be a lifeboat man in a heartbeat.
We left Peel once again in glorious sunshine and sailed overnight north towards Scotland. The sunset that night was hard to beat, and despite the decreasing temperature my Mum sat and watched for a really long time, as the colours were ever changing. Northern Ireland was in the distance and the Scottish coast on the other side. During the night we came across groups of fishing boats driving in circles, possibly harvesting Queenies? A little confusing to the watch person until you figure out whats going on!! We also sailed past Dunmore where my great aunt, Tante Hans used to live, leaving me happily reminiscing about my times with her while on night watch.
We decided due to great weather to push on past Ardrossan and onto the Crinan canal entrance at Ardrishaig.
We sailed from Conwy, Wales to the Isle of Man with my Mum as official "stowaway/able seagranny" aboard, leaving with the tide in the morning and arriving in the dark around 10:30pm. We had to wait in the outer harbour for about 30 mins before entering the inner harbour and marina in low light, past the beautiful castle overlooking the bay and through the tidal flap gate and swing bridge that was remotely operated for us by the Douglas harbormaster on the other side of the island. The Isle of Man is an interesting place, small enough to make a great holiday destination with lots of outdoor activities, whale and dolphin watching and steeped in ancient history. The day after we arrived my Mum took the older two girls off to the House of Manannan while Louie and I did laundry and Rosie took her nap. They had such a good time (very interesting and interactive museum about the ancient history through to modern life on the Isle of Man) that we all went back the following morning. In the afternoon we walked over to the castle, played on the beach collecting 'Queenie'
shells (queen scallops - Isle of Man is the largest harvester of this yummy shellfish in the UK) and jumping in the rolling breakers. At one point I turned around and saw Rosie on her hands and knees in the surf, grinning like a madwomen, until she walked out and realized how cold it would be for the walk home!! The Monkeys, coming from the inland lakes of Wisconsin, are real newbies when it comes to beaches and waves and we always seem to leave with one, if not all, completely soaked and freezing cold! After walking around the castle, spotting a lot of new seabirds and wildflowers (Rosie's favorite thing to do) we came across the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute) lifeboat station, and discovered it was open to visitors. Louie, with his interest in firefighting and all forms of rescue, soon had all the girls and Granny and I exploring and learning about the history of the RNLI as well as how it operates today. The RNLI has always been one of my favorite charities - as a British sailor you never know when you'll need them, and as a completely volunteer and charity run operation they are always needing support. There was a film running in the station (turns out the very first lifeboat station in the UK was in Peel, I of M) about the history and running of the RNLI and we watched fascinated for as long as Rosie would let us. We left before it was finished and Zoe was not (at all) happy to leave before it was over. If any of our British readers know what this movie would have been, please let us know as we could perhaps find it online for her to watch. I know for a fact that if Lou lived here he'd be a lifeboat man in a heartbeat.
We left Peel once again in glorious sunshine and sailed overnight north towards Scotland. The sunset that night was hard to beat, and despite the decreasing temperature my Mum sat and watched for a really long time, as the colours were ever changing. Northern Ireland was in the distance and the Scottish coast on the other side. During the night we came across groups of fishing boats driving in circles, possibly harvesting Queenies? A little confusing to the watch person until you figure out whats going on!! We also sailed past Dunmore where my great aunt, Tante Hans used to live, leaving me happily reminiscing about my times with her while on night watch.
We decided due to great weather to push on past Ardrossan and onto the Crinan canal entrance at Ardrishaig.
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| Visiting the House of Manannan Museum in Peel, Isle of Man |
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| Peel Harbour |
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| Peel Castle on the entrance to the harbour |
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| Peel RNLI boathouse. Great tour and movie |
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Milford Haven, Wales - Conwy, Wales
We had planned to stop in Dale, about 5 miles to the West of Milford Haven but there was a Webasto heater service agent in Milford Haven so that was it. Our extended family, Zetty's sister Nicky's in-laws, live in Dale and are active on the water sailing etc. John, father-in-law, is the harbour master, mooring master, general go-to-guy there and had a mooring arranged, Yacht Club welcome, etc all set for us if we could make it. We ended up having the boat worked on through the weekend, all to no avail in the end. Still, a fun time was had as told in the previous post. And then...
Most of you have seen or heard about a famous '60s television show, Gilligan's Island. In the theme song, the crew sets out for a "three hour tour". "The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed, if not for the courage of the fearless crew the Minnow would be lost." This leg made me feel as if Arctic Monkey was the good ship 'Minnow' with me, the skipper, (some would argue Gilligan) and Zetty as Mary Ann, practical hottie (What?!? Ed.) Our plan was to sail from from Milford Haven to Conwy about 160NM north, sailing across Cardigan Bay (which our family now informs us is 'notorious'!!). As I always do,before we set off I downloaded the weather files called GRIBs, and Zetty and I discussed our options. We had a strong Southwesterly breeze coming, 25-34kts, but it would be from behind, making it a beam to broad reach to our next destination Conwy, in the north of Wales. The 160NM trip would be about a 24 hour sail give or take a few. According to the weather, if we waited, the next week was the same strong breeze but shifting to the north which would make a more difficult sail. We've sailed in the predicted conditions before and the boat is certainly able to cope with it so the decision was made to set off around 11am.
We had a fine sail in 20-25kts for most of the day, made dinner and got the kids to bed. The wind picked up a little so we decided to put one more reef in the main - from 2 reefs to 3, for the night. We had no hurry and it makes it a little more comfortable so why not, its easy to shake out the reef if the wind goes down. So far so good, 25-32kts, surfing down the waves, sometimes over 10kts of boatspeed which is great for us! Zetty and I changed watch at about 12:30am. Zetty showed me a line of rain coming, which we were ready for. As I started putting on my gear, the wind jump up to 38kts. I like to reef early as a precaution, so I thought maybe I'd take in a little more staysail, possible look at rigging the 4 reef point on the main. We don't have it permanently rigged as its only used in storm conditions but its easy to do if you have two people and an autopilot. Lifejacket on and one last check of the radar, hmm, looks like that rain is coming a little faster now. As I watched the radar, the wind jump up to 42kts. I called for Zetty, "Honey, I may need some help, the wind is jumping up!" She said "OK" and started putting her gear back on. Just then "Stanley" our autopilot let go. He does fine but anything over 40kts and a confused seaway is pushing his limit. As I jumped out on deck, the last glance at the wind was 54kts, "Zetty I need you right away!" I grabbed the wheel and turned us back downwind as the boat generally goes head to wind when nobody is steering as was the case now. We started surfing down the waves at over 12kts. Zetty was watching the radar and trying to turn off the constant loud beeping (so as not to wake or 'alarm' the children) as the autopilot alarm went off- "NO AUTOPILOT COMPUTER". I hand steered for about 30 minutes before the wind subsided again to 30-35kts. Zetty was able to reboot the autopilot and "Stanley" took over again. Now some may wonder what it was like. Try sticking your head out the car window next time your on the Interstate, at night, going 65mph. Now for extra fun, turn on the windshield washer, filled with salt water. It's scary the first time, but thank goodness this wasn't our first rodeo. Dawn came around 5:20am, the wind still from behind at 30kts. We rounded Holyhead, sailed along the north coast of Wales and anchored just off Puffin Island near Llanfairfechan. Conwy is a tidal marina, only accessible at High Water +- 3 hours so we spent the day watching for the elusive Puffin and sleeping. It was a nice test of the ground tackle (anchor and chain) as the wind stayed at a steady 30-32kts all afternoon and the anchorage provided protection from the swell but not the wind and waves. A short trip 7 mile trip at high water got us into the Conwy Marina for a solid nights sleep. The next morning a local rigger stopped by the boat and mentioned that our upper spreader on the mast was bent on a downward angle. Sure enough, what should be a six degree angle up, was 10 degrees down. Not good as this could cause the mast to fold. I had a chat with him and he agreed to come by the next day and fix it. I'm glad we got by with only a minor issue. It looks like they have a nice Pub here...
Most of you have seen or heard about a famous '60s television show, Gilligan's Island. In the theme song, the crew sets out for a "three hour tour". "The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed, if not for the courage of the fearless crew the Minnow would be lost." This leg made me feel as if Arctic Monkey was the good ship 'Minnow' with me, the skipper, (some would argue Gilligan) and Zetty as Mary Ann, practical hottie (What?!? Ed.) Our plan was to sail from from Milford Haven to Conwy about 160NM north, sailing across Cardigan Bay (which our family now informs us is 'notorious'!!). As I always do,before we set off I downloaded the weather files called GRIBs, and Zetty and I discussed our options. We had a strong Southwesterly breeze coming, 25-34kts, but it would be from behind, making it a beam to broad reach to our next destination Conwy, in the north of Wales. The 160NM trip would be about a 24 hour sail give or take a few. According to the weather, if we waited, the next week was the same strong breeze but shifting to the north which would make a more difficult sail. We've sailed in the predicted conditions before and the boat is certainly able to cope with it so the decision was made to set off around 11am.
We had a fine sail in 20-25kts for most of the day, made dinner and got the kids to bed. The wind picked up a little so we decided to put one more reef in the main - from 2 reefs to 3, for the night. We had no hurry and it makes it a little more comfortable so why not, its easy to shake out the reef if the wind goes down. So far so good, 25-32kts, surfing down the waves, sometimes over 10kts of boatspeed which is great for us! Zetty and I changed watch at about 12:30am. Zetty showed me a line of rain coming, which we were ready for. As I started putting on my gear, the wind jump up to 38kts. I like to reef early as a precaution, so I thought maybe I'd take in a little more staysail, possible look at rigging the 4 reef point on the main. We don't have it permanently rigged as its only used in storm conditions but its easy to do if you have two people and an autopilot. Lifejacket on and one last check of the radar, hmm, looks like that rain is coming a little faster now. As I watched the radar, the wind jump up to 42kts. I called for Zetty, "Honey, I may need some help, the wind is jumping up!" She said "OK" and started putting her gear back on. Just then "Stanley" our autopilot let go. He does fine but anything over 40kts and a confused seaway is pushing his limit. As I jumped out on deck, the last glance at the wind was 54kts, "Zetty I need you right away!" I grabbed the wheel and turned us back downwind as the boat generally goes head to wind when nobody is steering as was the case now. We started surfing down the waves at over 12kts. Zetty was watching the radar and trying to turn off the constant loud beeping (so as not to wake or 'alarm' the children) as the autopilot alarm went off- "NO AUTOPILOT COMPUTER". I hand steered for about 30 minutes before the wind subsided again to 30-35kts. Zetty was able to reboot the autopilot and "Stanley" took over again. Now some may wonder what it was like. Try sticking your head out the car window next time your on the Interstate, at night, going 65mph. Now for extra fun, turn on the windshield washer, filled with salt water. It's scary the first time, but thank goodness this wasn't our first rodeo. Dawn came around 5:20am, the wind still from behind at 30kts. We rounded Holyhead, sailed along the north coast of Wales and anchored just off Puffin Island near Llanfairfechan. Conwy is a tidal marina, only accessible at High Water +- 3 hours so we spent the day watching for the elusive Puffin and sleeping. It was a nice test of the ground tackle (anchor and chain) as the wind stayed at a steady 30-32kts all afternoon and the anchorage provided protection from the swell but not the wind and waves. A short trip 7 mile trip at high water got us into the Conwy Marina for a solid nights sleep. The next morning a local rigger stopped by the boat and mentioned that our upper spreader on the mast was bent on a downward angle. Sure enough, what should be a six degree angle up, was 10 degrees down. Not good as this could cause the mast to fold. I had a chat with him and he agreed to come by the next day and fix it. I'm glad we got by with only a minor issue. It looks like they have a nice Pub here...
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| At rest after a tough slog. |
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| Tony the rigger fixing the spreader. |
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| Rosie at Tim and Mary's farm. |
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| Zoe and Rosie in Uncle Tim's MG Miget. |
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| Leah hanging on an old Cardinal Mark at the marina. |
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