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Diaries 2013

24th Aug 2013

Diary - Bank holiday Sat 24th Aug 13

Down to Lena on the berth midday Sat. Big tide but somewhat cold easterly - blowing some as well, Seakelb moored nearby went out and turned back ! Then they went off in the dark on the evening tide - rather them than me I thought - but turned out they went down to the dingy pontoon to hold ubtil the mornign for an early start.

Run out of gas - then change the bottle to find the 'new' one I just bought a month ago is enpty ! Loose dust cap and loose valve ! So have to 'make do' with cold ham, salad, bread rolls strawberries and clotted cream ! HA - not exactly roughing it - no coffee though !!!

At least I know that a gas leak goes over the side where I have the bottles or I might have gone bang.

Early night I think - maybe look at going somewhere next week or so.

For now - I'm checking and tightening rigging with the Loos guage. I have the settings from three year back - so I can re-match them. I also need to drop the towbar off the car to make the MOT test easier ( corrosion near a mounted towbar - yawn ! )

M - was going to take his boat out today but put it off - strong winds. 12.6m tide at Uphill tonight.

Off gas hunting tomorrow - thinking of changing over to propane. But I fancy the butane is more easily available.

These dark, windy nights on big tides are not so eerie as on the river - you are in the middle of nowhere there. I enjoyed some of those night. The advantage here is when the tide drops I will be 'level' ! On the river it was a lottery, sometimes slight, sometimes as much as 30 deg !

I shall be neaped in here form Tues so will try to sort my MOT test out early. I'd like to get back down to Milford on my own - maybe in early Sept.

Keep looking at the Irish sea passage - its not far from Milford ! Then I would consider myself a sailor.

One day - the flag is rolled up ready !

Took a look at the tides running on Sunday - seems you can meet 6 hrs of fair tide going NE - if you get about ten miles off Skomer at the right time - then just as you reach the Irish coast shipping lanes the tide goes to 220 - for the 15 mile run in West. Seems do- able in 14-16 hrs - maybe better to sit on Skomer N Haven - once you have fair weather. You would have to watch the weather as most SW stuff goes to the NW - which you really don't want. Hmm ! One day....

Geoff - Aug 2013.