Day 10 - Aberdaron Bay to Pwllheli

 

I woke at 0630 with thoughts of how to raise the anchor. My hope was that as there appeared to be power to the solenoid I could bypass the solenoid and directly feed power to the windlass. However, there were two other thick red cables - one for retrieving the anchor and one for dropping it (but they aren’t labelled which is which). With so much current being drawn by the windlass I needed to securely bolt the bypass cable onto the correct terminals on the solenoid with the DC system powered down. Only by powering up the whole DC system would the anchor windlass switch on, hopefully retrieving the anchor and not dropping more chain down. Everything ready, and Lou at the bow to check proceedings, on went the system and “yes, yes its coming up” said Lou. After a bit of stop/starting we managed to fully retrieve the anchor and set off on our passage (but minus any instruments as everything had to be powered down to stop the windlass until the bypass cable was removed).

After exiting the bay, I managed to get through to Emma at Pwllheli Marina who was extremely helpful and sorted out a berth for us and told us that we would need to be in by 1250 otherwise there wouldn’t be enough depth to make it through with Sùlaire’s draft. With adverse tidal streams all the way, the engine used most of her horses and we clung to the coastline to avoid as much of the foul tide as possible. The sun beat down and the Cardigan Bay dolphins started to show themselves off some of the headlands as we progressed along the coast.

We made it into the narrow channel at the mouth of the marina with plenty of time to spare and quickly found our berth on the hammerhead of pontoon 5. A berthholder took our lines as we slid into the berth and safely tied-up. Once everything was secured and tidied away we got chatting with Paul, the guy who took our lines and he helpfully gave us the names of 3 local marine engineers to contact to assist with the anchor windlass. Calls made, a date with the electrician beckons for tomorrow. 

We set off along the huge beach adjacent to the marina in belting temperatures and felt grateful that serendipity and Lou’s suggestion took us to Pwllheli. Another day in port tomorrow to enjoy the beauty of the Lynn Peninsula! Night…night!

Day 9 - Holyhead to Aberdaron Bay, Lynn Peninsula

With a late departure for the tidal streams south we called up the club launch to take us to shore after breakfast. Holyhead town, which we investigated the evening before is a bit down at heel so we headed along the Wales Coast Path in the other direction to Holyhead on a gloriously sunny day albeit the northerly breeze kept things cool.

The walk along the coast is very beautiful with the shore grassland carpeted in sea pinks and small blue flowers and hedgerows filled with bluebells. After half an hour or so it was time to return to the boat and get ready for departure to make slack water at the tidal gate through Bardsey Sound at the eastern most point of the Lynn Peninsula. 

We made good progress with the tidal conveyor belt carrying us along but the wind was very light and we had the motor on but for a brief period as we approached Bardsey Sound. As we headed into Aberdaron Bay there was only one other yacht at anchor in the large bay so plenty of room. Lou went forward to deploy the anchor with the windlass but came back saying she had forgotten to turn on the switch for it in the cabin. Alas she hadn’t - it wasn’t working. Handing the helm over to her so I could go below to work out what the problem was she decided to do the mariner’s version of doughnuts. Feeling like I was emerging from a Strip The Willow at Hogmanay, I suggested we manually drop the anchor and then work things out.

We had dinner then headed ashore to stretch our eight legs. Aberdaron is a very pretty village and we picked up a few bits and pieces from the Coop before returning to the boat. I then spent the rest of the evening trying to work out the problem with the windlass but thought I had a temporary work around but it would slow our departure. We discussed whether we headed all the way down to Milford Haven Marina (a 13 hour sail) and get an marine electrician to look at it there or go to Aberystwyth Marina (but reviews weren’t great) or make a shorter passage (2.5 hours) to Pwllheli (which also has mixed reviews). We decided on the latter option as there were a number of marine specialists there but we weren’t guaranteed a berth as they no longer keep berths free for visitors.

So, off to bed, and still racking my brain as to solutions to the windlass problem, we put our heads down for the night.

Day 8 - Derby Haven to Holyhead

With south-going tides again later in the day we jumped in the dinghy and found an old slipway on St Michael’s Island, saving a strenuous humphing of the dinghy up the beach. St Michael’s Island has an old Kirk built by the Scots in the 13th century while the fort was built by Henry VIII to repel French and Spanish invaders.

After a FaceTime call with Cal, in Birmingham, and Natalie, in Australia, we lifted the anchor and headed due south with a gentle north westerly wind which, with a favourable tidal stream, provided some assist to the engine pushing us along at 7 knots over ground.

The seas were relatively calm and as we approached the shipping lanes (TSS) off Anglesey the passing cargo vessels helpfully provided a gap to allow us through the front of the Traffic Separation Scheme. Once past the TSS, we hung a right and the strengthening tide, and with the wind beam on, we turned off the engine a made for clearing The Skerries at 8.8 knots. The pilot guide suggested not going inside The Skerries because of tidal overfalls but conditions were pretty benign and we probably could have done so.

As we entered Holyhead Harbour I called up the Holyhead Sailing Club launch and he guided us to a free mooring buoy where we picked up the mooring strops and secured Sùlaire for the night. The club launch took us ashore (all included in the fee) and we explored and had dinner in the clubhouse (nah) before the very friendly launch man carried us back to Sùlaire for the night…night!

Day 7 - Peel Harbour to Derby Haven Anchorage

 

With settled weather forecast, and in order to break up a long passage from Peel to Holyhead, we had a 12:30 departure planned to head around to the south east of the island. The anchorage is by the airport but the pilot guide said that noise from the airport was minimal. We were aiming to leave Peel with the last swing bridge during the first high water of the day opening at 13:00.  But a quick check with the harbour master and he said there was a risk that they would close it early given the high pressure system lowering the tidal height.

We headed out of Peel Harbour and made for Calf Sound which we should make around slack water. With a favourable wind and tidal stream we made better progress than anticipated and entered Calf Sound with the tide running against us at 1.8 knots - fine for Sùlaire to push on against.

We arrived in Derby Haven some 4 hours after leaving Peel and took a couple of attempts to set the anchor on the sand, rock and kelp seabed. The bay has a very gradually sloping bottom and we arrived just before low water so a long trip in the dinghy to the beach beckoned followed by a long haul up the sand and we were ready for our walk to Castletown. Bea enjoyed a last stretch of her legs and we enjoyed the pretty town of Castletown which was at one point the capital of the Isle of Man.  Robert the Bruce had to retake Rushen Castle, where the town takes its name from, three times during the Scots’ control of the island.

We were hoping that after our long walk there wouldn’t be such a long distance to carry the dinghy back to the water but alas it was another trek down the beach. Back on board, and after rustling up a quick smoked salmon linguine, its time to plan tomorrow’s passage to Holyhead.

Night…night!

Day 6 - Staying in port at Peel Harbour

A day of walking and sight seeing in wall to wall sunshine and southerly breezes finished with a fine meal in the Boatyard Restaurant…

Day 5 - Bangor to Peel

With a foul tidal stream in the morning for heading south we put on our walking boots and headed out along the coast from Bangor to Ballymacormick Point. Although the air was unseasonably cool the skies offered the odd glimpse of sun which lit up the patches of bluebells and sea pinks at the side of the coastal path.

Back at the boat we readied Sùlaire for the 45 nautical mile passage to Peel on the Isle of Man. Peel is subject to a cill, gate (to keep the water in the inner harbour) and pedestrian swing bridge which are only open for 2 hours either side of high water so we aimed to arrive around 2100 which meant leaving Bangor at 1330.

The adverse tides pronounced by the tidal atlas and chartplotter out of Belfast Lough and past Copeland Island failed to materialise and were, in fact, favourable driving us south. With variable winds we motor sailed with genoa only in the following seas. We made good time, seeing little traffic or wildlife apart from a couple of uninterested common dolphins and arrived into Peel Bay at just after 2000. A call to the harbour master (Douglas HM as out of hours) and he confirmed that the gate would be lowered and the bridge swung at 2030. We joined a French yacht (Cavok) sitting on one of the 4 waiting mooring buoys in the outer harbour and awaited instructions to proceed.

The harbour master called us forward at 2030 and we had a spot on a pontoon finger straight ahead after entering the inner harbour. Tied-up we took a stroll in the dwindling light to stretch our legs after our passage and agreed it was a pretty port. With so much to see and explore on Mann we thought perhaps a 2 night stay would make sense…night..night.