Trinc2

I met up with Barrie, Andy and Allan in the “Thomas Drummond”, the Wetherspoons Pub in Fleetwood on the Thursday evening. After a few beers we headed back to the Marina. It was eight thirty the following morning when Dave joined us and we headed out of the Marina to drop Allan off at Ian’s yacht “Wildfire”, which was on a mooring on the river Wyre, with Ian and Terry already on board. A third Yacht called “Shepan” then joined us as we moved out of the river and in to the Fleetwood Channel.
The sails were hoisted and we sailed towards the Lune Deep. Breakfast was being served on “Trinculo” at the same time. The only problem was, we could not find the Eggs in fact we never did find them or what had happened to them. After leaving the Lune Deep, we left the new Windfarm off Barrow to Port and set course for the north of the Morecombe Bay Gas field . The wind was about force 4 from the south west and we were doing around five knots for the first couple of hours. The wind slowly dropped and became variable. The engine was started and the foresail furled, which was to become the usual for the weekend. The wind dropped to nothing and visibility deteriorated as we motored on keeping a sharp lookout for ferries and trawlers. The third yacht in our flotilla “Shepan” developed some engine trouble which sounded just like what happened to us off Falmouth a few weeks earlier. We would have turned back to them but they assured us that a fuel filter change would have them going again in no time. As we approached the Isle of Man the visibility improved dramatically and we moved out of the mist. It was just after six in the afternoon when we rafted up to a sloop in Douglas outer harbour.

The couple on the Sloop we were rafted up to had met us before and were regulars at the Fylde Folk Festival which both Ian and myself attend, they had also bumped in to us at Conway and Barrow. Ian was soon rafted up to the outside of us and a discussion took place as whether or not to go in to the inner harbour. Forty five minutes later we passed the sill and were tying up to a pontoon in the inner harbour. I walked round to the Harbour Masters Office to pay the harbour dues and collect a gate pass. By the time I got back it was time to go out for food. We arranged to meet ‘Wildfire’s’ crew in the British a dockside pub and headed straight there. No food was being served so on the advice of a Taxi driver headed for “Jak’s” on the Prom. The Restaurant was in the basement of a pub and after a pleasant, reasonably priced meal and three pints each we headed back to the British. There was no sign of Wildfire’s crew but we had a pint anyway and Shepan’s crew turned up, they had made it and done a repair job on their fuel filters. It was food they really wanted and we directed them to some takeaways in the main shopping area. We then made our way to another bar which used to have real ale on, but alas no longer. The Doorman told us that the Swing Easy Bar at

the Hilton Hotel was no more, so that plan was out. We then went on to an Irish pub and caught the last few songs of an Irish singer. The Couple on the boat we had rafted up to were also there. It was then back to Jak’s as it was open until one. We walked back to the Marina looking at all the improvements that had taken place in the four years since we had last visited.
           The Harbour office had told us that our last opportunity to leave the inner harbour on this tide would be at 11.45 that morning and by 11.30 we had bought some eggs and had breakfast, moved Trinculo off the pontoon and waiting patiently for the bridge to be lifted. Together with Wildfire we made our out of the harbour and turned South in flat calm and windless conditions. Two uneventful hours later we turned in to Port St Mary and tied up to the wall with Wildfire rafted up to us. It was only two in the afternoon and by three we in the Bay View Hotels Beer Garden. We only intended to have a couple but Ian, Allen and Terry from Wildfire had joined us, together with the crew of Shepan who had left their boat in Douglas and come down on the train. The Okell’s was on form and after five pints we made our way down to the Fish and Chip shop for food before heading back to Triculo for some sleep. By eight in the evening we were out again, this time the Yacht Club was our first port of call. The Stewardess apologised when she served us, telling us that they would be closing at 9.30 that evening so she and her husband could attend her brother’s 40th Birthday Party. Barrie had been told earlier that a lady he had met some years earlier called Doreen Quirke had moved away, The Stewardess remembered her and we told Barrie that she moved away in case he ever returned so she could not be found. The conversation moved on to Lifeboats as the stewardess’s husband is a Lifeboat man. We could not resist and told the story of Classic Wave, Barrie produced the press cutting and the Lifeboat man suddenly realised where he had seen it before, in the latest Lifeboat Magazine. A Yacht Club Committee Member turned up and took over the bar so the Stewardess and her husband could get off to the party, she told us,’ you lot are fun and can come again’. We remained in the bar till it closed at midnight.
         It was nine in the morning when we paid our harbour dues and left to return to Fleetwood. It was a mass exodus from the wall as about nine yachts left at the same time. The wind was slight from the south west and the motor stayed on. After again passing to the north of the Morecambe Bay Gas field Rigs we turned towards the Lune Deep and the wind was at last strong enough to sail. We sailed to the south of the Barrow Wind farm and entered the Lune Deep. The engine was started as we moved up the Fleetwood Channel and then moved over to the Knott End side of the River Wyre to drop off Dave Brindle. His family were waiting for him on the slipway as we approached. Trinculo suddenly stopped as we ran aground on a sand bank, a touch of reverse was applied and we slipped off it. By approaching directly towards the slipway and then steering to starboard we left the slipway just to port and Dave and his bag were literally dumped on to the slipway. As we tried to move away all of Dave family was pushing us off, we went aground again and the dinghy was getting in the way as Trinculo turned. The dingy was taken to starboard side and tied on and a rope passed to Dave’s family who pulled us straight again, reverse power was then applied and we slipped back towards the main channel. The Dock was called on the VHF and we were told the Lock Gate was open, so we made our way in to the Marina and tied up. I just made last orders in my Local.

                                                                                                       Kevan

Friday 21st July        Fleetwood to Douglas Isle of Man             53.7 Miles
Saturday 22nd July    Douglas to Port St Mary Isle of Man         10.1 Miles
Sunday 23rd July       Port St Mary to Fleetwood                       54.2 Miles

                                                        Total:                              118 sea mls.