Winds maintained an unpleasant Force 6 and due to their direction were causing a moderate sea state in the Channel.

It was Tuesday 15th July and still there were yachts coming in to Brighton and no one leaving.  Even those who only had a short hop to do were staying put.  I searched various weather web site which gave encouraging forecast that things would get better very soon.

At 1600hrs we slipped moorings and left the safety of the marina.  The idea was to head straight to Dartmouth from Brighton keeping well south of the Isle of Wight and Portland Bill.

All went well, sails up we slowly started to gather pace. The distance was 136 nautical miles and by my reckoning this should take 28 hours.  This meant that we would have 3 fair tides and 2 foul tide over this period and that by leaving at 1600hrs we would make the best of it although also meant passing the overfalls off the southern most point of the Isle of Wight during the hours of darkness.  Also we would be passing the east and west entrances to the Solent in the dark as well.

The last sunset

Apart from the normal ferry traffic, a couple of large container ships and some hidden military craft, the seas were fairly quiet.  As the night went on the sea state reduced from moderate to slight and then calm.  The wind speed also dropped and progress for a while was maintained solely via engine power.

As dawn arose we were clear of the Isle of wight and the next way point some 40 odd nautical miles away was Portland Bill.  The wind started to build again as the morning progresses and we past the Bill some 5 miles to its south.  It dawned on me that this was really the final bit, crossing Lyme Bay.  The tide turned again in our favour and off we sped reaching 9 knots from time to time.  Visibility was crap and the wind was just off the port bow at force 4

I recalculated the eta and this looked good at 1730hrs GMT (1830hrs local time).  This meant get in, get moored up, get beer and something to eat.

At last I could just make out the daymark on the hill above Dartmouth some 20 miles away.  As always time seems to slow down but as the hours past, the day mark got bigger and more familiar sites came into view – Woodbury common, the red cliff of Sidmouth, Exmouth, Teignmouth, then Torquay and at last Berryhead.

Mouth of the Dart

I could see the mouth of the Dart completed filled up with boats competing in some  kind of mini race.

At 1832 hrs local time we past our outward going track.  Off went the tilley hat and on with the beret.  I cracked open a bottle of spirits and toasted myself, the boat, Scott and allthose who had helped, supported or donated.

Sailing into Dartmouth was pleasantly uneventful.  We were just another boat coming in. No one knew who we were or what we had just done.  Then my phone rang.  To my surprise it was Duncan the owner of Old Mill Creek moorings.  Unknown to me he had been avidly following our progress on marine traffic and had phone up to congratulate us on the trip.  He had also very kindly been down to the mooring that morning to check all way OK.  Many thanks Duncan.

We moored up on the Port side visitors pontoon, a bottle of champers was opened and a mini photo shoot took place.  Then it was a water taxi into town, 8 pints of Doombar and a Chinese.

Job Done – Dartmouth

Job done.

Leaving Dover was a bit of an issue.  We were sandwiched in between 2 expensive french boats.  Tongareva does not like tight spaces and it took some time to move her out of the berth.  During this period, one Frenchman kindly came and helped us around his boat but at the final moment gave my stern a big push.  This swung the bow around in the opposite direction towards the other Frenchman’s craft.  I ran forward on the starboard side and stopped the collision with my foot.  2 seconds later the owner of this boat appeared on deck in a skimpy pair of pants and started to moan.  I pointed out that we were sorry about the commotion but we hadn’t made contact with his boat and apart from a foot print there was nothing to be too concerned about. He then said he was not pleased – about what i do not know, it was not early (0830hrs) and the situation satisfactory. Again I apologized but he would not let it lie. There were now only 2 options either we just bugger off with the opinion that the bloke was a knob or we stop and he finds out how hard I can punch.  We buggered off.

As we pulled out of Dover, the sea state and winds increased by the hour and soon we were passing Dungeness in rather heavy seas.  The sun was out, I was rather sick but apart from that we were making good progress. We headed for Eastborne and got tied up in a more ample size marina at around 2200hrs that evening.

Dungeness

The following day we set sail with the hope of a long passage but after 9 hours of being chucked around in 4m high seas and a force 6-7 wind we entered Brighton harbour after only covering about 20 odd miles.  This place was rammed with craft seeking shelter.  Some fellow sailors helped us get tied up and after a shower, I had my first experience of Nandos.  This burnt the lining off my stomach and gave way to some very interesting wind.  The saloon cabin was no where to linger during this period.

Beachy Head

The following morning, Tuesday 15th July, it was decision time.  Either set said for the Solent, set sail for Dartmouth or stay put.  The weather would decide this.  No one was leaving port and there were still boats coming in.

The gales in Lowestoft kept us in port for 4 days.  I gave the engine a semi-service and replaced the impeller.  There was also time to p,an the rest of the trip home.

The next leg would hopefully would get us to the English Channel.  This is a rather complex area with shipping lanes, massive sand banks which protrude far out to sea, wind farms, traffic separation schemes, massive boats going to and from Harwich, Felixstowe and London, and the relative narrows of the Dover straits.

We cast off at 0430hrs and headed out of Lowestoft.  This we had been told was always a bit lumpy due to the narro channel and ground swell. It wasn’t at all, the wind was coming off the shore and the sea state was rather calm.  Once clear we headed SSW hand railing the coast and were soon making good speed at 6 knots.  Past Sizewell and on to Orfordness.  Here I turned due South to avoid a TSS going into Harwich.  This took us back out into open sea.

Sizewell somewhere in the distance

I had planned to stop at Burnham on Crouch to visit friends but this would have cost a further 2 days and meant going back on myself.  There was now not the time to spare as the extended forecast was not brilliant and I had now been away longer than I had anticipated.

The passage seemed to run completely to plan, we negotiated our way around all hazards and once past the Thames estuary and west of the Thannet Array wind farm the coast of Kent appeared on the horizon.  18miles to Dover.

I was worried about Dover.  Here the seas pick up and together with the ferry traffic, its a place that need careful planning.  The tide was giving a a good push in the right direction and we were doing 9 knots.  About 2 miles off port I radioed Dover Port control and was instructed to proceed through the West entrance. We waited for a ferry to depart, got chucked around by its was

h and then entered the west end of the port.

Dover (or “Dowva mate” as its pronounced locally)

Once in I radioed the marina and asked permission to berth.  They gave us our worst spot yet.  It was down a kind of narrow maritime cul-de-sac between 2 very expensive french boats.  Tongareva does not go well in reverse due to her long keels and also being of a rather heavy displacement she carries a lot of momentum even when at less than 1 knot speed.  As luck would have it, a french lady from one of the boats either side was on hand to take a warp and help maintain control in such a tight space.

That sums up our passage from Whitby to Lowestoft.  190 Nautical miles in 36hrs.

This was by far the most challenging leg so far.  We left Whitby with 2 plans – Lowestoft for the long haul or Bridlington.  No sooner than we were 5 miles form Whitby, we were in the thick of a thunder and lightning storm.  Never been in one at sea before so was rather concerned as to what might happen if we were struck.  We headed closer to the shore to get amongst some higher features and I turned off all unnecessary electronics devices and put them in the oven.  The idea was this might act as a Faraday cage.  I had read this somewhere but couldn’t make my mind up if I was supposed to use the fridge instead.   We got through the first squall only to run into another half an hour later but this one wasn’t as bad.

Squall approaches

I said to Scott that if the weather doesn’t improve then we make for port.  It didn’t so we headed to Bridligton on a fair tide.  I phone in within sight of the harbour only to be told by the harbour master that we could not get in due to crowding.  There were no other ports that we could get into until Lowestoft, so the long one it was.

This turned out to be a great run, passing the Humber, through large ship anchorages and past an oil rig.  At about 0330hrs Scott took over as we headed for the East Anglian coast and I  got 3hrs sleep.  Waking up to beautiful hot sunshine, we plodded along at 5 knots about 3 mile offshore and sailed into the Eastern Hemisphere, past a massive wind farm and a couple of shipping routes.

The best of the weather

The wind was slowly building and the sea state started to creep up with it.  As we turned southwards to Lowestoft, we headed into the winds and a gathering sea.  Spray went everywhere and with green water over the decks we discussed our route into port.  Lowestoft isn’t an easy port to enter as its surrounded by sand banks.  It basically meant heading south past the town, doing a u-turn and then going up a narrow channel that headed NE.  The waves thankfully abated for this and we made port.

I hope Lowestoft has seen better days because its like Zombieland now. What a let down.  Alcohol plays a major part in peoples lives here and the town looks like its been kicked to death.

The last shipping forecast we recorded at sea stated gales were on there way.  This was on Tuesday 8th July.  We are still here and yes the gales have arrived.  It would have been foolish to risk getting caught out crossing the Thames and the Dover Straits in foul weather but this is not the nicest of places to stop.

The plan is now to sail directly to Dartmouth some 280 nautical miles away and will take 60hrs.  The great thing about the south coat is that if this passage is disrupted then the ports are plentiful to ensure a safe haven.

Our final stop was intended to be at Eyemouth.  Scott was departing then to go to Wimbledon so we were on a bit of a time limit to make port.

About 10 mile off I phoned up the Harbour Master to be told that no we could not enter Eyemouth due to dredging works.  This meant plodding on to Berwick upon Tweed.  Got into Berwick around 1830hrs, Scott left and I got my head down.

Berwick is a commercial port so there were limited facilities and meant mooring up along side an concrete tidal quay wall.  Some bloke took a picture of this and posted it on the marine traffic website under my boats name Tongareva.  never met the bloke but its a nice pic. and thanks very much.

Alongside in Berwick

I left Berwick for Amble later that day (Wednesday 01/0714) and arrived in Amble around 2030hrs that evening.  This took me around Lindisfarne, the Farne Islands, all the way down to Coquet Island.  Weather was crap and the sea state was moderate with waves up to 2m around the Island headlands.

Farne Islands somewhere in the pic

The following day, I left Amble, single handed again, for Newcastle.  Amble Marina is a nice well kept place, the towns is rather quiet, the Marina staff were great apart from the manager who is a nob. No real reason apart from he need a few lessons in general conduct and reminding that their are other people in the word than him together with if your going to invent instructions then make them simple, coherent and practical.

Tall Ship moored outside Amble

The trip to Newcastle went rather well with little engine use and I arrived into the Royal Quays Marina around 1500hrs.

Entering the Tyne at Tynemouth harbour

This marina is top notch but the price is fair.  It is however situated in a residential area which could do with a population change.  Scott arrived back an we were forced to stay another day due to high winds at sea.  We left on the morning of Saturday 05/07/14, and headed for Whitby.

Whitby is picturesque from a coastal port point of view and at first impressions reminded me of the smaller south west ports.  However it is a mecca for the northern piss-up brigade and the social side of the town falls well into the realm of the chav.  Thats all I have to say about the matter.

Entering Whitby

Sunday we left.

Fantastic scenery/bloody awful people.

That’s not exactly true.  We met some great folks who helped on our passage mainly in the rural areas but the towns were not so nice which were mainly full of drunks.  South Queens Ferry near Edinburgh was an exception – very nice with good food and only one larger drinking haunt which we had one pint in and left.

Due to the delays in Newlyn we had used up our contingency time and therefore rather than go around the top, we opted for the short cut through the canal.  If anybody who has donated has a problem with this the I will personally refund your money.

Bass Rock at the North Sea end of the Firth of Forth

We left Scotland on Tuesday !st July and headed for Eyemouth

I’ve known Scott since 1998.  By his own admission, when we started on this joint he was a complete novice and had borrowed most of his foul weather gear.  

I could not have found a better companion who was able to give up the time to do this jaunt. Scott is a giant of a man, natural sportsman and perhaps the most affable character I know. His great love is rugby playing for Worcester and during his career, he has never thrown a punch on the pitch.  This is a rare quality especially taking into account the level that he has played at.

He is the type of bloke who can diffuse a situation by words alone and has been a rock of support on the trip so far.  He also has the ability to get to sleep on a boat without question and this has enable us to stay fresh on our watches.

One of the things I was criticized on my progression through the RYA certification of competence scheme was that I did too much myself and did not delegate.  This is because I’ve spent a lot of my life doing things by myself and become probably too self reliant.  I also find it difficult to fit into a team.  Because of his nature, I am learning to delegate more and by that I mean not bark out instructions but to ask with purpose instead.  However this will be the limit of my integration into team life.

During the recent rough weather experience, I would not let Scott on deck.  There were two reasons for this: Firstly I needed him to be rested so that when things calmed down he could take over at the helm and I could pass out.  Secondly I did not want him to be put off by being out in the cockpit.  I was quite concerned  and after the big waves was rather shock up.  It was better that I dealt with this myself rather than pass on my anxiety onto him.  Also he would have just got soaking wet and cold for no reason.  He accepted this without question and later confirmed to me that he understood why when he asked “Can I come up”  to be greeted with a short sharp “NO” from me.

In short, with regards to being in my company for any length of time,he is the best man for the job.  My faults are many – stuffy, bigoted, outspoken, right of center and I tend to judge a book by its cover.  There are few that can stomach it in a small space for any length of time.  Scott can and we work very well together.  Bit of a Ying and Yang situation.  Oh and just for the record, we are not poofs.

Plan was 180 nautical miles and  36hrs, straight up the Irish sea, across the North Channel and up the Firth of Clyde – Non stop.  Forecast over the next 2 days was  sea state smooth/slight, winds 3-4 occasionally 5. weather fine, fog patches.

Scott arrived back on the boat on the evening of Monday 16th with a curry.  We set the alarm of 0300hrs to leave and with the aim of being just off our North stack waypoint (Holy Island, Anglesey) at 0400hrs.

More fog again

The first 18hrs of the journey were rather mundane with the exception of fog however we rattled along at 5 knots keeping a good lookout.   Nothing much happened, some dolphins turned up for about 10 minutes, we past a lot of shipping heading south and slowly the Isle of Man came into view some 15 miles off to starboard.  Later, to the west, we could start to see the tops of the mountains of Mourne.  As we neared the top of the Isle of Man, dusk came along, the lights of the NE coastal towns of Eire shone on our port side. Visibility was for this period good.

Isle of Man

As we past Carlingford Loch, I spun a few dits about bandit country and then explained to Scott that I didn’t have any good memories of the locals be they from either side during the troubles.  Scott being a civvy all his life however did.  Accepting each others point of view we tucked into yet another boil in the bag of Lancashire hot-pot.  In hindsight, I should have got some beef stew and dumplings as I think these are a bit more tasty but the hot-pot was not that bad.  The chilli is however too salty.  While eating, we picked up Belfast coast guard and the weather forecast was now changing.  Irish sea F4-5, slight moderate, visibility good and very poor.  I assumed there was more fog on the way.

At about 0320hrs the forecast had changed again, F4-5, 6 in the North, moderate, viability good and very poor.  I was in the process of changing course at the time to cross the North Channel.  I had set the boat on a close reach and went down below to do a nav check etc when this forecast came in.  I not slating Belfast Coastguard, because the Coastguard service has seen many cuts and closures over the past 4 years and here they appeared to be covering what seemed to be a massive area from Carlingford loch to what it seemed most of the way up to Tiree, but they were just crap, their times were not regular and also at one point they appeared to have hired in Ian Paisley wannabe to  bark out the messages with fierce unintelligible conviction.

Scott went down below to get some rest.  The wind increased in strength and the sea started to build. I mad sure that I was clipped in to a strong point within the cockpit as the boat started to take on 2m waves coming in on the port-side bow.  I was off course being pulled Northwards.  The sea state rose to a steady 2.5m with the occasional breaking wave.  Scott came up and I promptly told him the best place is down below.  The sea required all my concentration and this was really the limit of the type of stuff I felt comfortable in.  Looking continuously over to port, trying to assess the next set of waves, I pulled the boat up wind then bore away to try and get back on track.

Then, it went all weird. I could suddenly sea a wave, one wave away, starting to develop a breaking crest that was getting bigger and bigger.  There was a pause and the wind seemed to die down, the wave face darkened up slightly and the crest started to tumble.  I remember saying “Oh shit” aloud as it towered up high above the bow, just as we were in the preceding trough.  I reckon it was a good 4m high. I slung the boat over to meet the wave head on and  then turned so we were climbing up the face at an angle of about 30 degrees.  The wave broke fully as we were near the crest, and to some extent we fell down the back side only to be met by a second similar wave and then a third.  I shouted “hold on” down below but didn’t have time to see where Scott was.  This shook me up for about half an hour afterwards as I constantly searched what area up wind I could see for more large waves.  About 0830hrs, I tuned East by South East as that would in theory slow things down a bit.  It worked and once we were in the lee of the Mull the sea-state dropped to a steady moderate.  Scott came up and I handed over the helm with strict instruction on what to do and what not to do.  I went below and fell asleep for 3hrs.

What we had just experienced was due to a number of factors

1. This area has a reputation for troubled waters due to the proximity of 2 large land masses with protruding headlands
2. The winds were strong and were being channeled through the North Channel which is only 12 miles wide at its narrowest point,
3. The tides were in opposition meaning that the flood coming around the North of Northern Island was meeting the flood coming up the Irish sea at the point where we were.
4. Waves were of such distance apart that they had a tendency to combine giving steep breaking faces and deep troughs

The result was blustery wind, steep waves with short wavelengths and sea mist.  As said earlier this was all new to me and the fact that there was no other vessel about said for itself that these were probably not the best conditions to be in.  However I was pleased with the boat and with our conduct.  You can’t teach these thing, you just have to put yourself out in theses conditions and cope with a bit of luck as well. The shift pattern worked very well.

Aisla Craig

By 1000hrs, everything had calmed down, we had past Ailsa Craig and were staring up the Firth with the East coast of Arran on our Port side.  As much canvas as permissible went up and we were getting an average of 6 knots which was great.  The weather improved to a North westerly force 4, sea state slight and brilliant sunshine.  Scott was crashed out below and we held our course no further. About 1930hrs we we tied up in the James Watt marina and set foot onto Scottish Soil.

For those of you who have donated and want evidence then go to https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/.  Put in my boats name which is Tongareva in the search box and its will show you where I am.  Note I turn it off in port but it will show you which port I’m in.

Scott gone I set off leaving Milford Haven at 0630hrs.  No fog just which was good however i could now see the 4 massive oil tankers and associated port traffic that was obscured the previous day by fog.

fortunately moored up

Again I considered splitting this into two parts by staying over night in Fishguard.  This again would have been the most sensible option as I was now alone – single handed. Again I thought sod it.

The whole trip took 23hrs for which I stayed wide awake throughout. What a trip though.  Doing this meant that I would experience flood/ebb/flood/ebb as far as tides were concerned. During the flood the boat speed was over 9knots and during the ebbs the worst was 1.4knots.  On average I made 5.6knots which is good for my vessel.   Not the fasted old bird but can take the shit.

Winds were more lighter than the previous so the engine was on for about 50% of the journey.  I past Bardsey Island at dusk and then had to navigate the rest of the way in the dark.  This was probably not the best move as not only was this going against the tide, but also meant keeping well off shore to avoid the turbulent maelstrom of South Stack whilst trying to avoid the ferries coming out of Holyhead. Again thanks to radar and AIS.

Total day was 22 hrs 125 nautical miles.

I’m staying here to Monday for 2 reasons.  Firstly I knackered and the locals have poisoned me and I got the trots.  Secondly I need to do work so the company keeps on track.  Although as any self employed business person will know its not the dickhead at the top that makes the company work its the staff that do it (thats another thing the marines hammered into me) Also although this is for charity I don’t want to be seen to be taking the piss too much with this one.

Sunset passing Bardsey Island

Dawn at Holyhead