Leaving Glasson
on Saturday 30th July 2005 -
the Annual Summer Cruise
Narrated by Dave Crowther, typing By Joanne Chard
There were fourteen boats in total leaving Glasson at 06.20. The forecast was north- westerly 4 or 5, cloudy, grey and miserable as sin.
We got rolling along O.K and had got down into Lune deep when the wind dropped. We were motoring and there was a terrible quartering sea, it was giving us a really bad rolling motion, which made us feel quite uncomfortable for a while. Eventually we rolled up into Conwy between 18.20 and 19.15.
One mishap occurred, which was, Tom and Irene's exhast manifold dropped off. This caused them a slight problem but they struggled on and got in gainly and we all adjourned to the pub at the top of the slip, and proceeded to throw a few down our necks! We turned in and had a good nights sleep.
Day two was a rest day, as usual, after the long jaunt down from Glasson. it was spent with most people just lounging around in the marina, a few went into Conwy to top up their supplies and to get a meal. We held a meeting and it was decided that we should leave on the next day and that the people who wanted to go fishing - about five boats, would go to Puffin Island and do their fishing there and the rest of the boats would carry on, either to Beaumaris or Menai Bridge, so Ian and myself decided we were going to go to Beaumaris and have a walk around
Day 3 and on the way down to Beaumauris we noticed there was a fleet
of sailing boats, which turned out to be a regatta.
There was nowhere left for us to moor or anchor, as all was taken up
by these other boats, so we decided to carry on down to Menai.
It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and we'd had a good sail in the morning, so we motored down and managed to pick up a mooring round about 2.30 but we had to kill time untill 8 o,clock before we could go through the swellies. That was fine as we just sat there had a nice meal and so-on. Nyoka, Bruin and Strider and Aegis were there. We could hear them talking and see them fishing. We heard Jim say, "whatever we catch 'she' wants to eat as she doesn't like killing fish." So quick as a flash Mick answered back "I've got some rubber hooks if she wants to use them" That raised a smile here and there.
We passed the afternoon quite pleasantly just lounging around - I prepared a quiz ready for that evening. Eventually wthey all came straggling down and we proceeded to drop our mooring at ten to eight . We went through the swellies with not one ounce of problem and what a beautiful evening - absolutely gorgeous the scenery and the colours were fab.
We got up into Caernarfon and rafted up eventually next to Nyoka and everyone was in dock by 9.30 and in the Royal Welsh Yacht Club by ten o'clock where we got a really warm welcome from Les, the steward.
We are now on Day Four, it's a rest day again. Everybody has moved safely into Victoria Dock. A few people are having to mooch around and swap their boats about, as some people are going out early in the morning.
We're having a meeting at twelve o'clock to decide what we're doing tomorrow. I've had a wander around town and had a word with a few people who are doing likewise. Most are doing their usual holiday thing - chilling out.
At the moment we've got Lynn, off Aegis, playing guitar and Ian, on
Osprey, is playing his guitar and we've just realized that it's started
raining! "Come on Lynn, Sing!"
"I am" I guess that's the entertainment for today, unfortunately,
there are only three of us here to enjoy it.
Tonight there is a dinner organized at the Royal Welsh Yacht Club, they are putting a buffet on for us, so it's a case of chill out now, all except Dave off "Parrot"as we've just heard that he's had a problem with his engine and he's had to go rooting round for spares.
We went up to the club for about seven o'clock, the buffet was being prepared for us, which turned out to be excellent . Soon after the buffet I put a quiz on which was won by Jim, Hazel and the rest of their team the prize was eighteen pounds which they kindly donated to the lifeboat fund.A splendid time was had by all, and we staggered out of the club at just gone midnight.
Day Five. Unfortunately it's blowing around the top side of a five. The only people to go out of the dock were Alan Round and Dave Booth. They've gone to take Jeff Walker back to Abermenai to dry out there. Jeff couldn't make it back yesterday as he picked up a piece of rope as he went through the swellies which got wrapped around his prop and stopped his engine.
So they've towed him back and were proceeding towards Abermenai when it got too rough and they towed Jeff back into Caernarfon into the Victoria Dock. Dave carried on to Abermenai on his own. Jeff had to dry out on the slipway inside the dock, he freed his prop and thankfully all is well on that scene. Nobody else who was planning on going to Abermenai to the barbecue actually went out, so the day was spent lolling around in the dock again. Around about five o'clock since we hadn't been able to go out for a barbecue and rather than throw all the food away, there was one held on the quay side. And it was a splendid do. Lynne came down with the Ukelele and a few songs. Then it was siesta time, after a kip it was off to the RWYC for some more neck oil and to put more dosh in the till.
Anyway tomorrow is not looking much different either, unfortunately it's looking like it's going to be even windier than it was today the forecast is for 6.s and 7's but we shall just have to wait and see what happens when we get up in the morning. That's day five over with.
It's now day six and about 11.30 in the morning I'm sat looking out at an overcast sky it looks as though its going to rain and it is blowing quite hard - nobody is moving anywhere, and the thoughts of Phwelli and Barmouth have gone out the window. It looks like this wind is going to decrease later, according to Mick, down to a 3 - 4 and then decreasing further for the next three days. So it looks like thoughts are turning to heading back through the Swellies and onto Beaumaris and Red Wharf bay and whatever. Today it looks like the same as yesterday but without the barbecue. Ian and myself are planning on going for a walk up to the Roman ruins just outside Caernarfon and then maybe a spot of lunch, I suppose and a couple of beers and then just mouch around on the boat and then it will be back to the Royal welsh yacht club who are making a fortune out of us - no wonder they're glad to see us!
Dave has managed to find the parts for his engine and everything's
ok, Jeff has done a job on Alan Round's engine, that's working ok now
and Dave on Esmerelda is busy sawing and chopping and hacking away rebuilding
Essy 2.
It's just a case now of finding something to do to pass the time away
until we can leave and head in which - ever direction we decide but
it looks like we will be heading North.
Well we decided to go to Wetherspoons, left the boats at about 7 wandered down to Wetherspoons had our tea and we all piled into the RWYC again and finished the night off there. Its looking better tomorrow so we shall see what happens when we get up in the morning.
Day 7 we have managed to get out of Caernarfon at last. We left at 10.35 there was: Lady J, Guileen and Osprey, they decided to go down to Port Dinorwic while the others went over to Abermenai. Lady J and Osprey motored down to Dinorwic and Guileen came in under sail about an hour after us.
I've never been here before, it is a very, very pretty place. We had to lock in and we virtually got straight into the lock which was then shut behind us and then opened at the other side to let us in, it's a road bridge that lifts and then you wait whilst it's lifted, then go out the lock on the other side and into a little basin with boats tied up on either side, then you go up under a bridge and into a canal, which is quite wide and at the far end of the canal there is a disused dry dock, you can't get in there because it's too shallow, anyway we rafted up next to a boat called Rhubharb which suits the crew of Osprey very well, and we were all done and dusted at 25 past 12.
Ian took me a walk round showing me the sights that he had seen when here last year and we were amazed when we walked into a pub on the front - it was ram jammed full to the rafters, it took about 20min to get served, we found out later that the National Eistedfodd is being held not far from here, so every pub is hammered to some tune and with loads of gorgeous young ladies knocking about, vying with one another over who can get away with wearing the least clothes. I nearly went blind!
Anyway we walked up the hill to this other pub where we are going to have our tea, we bumped into Geoff and Lynn Pelly and we had a couple of pints, sat up there in the sun outside in the beer garden and it was quite nice. We came back down had a shower and a bit of a blow then went up to the pub for our tea, had one drink and said "lets call it a draw and go to bed early", so we did and that was the end of day seven.
Day 8 Saturday
All the other boats are coming in sometime today. They eventually rolled in about 11o'clock, ( all except Parrot who has gone to Caernarfon to collect his daughter. And Bruin who has gone to the Isle of Man) We got everybody in and tied up without mishap, then people were wandering around to the showers as usual or up to the Spar shop for supplies and generally messing around with their boats all afternoon. In the evening, as we were all going to the pub, a lad called Neil off another boat told us not to go into the town as there was a lot of fighting going on and all the young ones were in, throwing too much beer down their necks. So he pointed out a bridge and for us to go to a 'pink' hotel he said 'we call this the pink house, a bit of a dump, but you'll be alright'.
We went up and it was quite a nice place, there was a private party on but they let us use a back room, which was a type of conservatory. Anyway we were able to have a good drink until about half past eleven when they said the private party will be on their way in now - it turned out they were from the B.B.C and covering the Eistedfodd so we left at around quarter to twelve after quite a pleasant evening.
Day 9
A lovely day. We had a guest staying with us last night, Ratters, who was a bit worse for wear and couldn't find his berth with Wilf ,so we'd said, "come and stay with us".
People just got up when they liked today, had something to eat. Hazel and Jim got a lift off Alex into Bangor as Alex is going back home today. I was about to get the bus into Bangor when Neil, the lad who told us about the Pink Hotel, asked where I was going, when I told him, he said he was just on his way to 'Dickies' in Bangor and offered to drop me off, so we had quite a good trip over and then a wander round the town, didn't bump into any other members of the gang. I had a couple of beers, then stood on the pier looking down the beautiful Menai strait, such a lovely afternoon - I could have been anywhere.I went back to the town and just missed the bus, on the bus though was Wilf and his crew Norman but I had to hang around about another hour and when I eventually got back to the boat we had our tea. I'd prepared a quiz and took it up to the hotel but everyone was having a good chat and enjoying themselves so I didn't bother with the quiz. The good news was that England beat Australia in the second test match by two runs!
Day 10
We got up early because it was decided we would leave today and this is when everyone was split and going their various ways. Ian and myself decided to go down to Beaumaris with Salty Fiddler, Guileen, Strider and Hound dog. Some of the others, Rice Pudding and Florence went to Holyhead. Pebbles, Esmerelda, Sea Otter and Parrot decided to go down to Pilot's Cove over the Caernarfon Bar.
We went up into Beaumaris, Tom from Salty Fiddler said 'what you do is go to Gallows Point point, you run up on the beach and drop your kedge anchor onto the beach and get your shore line tied on to something substantial like an old boat'. So this we did, eventually. It was a bit of a mess in the bow but we eventually got ourselves sorted out.
The Commodore of the North West Ventures Yacht Club was absolutely fantastic, he took our lines and gave us the number for the key, so that we could use the showers and toilets, for the donation of a quid into a box. Very good of him, and the place was really nice I would recommend it to anybody who wants somewhere good to stay and if you go up onto shore you just miss the mud of Beaumaris which believe you me is absolutely terrible and instead you end up on gravel.
We could hear other people talking about where they were, Nyoka went into Port Penrhyn, Mick and Lynn decided to go to Puffin Island with Colombus because they were heading for home, going on to Preston and wanted an early start, so they needed to be in a deep water anchorage. Others went down into Red Wharf Bay.
We had a walk in town later on and then back to the boat, had the craic with the other boats, and it was quite a pleasant day.
Day 11
We are staying at Beaumaris and decided to get the bus into Menai Bridge with Hazel and Jim but unfortunately yesterday (when I was climbing on to the boat) the block of wood that we had jammed against the rudder slipped (we had to climb onto the block of wood because the boarding ladder was too short) I slipped off and did a bit of damage to my left arm - only took a bit of skin off, nothing life threatening. Hazel being a nurse, we managed to go into a chemist and get something for it and she sorted me out.
We walked down to the jetty at Menai Bridge, normally there is a big training boat there, but lo and behold! Who's coming through the Swellies? Esmerelda and Parrot, we shouted and waved but with their engines clattering they didn't hear us. Jim, Hazel and Ian went and had fish and chips, I had a sarnie and then we had a wander over the old Menai Bridge.
It was really good to stand there and see the Swellies from above. While we were there a yacht came through and it was getting a bit shallow but he didn't mind a bit, he just came through on his own, about a 28 footer, and off he went, he ambled through no problem! So maybe the Swellies are not as fearsome to some people as they seem to be to others.
We thought 'Well, it's time we went back and got some supplies in' and so we decided to get the bus back, stored up and then we had to sit down and wait while the tide went out. Back on board and had a bite to eat then we decided to go to Beaumaris for a few beers and then get back before the tide came in. We had a good night but Hazel didn't feel too well so she didn't bother coming out, I think she's got a touch of sun stroke.
We've been hearing chit-chat on the V.H.F from different people about where they were, though we heard nothing of Dennis in Penrhyn, we heard that Esmerelda was heading there.
Day 12
We decided to move today to deeper water: Osprey, Strider, Salty Fiddler, Guileen and Hound Dog. We all had to wait for the tide to come in and lift the the boats off Various boats managed it before others. Osprey, with me and Ian on board were the last ones to get off, so where the others picked up deep water moorings, there were none available for us, so we went on to near the pier and picked a mooring up that had a half ton marker on it and a chain and a riser that could have held the Q.E 2, so we decided to sit on this chain.
'Are we going ashore? No, sod it.' So we just sat there in the sunshine and chilled out. We had just finished our meal when a Rib came roaring up and said 'you've got to bugger off, you shouldn't be on that mooring.' So, we did. So we dropped the mooring and dropped the hook, which held ok, no problem. Later on in the evening around about 8 o'clock, Jim and Hazel got sent off their mooring as well so they went up and picked up the mooring that we had just left - which we thought was rather strange, but never mind, everyone was quite happy.
We heard that Dennis had actually gone back into Fleetwood. A few of the other boats had sailed passed us and gone into Red wharf bay.
Day 13
Thursday 11th August '05. We had all agreed to leave at 6 o'clock in the morning and head for Piel Island, we left eventually round about 5.50, all except Guileen who decided to hold on until 7.30 as he wanted to go to Fleetwood. We up-anchored and away and was in Puffin Island in 25 minutes because the tide was running really well, it was like the cork out of a lying down champagne bottle.
We carried on bowling along, motoring and with just the mainsail up as there was hardly any wind. We eventually ran into a front that was crossing and it went very cold - I had a polo shirt on, a sweat shirt, fleece and a sailing coat. It wasn't all that pleasant! It was quite a rough quartering sea following us which was throwing us around in every shape that a boat wants to be thrown around: we had: rolling, pitching, you name it, we had it, anyway you carry on, don't you?
The fog came down a little bit, we had a quarter of a mile visibility, not too bad. We could hear Esmerelda in front of us calling backwards with various bits and pieces of information. We ran out of the fog just at the other side of the gas fields and we headed for half way shoal when Dermot came on the radio off Esmerelda to tell us about yellow buoys in front of him 'what do we do?' We realized that they were the stands that they are going to put the wind turbines on. 'We can't sail through them then?' Asks Dermot, which raised a smile.
We bowled round there and was into Piel Island, we didn't do too badly, eleven hours twenty-five minutes, picked up a mooring which turned out to have R.W.Y.C on which we presumed was Royal Welsh Yacht Club which was rather nice.
We went ashore and to the Ship Inn, which I hadn't been in for twelve months and in my estimation has gone to the dogs. Karen is not looking too well at all. I didn't see Rod, I believe he's been quite poorly. There were some campers there making a load of racket and children running round wild so we said 'come on, let's sack it', so we went back to the boat where me and Ian had a few beers and then turned in.
Day 14
It's now day fourteen and our last day of the cruise, we are leaving Piel Island and heading back to Glasson.
It was a rather boisterous night, last night, with the rudder banging around, because if you tie it down it squeaks like hell - so instead you have to put up with a sound like a cupboard door banging every now and again. It got up to a north westerly of around 4, which made it slightly uncomfortable but we got used to it.
Ian and myself have been doing all the pre-sail jobs like putting a reef in the main and so on and eventually sailed off from Piel Island with all the other club boats - Florence was there as well and we left at 12 o'clock. We just used the foresail and were doing quite well, really going, up to about five knots, we came out of the channel and did a detour towards Blackpool tower for about half an hour and then steered for the Llune buoy number one, nearly everyone was using the same tactics and enjoying themselves.
Photo by Dermott
We couldn't hoist the main sail because we had a problem with the track and so we had to just use foresail, but we were still doing just over 5 knots over the ground and were quite happy with it.
Over the radio we heard Jeff off Pebbles, David on Parrot and Sea Otter, Alan had a problem with his radio and we hadn't heard very much of him, anyway we heard him coming down and he sounded to be making good ground but they'd had a rather rough time of it - a lot of rocking and rolling on the way back out of Red Wharf bay. Dave seemed quite cheerful enough, Christine was quite happy and chatting away.
We were a bit too early to cross the bar so we just stooged around for a bit and crept down the channel under a scrap of foresail. When we got to the dock we had to wait while the dredger finished working. After twenty minutes they let us in and we went alongside the wall behind Nyoka, with Alan and Sue next to us. So ended the booze cruise for Ian and myself, the amnesia cruise, I have really enjoyed my time sailing with Ian, he is a good skipper and great company to be with. I have decided to buy Lodge's share of Cameo and keep her for myself.
I would like to thank everyone on the cruise for making it a right good trip.