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as where we currently were would have much less we hove to dumping the main in favour of the try sl and spent 36 hours warm dry and comfortable as the current moved us 13nm up and then back as our gusts rarely exceeded mid 30 s the last part took us around the corner and back into the english channel mousehole coverack and goran haven gave us shelter over the next few days before we arrived back at cawsand rolly and uncomfortable we headed further up river into the lynher anchoring west of jupiter point for a few days until the big tides allowed us back onto our berth the river is more like a lake here and for the most part shallow so we re limited on how close to the land we can get but the fetch was ok even if the wind over tide situation wasn t heh ho back down river to await the tide into millbrook the wind picked up and white caps focused the mind on manoeuvring into our berth a text message to a friend back on the quay about the state of the wind there elicited a puzzled what wind response and so it was true to form i managed to put us an the mud again and daz came out to haul us off so by 7pm and about 2500nm later we were tied up since then we ve got a bit of work done and the mizzen will be started in the new year when we ve kindly been given access to the big shed that sits on the quay the wood is ordered and ready as we work on the mizzen we also need to repair the mizzen boom which was badly damaged by the fall and scarf a piece onto the main boom the radar has been regularly tested and seems to work fine the main and bowsprit have been checked for rot and repairs made to the latter which had some punky bits with the winter approaching we decided to make some changes to our stove which involved removing and then dismantling to strip the rust out luckily bee had found someone obsessed with morso stoves not far away who proved very helpful over the phone he agreed to reassemble while we waited and we borrowed a van to take it out there he did it within a couple of hours although we d inadvertently stumbled across a fully paid up member of the conspiracy brigade covid is a gates plot assisted by soros and whoever and on and on nothing we could say would or could dent their belief and really there is little point in saying much at all other than we didn t agree and surely not everything they d seen on the internet has to be true still he made a good job of our stove and it works now as it did when we first installed it many years ago so that s it we made the update before the end of the year a year in which the pandemic continued to wreck lives and which makes a dismasting insignificant a year in which toots reached 19 and continues to show thankfully no signs of slowing down and we started on our 21st year aboard look after yourselves live the best life you can cos you re dead a long time we ll leave you with this take note of the words mbt millbrook posted by mbt at 19 37 2 comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest saturday 10 july 2021 oh dear if we have thought about loch tarbet over the break it has invariably been coupled to another wild loch to the ne of the sound of jura known as drumbuie it s narrow entrance helps break up any big westerlies and we had only used it last time when heading south we wanted to get there and were up early again to pick up the north going tide up the sound i don t think we ve ever sailed this sound non stop usually having to motor to get the gate at either end but this time we stopped just short of loch aline and anchored for a few hours before moving on the bay is fine decent holding etc but the swell from the calmac ferries can cause havoc so perhaps a night there was never really on the cards we beat motored up the sound rounded the headland and sailed toward the entrance ahead we could see the mast of a boat at anchor but we were the only two in that night the following day when they left we moved up into the vacated spot and were rewarded by the shore side sighting of a large fox hunting amongst the kelp we should have stayed there but with no internet and the forecast promising ne3 4 the breeze seemed ideal for a passage to the hebs exiting the anchorage a sea eagle flew across our bow and the phone signal came back but the forecasted breeze wouldn t come in until late evening with a promise of very strong easterlies soon go back plug on in the end the latter prevailed although we changed our destination from the hebs where winds might be a lot stronger to somewhere around skye perhaps loch scavaig as we motored on past muck eigg and rum the destination nagged away at me it has a reputation for fearsome squalls coming down from the nearby cuillin mountains and it might not be the sanest berth for a couple of days exciting perhaps but we ll leave that to others checking the antares there looked to be a possible shelter in a nearby loch that had hills rather than mountains surrounding it and trees as a bonus no mention in any pilot book and a entrance that involved having to slalom through rocks to gain entry to a less than inspiring loch caused mostly by the huge mussel farms that seem to be everywhere the approach was made worse by a hard running ebb though luckily at neaps and the shoreline looked distinctly rocky at the head of the chosen bay there is sufficient room between shore and farm to get good swinging room the shore looked to be less rocky but that may have been wishful thinking on my behalf the anchor went down and silence no rumbling or grating and hannah swung sharply to lie behind the anchor might be kelp of course but reversed as ever hard down so remain reasonably confident the blow is expected this evening and tomorrow although the gribs suggest gusts of 30k rather than 40 monday 24 th we spent a couple of days in eishort with strong gusts keeping us aware but the bonus of an eagle and four otters to observe despite its initial uninspiring impression on us we came to appreciate its qualities not least the excellent holding in thick mud but we wanted to get on and with a short lived quiet spell forecast we wanted to try scavaig a short 15nm sail found us entering at low water with the to be avoided patches clearly visible with basking seals atop the anchorage proved bigger than we d imagined and surrounded on three sides by high walled peaks in the corner sat a white washed climbers hut and the afternoon had a series of punter boats arriving to collect or deposit various groups of sightseers to be honest anchorages such as this leave me on edge as the escape route is not straightforward and the surrounding land is going to substantially increase any wind but all was quiet but we were up for another early start the following day with the destination of barra on our mind the forecast was for s or se 6 7 so a blowy day but if it came in se a fairly comfortable one passing soay we experienced the lumpy seas at the western end followed by the increase in winds off nearby rum off canna both wind and seas began to build although the boat remained comfortable jib stays l and a reefed main pushing along at 7k plus with 20nm to go however things had begun to deteriorate to the point the jib had been dumped and a second reef put in as we completed the job bee asked if i wanted the vang a line that controls the end of the gaff there s one for each side easing as it was tight but it was keeping the gaff off the shroud so i said leave it stan coped well but in an effort to keep to windward of our waypoint i had begun steering but as seas increased and we were shipping far more water we knew we needed to think of saner options and opted for skipport some 18nm to the north with the main out and a preventer rigged the stay l sheeted hard in we settled down for a fast if nervous run the headland we needed to clear was proving to be on the cusp of being cleared but was still 10 or more miles away we could gybe but would then need to gybe back again for the entrance and the seas were growing starting to roll and breaking making the manoeuvre a potentially fraught one but the downside was we were treading a fine line that required a lot of attention we re were stbd tack but sometimes a sea would hit us on stbd and shove the boat over causing the main to flutter dangerously the weather was pretty bad with heavy rain and a cold wind so the coffee bee produced was very welcome but stupidly i took my eye off the job in hand and in seconds we gybed the preventer stops the boom smashing over but the gaff of course doesn t have that restriction so comes over much further all hell was let loose with seas and wind seeming to up their game to take advantage we have had involuntary gybes before and with luck we re able to persuade hannah to come back onto the right tack by keeping the tiller over and that s what happened back came the boom with huge force the coffee was still just in the cups and as we took a welcome sip i happened to glance aloft and there hanging forlornly was the end metre or so of gaff finally down and lashed it had snapped in two heaving to and the struggle to get the main down in big seas took some time and was a hairy moment we had to get the boom tied down to stop it knocking one of us over the gaff was now a couple of lethal jagged spears and either hands or sail could suffer serious damage but it was finally under control and lashed down we were able to free the stays l and head on still managing 6k in the stronger gusts down below bee reported that our home was a mess and toots indignant that a couple of light cushions had fallen on her sea berth where she had been sleeping onwards we ran the headland disappearing in the rain and mist but getting closer the big advantage with no main is the gybe risk implication disappear and made us think again of a square sail benefits we finally rounded the headland and shaped toward the entrance where shelter from the waves was assured down the channel we raced in driving rain and down to where we d anchored many years previously sadly not to be as fish farm operations now take up most of the available room we went back to the first anchorage we d passed and eventually dropped there getting the stove lit as a priority the morning brings more rain and continuing strong winds though not yet talking it through we think the vang that bee mentioned was tight enough to cause the spar to snap and it s something we ll ensure we never do again is it repairable not sure certainly when hove to we noticed a couple of splinters fall into the water so parts of it are missing scarf rebuild a new one perhaps in stornoway we ll find out posted by mbt at 12 06 1 comment email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest wednesday 16 june 2021 the paps of jura as 2021 ticked off the months we gradually began getting hannah back together sails bent on in february so anxious were we to convince ourselves that this year covid restrictions would be eased enough for us to feel comfortable with cruising by april we knew we should be able to move and bee told her mates at cafe abundance that their all purpose washer upper would be heading out come the day and the very high tide we slipped our lines and headed out unfortunately not very far as my inattention put us firmly on the mud but as we d left earlier than we should the tide and daz in a rib eventually had us off first stop of course was cawsand bay rolly as ever and then the following day a brilliant return to sailing with a passage down to the helford for the night onwards the next day for the scilly isles and into st helen s pool on the few times we have gone to these islands we always been underwhelmed by their reputation whereas this time we were captivated albeit we were only there a couple of days at low water this pool offers a huge amount of protection and the ocean swell only really noticeable either side of hw but the forecast offered a soon to arrive stiff nw and we decided to head off to dale bay at milford haven in retrospect this was a dumb decision given our last experience and with this wind direction there was of a boat and mooring being pushed across the bay and sunk but we arrived and to our surprise found three other boats at anchor but worked our way inside of them and anchored soon after two boats left for their marina berths leaving a rival and us the wind began as sw ok before backing to nw and not ok the wind strengths were in the 30 s but gusts touched mid 40 s but the wind over tide situation had spray coming over the boat with a serious amount of fetch so not our finest choice the rival had it worse of course almost burying their bow and at the limit of their chain they can t have had an easy time but both boats and crews survived and when conditions eased headed off our plan was to poke our nose into skomer for the night and we slowly beat our way toward the island the seas immediately off it were not particularly welcoming and didn t moderate on closing the entrance bee checked with the bino s and reported little change further in which given this is a tight ish anchorage for us had us bearing away hastily checking the stream and making for the jack sound where our speeds rapidly shot over 8knots and we were through but to where st bride s bay offers few anchorages and not with protection from the east and the nearest place would be fishguard fg we plugged on but went around rather than through ramsey sound as i thought we might have missed the gate by the time we had rounded and left it to our south the tide was running against us and we motored slowly on ahead we could see another yacht and we both came into fg about the same time turned out to be the rival from mh fishguard has a poor reputation for strong winds from nw ne but we didn t think the forecast was for strong so took a chance it was rolly but the holding is good and we waited out the passing of this front we tried another anchorage but being further to the n of the bay meant it had far more swell and back we wandered on the sunday we heard those magic words from the forecasters gale now ceased and we made preparations to leave at 15 10 we hauled anchor and made our way out of fg the seas were minimal the wind decent and we were on our way the forecast had been for s6 7 occasionally 8 and that s what we got we knew some of it would be lumpy as tides run strongly between here and the mull of kintyre but other than a slowing of our speed we were able to truck on and on i contemplated various places we might pull in for the night but bee felt it a waste of the wind and she was right the seas ran perhaps 2 3 metres but mostly the wind stayed in the high 20 s sometimes gusting low 30 s so we were pretty comfortable i d made a change to stan our steerer over the break which meant he didn t foul bend bolts any more and things were hunky dory aboard on the second night i did consider pulling into the anchorage by bangor ni but pitch black big ro...
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