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The Friendly Isles

Each successful long passage increases our confidence in our planning skills having now negotiated a number of tricky tides and accessed harbours and marinas with very narrow entrances which have limited times of entry, dependant on the height of the tide.

We received a warm welcome from the other yachties in the marina, several of whom had horror stories of their passages to Ardglass or entrance into the marina.  We felt thankful our arrival had been a little more sedate, although stressful enough!  

Ardglass is a very small fishing village with a beautiful golf course that dominates the cliff top and, judging by the famous golfers who have played the course, must be a particularly challenging one.  The clubhouse is a beautiful building dating back to the 1400’s and gives a spectacular entrance to the course and village.   We walked through the village in 10 minutes, taking in the ruined castle and other lovely old buildings as we braced ourselves against the wind blowing off the Irish Sea.

After we were rested from our overnight passage we decided to head a few miles north to Strangford Lough.  Access to Strangford Lough is only possible at slack or incoming tide as the narrow entrance causes a strong current with whirlpools and shallow rapids to add to the mix of obstacles to avoid.   We had a fast sail to the entrance and arrived as the tide was turning in our favour.   We motored through the narrow channel, being swept along at speeds of over 11knots by the incoming tide.   A very odd feeling, particularly when trying to turn into a bay and sliding sideways at great speed, before being thrown out of the current and gliding into the bay.   A pod of porpoises welcomed us as we left the main and channel and we headed to Quoyle – a beautiful quiet anchorage in the south west arm of the lough.  We were surrounded by birdsong and a seal popped up to check us out before slowly disappearing again into the clear waters.

From the boat we could see a large standing stone on the top of a hill so we rowed ashore and went to investigate.    The stone stood in a field at the top of a hill with a wonderful view of the Lough and surrounding countryside.  These words were beside the stone:

“When most people see a megalith (standing stone) they wonder why it was erected. 

In Madagascar, where megaliths were apart of the culture until the 19 Century, King Andrianampoinimerina said that working together to quarry and transport a stone is proof of mutual friendship and contributes to happiness.

In 1995, a group of local people decided to continue this ancient tradition and bring 1000 young people together to celebrate the start of a new millennium by pulling up the 1000cm high Strangford Stone. 

They hoped, as the peace process was gathering momentum, to involve young people from all backgrounds in Northern Ireland to celebrate a lasting testament to a shared future”

The stone overlooks the peaceful and beautiful landscape of Strangford Lough and seemed a very fitting place to have a stone that represented peace in a place that has seen so much anger and destruction over the years.  

We had been offered the use of a mooring buoy in Ballyhenry which was a short walk from Portaferry, near the entry to the Lough, where there is a small town, mandatory ruined castle, marina and yacht club.   After negotiating the tidal stream again, we picked up the buoy and went ashore to explore.  

Portaferry is built along the waterfront and has a ferry regularly taking cars and passengers across the tidal stream to Strangford.  The powerful ferry glides and skids across the stream at regular intervals.  We arranged to meet my niece, Fay with her gorgeous 2yr old daughter, Isla and spent a lovely few hours exploring Strangford and Castle Ward, a large imposing stately home built in the 1760’s with lawns rolling down to the Lough.  The buildings were used as the location for Winterfell in Game of Thrones and have become a popular visitors centre, although we virtually had the place to ourselves when we were there.   

We caught the ferry back to Portaferry with Fay and Isla where they dropped us off in town.   It was still early so we decided to check out the sailing club as there had been racing earlier.  

We were welcomed into the bar and soon met a number of members who regaled us with sailing stories and then invited us to the prize giving for the races which had taken place earlier that day.   The prize giving turned out to be over a meal of soup, bread and Guinness and, in true Irish style, none of the sailors who had won were present, so there was no prizegiving! 

We spent a lovely evening talking, drinking, laughing, being given a tour of the large clubhouse and making new friends, eventually rolling out the doors in the dark and rowing back to the boat.

After a few days on our borrowed mooring we had a lovely sail further up the western side of the Lough to Sketrick.  A call to the sailing club proved worthwhile and we were given a free mooring for the night.   We had just picked up the mooring when a couple came over to welcome us to the area and offered to drive us to the shops if we needed provisions.  This was followed a short time later by a fisherman who was interested in the boat and again asked if we needed anything.   We just love the friendliness, warmth and genuine interest we receive as we travel, but particularly here.

While in Sketrick we made contact with a woman I had been messaging through a facebook group “Women Who Sail”.   Hannah and her husband, Daniel, had met in New Zealand and lived on board their yacht for many years.   On a visit to Daniels family in Sketrick, they decided to buy a house on the Lough with a boatramp and boathouse and reluctantly sold their boat in NZ.   We visited them at home and spent a lovely few hours with them. 

Our final stop in Strangford Lough was Killyleagh.  We had met Barry and Jo at Portaferry Yacht Club and, on ringing them, they kindly arranged for us to pick up a mooring buoy close to the sailing club slipway.  On arriving at the sailing club there were large security gates preventing us from walking to town but, following a few conversations we were lent a security card, on the understanding we would return it in a few hours.   The Irish are wonderful people – I love their willingness to help and eagerness to talk.

Killyleagh is a beautiful village, dominated by a 12th century fairy-tale castle which would not look out of place in a Disney movie!     The castle has been owned by the Hamilton family since the 17th Century and is Irelands oldest inhabited castle.  The approach to the castle is up a gentle hill with lovely old houses, shops, cafes and pubs lining the street on both sides.   The entrance to the castle is a large arched gatehouse which was open allowing views of the castle and gardens.  There was a lovely sign saying the gates were open so people could enjoy the view but asked for respect as this was a private house.    A lovely gesture and so unusual in these days of high security and putting up big fences so only the privileged have access to historic buildings.

As we walked back towards our dinghy we said hello to a man sitting on his front porch looking after his grandson.  We soon realised the man we were talking to, Clive, was Barry’s father and it was Clive who had organised our mooring for us.   The young boy was Barry and Jo’s son.   After a short talk, Clive asked us where we were heading next and on hearing we were going to Belfast he told us his brother, Mark was Harbour Master at the marina.   Without another word he picked up his phone and called Mark, telling him we would be arriving the next day and booking a space for us in the marina.   With that we went on our way, loving Killyleagh even more!   Our final act before going back to the boat was to return the security card which we did with great appreciation for the trust and hospitality we were given. 

While we had been in Strangford Lough we had tried to sort out the issue we were having with our chartplotter.  We made contact with Billy, who had fixed our autohelm when we were in Falmouth.   Billy suggested a way to fix it which seemed to resolve the problem, but caused another one.  While trying to fix this problem the memory card with the UK charts became corrupted and, after several calls to Navionics, they agreed it needed to be exchanged.   Our problem was we were going to be nowhere for long enough to get a new one sent and, without returning it to Milford Haven, where we had purchased it, we would have to make do with our other chartplotter until a later date.

We had an early start the next day as we needed to make sure we were at the start of the tidal stream at high tide.  This meant we could catch the tide going north as we exited Strangford Lough.  However, as our pilot guide stated, and was confirmed by someone I was in touch with on a sailing group, you have no idea what the conditions of the Irish Sea are like until you are out of the channel and then it’s too late to turn back as the strong tidal stream is against you.   Neither of us talked as we made our fast passage down the channel, not knowing what conditions we would face as we were spat out at the other end.

Strait to Ireland

The Isle of Anglesey is about 20 square miles in size and is in the northwest corner of Wales, separated from the mainland by a stretch of water called the Menai Strait.   The tidal waters travel around Anglesey, some going into the Straits at Caernarfon Bar but the majority flowing 30 miles around the top of the island.  It’s this unusual flow that causes strong currents and strange tidal patterns in the Strait so it’s important to plan and calculate the correct times to enter and navigate the Strait.

We arrived at Caernarfon Bar when there was sufficient water to cross but, even though it was an incoming time, the current in the Strait was still against us as we entered the shallow, narrow channel.    Our chartplotter, which we had carefully updated with the correct course, downloaded the previous evening from the Caernarfon Harbour Masters’ website, had decided to choose this moment to stop working properly so we continued using line of site and compass bearings which we had carefully jotted down on our passage plan.    Once over the bar, navigating was less stressful but equally as difficult because this time, instead of negotiating shallows, we were having to deal with the strong currents.     As soon as the impressive turrets of Caernarfon castle came into sight, we then had to find the slightly obscure entrance into the marina.   Entry is only allowed when three green lights are showing and it was with relief we spotted the lights permitting us to turn towards the entrance.   This had its own challenges!   We needed to cross the strong current to enter the small marina which meant turning upstream and accelerating forward while being pushed along sideways by the tide, aiming to get through the stone gates and then slowing the boat down quickly once inside so we could find the visitors pontoon just inside the entrance.   The Harbour Master was waiting for us and caught our lines as we edged our way onto the pontoon.   We had made it!!!  

We stayed for three nights in Caernarfon, exploring the small town with its impressive castle and took a bus to Bangor and Llandudno which were heaving with Bank Holiday visitors.   We walked along the beautiful Victorian Garth Pier at Bangor and got our first site of the lower end of the Menai Strait from the end of the 460m pontoon.  Bangor was very quiet which was in stark contrast to Conwy and Llandudno.  I wish we had chosen to get off the bus in Conwy as the impressive castle and city wall built in the late 1200’s looked absolutely beautiful as the bus manoeuvred through the narrow streets. 

Llandudno was full of visiting Brits having a seaside break……. This generally means there were children determined to go swimming and adults equally keen to play beach games, even though it was freezing cold, very busy and there was only a patch of sand on an otherwise stony beach!   In the distance we could see the 160 turbines of Gwynt y Mor offshore wind farm, 18km out to sea – not something we would like to sail close to!

The next day we left Caernarfon Marina one hour before high tide making careful note that the direction of buoyage changes as you leave the marina – this means that instead of passing green buoys on the starboard (right side) of the boat, as we had when we entered the marina a few days earlier, we now needed to pass green buoys on the port (left side) of the boat, even though we were going in the same direction as when we arrived!   This is because there is a sea entrance on both ends of the Strait, so boats are entering from both sides – normally, in most places except the USA, when arriving in port you follow green on starboard and when leaving the harbour, green to port.  

The sun was shining, we had clear skies and no wind – a perfect day for negotiating the Straits!    The passage down the Menai Strait was beautiful – river side mansions, beautiful small villages nestled beside green fields and woodland and rolling lush hills Wales is famous for.    The Swellies is a stretch of water between two bridges – The Britannia Bridge, built by Robert Stephenson (railway engineer) and The Menai, built in 1826 by Thomas Telford.  The Menai Bridge is “the first important modern suspension bridge” to have been built and with its success many famous bridges followed the design.  It now has Grade 1 heritage status and stands 30m tall – high enough for us to pass under.  Having said that, approaching bridges, or anything to pass under, does instill a moment of panic as you look up and, even though you know there is plenty of airspace between the top of the mast and the bottom of the bridge span, there is a brief moment of doubt, just as the boat moves under the bridge!  

We arrived at The Swellies at high tide – the exact time we were intending to pass through and made the quick passage following a number of other boats taking advantage of the favourable conditions.   As we popped out the other side of Menai Straits, we hoisted the sails and headed for a small bay on Anglesey to anchor for a few hours rest before starting our night sail to Ireland.  

Our Chartplotter was still loosing signal which, in turn affected our depth readings but searching for a possible fix on line resulted in a blank so we relied on our back up plotter until we could find a solution.   The depth issue was a little more concerning, as we had no back up and would need a reliable reading for anchoring and negotiating shallows in Ireland.

As the sun started to set and a beautiful full moon rose, we lifted the anchor and motored out of the bay.  The wind was still very light but the direction was good and we were hopeful the wind would build as we moved further from the land.   I was on first watch, and as Steve went below to have a sleep, I turned the engine off and set the sails.   To start with we were only making 3knots which, if that was the fastest we could go, would mean we wouldn’t make landfall in Ireland until next week!  I persevered and with three sails trimmed and the wind on our port side (beam), we gradually started making good speed.   My four hour watch went by very fast with me hand steering most of the time as the wind increased and I was enjoying the night sail.  We were clipping along at 7-8knots when Steve came on watch and I went below to rest.   

Land was well in sight when the sun came up, with us making great time covering 73 Nautical Miles in less than 12hours.   Our destination was Ardglass which had a small sheltered marina and was a good place to start our Northern Ireland adventure.   Unlike other harbours on the East coast of Ireland, we did not have to negotiate strong tides to access the small bay and meant we did not have to wait to enter the small channel.   The waves had started to build as we got closer to land and we surfed into the entrance of the bay with rocks on either side of the small headland.   By now it was light but still early and we could not get hold of the Harbour Master to inform him of our imminent arrival.   In fact we arrived much quicker than either of us anticipated as the description of the entrance channel in our pilot book gave the impression the marina was further into the bay but in reality as soon as the waves dumped us inside the entrance, we had to turn 90degrees to port and found ourselves in the marina – it was almost like doing a handbrake turn and having to come to a quick stop as you spun at right angles! 

We had arrived, and as we gently reversed into the only berth big enough to accommodate us, Tom, our neighbour from Caernarfon, caught our lines and welcomed us to Ireland!

Shelter from a storm

Have you ever wondered how storms get named?   Well, I will tell you!  Storms are named in alphabetical order from names suggested by the public.  Each year the UK, Ireland and The Netherlands agree on 21 names (they don’t use letters Q, U, X, Y, Z) and by the start of August, the storms were up to the letter E.  Considering the storm naming season runs from September to August, that’s not many storms over the last year.   With this in mind, you would think our chances were pretty good at avoiding the strong winds and bad weather….  No such luck, in fact we were heading into not just one storm, but two within a few days of each other.

As we arrived in Aberystwyth (or Aber for those, like Steve, who can’t pronounce all the consonants!) we prepared the boat for the forecast winds before enjoying an evening walk along one of the old harbour walls.  The wind had started to increase and waves were crashing over the wall while (fool) hardy fishermen were still casting their lines – although I wouldn’t have been surprised to see the hook being flung straight back at them!    Feeling thankful we had navigated the narrow entrance in calm weather we returned to the boat where we listened to the winds of storm Ellen increasing in strength and volume as it whistled through the field of masts and rigging around us.

Storm Ellen lasted for three days with strong winds creating large waves which crashed against the sea wall with dramatic walls of water spilling across the roads and pavements.   We went for a walk along the seafront and could hardly walk against the strength of the wind, returning to the boat drenched from the driving rain.  

Aberystwyth is an old fishing port and still has a small fleet of small boats which normally leave every day.   The town centre was bustling and we enjoyed walking around the streets and exploring.   There is not too much to see in town – a small ruined castle and a number of rundown old buildings which must have been magnificent in their day – and there is a definite need for some good cafes but I believe C-19 has caused a number of places to shut.   Cafes must provide distance between tables and where this was not possible, some side streets had been closed to allow cafes use of the roads to set up tables – not a great option in the howling wind and rain!

We enjoyed our time in Aber and as soon as the wind and seas had calmed down, we followed the fishing boats back out of the narrow channel and continued our journey north.   The weather forecast was not great and warned of more winds to come in the next 12 hours so, unable to find a protected anchorage, we called the marina in Pwllheli (pronounced Poo-thelli by English) and booked a space for two nights.   Once again we negotiated a very narrow passage into the marina and a neighbouring boatowner helped us get into a difficult berth between other boats.  With the winds now upgraded to Storm Francis, we removed our bimini (canvas cover over the cockpit) as our allocated berth was quite exposed and side on to the winds.  

Storm Francis arrived in force.  We spent the day shuttered in the boat being buffeted by the winds and watching the wind instruments as they recorded gusts of 40+knots as Cerulean was pushed over on her side.   A distant flapping sound very quickly turned into continuous flogging as the jib of the unattended boat behind us started to unravel.  We called the Harbour Master on the radio to let them know and they in turn called the owners who lived locally.  By the time the owners arrived the sail was in tatters and I’m confident that we would not have been able to prevent a different outcome if we had attempted to rescue the sail.

It was with huge relief when the winds finally stopped blowing and we were able to leave the boat to walk in to town.   Pwllheli is a very small holiday town with a lovely sandy beach and a backdrop of the Snowdonia National Park – Mt Snowdon is England and Wales’ highest mountain.  The town itself offers very little, but the countryside around the area is lovely.

After two nights in the marina we continued our journey along the Welsh coastline.   The wind was in a perfect direction for us and we timed our journey through Bardsey Sound perfectly to pick up the tidal stream and travel at over 9knts at times through the narrow channel.  Even though it poured with rain and I had to be prized off the wheel to go and change out of my soaked clothes, I loved every second of that sail.  We averaged 7knts which, for a 14 tonne boat, loaded with a full tank of fuel and water, is a pretty good effort!   

As we dropped the anchor in the lovely bay of Port Dinlaen – only 15 minutes drive from Pwllheli Marina – after a 6hr sail, we received a call on the VHF radio from our marina neighbour who had caught our lines for us on arrival, welcomed us again, this time from his house as he watched us anchor!   He offered us a safe place to store the dinghy if we planned to come ashore, which we would have loved to do, but with the winds increasing and changing direction, we decided to stay on board to ensure the anchor was well dug in before evening arrived.   The bay is beautiful with northern views over Caernarfon Bay towards Anglesey and a great pub, apparently (Andy!).    We were so disappointed we could not go ashore to explore more.  

We have reflected on our time in Wales which has been dominated by strong winds that have governed our choices and dictated our experiences.   While it has been disappointing we have not been able to explore more on land, we have seen the beautiful coastline of Wales that most others have not been able to experience and we would not have missed for the world.  We have gained a lot of experience in passage planning to make the most of tides, getting to know how to handle Cerulean, gaining confidence in night sailing, knowing our limits, understanding what skills we need to improve on over the winter and how our refit budget is best spent.  

We had talked about needing to test our anchor in a decent wind to see whether we dragged and, with the saying, “Be careful what you wish for” ringing in our ears, just as we climbed into bed the winds increased and swung round to an on-shore blow.  Steve, being the wonderful man he is, left me to sleep while he stayed on anchor watch until the wind died down around midnight when he crawled into bed and managed to get a few hours sleep before the alarm went off at 4am. 

The wind was on the nose as we raised the anchor and started the engine.  We needed to be at the entrance to Menai Strait by 6:00am to cross the shallow sand bar 3hrs before high tide and the entrance was 20NM from where we had anchored.   We turned on the autohelm and kept watch from the warmth and comfort of our saloon. 

The difficult and treacherous entrance is very narrow, shallow and has shifting sands so the marked channel is constantly changing.  This means GPS can not be relied on, so we had carefully input the updating bearings downloaded off the harbourmasters website onto our chartplotter.    Even though we had arrived before high tide, there was still a current against us as we passed the first buoy marking the entrance.  As we did so, our GPS started beeping and an error message appeared on the display stating the signal had been lost.  This was followed by our depth sounder also going blank. 

Confused, concerned and with a rising heartrate, we decided to continue across the bar as there were few alternative safe havens from another blow that was forecast for the next day.   We ventured on feeling nervous with no other boat in sight.

Navigating tides and winds in Wales

When we left you last time, we were in the middle of the Bristol Channel and this is where you find us, in the dark, in the middle of the night with no wind and reducing visibility.   I noticed on our GPS system at the helm that we were crossing a big red line on the electronic chart, and announced to Steve that we must be crossing over Coastguard boundaries from Falmouth to Milford Haven, although I didn’t recall seeing a similar boundary when we had changed jurisdictions before.   It was only when we zoomed in on the chart that we realised the boundary we had reached was not for the coastguard, but it was the limits of the charts installed on the plotter.   We had assumed that, as we had the electronic charts that covered the south coast of the UK, we would be covered for the whole of the UK – this was obviously not the case and we had just sailed over the limits of our electronic charts.  Fortunately we have two alternative electronic plotters, and paper charts as back up, so we were not in danger, but it did affect some of our electronic software – including AIS receiver which allows us to see and identify approaching ships and boats and know exactly where they are in relation to us.   Luckily we also have radar and could still see the boats on radar and be confident we knew where they were – essential when sailing at night, in the fog, with little visibility!!!

We approached Milford Haven while it was still dark, having motor sailed for 4hrs.  The fog was still quite thick so we decided to slow down and wait until we could at least see an outline of land, before attempting to enter the busy port.    One of the few things we could see were birds – lots sitting on the water and as we approached they dived down en masse and didn’t reappear within our vision.   A quick search of our bird book identified them as Razorbills.  Lots of Guillemots were flying in a straight line together, often diving in unison from great heights into the water ahead of us. 

As the sky grew lighter we could make out the cliffs bounding the entrance to Milford Haven and, with a large ship fast approaching behind us, we decided to take the well marked, wide and deep channel into the harbour and dropped the anchor in one of the first bays we came across to get some rest and wait for the visibility to improve.

The anchorage we had chosen proved to be very exposed, so after a short sleep we poked our heads out of the cabin to find a very unattractive view of oil terminals, shipping containers and an industrial landscape topped off with a large swell and rain.   We decided to dive for cover and move to a more sheltered bay further up the river and spent the next couple of days exploring the area in peaceful anchorages surrounded by lush green countryside and trees.   Neyland Marina has an excellent chandlery (shop selling boat gear) so we took the opportunity to update our charts on our plotter!

The weather forecast was not great and a large storm with big winds was expected to arrive at the end of the week, so we decided to aim to be in a marina by Wednesday evening to make sure we escaped the worst of the predicted 50knt winds.   The only problem is, Wales does not have an over abundance of marinas, or sheltered anchorages which are accessible to a boat that has a 1.9m keel!  We did a short jump to Skomer – a small protected island which is a birdwatchers paradise and with evidence of human habitation dating back to 1200BC.  I was excited about being there and we picked up a mooring buoy in the small bay after passing through a narrow, rocky passage called Jacks Sound, with full sails up and a strong current in our favour while birds screamed around us!  

We jumped in the dinghy and headed towards the small beach.  We were met with a big unwelcoming sign – “No Landing” in front of a small hut.  On closer inspection we discovered the island was closed to visitors on a Monday (it was Monday!), and there were big fines if we ignored the notice.   Feeling disappointed but not wanting to be fined, we did a quick tour of the bay via the dinghy and returned to the boat where I birdwatched and enjoyed seeing the antics of a few large seals playing nearby.  

As rain set in, we deflated the dinghy and stored it on our deck in preparation for the next full day’s sail before heading to bed as we had to be up at 0445 to continue our sail north.   The weather had deteriorated and the once sheltered bay was now very exposed with a large swell coming in through the narrow entrance.   We had a very uncomfortable night bouncing around, listening to the wind and rain as we swung around the mooring buoy.   At one point during the night, a flash of realisation dawned on Steve – not knowing how well maintained the mooring buoy was, we had tied another line onto the buoy to be confident it would not break during the night.  The problem was, we needed the dinghy to get down to the mooring buoy to untie the line, and the dinghy was now deflated and carefully stored! 

At 0445 we were up and, before I knew what was happening, Steve handed me one end of a line with the other attached around him, and he dived into to the cold dark waters.  I was terrified – and that was just me! – holding a flashlight while Steve untied the line and returned to the safety of the boat.   What a champion!  

Outside the bay, the wind and seas were less confused and we hoisted the sails and headed NW in a SE wind.   The Bishops are a group of rocks we decided to give a wide berth instead of taking a narrow passage between them, aptly named The Bitches.  Considering we shot passed the small group of islands doing 10.2knts in less than 8knts of wind, I think we made the right decision! 

As we headed towards the sweeping bay of Port Cardigan we saw something floating in the water ahead of us.   Fearing it was an inflatable dinghy in trouble, we went to investigate.  As we approached the floating mass, it became clear it was a carcass of a sea creature, although we could not be certain of what sort.   It was white and too big to be a dolphin so we guessed it may have been a pilot whale.   We reported our sighting to the coastguard and continued into Port Cardigan to find a sheltered anchorage for the night. 

Since leaving Cornwall, we have seen very few other yachts on the water and are regularly the only boat in anchorages so choosing the right location takes research and careful consideration of the weather, tides, type of seabed (to know whether anchor will hold) and direction/protection of sea swell.  Often, when other boats are in a bay, you can normally expect others have also done research and give confidence to your conclusions but when you are the only boat around, there is always a nagging doubt and question whether we have got it right!   Fortunately, after three failed anchoring attempts where the anchor would not take a firm hold, we managed to find a good spot which proved ideal and gave us a calm, sheltered anchorage meaning we both slept well.

Our day started early again as we needed to arrive in the marina at Aberystwyth by 1030 and we had 30 miles to cover with winds on the nose.   Leaving at 0500 we put the autohelm on and sheltered from the rain in the cabin while keeping a good lookout and listening to the coastguards regular weather warnings announcing a severe storm approaching within the next 12 hours.    Entrance into the narrow harbour is restricted to three hours either side of high tide and we were aiming to arrive within one hour of high tide to ensure the current was not too strong.   As we lined up our approach between the small harbour entrance, the marina manager rang to inform us he was removing a large tree which had been washed down the river into the marina and the narrow entrance may be further reduced if we met him in the approach!   As we made our final approach and negotiated the entrance between the seawalls we had to turn 90 degrees to stay in the main channel and this was where we encountered the tree and the marina manager, John!    Fortunately, after much waving of arms and directing us over to one side of the channel, we squeezed passed each other and were relieved when our lines were secured in the visitors berth when we could relax knowing we had somewhere safe to wait out the imminent storm.  

Mist-ical Penzance and Autohelm Success!

As we left the Isles of Scilly we had a 60NM journey ahead of us to sail back to Falmouth where we were having some more work done on our autohelm – hopefully to fix it once and for-all!   We decided to test out Hilda The Hydrovane (NB:  Steve hates this name, so it may well change later in our travels!).   We were slightly dubious whether Hilda would cope, as the instructions for setting her up and using her were so simple we could not believe it really would be that easy.   If all worked well, all we needed to do was set the sails, balance the boat, tie off the helm and relinquish control to Hilda.  The advantage of using the Hydovane instead of an autopilot is Hilda operates using none of our precious power, she just reads the wind. 

It was blowing up to 20knots with a bit of a swell, but we decided to give Hilda a go.   Much to our surprise and joy, Hilda excelled!   It really was that simple! She held a steady course, keeping the sails filled while we sat back and sheltered from the wind and occasional wave that came crashing over the bow.  In total contrast to the journey out where we hand steered all the way and arrived tired after being at sea for 12hrs, Hilda averaged 6.2knots and sped us back to Falmouth in 10hrs, giving us time to relax and enjoy the journey while keeping a good lookout for other traffic.  

We found a lovely sheltered anchorage in Helford River and decided to wait there until we knew BT Marine had time to sort out the autopilot.  While waiting we decided to investigate why our grey tank pump had stopped working.   On Cerulean all water which goes down the drain, goes into a grey water tank before it is then pumped overboard.  This isn’t normally a problem as we always operate the pump and empty the tank while on passage.  However, when the pump stopped working and the tank filled up, it was a problem!   We rolled up our sleeves and took off the inspection cover on the tank.   Years of build up of fat and congealed soap was stuck to the side, bottom and pipes of the tank.   Using our hands and a large bucket we scooped up numerous bucket loads of the gooey, smelly sludge which must have built up over many years.   It was a disgusting job but very rewarding when, once clean and put back together, the pump worked perfectly, in fact better than it had before!   We were rewarded with a (much needed) hot shower!

The next day was Thursday and we had a call from BT Marine confirming they could remove our autopilot computer later than day, so we headed into Falmouth and met up with Chris, the engineer.  It only took 30 minutes for Chris to remove the computer and take it away to update the software.  As he left Chris told us there was no way they would be able to refit it until after the weekend.  While we understood how busy they were, I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed as we were hoping to leave Falmouth at the weekend.  Resigned to staying put, we picked up a mooring buoy and went to stay with Bea and Andy again while I sat my final exam for my YachtMasters qualification.  

Next day we celebrated me passing by returning our big bag of (now clean) laundry to the boat and, much to our surprise and appreciation, picked up Chris who re-installed and re-calibrated our auto-pilot which now seemed to be working perfectly.   A huge relief and we were very grateful that BT Marine were able to shuffle some other jobs around to accommodate us.  

We left Bea and Andy’s again and, with full diesel tanks, full water tanks and lots of provisions, headed up The River Fal to wait for a good weather window to start heading south again ready for our next big trip. 

We motored up the river towards Truro passing large stately homes with manicured lawns sloping down to the rivers edge.   Trees lined the river as it gently wound its way north.  Several rivers flowed off the River Fal and we anchored between two tributaries tucked in close to the shore in a secluded spot surrounded by trees, birdsong and clear, calm water.   It was a perfect place to give Steve time to heal his strained back and to celebrate my birthday.

We spent two perfect days in the anchorage doing very little except resting, reading and soaking up the sun in a couple of hammocks we attached on the forward deck.   A small, pure white, Egret stood, statue-like on the banks of the river close to us and large herons would swoop in and disturb its peace every now and then – that was the most activity we saw for two days!

With a good weather window approaching, we motored out of the River Fal and set our course for Penzance.  The auto pilot worked well and gave freedom for both of us to confidently move out of the cockpit and focus on other things while the boat continued to head in the set direction.

Penzance is located in the far south west of Cornwall and appears to be a forgotten corner of England.  It has a walled off harbour which dries out at low tide, and an inner “wet” harbour which opens its gates 1hour before, until 1 hour after, high tide.  Space in the wet harbour is limited with yachts and fishing boats rafting up beside each other in a fairly tight space.   We arrived after the gates had closed so chose our preferred option of anchoring near by.  We try to avoid paying mooring fees, which has proofed difficult in Cornwall.   The Duke of Cornwall (Prince Charles) takes a levy from yachts anchoring or mooring in most bays and rivers in Cornwall.  Fortunately that doesn’t apply in Penzance so we dropped the hook in 5m of water close to the seawall, between Penzance and neighbouring port, Newlyn.   Our anchorage looked across the bay to St Michaels Mount and we could just pick out the castle on top of the Mount as we enjoyed sundowners and soaked up our new environment.

I love arriving at a new destination and getting familiar with our new vista while having the familiarity of being in our home.  It’s an odd feeling waking up in a familiar bed but with a different view out the window to enjoy.  We had breakfast in the cockpit watching morning swimmers getting their daily exercise as they swam between buoys in front of us, occasionally one would swim over to where we were anchored and pass comment on us being a long way from home!

We went ashore and walked through Penzance, getting lost in the narrow streets with old stone houses lining each road.  The weather had deteriorated and a thick fog gave the town a mystical, although damp, feel reminiscent of Poldark or French Lieutenants Woman.  We also explored Newlyn which I loved – more of a community, old Cornwall feel to it than Penzance and hasn’t been spoiled by tacky touristy shops selling cheap rubbish in the belief that visitors lose any once of taste they may have had before they arrived in the place!

We remained the only boat anchored in the sweeping bay and, as the fog continued to linger we decided to stay until the forecast improved.  The anchorage was comfortable without too much of a swell and the hold was good, so we felt confident the anchor would not drag if the wind did get up.  After three days a moderate weather window opened up and we started planning our departure.  Our next journey would take us around Lands End and continue north across the Bristol Channel to Wales.   As this was our first over night passage we wanted to make sure the conditions were kind for an enjoyable experience.

As we left Penzance dolphins once again joined us – we have been so surprised by the number of dolphins we have seen – one pod that joined us and played in our bow wave, had four babies – one very young – that entertained and delighted us for some time.  As the afternoon wore on the fog descended again and we found ourselves alone in the middle of the channel with little wind, no visibility and a damp mist surrounding us.

Scilly Times

Our passage west from Dartmouth was exactly what we needed to re-establish our confidence and commitment to our adventure and decisions.   Our original intention was to sail to Plymouth but with perfect weather conditions and the wind direction in our favour, we made excellent time and decided to keep heading west to the small harbour settlement of Fowey (pronounced Foy).   It was a perfect sail with sunshine, blue sky and dolphins that farewelled us from Dartmouth and welcomed us to Fowey.   We completed the 50NM trip in 9.5 hours, hand steering all the way as the autohelm was still not playing nice with us!  

Fowey is another beautiful town with a rich maritime history.   From as early as the 5th century Fowey supplied monarchs with ships and soldiers.  In the 14th century the town sent 29 ships and three-quarters of its population to fight for the monarch against France.  However, they refused to give up their pirate ways after peace was declared and started putting the newly agreed truce at risk.  A messenger was sent from London to the town from the king, stating “I am at peace with my brothers in France”.  This was not received well in Fowey, and the locals defiantly cut off the messengers ears and nose before returning him to a very unhappy King Edward IV!  More recently Fowey was immortalised as a backdrop to the book, Wind in the Willows and Daphne Du Maurier lived here for many years.

The attractive harbour has Fowey on one side and the town of Polruan on the other.   Both settlements have old houses built on a hillside, down to a small port on either side of the river.  To me, it is a typical Cornish setting with a backdrop of mature trees and patchwork fields.   I loved it!

The harbour master directed us to a mooring buoy close to the busy main channel where boats packed with masked tourists came within arms length of us at regular intervals until the sun went down.   While enjoying a sundowner on deck a couple passed close to us in their tender, slowed down, spent some time eyeing up Cerulean and yelled out to me, “She is BEAUTIFUL!”  I felt like someone had just complimented me on my offspring, and my chest puffed out in pride!

Next morning we had a slow start and left on high tide in calm SE winds.   Once again we had a great sail with dolphins joining us as we continued our journey west, this time just a short sail of 20NM to Falmouth.   We felt a huge sense of achievement sailing into Falmouth, which had been our ultimate destination when we left Gosport 12 days earlier, having survived a near sinking, learnt a lot about our boat, explored new harbours and growing in confidence as we settled into our new life on the water.    We were both surprised at how easily we have adapted and how comfortable Cerulean is to live on.

Andy came to collect us from the Royal Yacht Club who had given us permission to store our dinghy for a few days.  We were whisked off to my sisters beautiful home in Falmouth where we spent a relaxing and wonderful time enjoying Bea and Andy’s company, fresh garden produce, amazing views and access to laundry facilities!!!  

While in Falmouth we replaced all the reefing lines which were old and several of them had become untied and were lost in the boom.  For those non-sailors reading this must sound like another language, but in short, when the wind is strong, you don’t want to have a full sail up, so reefing allows you to make your sail smaller.  Our system is called “Single line reefing” which means we can make the main sail smaller without leaving the safety of the cockpit.   We had been using just one of the reefing points and decided to replace the system for one that had less friction, giving us easier control when we needed it.    

The riggers had just left when a large black inflatable came alongside with three very serious looking uniformed personnel who identified themselves as border patrol and asked if they could come on board.   They were interested to know why we had a New Zealand registered boat when it was obvious from her name – Cerulean of Penryn – she was from the UK.   After showing all the boat papers, passports, sailing certificates and confirming our plans, they were quite happy to sit and talk to us for a while before leaving us with a request to be their eyes and ears and to report if we see anything suspicious…….

After a wonderful week with Bea and Andy, a good weather window opened up and we decided to make the most of an easterly wind and head for The Isles of Scilly – a 60NM sail South West to the low lying group of islands, approx 30NM off Lands End. 

We spent the night before departure in Helford River where Bea and Andy joined us for dinner in the local pub.  At 5.30 the next morning we headed out of a glassy Helford River watching a large pod of small dolphins feeding in the bay as Gannets dived around them.   As we rounded The Manacles, we set the sails and made the most of the easterly winds, making between 6-8knots as we sped towards The Lizard – the most Westerly point of the UK mainland with notorious currents.   

More dolphins – this time much larger – joined us as we continued West to The Scillies.  We passed Sunfish lazing on top of the water as we savoured the downwind sailing, crossing the shipping channel before catching the first sight of the islands.

There is something magical about arriving at a new destination by sea and watching as the faint outline of the distant land draws slowly into focus until rock formations, trees and buildings can be clearly defined.   We timed our arrival perfectly to make use of favourable currents as we entered the narrow channel that runs between two of the islands – St Marys and Gugh (rhymes with Hugh).  

It is thought The Isles of Scilly were named in Roman times after the sun god, Sulis and the islands are scattered with ancient monuments and relics from many centuries.  With a population of just over 2,000 living on five of the 140 islands, it really is a special place and we felt very privileged to have been able to get here.    The beaches are littered with large, colourful rocks of granite, scattered over white sand and falling into the clear, cold water.    The hillsides are covered in purple heather and bracken with large blocks of rock piled on top of each other, resembling a lost game of Jenga!  

Over the next few days we explored different islands – St Agnes, Gugh, Tresco and Bryher.  Each place had its own unique beauty and landscape from patchwork fields with shelterbelts made up of NZ natives; friendly, inquisitive birds who were happy to share a seat without demanding food; seals lazily lounging on seaweed while sunning themselves in the afternoon heat; amazing sunsets in front of a solitary castle on the headland and views that reminded me of The Bay of Islands with numerous small uninhabited outlying islands stretching out infront of us.    We loved our time visiting these special islands.

After five days on the islands, it was time to leave while the winds were favourable and before some nasty weather was due to hit.   We left with 20knots of wind blowing us back to the mainland and as we picked up speed, two dolphins leapt out the water beside us.   If we can, we will return and explore some of the many other islands we didn’t have a chance to visit but for now we’re just happy we came and didn’t add to the over 500 recorded shipwrecks around these treacherous waters!

Sink or Swim

According to Mr Google, the definition of irony is “the expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite….”. 

It was midnight and, as we fell into bed after another full and exhausting day, I said to Steve, “This was a good day…… nothing went wrong”.   Ten minutes later all that changed.   But I’ll come to that in a bit, first let me set the scene!

With the autopilot drive unit repaired, returned and installed, we were on track to leave Gosport on Friday 10 July.   We said farewell to our Australian friends, Mike and Nicki who had been living on their boat for ten years and were a mine of information and useful advice.  

We set off early and sailed around the southern side of The Isle of Wight enjoying the westerly winds as we unfurled the genoa and staysail, making a lovely eight knots as we sped to the south easterly headland.  The smile on my face was making my cheeks sore as we cut through the sea and let Cerulean take us for a lovely ride in 15knots of wind on the beam (side of the boat).   She loves this wind angle and makes excellent speed giving us a really comfortable ride.   We passed The Needles and the wind dropped so we turned on the engine and headed towards Poole.   We could see the coast of France to the south with large cruise ships anchored in the mist.   As we approached Bournemouth another three cruise ships were mothballed off the coast.

We anchored in Studland Bay – a beautiful bay sheltered from the westerly winds – with a lovely sandy beach and a very popular spot for Solent based sailors.   We decided to stay for two nights and allow the stress of the last few weeks be washed away…..!   A friend from Cambridge, David Baxter, came to visit us and we enjoyed a very chilled afternoon on the boat and in the local pub overlooking the bay.

The next few days we continued to head west – Warbarrow Bay, where we listened to a man calling the Coastguard after loosing a finger in his anchor winch, rounding the treacherous Portland Bill with strong currents spitting us out the other side of the headland at a rate of over 10knots, a wonderful sail to Beer only to find the swell too much to comfortably anchor so continued to Brixham in Torbay.  

We stayed a couple of nights in Brixham before continuing west and after a short sail, we saw the headland of Dartmouth with twin castles guarding each side of the river entrance.  It was wonderful to approach this lovely town from the sea and get a feel for what it must’ve been like when the castles were built in the 1400’s to protect this picture postcard town.  A chain used to be slung across the river mouth from one castle to the other to protect it from naval attacks.

We made our way up the river and berthed at a floating pontoon overlooking Dartmouth on the Kingswear side of the river.   There were a number of other boats sharing the pontoon and we soon created a lovely community, enjoying each others company and sharing stories, boat problems and plans. 

After spending the day exploring Dartmouth we returned to the boat and spent a lovely evening boat hopping and saying goodbye as we intended to leave early the next morning to continue our journey west.   We returned to the boat and finished our passage plan, entering our intended course in the chart plotter.  Feeling tired, we fell into bed and it was then that I said those immortal words…. “Today has been a good day….”  Which brings me to the aforementioned irony……

We were both drifting off to sleep when we heard a strange noise.  When you hear a strange noise at night on a boat, you are immediately alert and awake.   Steve jumped out of bed and I said, “I think it’s just a boat going passed…”  I was wrong for the second time in less than 15 minutes!   It didn’t take long for Steve to discover the cause of the noise and announce – “It’s not a boat…. We’re taking on water!!”   I was up in a shot to discover not a trickle but a fountain of water spurting up through a hole where one of the through hull fittings had become detached and there was now no barrier between us and the gushing water.   To make it worse, the fitting had not completely detached and, as we were unsure whether, or what, it was attached to on the outside of the boat, breaking it off was not an option, as we could have made the hole bigger.   We keep a large bung beside each through fitting, just in case of failure, but as the fitting was still partially attached, the bung could not be used.    We managed to push the fitting back into place and found that if we held it upright, the main flood of water was stemmed.  We tied this in place and started pumping the water out the boat, fortunately all the water was in the deep bilges and the rest of the boat stayed dry. 

While Steve made sure the temporary repair didn’t move, I called for help.   Within 30 minutes the RNLI arrived with three young guys on board.  They wore helmets and facemasks so when I went out on deck to meet them and one of them said to me as he climbed on board, “Hello, we met earlier…” I had no idea who he was!    On inspecting the damage, they quickly realised that if our temporary repair failed, they didn’t have a pump big enough to keep up with the water in-take so the decision was made to move us to shallower water and close to a haul-out area.   As a back-up, in case we started taking on water again, we waited for a crane on a barge to arrive so they could stop us from sinking, if needed, as the lifeboat towed us to a berth beside the haul out area.   Fortunately the temporary repair held up and they left us at 4am with a large automatic pump in the bilges and suggested we try and get some sleep before the yard opened and would lift Cerulean out the water.  

Less than an hour later, at 5am we were woken from our deep sleep by Ben who organised for us to be hauled out.   Ben got us in the sling and hoisted before any of his team arrived.  He explained they were exceptionally busy and usually had three boats in/out the water before 10am each day.  We were jumping the queue and I think part of him was wondering what the emergency was as we were not taking on a lot of water.   When he raised Cerulean out of the water, we were all shocked to see there was nothing left of the outer skin fitting.  Ben couldn’t believe we had had new seacocks fitted just six weeks earlier and, after a few phone calls, found us electricians and shipwrights who could fix the boat.   By 11am we were back in the water, leaving Ben with a backlog of boats to sort out and schedules to catch up on.  

Two lovely young electricians arrived to do the “quick job” Ben had told them about.   Boats are complicated – sea water can quickly corrode fittings, and boat parts can be made using different types of metal.   To prevent corrosion, boats are fitted with sacrificial zinc anodes which then have electrical contact to ensure the anode gets corroded, not the other metals – don’t ask me how it works, but it does.   Until recently it was thought that seacocks should also be protected in a similar way, with electrical currents earthing them to prevent corrosion.   This is what had been attempted on Cerulean but, instead of earthing them, someone had made them live, sending currents into the fittings and speeding up their deterioration.     It was meant to be a quick fix, but it soon became apparent there were other serious issues with the wiring and finding all the problems was going to take some time.   We spent the day tracing and testing wires while struggling to understand exactly what was going on, what had happened and how we could be certain it wouldn’t happen again while fighting the weight of mental and physical exhaustion.

When the electricians left, with a promise to return after the weekend, we returned to the pontoon we had left in the middle of the night.   Our friends had heard of our rescue and were very happy for us to raft along side them as the weekend had brought an influx of boats to Dartmouth and moorings were limited.   As we pulled up beside one of their boats, they welcomed us back, gently berating us for not waking them to help, and announced there was a big G and T with my name on it!   When we climbed on board their boat, I could feel myself relax for the first time in nearly 24hours.

On hearing about our dramas, my sister Bea and Andy decided to drive from Falmouth to give us some much needed moral support and advice.  Together with my uncle Tom, in Germany, Andy had educated us about Galvanic Isolators, electrolysis, whether or not to ground seacocks and how to ground anodes.   This is essential information for any serious cruiser, but most of these learnings were new to us!   Our additional problem, although not related, but co-incidentally happened at the same time, was our alternator had stopped charging the batteries.   The alternator, like in a car, will replenish the power in all the boat batteries when the engine is running.   As we had been instructed not to plug into shore power until the electricians returned to finish the job, our wind generator was not providing much (if any) power, we were not able to turn on our generator and now the alternator had failed, it meant we had to be really careful with how much power we used over the weekend in order to protect our batteries.     As Andy is an electrical engineer, it was wonderful to have them on board and discuss our problems and possible solutions   They were also our first over night guests and, after four months in the UK, the first time we had seen each other since we arrived.

Bea and Andy’s stay was over all too quickly.  After a quick trip into Dartmouth we moved the boat to a berth in the marina, ready for when the electricians arrived in the morning.   It was a relief to be back near a shower, fresh water and easy access to the chandlery so we could get on with other boat jobs while we waited for the electricians.

Once again the electricians arrived thinking they would finish the job in a few hours but ended up working all day.  They found a lot of wiring mistakes which they corrected but it was finding them that was the issue – they could see there was a fault but had to trace wires and cables to discover where the problem was located and then correct the mistake.   By the end of the day we had a working alternator, new galvanic isolator installed, all seacocks checked and secured and anodes grounded – we were safe and operational again!   A huge relief but an expensive one!

At last, we were able to continue our journey west.   We left early Tuesday morning on high tide and headed up river to the beautiful village of Dittisham for a quick look before the tide turned.  Dittisham was home to Agatha Christie and her lovely little cottage still stands on its own surrounded by woodland on the East side of the river.   It is in a beautiful, quiet and peaceful setting and we will return to explore the area more as it is a very special location.  We loved our time in Dartmouth and met wonderful people who made our extended stay very special and memorable.

As we headed out of Dartmouth, leaving the two castles on the headland behind us, a gentle wind blew behind us and we set our sails for our journey west.

Sailing and Maintenance crash course

When we purchased her, Cerulean was berthed at Port Solent marina near Portsmouth, which is located at the end of a long meandering channel with a lock that keeps the boats in the marina secure and stops the water from drying out at low tide.   One of our first tasks was to move to another marina located at the sea end of the estuary and closer to shops as well as the wonderful sailing grounds of The Solent. 

First we had to move the boat out of the very narrow marina berth without hitting any of the large and expensive boats located around us.   I was a little nervous about doing this on my first attempt at reversing our new home, but with the help of Jamie from Ancasta Brokers, we gracefully slipped out of the mooring and glided into the lock.   Jamie left us once we were safely in the lock and we were left on our own for the first time.    It goes without say that handling a 43 ft, 14 tonne, long keeled, high windage boat is quite different to my previous 29ft, light, production boat, so I was nervously excited as we negotiated the winding channel.   It is said pride comes before a fall – we were just marvelling at how good it felt to be on our way to starting the dream, when I realised that all the markers indicating the channel had disappeared and the depth had dropped to nothing!   I threw the wheel to port and increased the revs on the engine.   A cloud of mud indicated we were on the bottom but we made sluggish progress back towards the channel.  It was a relief to see the depth increase and our speed pick up – there are two types of sailors, those who have run aground and those who lie about not having done so.   We were now baptised on Cerulean!

Gosport Marina is operated by the same company as Port Solent.   As it had been Cerulean’s home berth, we were allowed to move there and, as we had no other place of abode in UK, we were given permission to stay on board even though it was not generally permitted under current restrictions.   The marina is now considered our home, so we are not allowed to leave for longer than a day sail and we will need to stay until the government relaxes the rules about sleeping away from home – hopefully on 4 July otherwise it will get expensive! 

The huge benefit of being in the marina is access to amenities, clean showers and laundry facilities which we regularly avail ourselves of.   We spent the first couple of weeks cleaning and organising the boat, getting familiar with the systems and going for day sails, practising our reversing and docking skills and generally settling into life living on a boat.   Evening sundowners while lounging in our comfortable and big cockpit, breakfast on the deck and a very comfortable bed made the transition incredibly easy. 

Our first solo sail was perfect.   Cerulean glided through the water on a broad reach in 15knots of wind, getting up to 8 knots in speed – ok, it won’t win us any races, but not bad for a big heavy boat with only 2/3 of the available sails used.   Returning to the berth, we celebrated with a G&T and as the sun set we ceremoniously removed the Union Jack ensign and “London” lettering from the stern as Cerulean has been de-registered as a UK vessel and is now a fully-fledged kiwi boat!  

Over the next few days we completed numerous boat jobs, including cataloguing everything on board so we knew what we had and where it was stored.   Every night we go to bed exhausted after a full day of physical work but with a real sense of achievement. 

Jason is a friend of my sister, Lynn, and he is an RYA sailing instructor.  Jason had offered to help us get to know Cerulean, go through her sail wardrobe and teach us the best way to handle her.  We had a great day practicing Man Overboard (MOB), reefing, using the autopilot, getting in and out of the marina berth, turning in a tight space and picking up mooring buoys.   We had practiced picking up the mooring buoy three times and had three very successful attempts so our confidence was high as I turned Cerulean hard to port with the engine on, to get out of the cluttered mooring area and back into the busy channel.  Suddenly the wheel locked and, confused as to what was happening, I checked to see whether I had run over a mooring line.   There was no evidence of this, so I threw the boat out of gear and yelled to Steve and Jason that I had lost steerage.  I wondered whether I had accidently engaged the autopilot but the instrument panel by the wheel did not respond when I tried to disengage so I assumed it was not on.   We were heading towards a boat on a mooring and, although I put the engine into reverse to try and avoid an impact, we continued heading towards the small boat as the strong tide swept us, out of control, towards the vessel.   The crunching sound of our boat hitting the other yacht will haunt me for some time.  Steve and Jason tried to soften the blow by fending off at the bow, to lessen the damage.   While all this was going on, I was trying to figure out what had happened.  I ran below deck and switched off the autopilot from the main switchboard.   When I returned to the wheel, it was turning freely again – at least we had our steering back, but when I turned off the master switch, all our other instruments were turned off – GPS (navigation), depth sounder and wind instruments.   At least with the autopilot turned off at the main switch, I was confident it would not automatically re-engage again so we were able to cast off the damaged boat on the mooring buoy, take photos of the damage and mooring buoy number and return to the marina.   I felt sick leaving a boat I had been responsible for damaging and my legs were shaking as my confidence suffered a huge knock after such a wonderful day full of highs – Jason suggested we tried some other manoeuvres to build my confidence up again before returning to the marina. 

We discovered the damaged boat was on a mooring owned by a neighbouring boat yard but by the time we visited them, the office was closed so we needed to wait until morning to report the accident.  The next day we returned to the boat yard office and asked for help finding the owners of the boat.  Incredibly it turned out the owners had arrived at their boat that morning, discovered the damage and had already brought the boat in to the yard to start the repairs.   We met the owners who were just lovely and very understanding and forgiving.  I still felt awful as they had arrived at the boat hoping to enjoy the beautiful weather on the hottest day of the year so far, to discover a damaged rig and railings with no idea who had done it or what had happened.   They were very grateful we had found them, owned up to the accident and agreed to pay for the repairs – I don’t understand why people would not be honest but, judging by the number of people who thanked us, it appears to be a common problem.

The staff at both the Premier Marinas in Gosport and Port Solent are wonderful – helpful, supportive, friendly and knowledgeable.  They recommended a marine electrical engineer who could help with our Raymarine autopilot issue and on Wednesday morning a lovely man called Mike(www.oceanelectronics.co.uk) came to investigate the problem.  He was very interested in trying to discover the reason why our self steering had automatically engaged as he had heard of this fault happening once before, but as it was extremely rare he seemed intrigued to look at the offending instrument!   Mike had previously worked for Raymarine so was very familiar with the equipment we had installed.  He discovered that the drive unit, that attaches to the steering cable, needed servicing and told us that, although the autopilot was old, it was definitely worth keeping as it was a solid, usually reliable, piece of equipment.  Although the autopilot was old, the GPS and other equipment, were replaced four years ago and it appeared were overdue a software update.  This could have added to the problem we experienced.   Mike suggested we have the steering checked as he felt there was too much play in the wheel and recommended a local firm who he called for us and arranged for them to come the next day.   In the meantime, we removed the offending drive unit, packaged it up and couriered it to Raymarine for servicing.   

The next day Carl came to visit to check on the steering.  Another really lovely, helpful and friendly technician!  He wanted a second opinion, so contacted a colleague, Bob who arrived 30 minutes later.  The two of them crouched side by side, squeezing their heads into the narrow aft locker, turning the wheel from one side to the other trying to find the source of the problem!   After about 20 minutes the problem was found and, for once, was an easy fix with a replacement split pin.  They did not want to send an invoice for such a small job so we called into their office later and dropped off the agreed GBP20 – a bargain!

As Cerulean is a big boat to manoeuvre, and is not a great boat to reverse as she has a lot of windage, she is fitted with bow thrusters – an engine and propeller at the front of the boat – that, when engaged, will quickly turn the front of the boat to keep it heading in the right direction.  We had been having issues as the power was lost from the thrusters after just one or two quick bursts.  This made getting into and out of the marina quite nerve wracking as there was little room for error if the turn into the berth was misjudged or the wind/tide carried the boat off course.   On investigation we discovered the batteries were completely dead so ordered two new ones which were delivered the next day.    With the new batteries installed, we were excited to check them before heading out for a sail with a friend, Marion – our first social sail visitor.   Upon testing the bowthruster and anchor winch (which had previously worked when the engine was turned on), we discovered neither were now working, even with the engine on.   We decided to go for a quick sail and enjoy the lovely weather so spent a lovely few hours with Marion, sailing on the Solent.

Later that day, after a few phone calls to my uncle Tom and brother-in-law, Andy, we discovered the batteries had been connected incorrectly and, although everything worked when they were re-installed, it appeared the alternator was now not working as the power surge caused by the mistake, had damaged it!   This meant we could not go out for a sail until the alternator was fixed to try and avoid any other knock on problems.   Luckily we found a spare alternator on the boat but considering our earlier electrical error, we quickly came to the conclusion that fitting this was beyond our very limited technical abilities!  

After the lovely sail with Marion at the end of the week, the weather at the weekend deteriorated dramatically and strong winds buffeted us for three days – we recorded 30knots wind speed in the shelter of the marina, so going out for a sail would not only have been unpleasant but probably foolhardy!   We had arranged for my wonderful friends and family, Paul, Wendy, Jocs and Bella, to visit on Sunday and we shared a lovely lunch while sitting below catching up.  Not quite the experience I wanted to share with them but a great catch up, none the less!   One of the wonderful things about Cerulean is her large spacious deck saloon which allows up to seven people to sit around the table and two more either side of the chart table while still enjoying 360 degree views of the outside – one of many of the features that appealed to us about this lovely boat.  

Boris Johnson announced more restrictions would be lifted on Saturday 4 July, allowing overnight stays on boats which means we can start looking forward to leaving the marina and heading west.  The only delay will be the return of the autopilot part which should be returned by 9 July at the latest.   Fortunately the marina has agreed to allow us to extend our stay on a daily basis, so the urgency to leave is not governed by a lack of a marina berth and we are able to leave when we are ready, and not before.

Each day we feel we take two steps forward but one back – some days it does feel like one step forward and two back – but we are learning a lot and know the mistakes we make now will only ensure they are mistakes not made again!   We remain focused, excited and, although we are finding each day exhausting, we are loving the life we have chosen.

Sea Trial and Survey Hurdles

Our sea trial was due to take place on Saturday 6 June – a date we had set weeks earlier when we had decided we needed to have something to aim for.   Now, as the restrictions for moving around the UK had been lifted, everything looked like it was lining up for the sea trial to continue.   Well, that’s what we hoped but we had a problem…!   Restrictions were lifted for travel with no limit on distance, as long as it did not include an overnight stay, but travel had to be in a private vehicle.  Trains were still running on a limited service but were meant for essential travel only.  We could possibly justify using the train but the journey involved a three hour trip each way, and meant we would have huge time constraints on the sea trial – something we wanted to avoid.   Hire car companies were still closed and, while we investigated getting a Zipcar (like uber but hire cars by the hour/day), we could not arrange the required membership card to be delivered in time for Saturday.  

Our saviour came in the form of an old friend, Marion, who lives close to where we are staying.  She very generously offered us the use of her car and arranged the necessary insurance to enable us to collect the vehicle on Friday and return by Monday morning.

The weather was changing and it soon became clear that Saturday was not going to be the best day for a sea trial.  As much as I would love to have seen how Cerulean handled in a gale, it was not ideal weather to get her out of a tight marina and long channel.   Sunday looked like it was going to be a better day with light winds.  

Sunday morning we left early to make sure we were in Port Solent to meet the broker, Sam, at 10am.  We were early and spent some time wandering around the boatyard looking at the boats on the hard – it’s a regular pastime for boatowners to compare, dream and learn!

When Cerulean was relaunched a few days earlier, we had arranged for the final surveys to be completed – Boat, engine and rigging.  The boat survey had not brought to light anything more than those already reported in the out of water inspection and some of those more pressing issues had already been resolved.  The engine survey was not as encouraging.  The marine engineer was very disparaging of the engine and reported back to us that, due to the age, engine hours and condition he recommended we replace it before heading off-shore.  We had sat on this information for a few days, letting the enormity of this news settle in.   We considered walking away from the purchase as we had previously highlighted an unreliable engine as a dealbreaker.  Steve and I had spent a long afternoon crunching numbers, discussing different scenarios, researching engines and looking at other boats for sale.   At the end of this we had decided it was worth proceeding with the purchase of Cerulean and fit a new engine in November before heading off-shore in early 2021.

When we arrived at Cerulean we found her to be just as beautiful as we remembered her from our last visit three months earlier.  Richard and Alison welcomed us on board while ensuring we all kept the required distance from each other.  Fortunately the cockpit is large enough for several people to keep the required 2m apart, so we were able to comfortably and happily fit!

Richard manoeuvred us out of the very tight berth – a prospect I found extremely daunting on my first time behind the wheel – and into the lock that separates Port Solent Marina from the channel leading to The Solent.   As we were not far from slack tide, it did not take us long to get through the lock and start navigating the windy channel towards Portsmouth and out into the popular sailing ground of The Solent – the busy stretch of water between The Isle of White and the mainland.   This piece of water is usually extremely busy with pleasure craft but there were not too many around on the day – probably due to the bad weather the previous day and restrictions still in place regarding sleeping on boats.  The stretch of water is still busy with cargo ships, ferries, hovercraft and navy ships.  We watched the aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, leave Portsmouth, closing the harbour entrance to all boats for 45 minutes as she made her way into The Solent and headed East.  HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest, newest and most powerful ship in the Royal Navy.  She accommodates 40 aircraft, a 4 acre flight deck, is 280m long and is home to up to 1600 crew.  It was quite a sight coming out of the port!

I spent most of the sea trial on the helm (those of you that know me, won’t be surprised at this.  Steve often comments that it will take a crowbar to prise my hands off the wheel), and I could hardly keep the smile off my face.  Cerulean is light on the helm, sails well and has the benefit of a good sail plan using the double option of Genoa and Staysail (for my non-sailing friends, these are both at the front of the boat!) as well as a cruising chute however we didn’t put the chute up on this occasion.  

We had not yet mentioned the issue with the engine to Richard and we were still waiting for the riggers survey, although we were aware that a couple of stays (support the mast) were in need of urgent attention and Richard had arranged for these to be replaced immediately.  After a couple of hours sailing in light winds, we headed back towards the marina and, following a direct question from Richard, we let him know the result of the engine survey.   Both Richard and Alison were surprised but not dismissive of the news while still extoling the reliability and smooth running of the current engine.  

By the end of the sea trial we were totally convinced that Cerulean was the right boat – Once we were off the boat and walking back to the car, I think my words were “I absolutely LOVE her…” and the thought of us owning such a beautiful boat was making me dizzy with excitement!   That headiness continued until the next morning when we received the riggers survey and all of a sudden the heights of our excitement came crashing down to an equally spiralling low.  The rigger provided a report that identified over 35 areas of concern with the mast, spreaders and running rigging, recommending we take the mast down so the full extent of the problems could be assessed.   The enormity of this was enough for our spirits to come crashing down – if we needed a new mast, which the rigger was suggesting as a possibility, this could cost in the region of GBP20 – 30k and when considered on top of the new engine, would take the boat costs outside our budgeted spend.   We called Sam, the broker, and let him know what was happening so we could have more time to think things through.   We needed to think with our head, not heart and that needed time so we could clearly identify the reasons not to buy the boat, instead of focusing on why we should.   It was hard and Steve and I kept to-ing and fro-ing on our decision.  After a day of deliberation we decided that, providing Richard was prepared to further negotiate on the price, we would take the risk with the mast and hope that once we unstepped it in the autumn we would find the mast was still sound and just need a few thousand spent on it and not 10’s of thousands, as we feared. 

By Tuesday evening we had reached an agreement on price and we were able to celebrate, finally being the owners of this beautiful vessel by opening a bottle of bubbles and sharing it with our neighbour, Lawrence in the garden.   We let the realisation sink in – not only had we secured the boat we were going to take halfway around the world, but she will also be our home for the next few years.  It was time to pack our bags, book train tickets and prepare to move onto our new home at the weekend.  

On Saturday we woke early and did a final clean of piers and Jenni’s house before dragging our six bags down the road to the train station.  Surprisingly everything went incredibly smoothly and three trains later we found ourselves in Gosport waiting for a taxi to take us to the marina.  We must’ve looked an odd sight, two weary people dragging three suitcases (suitcases on boats is considered a cardinal sin) and three other bags, negotiating the floating pontoons until finding Cerulean moored nose first in the middle of one of the finger pontoons.   It felt so good to be on board, knowing she was now our home and we could finally unpack our belongings and start planning for the start of our adventure.

Sunshine, Survey and Scandal

England is not known for its weather, but fortunately for us (and everyone else conforming to lockdown), this spring has been exceptionally warm, dry and sunny.   Our days started to fall into a comfortable routine of having a lazy morning, culminating in a late brunch outside enjoying casual conversation and occasional catch up with our neighbour, Lawrence over the high fence.   In the early afternoon we would normally do some baking and go for a walk which, following the slight easing of lockdown restrictions in early May, meant we were allowed to stay out all day and travel as far as we wanted, providing we were back home to sleep and did not break our bubble. 

I was determined to make a difference in Piers and Jenni’s backyard so have been rediscovering my green fingers!  My sister, Bea, sent me a package of various vegetable seeds and I started a small nursery in the sunny front porch.  Each morning I took great delight watching the progress of the seeds, getting huge satisfaction as my lettuce, courgettes, tomatoes, runner beans and capsicums started showing the first signs of life and slowly uncurling to a display of small leaves and shoots. 

I diligently moved them to the backyard as the morning sun moved further West so the plants could get the benefit of a full days growth in the warm spring sunshine.   At this rate, we’ll be enjoying some of the fruits of my gardening labour!

Following Boris Johnston’s announcement that England was to start to move from Level 4 to Level 3 restrictions there was a lot of confusion around what that actually meant and what was allowed and what was still not permitted.  Following numerous media interviews, it became clear that even the PM’s own Ministers and MP’s were confused and it took a few days before it was announced that yacht owners could now access their boats.  Driving long distant in a privately owned car was allowed with members of your existing bubble, but not travel on public transport, and even a day sail was permitted.  However, as there was initial confusion around whether marinas could now open, several businesses based at Port Solent (where our prospective boat is located), had remained closed.  This meant that the planned launch on 15 May had to be delayed and was rebooked for 3 June.  In the meantime, we had received the written report for the first part of the survey which highlighted a few issues that needed immediate attention or further investigation.  As the surveyor had little work on at the time, he had plenty of time to talk to us, explain his findings and recommend action.   As Cerulean is an older boat, we were bracing ourselves for a long list of jobs that would need correcting, which is what we received, but there was nothing too alarming – in fact the surveyor commented on how well built and strong the boat was, stating he could see why we  were keen on her.  The survey of the engine was still to be completed.

Following the circus surrounding Boris’ Chief Advisor, Dominic Cummings, flagrant disregard for the Covid-19 restrictions he was responsible for helping author, Boris took the ridiculous decision to try and take the heat out of not firing his right hand man, by easing restrictions further.   While I was incensed by the way Boris and his “tow the line” Ministers responded, the most recent round of loosening the lockdown meant our sea trial could proceed on 6 June as planned, and we would not be in danger of breaking any guidelines – not that many British people feel compelled to stick to the letter of the rules any more now that Boris has made it clear we are to do as his government says, not as they do! 

As we started making plans to travel to Portsmouth the following week it soon became clear it was not going to be quite as straight forward as we had hoped!