TripSailor.com® Sailing Blogs

Tuesday 1st June 2010

0530hrs  Awoke after a fitful sleep at anchor Creadan Head. Forecast was spot on its a different world out there now. WNW 1-2 slight sea and swell off the head. Damp air but the rain has gone and there is some low cloud. The anchor didn’t drag and I get the usual routine underway. Coffee, bowl of porridge, flask, make sandwiches and snacks for the whole trip.

0705hrs Depart Creadan 85 miles to Milford Haven, eta approx 20 hours. Full Genoa and 1st reef in the main just in case its fresher out clear of the head. The reef isnt required and under full sail against the flood making 5 knots, perfect! Drying my wet gear from last night in the cockpit and just wearing a thin fleece. The clouds are breaking and its blue sky. I looked at three forcast yesterday before leaving Waterford and they all agreed on the weather for overnight and today. I wouldnt have come down from Waterford if they were giving stronger than a SE 4-5. Nice when it all goes to plan.

0920hrs Making 6 knots over the ground off Hook Head, great sailing in bright sunshine goose winged, wind WNW 4. Lot of tide effect for several miles out off Hook Head and a moderate to rough sea. Dream Catcher is in the groove and ploughing along comfortably. Surfing down the odd wave at 7.5 knots. 47 miles to my waypoint South of the ‘Smalls’ light house the other side of the shipping lanes. Decided to go south side so that I dont have to navigate through the off lying islands in the dark tommorrow morning on the approach to Milford Haven in a foul tide. I did the route inside the islands in a small catamaran with an outboard engine in 2005 against a spring tide and SE wind. Not recommended, it produces a horrible short sea and swell. Knocking the speed off you if you try and sail or motor against it.

1115hrs Well it was too good to last, wind has died away to a very light NNW 1. 38 miles to ‘Smalls’ waypoint motor sailing. Have to look at the positives, a chance to charge for the battery after having anchor light and chart plotter on all night. 

1447hrs Managed to sail for the last couple of hours at 4.5 knots, gybing down wind but winds just getting lighter all the time as forecast. 24 miles to ‘Smalls’ waypoint. Looks like I have had the best of it and will be motor sailing the rest of the way. Shorts and t-shirt lovely and warm, but a cool wind. Still listening to mad but funny, Irish radio station!

1715hrs Have an escort of 6 dolphins, which increases to about 15 over the next hour. Watching them go off in little groups and jump accross the swells as they hunt for fish I presume, but always returning to the boat.

2015 Dolphins have finally gone after 3 hours of coming and going from the boat. Great to see so many of them but too fast for me to get more than a picture of one fin! Clear of the shipping lanes and the ‘Smalls’ light house now. Only saw one ship in the distance, 17.7 miles to St Ann’s Head at Milford Haven. Motorsailing 4.5 knots making good progress but he tide is turning foul soon and that will slow things up. Temperature dropping fleece and windproof on.

2320 It was a lovely sunset but the sea state is becoming sloppy as we get nearer the off lying island of ‘Skokholm’ which I will be skirting close to. The Bishops and Clerks were visible before sunset off to port and the island of Grass Holme and its bird colony is visible from a long way out. The full force of the 2 to 2.5 knot tide is pushing me in towards ‘Skokholm’ and I am having to steer up on course some 30 degrees to hold my course clear of it over the ground. Usually motorsail at around half throttle but having too push the outboard up to 3\4 throttle here. D’ont like working her that hard for long periods but needs must.

2345hrs Close to the edge of main approach channel to Milford with Skokholm just coming up off the port bow and an Irish Ferry comes looming up behind and passes within 1\2 mile to starboard. Couldnt give him much more room anyway with this tide running, quite close enough thankyou. Damp and cold and very sloppy sea and swell, no wind, just tidal effect. The glow of Skokholm light is close to port and St Ann’s light is on the bow now.

0117hrs Passing St Ann’s Head and sea state improving along with speed.

0210hrs On a buoy at Dale Bay, a few miles inside Milford Haven entrance to port. I have been here before and it is an easy approach at night. As well as a visitors pontoon which was full, there are lots of local moorings. I couldnt make out any visitors buoys in the dark so just picked up a local mooring. The first one I tried didnt look too strong so I found another. Flat calm in here and a beautiful quiet night, trying not to make any noise tidying everthing away on the boat and stowing the sail. Couldnt sleep straight away so finished off with some coffee in the cockpit watching the stars and taking in the glow of lights from the oil terminal across the harbour. Battling in against the tide seems a world away.