Ishtar

Time to go. We debated whether to try and stay another few weeks, but the nights were drawing in and the threat of autumn storms worried us. I’d wanted to go to Lundy on the way back, and take some time, rather than just rush back as quickly as we could. The high pressure built, so we planned the trip.

We puttered out to Ishtar in our trusty tender, Tom. Couldn’t risk leaving him on the mooring as we might not be back for a week or two, and Tom leaks a bit. He didn’t seem to understand when Louise took him ashore in the rubber tender.

Leaving Tom's mooring

I cast off and we left our multi coloured mooring for the last time.

Tom's mooring

We filled with diesel at Neyland. It became clear straight away that we had problems. The engine would not switch off. We had fitted a new GPS plotter and I suspected we had disturbed the wiring. I found the fault and managed to stop the engine, but things were still not right – the alternator was not charging the batteries. We headed for the pontoon at Dale, for food, and discussions.

We have two batteries. An 80 amp hour engine battery and a 110 amp hour auxilliary. Both fully charged and both in good nick. I calculated that, with minimal electronics, used sparingly, and using the paraffin lamp rather than electric lights, we should be fine. We’d only use the auxilliary battery. If the charge in that started to get low, we’d head for home immediately, motoring the whole way if necessary. 

Five days later and there was still plenty of charge in that, and the engine battery was still fully charged, so we need not have worried.

We left Dale at dawn. Initially tried to sail to Lundy without using the engine, but high pressure meant light winds, and it would have taken us a week.

Sunrise over Texaco

Almost immediately after leaving the Haven, we were joined by dolphins. As many as 20 in a pod, and a few small pods of the more nervous and shy porpoise.

Dolphins

er, Dolphins.

Lundy Island

 It was about 37 miles from the heads of Milford to Lundy, so we chugged and sailed, Dolphins never very far away, counting down the miles, using the GPS sparingly (no need at all, really). The Sun broke through, and late in the afternoon we telephoned the warden to enquire about a mooring buoy.

There were two visitors moorings, but we could use any private mooring if it was free. If the owner came out, we might have to move, but generally the situation was very relaxed. As it happened, there was a free vistor’s mooring.

Lundy, from the Northwest

Louise took us in, pumped the dinghy and we went ashore in the late evening sun.

Lundy moorings. Ishtar is top left.

Left the mooring at Llangwm at 13:00 Thursday. Louise got some sleep as I sailed down to Dale. Got caught out at Milford and rounded up. Full sail had barely moved us in the Upper Cleddau, but it seemed to blow a gale for 5 minutes at Milford. The Port Authority weather broadcast explained:

‘Winds East or NorthEast, 10 -15 knots occasionally 15-20 knots. Some gusts of 25-30 knots.

There are some lovely vessels to be seen in the Haven. This was just above Milford:

Sailing ship, Milford

 We met up with yet more friends from Cardiff on Dale pontoon. Allan and Edwina from ‘Chausey’ were waiting for us, passing the time annoying the local fish:

Allan Fishing

 Louise joined in whilst I blew up the tender, and hooked a bass, first cast:

Louise, with bass

 Not a keeper, too small. Allan took umbrage and stopped any further success by moving Chausey into the space Louise had been casting into, mumbling something about room for other boats.

The Griffin was proposed, and we were forced to take two tenders to stop the lovely Lilly from forcing her attentions on Tigger. Cwrw Haf was tested, and found to be very drinkable indeed:

The Griffin, Dale

 Allan cooked a vegetable curry on Chausey later, and another beer or two was enjoyed. Many thanks for yet another great evening in the company of Allan, Edwina, Lilly and Chausey.

The following morning, Louise and I fancied a trip to Skomer. Chausey was heading back to Cardiff via Ilfracombe, so we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.

St Anne's Head

 We kept close to the land this trip, for the views, and saw a very different Gateholm from the one we had seen from Marloes during the gales a couple of weeks back:

Gateholm, and leaving geese

We saw meny geese leaving during the weekend, honking loudly as they passed above us in usual V formation.

I’d planned to go to South Haven, but it was very calm, and slack water in Jack Sound was a couple of hours away. I calculated we had time to get around Skomer, visit North Haven briefly and come back through Jack sound. I’d been through there many, many times before, but never on a yacht, and never sailing. I discussed it with Louise and we decided to try it.

Where's Grassholm?

The Isle of Innishmore ferry passed Grasholm as we headed West. I could just make out the Smalls lighthouse in the distance. Another place for another day.

Pretty soon, we were around the Western edge of Skomer and passing the Garland stone. An excellent dive, by the way, if you don’t mind some current. Pick a day with good vis, and enjoy a sheer drop off to 40m plus.

Louise, Tigger and Garland Stone

We picked up a mooring buoy in North Haven to wait out the final half hour before slack.

North Haven mooring buoys

 My pilot said there were three, but we counted four buoys. To the South of these is a no anchoring zone, clearly marked, to protect the eel grass beds.

No anchoring in the eelgrass

As we waited, the Dale Princess disgorged the last of the summer visitors to Skomer reserve. They duly paid their fees and trekked back and fore over the island:

Visitors on Skomer

 OK, time to take on the dreaded Jack Sound. It was dead slack as we approached, and we passed this delightful boat as we edged through at 2.4 knots, our passage completely uneventful

Jack Sound

Thorn Island

 We hurried back up the river and left Ishtar. 33 miles covered in a little under 10 hours. Got a text from Allan to say that Chuasey was 12 miles from Ilfracombe.

Louise and I were on a big high. Tigger was unimpressed. ‘Yes, bla bla, Jack sound, bla bla, strong currents, bla bla circumnavigation. Now how about tossing this here log into the river for me to fetch?’

Stick. Now. Please.

Post Script. How to get it wrong.

When diving in Ramsey Sound the following Sunday, with a much smaller tide, we saw a yacht take the wrong course against the full flood of the tide. He appeared to strike something and then go backwards for a few minutes. Horse rock should have been a few metres under water at that point, so he may have just been caught by one of the strong eddies. I pointed out to Louise that maybe our uneventful trip at slack was the better idea after all. (We went across to the yacht in our rib to check that they were ok. They were fine.)

Mid September and the Azores high finally gets its act together. Looks like we’ll have some settled weather for a week. Vince offered me a sail on his 28ft Mirage, Alana. Another boat from Cardiff, a 27ft Moody, ‘Coracle’ was also going out.

Strong sunshine and Easterly winds. We locked out at 17:30 and headed for Flatholm:

Flatholm from Alana

Vince was in good spirits. We both were. The flooding tide dictated where we went, as is always the case in the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel  It soon became clear that we would not reach Flatholm and back before dark.

Vince

It didn’t matter. A fickle wind, swinging from North to East and back, took us down towards the South Cardiff buoy and across towards Lavernock point.

Alana, South of Cardiff Grounds

As we turned North for home, the setting sun painted the sky above Penarth head. Coracle turned North too.

Coracle

The sun dropped behind the hills like a stone, and the evening glow faded as we approached the barrage for the 19:45 lock in.

Sunset over Cardiff barrage

20 minutes later and we left the locks, entering Cardiff bay.

Cardiff Bay from the locks

Vince tied Alana up and we headed for the club bar. Business was brisk, and a few friends we’d met in Milford weeks ago, Dave from Wyndsong, and Andy from Plato, were enjoying some chips from a new fish shop that has opened nearby.

Thanks, Vince

We’d missed last weekend. Another gale forecast. We’d travelled down to Llangwm, but with gusts of over 50 knots forecast, and our inexperience, we decided not to bother trying to sail, even in the relatively sheltered waters of the Haven.

So we jumped back in the car and set off for a walk. Found ourselves in the beautiful, secluded bay that is Monk Haven:

Xanthoria, Monk Haven

A bit further around, we climbed the point to St Anne’s Head. The gale made the waters around Skokholm boil: a beautiful and tranquil destination in the warmth of only a few short weeks ago.

Skokholm from St Annes head.

I’ve always loved Marloes when it’s stormy, and the view of Gateholm was as good as it always is:

Gateholm

A week later, and we just had time for a couple of hours on Friday afternoon. Winds still strong, but we set off, Louise in charge, with good heart.

Louise helming as we leave Llangwm

The wind was forecast 4-5, but a gust hit us just above Lawrenny that was well above that. We’d put a reef in, but ended up with both genoa sheets over the side, trying to control the boat in the shallowing river as the tide ebbed. Minutes later it was dead calm. We glided silently past a house that Louise covets.

Louise's house

I’m a little uncertain – front garden looks somewhat unkempt.

A few more strong gusts then Milford Haven Port Authority released an immediate Gale warning - ‘Irish Sea, Gale Force 8, Now’. Aha! As we turned for the mooring, Castle Rocks showed their full extent, with Benton Castle hiding in the oaks.

Benton castle and Castle rocks

Doesn’t look like much, but the gale was ripping off the tops of the small wavelets in the river. It took me three attempts to point Ishtar onto our mooring buoy. We expected a soaking on our journey ashore in Tom, and were not disppointed.

Rough river, Llangwm.

I am ever hopeful of an Indian summer before our short stay in Llangwm comes to an end. As the days pass, August into September, and the nights draw in, darkness swept across on the gales, it looks remote. We’ll be planning our trip back up to Cardiff soon, and a visit to Lundy seems like a dream in this weather.