Finally some progress and, except for the cold wind and a lumpy sea to finish, an exceptionally good sail.
I woke up half an hour before the alarm but got up and did a couple of small jobs and had some coffee before leaving on schedule at 03:30 - I did not want to be early and find a foul tide off Lands End which can be uncomfortable. With the south westerly wind I motored for two hours to the “Runnel Stone” arriving 10 minutes ahead of schedule.
The Long Ships light at dawn. |
As soon as I passed the Runnel Stone the sails went up and, passing close to the Long Ships I was able to sail all the way to the Milford Haven Offing. |
Approaching “Turbot Bank”off Milford the current, even on a neap tide, can create a confused choppy sea and so it was and I got the sails off about 2 miles short so that I could see where I was going (the Genoa being in the way) and concentrate on navigation as the boat rolled nastily until I was into the Haven.
The offending vessel, now corrected after I mentioned it to a fellow Achillies owner who happens to work for Milford VTS who had a chat with them. |
Coming in I got rather confused, I was trying to get the big picture - gps is all very well feature hoping or tracking but not always good for situational awareness with all the lights. A cable layer / survey vessel [actually a trawler i subsequently found acting as a guard ship] was showing on AIS (claiming to be under sail to a cable site, so I was a bit dubious of everything it said) east of the east channel but I was convinced I could see a larger ship c 20 degrees off the ais contact or was it the same and it was a really big ship, contrary to a suspect AIS profile. There was nothing on radar or ais from a 2nd ship, then I twigged it was 2 random shore lights on the N side of the haven looking like mast lights of a ship going right to left plus a fixed red nav beacon pretending to be a port nav light ๐ค.
With an expected easterly wind I went to Sandy Haven Bay which, unlike Dale Shelf, has good shelter from the east and some from the SE.
It looks like I’ll be here till Wednesday, I could get to a safe anchorage (in a northerly wind) in Ireland (Dunmore East?) on Sunday and probably on Monday but I would then be stuck there till Wednesday because of Northerly wind, so I would be N of Carnsore Pt late Wednesday. But I could be at the same place from here on Wednesday with a more sensible start time. Also I am tired and rain is forecast for Sunday [I should have remembered that on Sunday as I write this, I put out some damp towels to dry and they are now wet ☹️]
There after the winds are favourable but light with temperatures in the 60s for a slow sail or quick motor to N. Ireland.
Hopefully the weather will be good enough to have a short yacht around the Haven on Monday and Tuesday whilst I wait.
118 miles in 25 hours.
Click here for my trip up the river and back and plans for the ext few days.
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