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Published: April 26th 2012
coppercoat
breeze with her new 'bottom'Since buying Yacht Breeze of Weymouth, a Hallberg rassy 53 we seem to have spent a lot of time working on her, to get her exactly how we wanted. First we added a large gantry with big solar panels, which supports the dinghy as well. Then we had the mast taken off and the rigging replaced and all fittings checked. Next airconditioning and reverse cycle heating fitted, and then the boat out of the water and copper coated. So all in all a huge amount of time to get her ready.
What follows is the first part of our trip to Scotland. This is a domestic blog, rather than a sailing blog, and is really just to let our friends and family know what has occurred.
Journey to Scotland, April 2012-04-09
We left Weymouth after a good send off in the pub, it was so still and calm we were motoring, we put the sails up and discovered that in the dark the front navigational side lights were blinding. Eventually we put on the tricolour, why we never thought of that to start with, I don’t know.
Rounding the bill was calm, and
the dog was slowly settling down, after a neurotic howl as we left the safety of Weymouth harbour. It was not as cold as we had expected and gradually halfway across Lyme bay the sun came up, and we were too hot in all our layers.
The boat was sailing well, although Alan was not too happy about the way the mainsail was setting. We sailed up to start point, where we began to lose the wind, so then motored for about an hour, quite good to charge the batteries and have our lunch. Dog finally did a pea on the back deck.
In the afternoon, the boat was racing along hardly dropping below 8 k, the wind was steady and we were enjoying a good sail, then it veered, turning more northerly and the sea got a bit rougher, so we decided to pull into Helford river, the weather forecast is for a gale on Monday.
Helford river
We were tired approaching the entrance, and so we were glad to see a big wide anchorage, we dropped the 105 lb anchor(!) and got the dinghy launched , it was still a
nice evening so put the struggling dog into the dinghy to try to find somewhere to take her for a walk. here was a sailing club with pontoons festooned with notices telling you what not to do, not many suggesting you landed, at this point the dog was desperate so tied onto the end of the empty pontoon, but out of the way of any boats, the dog raced down the pontoon onto dry land! We followed and found a path, again notices about not letting your dog off, not doing this, not doing that. Now I am finding that the UK is a bit different to the Caribbean! Anyway she had a walk and we went back to the sailing club, where we met a couple with a Labrador, who told us they had to eat outside because of the dog. No chance of doing that, so went up to the veranda, where there were big signs saying members only, cards must be shown. So we walked away, only to see another sign saying ‘Helford sailing club welcomes visiting yachtsmen’ So Alan went in, and yes they were very friendly, in spite of the notices. �In their defence, although
it was deathly quiet in April, I suspect in the mid summer it is so crowded that they have a job to stop the tenders etc overwhelming them. . The next morning feeling a lot more rested and relaxed, we got the dog in the dinghy and pottered up the river, we asked some people on a boat who had a little dog, where the best place was. We saw a jetty which cost £2.50 to land, and decided to go there. We had a delightful walk to Frenchman’s creek, the one in the Daphne du maurier book. It was so sunny, warm, and the dog romped into the long grass, and pottered around the very pretty woodland. She slithered down to the rocks and chased her ball down hills. We enjoyed a perfect English morning. Then on our return we went down into Helford village, bought a paper, and on the hill opposite the village found a converted chapel, which sold lovely cake and coffee. Perfect.
Later that day we sailed round to Falmouth, Alan has been tinkering with the new sail, and adjusting the boom height, and the boat shot off at 8.5
knots, lovely sail across the bay, and then tacked, much against my better judgement, right up to the town quay. The boat was perfect and the tacking good.
I was not sure about Falmouth, and the anchorage, but once we had gone ashore to walk the dog, it looked quite nice. We got lost and walked miles, but the dog enjoyed it. Then took her back to the boat and went ashore for a meal,. We went to the Warehouse, and had a mediocre meal, but Alan enjoyed his sole. Then home for telly and bed.
This morning it is lashing, the dog has been on deck to go to the loo but don’t fancy the walk around much. We may go up to the marina as the weather is still v dodgy.
. A bit of shopping, especially mini magnums for Alan.
That night we went to the pub for a drink, we met the same two guys that we had seen at Helford, it was a typical quayside pub, reminded us of Weymouth. We had dinner in a bistro round the corner, my choice of fish
pie was not good at all, but Alan had a good meal.
Next morning we headed up to Mylor marina, it was lashing rain and windy. We tied onto a pontoon, and it was very pleasant, just as we had remembered from when we came to see the boat, the very first time. Breeze knew her own way, and it was no problem. The marina staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful, so we had a couple of jobs done, with no problem.
The dog walks were stunning, along the cliffs to Falmouth, there were glorious views, spectacular woods, bluebells just coming through. There were long runs and lots of other dogs, perfect. A pleasure to walk.
We decided to go up to Mylor village in the dinghy…that was a mistake, just after we got halfway there the heavens opened, not just rain, but frozen hailstones,. It was awful and even the dog was trying to hide her head! We just got back in time to meet the electrician who was sorting out the AIS.
Mylor Marina, is very small and
compact but has all the facilities that you need, except for a shop, which is available at Mylor village, normally not too far in a dinghy.
11/4/2012
We left Mylor at ten am to head down towards Newlyn. IT was bright and sunny, and the dog very calm after a long walk. As we approached the Lizard the sea picked up a little with overfalls, it was slightly choppy. We approached Newlyn and they found us a pontoon mooring at the end of the long fishing pontoon. It was not until we got ashore that we read the signs,,,NO DOGS! A bit late then so we went for a walk anyway and then came back and kept the dog on the boat, they were friendly, but obviously not dog friendly. It was very convenient to pass round Lands end the next morning.
12/4/2012
We left Newlyn in the dark , slightly rough round lands end, tacked off lands end to clear all obstacles, it was still
quite choppy, and we were speeding along at 9.2 knots in the tide. as we swung round to head up the Irish Sea the wind headed us and we were motor sailing into a lumpy sea. We still managed our steak and kidney pie for lunch. Then the wind slowly dropped, until there was very little wind at all. So we decided to motor on towards Ireland. The sea was lumpy at first but gradually settled down, starting to build again as we approached Ireland.
We saw some dolphins, or maybe porpoises, yellow green, little ones. The dog was on the back deck with me having a wee and got a horrible shock when these things popped up from the sea! Poor thing, a slightly traumatic day for her. Soon by 21.30 we were travelling past the shipping lanes off st David’s head, pos 51 46 761 005 45 801, still pretty calm, chicken casserole went down very well.
The Ais proved its worth at night as we could see so much more easily which big ships were likely to hit us. It felt very comforting although a lot of fishing boats etc, do not have it, so a close watch is required.
During that night a few storms passed through with hammering rain, it was very cold . but in the cockpit we had the hood up, it was not wet at all, but chilly. By 08.00 we were approaching don laghoire outside Dublin. We were tired, a bit like jet lag really. It was cold, rainy and flat calm. 53,14 295, 005 50,080 . Soon we were tying up in a great big marina, the marina staff were very pleasant and interested in the dog, they came to take a photo of her, one of them had a Doberman as well.
We soon had her off the boat and found a great dog walk where she could run and run.
Over the next few days we went into Dublin for the day, had lunch, and it was Freezing! We remembered Dublin from visiting before , it is a good city, with lots to see, and if it had not been so cold we would have enjoyed it more.
We explored the town, and met lots of people there, they were all very helpful, there was a huge long pier built in the eighteen hundreds, we walked to the end, it was about 2 miles there and back, a great long walk for the dog. We went to a very good pub in the evening called The Purty Kitchen in Old Don laoghaire road,. Good atmosphere and friendly staff. When we walked home, it was pouring, and cold, glad to get back to the boat, it felt like January! Even the dog was not keen to leave the cockpit to go out side.
15
th April 2012
08.45 Today is my birthday, so after a quick opening of presents we set off for Northern Ireland. We managed to sail this time, very tight to the wind, soon the wind began to head us, so we were motorsailing. The tide was set against us, so although we were doing well on boat speed, over the ground it was a different story.
By 11.00 we were at pos 53 32 498 005 55 543. and we were motoring…again! Making very slow progress, by 13.30 we had travelled 38 miles and not even half the way. Halfway there we had a problem with the outhaul coming off the pulley and had to stop to mend it. The sea was calm by 14.30 and we had soon crossed the border into Northern Ireland, no marks on the sea though!
By 17.55 we still had 30 miles to go, the tide held us back, but all was ok on the boat, with the dog calm and well emptied. We could see the Isle of Man, and by 19.40 I was preparing a Chinese meal, great these instant dinners.
The passage into Bangor was lit, but we had a job to see the buoys in the spray, it was just getting dark, and we soon ran into a choppy sea , we carried on round the corner into Belfast lough, it was very dark, raining, cold, my hands were aching when I went on deck to tie on the fenders, we were approaching the marina, but we could hardly see the entrance, it was so dark, we went in and there seemed to be two ways in, so Alan stopped the boat until we could determine exactly where we were. We found the hammerhead pontoon in front of us, and we were glad to tie up.
Off the boat to walk the dog, by this time it was 10.15 pm. Too late for birthdays, so we opened a bottle of fizz and had cheese and biscuits and fell into bed. Warm and cosily tied up to a pontoon.
16
th April 2012-04-26
So today was my birthday …again, so we could celebrate properly we hired a car and we drove to Strangford lough to have a look, and Ardglass, we had considered going into Ardglass but then carried on to Bangor. It was a very pretty drive and we enjoyed the greenness of the countryside. Strangford Lough was quite windswept, and we drove down towards the entrance, which looked well marked, and obvious. We took the dog for a walk down towards the entrance.
We came back to visit Ardglass, a very grey kind of place, with a small marina, and not a lot else. The small village looked rather neglected. We were glad we had decided to carry on to Bangor, a very nice little seaside town.
Alan had discovered a really lovely walk down along the coastal path, and Breezy loved chasing her ball, and running around. That was until it poured with rain. We met several other dog walkers, all very interested in Breezy and surprised to see a Doberman with a tail.
That night we went to a restaurant in a village near by, Crawford, it was called the old inn, and was excellent. The restaurant was a surprise inside as it had some really good interior design, and it was very well run. After a lovely evening we tottered back down the very long and windy pontoons to get to our snug boat and sleepy dog.
17.04.2012
Today we drove to the Giants Causeway along the causeway route; it was a beautiful drive, firstly skirting Belfast, then through small villages, little fishing harbours and finally imposing rocky headlands. The Giants Causeway is a very big tourist attraction; the walk down gradually lets you see the rock strewn shore, and the huge rock formation, formed of loads of individual rocks. Here is what it says on the National Trust page:
Volcanic activity 60 million years ago led to the formation of the 38,000 basalt columns that make up the Giant's Causeway. Hexagonal in shape, the stones stretch far out into sea and some stand as tall as 36ft (12m). The site has attracted international attention for its unique geological make-up, but locals have their own story to tell.
They say the causeway was the work of one giant named Finn McCool. How else can you explain the Chimney Stacks that mark Finn's home, his old Organ, or the giant boot that he discarded on the shore.
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sue greenough
non-member comment
very interesting and entertaining blog.
eleanor and alan, so glad you wrote this blog, it is lovely to read about the places you visited and how you managed your new boat - may there be many many more entries for me to to read. loved it all. love sue xxxx