TripSailor.com® Sailing Blogs

Monday 31st May 2010

It looks like there might be a weather window to cross to Milford Haven, Wales on Tuesday. The fresh SE 4-5 winds today will moderate overnight and become WNW 3 by 0700hrs and then NW 4 through the morning and then decrease 2-3 by mid to late afternoon. Going back to the SE by Wednesday. The only problem is I need to go down river with the tide and high water isnt until 0930 on Tuesday. Going down to Dunsmore East or Creadan head takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours and thats a good head start to have in the morning. I will depart at high water slack tonight but it will mean pushing into a SE 4-5 wind against tide from where it widens at East Passage. Oh and the forecast also says heavy rain all night, lovely! The channel is very well marked and all the buoys have lights and I will still have some daylight until East Passage.

2050 Depart Waterford City Marina in heavy driven rain and want to at least get to Creadan Head and anchor ready for an early start in the morning. Under motor only and still pushing into 1\2 knot of tide against me. The flow hasnt quite turned yet but doing 4.5 knots comfortably. Get a bit of tidal assistance down past the container port and power station but as I start rounding ‘Cheek Point’ the shelter from the banks is lost and the SE 4-5 lets me know its there. A short chop is building and it will only increase as I pop out of East Passage. Fortunately it isnt full ebb but he seas build as I leave East passage and I am bumping along at 5 knots but not slamming. Speed drops slowly as the chop builds and I eventually end up huddled under the sprayhood bouncing along at 3.5 knots towards Creadan Head and Dunsmore East. It more like ESE here and I wonder if Dunsmore East is a wise place to be as it seems more exposed than Creadan Head to me. Probably going to be a lot of movement in the harbour moorings. The light is failing fast and the motion continues to deteriorate but still not slamming and pushing on okay. Perhaps I should have stayed at Waterford I start to think but then I wouldnt be going past Dunsmore East until early afternoon and would have missed the fresher NW winds in the morning.

2345hrs At anchor under Creadan Head in an amazingly comfortable sea state, but absolutely soaked from the heavy driving rain. It was a bit of a slog for the last hour but now that its full ebb the seas are only going to get worse and although Dunsmore East is only 2.5 miles away it would have been another hour before I got there. Very black now and hard to spot the towering presence of Creadan Head only 100 metres away. As I approached I remembered the advice I was given by Tom at Waterford who said not to go in past the head more than 300 metres as there is a wreck with a sharp spike there! I am in 3.7 metres of water with 25 metres of chain out and its just hanging limp as the tide keeps spinning me all the way around. Must be some sort of back eddie around the point, but its keeping the swell down. Its miserable just a few hundred metres away off the head. Happy that the head is providing the shelter I hoped it would but I am concerned that the anchor hasnt dug in properly, or that the spinning around is going to break it out, so I leave the chart plotter on anchor watch and the depth sounder on. Every now and then I shine my torch at the headland and just pick out the rocks on the shore. I dont seem to be dragging anywhere but its making me nervous. Remove my wet gear to drain off but go to bed fully clothed in case a quick exit is required. As the boat spins I can here the chain gently rumbling along the hull every few minutes. LW is 0315 and there should be 2.39 metres here. Put up my new LED anchor light and try to get some sleep. Alarm clock set for 0600 just in case I do get to sleep.