Port Dinorwic’s slip is no longer available due to housing development, so we mostly launched at 7.30 to 8.30 am on Saturday at Traeth Bychan. Present were:

Self and daughter, Kathy in Wayfarer 404 Restless Tim Evans in Yeoman Mollie Colin Bell in Cormorant Flutterbye Ian Page & Paul Harrison in Suffolk Beach Punt Peregrine Stuart Calcutt & Peter in junk Karmatoo, who launched at Menai Bridge

The general plan was either to sail west and south past Holyhead and South Stack to Cymyran Strait, weather permitting; or else to rendezvous at Cemaes on Saturday night. A combination of no wind in the morning, followed by a wet southerly and poor* visibility in the afternoon, led to the latter plan. We dried out inside Cemaes harbour, but I was too tired to organise a visit to The Stag. It rained hard all night.

Next day, Sunday, brought early showers and a brisk southerly offshore wind. We’d cautiously swapped yesterday’s genoa, worth seven knots, for the working jib; still leaving the main unset. With the late flood we made good progress eastwards towards Point Lynas where we would have faced the extensive fetch of Red Wharf Bay and a long beat upwind. We were passed by one or two yachts but saw no sign of our DCA mates. As we approached Amlwch the wind freshened still further and I began to fear conditions beyond Lynas so started to close the shore. Odd waves broke over the starboard quarter, so deciding that it would be better to ‘live to fight another day’, we put into the narrow entrance of Amlwch and moored up to the fully-fendered east wall of the inner harbour. A brisk walk, a lift in a chlorine tanker from the nearby bromine works and I was soon returning with van and boat trailer for an easy pull out on an excellent slip, unimpeded by jet-skiers and other posers.

We then returned to Cemaes in search of the others who I thought might be in need of a lift, but there was no sign of them. We drove eastwards again, peering into Bull Hole and revisiting Amlwch harbour, before returning anxiously to Traeth Bychan. I was very relieved to see Colin’s Cormorant on its trailer in the car park and Tim and Mollie dried out on the sand. Tim had had a very frightening time after passing Lynas when first his genoa furling gear jammed and then his outboard motor seized. Luckily he was spotted en route to the Isle of Man by the skipper of a fishing boat which towed him in. There was no sign of Ian and Paul so I phoned the coastguard from the sailing club. As we helped Tim to recover Mollie the message came that they’d lost their bumpkin and mizzen boom in the process of ‘wearing ship’ — tacking under jib and mizzen being well-nigh impossible. This left them with oar-power, so they very sensibly used their VHF and were assisted by the Moelfre lifeboat. This even arranged a transfer to the inshore boat, so that they could be towed directly to the uncovering sands of Traeth Bychan. Ian related that his most frightening moment came as the huge lifeboat came behind and he envisaged the next big wave sweeping it over the top of their frail craft.

That accounted for everyone except Stuart and Peter who’d passed Restless unseen in Saturday’s fog off Holyhead, but who’d spoken to the others. I hoped and imagined that he was tucked up snugly in Cymyran Sound planning how best to return. Caernarfon bar would have been very hairy on Sunday or Monday. As it turned out Stuart had spent those two days sitting out the strong winds on a mooring by Holyhead Sailing Club. This included a N force 9 on Monday! He managed to pull out at Holyhead late on Tuesday and was full of praise for the HSC taxi service which runs throughout the week. To cap his weekend he ran out of fuel half a mile from home and made two trips on foot at 2am carrying his outboard and other valuables!

visibility was 200-300 yards in Holyhead Bay but GPS found Carmel Head like magic!

Lessons I learnt:

1. Four day weather faxes can be wildly wrong, especially at Bank Holiday weekends.

2. Coasts provide a lee, until you come to a bay, which ‘provides’ stronger winds and bigger waves due to the increased fetch — 10 miles from Lynas to The Ship pub.

3. Be prepared to use a bolt-hole, instead of pressing on to near or certain doom, so incorporate bolt-holes into your plans.

4. Engines and VHF radios, as well as GPSs are great aids to safety at sea, if only you can afford them all.

5. Fishermen and the RNLI are a DCA member’s best friends.

With hindsight I shan’t use Traeth Bychan again. It’s become very noisy with youthful drunks at 1-2 am and jet-skis buzzing around from dawn to dusk. If anyone needs advice on possible alternatives, phone me at 0161 283 7824.

Loch Creran 22nd - 30th May by Joan Abrams

Boats present:

Avocet, Cornish Coble: Brian Swindlehurst Hwilpe, Mayfly: Joan Abrams and Sophie Annetts Bass Boat: Albert and Joyce Hattersley Katy, Mirror: Andrew Gillies

Attendance was sparse at this rally: a pity, as the weather was kind and we enjoyed an experience of the beautiful coast at its best. Brian is almost a fixture at Creran Moorings these days, and in Avocet all of us enjoyed a day at Eilean na Cloiche, or Care Island. Joyce and Albert called in briefly. Katy, Avocet and Hwilpe visited the upper loch beyond the bridge. Jock and Jonquil Slorance gave us their usual welcome.

Ullswater 14th - 15th June by Jeff Smith

A total of nine boats made the trip to Ullswater for this meet, most of which were launched from the good concrete slipway at Fairfield Marina on the west side of the lake. Those taking part included Albert and Joyce Hattersley’s Falmouth Bass Boat Spirit, Sheila and Ron Howell’s Lune Pilot RonShee, accompanied by Harry and Janet Turner, the Drascombe Dabbers of Cliff Laycock and Terry Hughes, and David Chatterley in the crowd pulling double-ender Iona, Chris Brooks and friends in his Tideway 14, Brian McClellan and Bill Steed in West Wight Potter Water Mouse, Mike Cottam in his canoe, and Jeff and Carol Smith’s Seafly Southern Spirit. The elusive Eric Scholes was also spotted at one point, but I am unable to confirm the type of craft.

Saturday morning was dry, but dull and overcast for the run to Howtown on a following north’westerly wind. Lunch brought everyone together behind the steamer pier, and apart from one pair of water filled salopettes worn by a Tideway crew member — making an early landing, passed without incident. After lunch the fleet divided, some boats making the trip to Glenridding and the remainder, taking two hours to beat back up the lake to Fairfield. The Horse and Farrier at Dacre, and the Brackenrigg were the chosen venues for a bar meal and a pint on Saturday evening.

The long awaited sunshine still refused to show it’s face on Sunday morning as we took down the tent on the Ullswater Caravan and Camping Park. This chore was well in hand for both us and Terry Hughes on the next pitch, when McClellan and Steed appeared, to interrupt proceedings, and to enthuse about their overnight mooring against a Fairfield pontoon for £7 and a free early morning call from the owner thrown in!

Sandwick Bay was the chosen venue for lunch, and with much steadier wind again from the northwest we set off on a very pleasant run for Sandwick. Passing through the notorious Howtown Bay (wind in three directions all at once) the wind veered to south’easterly and we were now having a nice steady beat. Sandwick is another good place to beach or anchor overnight and again provided an opportunity for members to have a chat and to discuss the finer points of each other’s boats. The south’easterly provided an excellent run back to Fairfield and apart from one uncontrolled gybe coming into the marina, was accomplished on the same tack.

The sun eventually did show itself when everyone was on their way home. A most enjoyable weekend, complimented with the excellent facilities of the caravan park and the Fairfield Marina and certainly a repeat venue for the future.