We are off! From the germ of an idea nearly four years ago, planning, boat-buying and preparation, and lining up work and life around the idea of some 'time away' - it has all, slightly miraculously, come together. As we waited in the lock at Portishead for the gate to open, reality started to dawn and alongside the classic 'what have we forgotten' the reality of being able to break the link for a bit started to sink in.
The passage to Milford Haven benefitted from a smooth sea and sunshine - a great way to start, and we made steady progress West, coming to anchor to wait for the tide at Minehead, grabbing a few hours sleep, and then continuing across to the North Channel to Milford Haven. Hard not to enjoy the passage, and as the muddy brown of the Severn gave way to the clearer water of the Irish Sea, we both started to relax and enjoy the sailing. The cost of the fine weather was fluky winds, and it was dark by the time we motored the final miles up towards Milford Haven, an enormous and spectacular natural harbour, where wildlife and scenery is framed by the massive oil and gas berths and huge tankers arriving and departing. Perhaps unexpectedly the vistas seem to absorb all the concrete and steel to make a really spectacular landscape.
Having found a snug anchorage in 'Sandy Haven', a secluded sandy river and beach, we settled for a reasonably comfortable night, only occasionally disturbed by some of the larger wakes as shipping passed by.
We had identified a good weather window from Thursday morning (the 17th) to make our passage up St Georges' channel to North Wales, so had a 24 hour pause over Wednesday in Milford Haven to take stock. We ventured ashore in the dingy to explore the tidal cove and beach with thoughts of a longer walk, however, the lack of anywhere reasonably secure (from the massive tidal range) put paid to much of an expedition - not for the first time, we reflected that our dinghy is perhaps a little bit small, launching from a rocky beach in a swell is a somewhat entertaining activity. Wet feet are good for the soul, especially in the Irish Sea in March! Having got fed up with petrol outboards and all the faff they entail we were, however, pleased with the electric outboard which had ample power and range to get us ashore into a stiff breeze.
As we prepared for the next stage, we were looking forward to the South Westerly gale due to whisk us up the St George Channel - idea for a quick sail, but care required in preparation! There are two routes around St David's head for yachts - an offshore route, which is slower, and a rather exciting inshore route marked by spectacular tides, unmarked rocks, and all the things which generally make sailing so much fun. The outer option won out, based mainly on tide timings (honest!) and on Thursday morning we poked our noses out to confront the fresh conditions head on and start to work around St David's head. We were ready for a bit of a blow, and the confused seas and wind lived up to the forecast. It took a while to get into the swing around St David's head, with the steep seas knocking the speed off the boat, however once clear and heading North East towards the Llŷn Peninsula, the plan really came together and we started to make really good speed. We tucked a reef back in as the wind built up towards 28 knots, with a steep 'wind over tide' sea making the helming really good fun. Contour really comes into her own in these conditions - she is fast in a breeze, remarkably dry and good mannered. Her ferro-cement construction raises many eyebrows, as they have a variable reputation, however she is proof that with enough wind behind her to move the 19 tonnes, she sails beautifully and feels extremely safe! Hazel and I both very much enjoyed the helming and fast sailing, and for several hours we sped along at 7.5kts and more, making great progress. As conditions eased, Kevin, the third member of the crew (AKA the SIMRAD autopilot) started to give us a break - a somewhat truculent crewmember, named for the Harry Enfield character and with a similar attitude to his work at times, he did not want anything much to do with surfing down sea.
Late on Thursday our luck started to run out and the wind died, so again we found ourselves finishing the passage under power. Early on Friday morning, through patches of fog and in a flat calm, we approached Pwllheli, a planned stopover in the large marina. Entertaining berthing in the strong flood tide was followed by a bit of a rest and tidy up after what had been a busy 24 hours. Pwllheli is new to both Hazel and I and is a really very nice market town, with a large and modern marina as well as a good beach, all very appealing in the early Spring sunshine.
We plan to stay here for 24 hours to enable some local visiting, before pushing on for the Isle of Man, probably Douglas, from where I'll write the next update.
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