The Bristol Channel - Swansea, Cardiff and beyond

The rainbow over Swansea should have been a clue:  It rains a lot in Swansea!  We had planned a day of rest after the excitement of the Bristol Channel Waves, so the rain was no great inconvenience.  Eventually we managed to get out and have a look round - there was the very impressive River Tawe Barrage, complete with fish ladder. 

This was very popular with the harbour seals - clearly an excellent source of fresh, but somewhat exhausted, fish could be found attempting the ladder!

Swansea did have a pretty spectacular sandy beach

Swansea's answer to Tobermorey?

Our next stop was to be Cardiff - to visit the city, the huge freshwater Cardiff Bay,  and Steph's sister in law, Veronica.  Just under 50nm in 6 1/2 hours, could it be our new speed record?  Great sailing, spinnnaker given another airing and we just arrived as the tide turned against us.

Completed in 1999, the engineering of the Cardiff Barrage was very impressive.

As we kept being told, the Bristol Channel has the second largest tidal range in the world and prior to the barrage the bay used to dry out on each low tide - it is now a 2 square km freshwaterlake, fed by the rivers Ely and Taff.  Apart from the invasion of the Killer Shrimp and the Zebra Mussel, all is good in Cardiff Bay!

The Barrage Road, complete with 3 Bascule Bridges

The breakwater and sluices, complete with Fish Ladders and Salt Water Traps.

And most important - the Race Starting Box - clearly in touch with their feminine side!

The view across the bay - the Millenium Centre (aka The Armadillo) visible in the distance.

The Millenium Centre

The Giant Mirror?  Apparently also a water tower with water running down it - but not today.

The National Assembly for Wales, and the obligatory Monument:  the Merchant Seafarers' War Memorial.

Actually a very good Monument to Lives Lost at Sea - a boat from one side, and a fallen face from the other.

There was also the Scott of the Antarctic Memorial -  his ship Terra Nova departed from Cardiff in 1910.  A fine creation, but not too sure he would have approved of being placed next to the Norwegan Church, even if Roald Dahl was christened there!

Having seen the sights, and spent a lovely evening with Veronica and her daughter Naomi we decided to brave the Bristol Channel again - next stop Padstow.  The photo shows us in the lock, at half tide.

The Bristol Channel fought back! We allowed ourselves 20 hours for the 100nm trip, as Padstow is tidal we left Cardiff at 5pm thinking we would arrive in good time for the 3 hour tidal gate and in daylight - Padstow is the Home of Doom Bar, so a night time arrival was not in our plan.

The sea state was horrible - the wind was not particularly strong, but the swell coupled with a short wave length made us crash into every trough.  Boat speed was seriously reduced, Zilla was seriously unhappy - by the time we got to Lundy Island we realised Padstow in daylight with water was not going to happen.  Plan B:  45nm trip back across the Bristol Channel to Milford Haven.

It was a long night!

Padstow Round Two:  Another night crossing.  We left Milford Haven at 1600, allowing ourselves 24 hours to cover the 100 nm.

The Dolphins came out to play!

Not only did they stay with us as it got dark, but they came back again and shone like phosphorescent missiles as they played round us.  A truly fantastic sight.

This time we made very good speed across the Bristol Channel - back past Lundy Island too early!  We ended up using our anchor for the first time and spending 3 hours in Port Quinn Bay just round the corner from Padstow - all fine, apart from the Imminent Gale Warning issued while we were there.

We just had a good night sleep in Padstow, then the plan was to spend a couple of days on land in Bude with Nick and Sally. 

 Quite and akward mooring situation followed as we moved the boat from the harbour wall to the pontoon / mooring and off we went to Bude.

There was no resting on this trip!  First stop:  Rough Tor on Bodmin Moor

Just enough time to admire the view, then on to the next activity:

A surfing lesson with Scott in Bude

Another walk - this time to Trevose Head - fantastic views of crashing waves, then on to the next activity:

Paddleboarding in Harlyn Bay

Enough time for another walk - this time to Booby's Bay

I think I'd prefer a Life Guard!

We also walked to Trevose Head - not only a lovely spot, but we saw a pod of at least 20 dolphins playing in the bay on our way round.

Even when the sea is calm, there is a good swell breaking on the rocks.

Back on the boat in Padstow - Zilla needs a rest - we just need to Walk the Doom Bar before we leave, then next stop:  The Isles of Scilly.

Across the Irish Sea to Wales - Eventually!

Dublin:  Forecast:  West F5 to 7, increasing 8 at times.  Outlook for the following 24 hours: North West F3 to 4. After that - windy again.  September 13th - as it wasn't a Friday, and there seemed to be enough of weather window to leave Dublin Bay, overnight in Arklow 40nm down the Irish Coast then cross the Irish Sea to Milford Haven the next day.

We waited for the tide and set off with 2 reefs in the Main and #4 Headsail - as we crossed Dublin Bay the wind disobeyed the forecast (again) and backed Southwest.  37kt gusts notwithstanding, time for reef #3.  After that it was a bit more comfortable, nothing broke and 5 hours later we arrived in Arklow - having had a maximum boat speed of 11.2kts.

We didn't really see Arklow, it was dusk when we arrived:

And only just light enough to avoid the minefield of welk pots outside the harbour as we left.



The Weather Gods were on our side as we crossed the Irish Sea - 10 to 20 kts of breeze, under spinnaker for about half the trip we made the 86nm crossing in 13 hours - a fantastic day's sail.



Just past St David's Head,  where the Irish Sea officially ends and the Bristol Channel begins.

St Anne's Channel Marker - leading us to Milford Haven

This area is well known for its Fuel Refineries - this one seemed to be making it's own clouds!

Milford by Night - by the time we had moored up it was dark, again.

Milford Haven is on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path - alledgedly offering some of the best coastal views in Britain - so it had to be seen.

First Stop:  The Marina in daylight.

A little bit of Refinery Engineering

Then on to something rather older - Stack Rock and rather splendid Fort - dating back to  Napoleonic Times when it was built to defend the River Haven.  It was kept fully gunned until 1929, it's a Grade II listed building and was for sale for  £150,000 in 2005 but with no where to sleep, no water, no power and no sewage it required a very special (would suit DIY enthusiast)  buyer!!

Sandy Haven Bay - they were right, it probably is one of the best coastal views in Britain!

There are however other moorings that are more convenient!

After all the walking, it was time to go back to the boat for a bit of supper.

Cooking 'Al Fresco' ?

We'd now spent two days in Milford Haven - one walking, and one fixing the shower pump, and were keen to move on.  Forecast:  W veering NW F5 to F7, sea state Moderate to Rough.  We had become a bit blase about the wind by now, so decided to leave and head for Swansea, further into the Bristol Channel.

We had no reason to question our judgement as we passed Thorn Island with its Napoleonic fort (in the Square Style) - this one was apparently converted into a Hotel in 1947 and sold in 1999 for £275,000.  Presumably with plumbing and bedrooms, just bring your own boat!  In 2001 there were plans to re-open the hotel with a cable car access - this didn't happen and it's again for sale for a mere £750,000.

We began to question our judgement as we left the relative shelter of The Haven - the waves looked closer to Rough than Moderate!

It didn't get any better, but we had started and so we were going to finish.

Should we be sailing in this?

Looking a little tense?

A wave goes by.

And Finally ...

It all calmed down, and this is the sight that greeted us as we arrived in Swansea.  A couple of days rest required to get over all the excitement before we move on further up the Bristol Channel.

And Still the Wind Blows ...

The days have become weeks, and we are STILL in Dublin - the forecast always ends with a Force 8, usually from the South or Southwest, which is where we want to go.

The appeal of Dun Laoghaire had worn thin, so we took advantage of a slight break in the weather to go North across Dublin Bay to Howth - a much smaller marina, but with much more going on.

Frustratingly, the dire weather predicted by the forecasters never really seemed to materialise - if anything that was more frustrating than actually having bad weather!

The rather fine Memorial to those Lost at Sea kept us firmly in Howth while we waited out the weather.

Howth is a peninsula - we did the 10km round Howth coastal walk - Howth Marina, and view to the North.

View to the South across Dublin Bay to Dun Laoghaire and to the South.

And the view out to sea, Ireland's Eye and Lamby Islands and Northern Ireland.  Just where exactly is this bad weather ???

Whilst on the walk around Howth, parts of the route were very overgrown, we suddenly found ourselves on a Golf Course.  The golfers were used to this, and pointed us back on our way.

Howth Marina is also Howth Yacht Club - the largest in Ireland, with over 2,000 members and dates back to 1895.

The Marina Workboats - a certain olde worlde charm!

The outer breakwater and lighthouse, 1817.  Complete with geraniums in window boxes.

The Outer Harbour

And the Inner Harbour

There was also the Fishing Boat harbour - it was a very busy place.

Fishing boats were squeezing into every little corner of the Harbour - maybe this weather was on the way, after all.

Then there were the J24's:  Howth was hosting the European Championships during the coming week - once they had been thoroughly checked for conformity with their 'One Design' rules they also squeezed themselves into the Marina.

J24's in front of Howth Yacht Club

Forming an orderly queue

Filling the Car Park

And then, finally, the weather did arrive ...

Zilla struggles to stay on her feet

The outer Breakwater

The Outer Harbour

The world's oldest surviving One Design Keelboat Class (that still actively races), The Howth Seventeens on their moorings, just!

And as if all this wasn't enough to keep us occupied, there were the Harbour Seals to watch:

And Finally ...

So now all that is missing is the weather window so that we can leave the land of Guinness.......