Trinc1

There were originally intended to be a crew of four, but Ian G injured his arm and had to back out. Barrie had arranged for Ian F to drive us down to Hamble near Southampton on the Thursday evening, we picked up Allan just south of Birmingham and arrived at Hamble Point Marina at nine thirty that evening. After unloading our gear and stowing it on board we said our goodbyes to Ian and made our way to the local pub called the Ketch Rigger where the Wadsworth 6X was quite palatable.
The Friday was spent checking out Trinculo, our first priorities were water, gas and electricity. The gas was soon working with just two taps that were easily found. The water took a little longer, we filled the tank and still no water pressure, we followed the water pipes as well as we could and found the pump. This appeared not to be working so we had a look at the instruction sheet left on the boat which told us to hold a switch down on the pump to prime it, we suddenly had water pressure. It was Allen who then said “If all else fails, read the instructions”. This became the running gag for the next few days. The electricity proved to be another problem as the shorepower socket was an American type and after checking with the Chandlers; the price for just the plug was just under a hundred pounds. This was considered to be ridiculous and I climbed in to the Bosun’s locker and disconnected the existing socket and connected a standard one for around twelve pounds. A number of safety items were also purchased from the Chandlers; these included a Danbuoy, two new lifebuoys and a First Aid Kit. A collapsible hosepipe and a shorepower lead were also bought, together with a large scale chart of the South Coast of England. We checked out everything and with the exception of one bulb on the port side navigation light, it all worked. The next job was to assemble and blow up the dinghy which took a while, it was then over to the Office to sign the paperwork and then down to the village for groceries. A gentleman from ‘Sure Start’ gave us a lift in and after a pint in a pub and half an hour in the Co-Op we were in a taxi back to the Marina. After loading the food on board it was back to the Ketch Rigger for a couple more pints.

HAMBLE TO COWES AND ON TO LYMINGTON.
The following morning we left Hamble Point Marina at eleven fifteen and motored out in to Southampton Water. We had been told that fuel is cheaper at Cowes so we headed across to the Isle of White. It was like the M6 on a Bank Holiday Friday, there were ferries criss-crossing with massive container ships and tankers together with yachts and racing dinghies by the score. The wind was force five to six from the west as we tried out our sails. The foresail was quickly unfurled; the mainsail took a little longer. The sails were rolled away as we entered the river Medina at Cowes in what can only be described as a traffic jam. After waiting our turn at the fuel berth we pulled alongside and told the young man to “Fill her up”. The tank is published as holding 260 litres, he put in 270 litres, and so we must have been running on fumes.
After fuelling we made our way back in to the Solent, the sea was rough to say the least and the wind was gusting gale force from the west. We motored west in to it and were very relieved to be able to turn in to the channel heading in to Lymington. A ferry came up behind us, overtook us and then stopped in the channel ahead of us. We overtook and saw another ferry coming out; the first was waiting for space at the terminal. We moved past Lymington’s two huge Marina’s and Sailing Club and approached the town’s quay. The Harbour Master’s launch came alongside and he told us the town quay was full and advised us to go between the mooring buoys. He directed us where and tied one of our lines to the forward, we dropped back and tied the aft one. I consulted the Good Beer Guide, no luck nothing listed. After food on board we launched the dinghy and rowed ashore. We found a couple of pubs with real ale along the high street. The place looked expensive and as Barrie put it “you know it’s dear when the clothes shops have no prices in the window”. We returned to a harbour front pub for a last one.

LYMINGTON TO DARTMOUTH.
It was decided to make an early start, so we were up at four the next morning and quietly made our way out. Conditions had improved, but the wind was still from the west. With the wind on the nose we had no choice but to keep the engine running. We left the Solent via the Needles channel in relatively calm conditions and motored past Christchurch and Bournemouth. We then moved out to clear Portland Bill and crossed Lyme Bay to the river Dart on its western end. This entire passage was done on the engine due to wind direction. As we entered the river Dart we were joined by another yacht called “Forward Thinking”, Barrie recognised it as the yacht that had recently been sailed around the world the wrong way, as it is known, by a lady called (o.k. I looked it up later) Dee Caffari. We rafted up to a 99 year old wooden sailing yacht with Sea Scouts on board. I again consulted the Good Beer Guide and we visited The Churub Inn for an hour to try the Sharp’s Doom Bar Bitter.

DARTMOUTH TO FALMOUTH.
We were again up at four and had left the river by four forty five. After rounding the headland we found that the wind was now from the north west giving us our first opportunity to sail. Our intended destination was Newlyn near Penzance however the course we were able to hold due to wind direction took us several miles further south (off Shore) than we had planned so we tacked back in. the tide was now against us and the sea had got progressively rougher as the day progressed. We changed our plans and headed for the Halford river near Falmouth. The Engine was started and we turned in, the revs on engine fell away and when the throttle was pushed forward the engine cut out. It was obviously a fuel problem. Barrie had several attempts at resolving the problem as I was on the helm and Allan navigated. The engine was started three or four times after Barrie changed a fuel filter, but the Revs varied and the engine died again after each attempt. It was going dark rapidly and plans were changed again, Falmouth was now our destination. I tacked across the bay in the dark and was still about five miles off when I turned towards the harbour. Falmouth Coastguard was informed of our situation and we reduced sail to slow us down so as to reach the harbour by low water. It was to take us an hour to get there and I went to sleep for an hour. I was awoken three hours later to be told we were waiting for daybreak. It was around four when we finally moved in to the harbour, Barrie set up the lasso’s and lines to capture the mooring buoy. Whilst I stayed on the helm, three tacks later and we were approaching a buoy in light winds, which Barrie easily picked up. The first job was to bleed the engines fuel system, this was done and the engine started and ran for an hour to recharge the batteries. It was then sleep for a few hours and then catch the afternoon tide to take us through to Newlyn. We dropped the mooring at about one in the afternoon and motored out to the harbour entrance. As we approached the entrance the engine failed again, the foresail was quickly deployed and we again sailed back to pick up a mooring buoy. The wind was much stronger and gusting, but we again successfully grabbed a mooring first time. The Yacht Haven office was contacted and a phone number of a local engineer was given to us. He could not come out to us until the following morning. So it was back to sleep and then food, followed by a dinghy ride ashore and we visited a pub called the Star & Garter.

FALMOUTH TO MILFORD HAVEN.
The Engineer duly arrived by nine the following morning. He explained a number of things about the fuel system that we were not aware, including the fact that we have dual low pressure filters. By eleven the engine was running perfectly, the Engineer had supplied spare filters and we had done some shopping. We prepared to leave and were soon on our way out of the harbour. The sea had calmed and the wind was still from the North West. After rounding Lizard Point (the most southerly point on the UK mainland) our destination again changed we decided to miss Newlyn, round Lands End and carry on overnight to Milford Haven in South Wales. As we turned towards Lands End the Longships Lighthouse came in to view. We tacked north and moved along the Cornish coast and the tacked again to put us on a course for Milford Haven.
Crossing the Bristol Channel which is part of the Celtic Sea was on the whole uneventful; we sailed at times and had the engine on for long periods. I was trying to get the backlight on the GPS to work as it went dark and Allan told me he had tried the night before.’If all else fails, read the instructions’, and ten minutes later the backlight was on. The night watch felt long as there was little to see, a lighthouse and a couple of ships were all that were spotted. It was about ten in the morning when the monotony was broken when about twenty dolphins came to play by our bows; they came and went for about an hour. It was mid afternoon when the Welsh coast came in to view and the entrance to Milford Haven was spotted. By four thirty in the afternoon we were rafted up to a working boat on the pontoon at Milford Haven. It was time to say goodbye to Allan. Due to family commitments he had promised to be home by Saturday and if he came with us to Holyhead he may not make it, he caught the train home from Milford Haven.

MILFORD HAVEN TO HOLYHEAD.
The working boat we were tied up to wanted to move at six thirty that evening and we decided to leave at the same time. We motored out of the harbour and turned passed St Anthony’s head lighthouse and then turned towards the Bishops & Clerk which are rocks so called because from certain angles they look like a series of Bishops Mitres. The wind was flat calm and the sea like a wavy mirror. After passing these rocks we were in open water and went on to a watch system, during my night watch the only thing that happened was the Coastguard asking for help in supplying diesel to a yacht in the southern part of Cardigan Bay. Another yacht responded immediately and went to assist. In the early morning light Bardsey Island came in to view several miles to starboard. We were only about ten miles from Holyhead when the wind picked up and we had a sail. After tacking out we sailed in light winds passed South Stack Lighthouse and then passed North Stack where we came across a group of about twenty canoeists. We then turned in to the bay, dropped the sails and it was four in the afternoon when we motored in to Holyhead Harbour. The Marina was called on channel 37 and we were given berthing instructions. After docking we asked a couple in a motor boat if the chandlers would still be open and were told no. ‘What do you need ‘? We told them we needed a chart of the Irish sea, eastern part. They told us they had recently bought one and we were welcome to buy it and they would purchase another the following day. This we agreed to. It was then food sleep and beer in that order as we visited the Yacht Club at about nine thirty that evening.

HOLYHEAD TO FLEETWOOD.
         After checking the tides we agreed to leave just after four in the morning to use the last of the incoming tide to get us passed the Skerries and clear of Angelsey. We were up just after four and by four thirty were on the move. We motored towards the harbour entrance following the long breakwater. As we approached the light which marks the entrance at the end of the breakwater, a young man was waving at us. I was still busy stowing the fenders and lines and Barrie waved back. The young man then pointed at the harbour entrance and Barrie saw a man in the water. He called to me “Kev there’s a Nutter in the water” I made a line ready and he called to us “HELP”. He was hanging on to a lifebuoy and Barrie moved Trinculo passed him so he could get aboard on the bathing platform at the stern. The man in the water thought we were going to leave him behind and shouted “HELP” again, I told him not to worry we will get you, and to go to the back of our boat. Barrie lowered the ladder on the bathing platform and the man climbed aboard. He was only about eighteen and rather cold, I gave him a towel and put him in the cabin. We turned round and shouted to the young man on the breakwater to go to the marina. We were about half way back to the marina when we saw the Inshore Rescue Lifeboat going at full tilt towards the entrance, we waved then down and two Lifeboat men came aboard to assess the casualty. He was fine, just cold. We dropped them off at the marina where the Coastguard and others were waiting. I told them we had to go or we would miss our tide and left. We called the Coastguard to pass on our passage plans and they thanked us for our assistance. We had now missed the last of the incoming tide and now had to push against the tide to get past the Skerries. I was unsure if we would make it to Fleetwood in time to get in to the Marina. The further we made it away from Anglesey the less the effect of the ebbing tide, so the greater our speed and six hours later the tide would turn with us. We were half way across before we had sufficient wind to put the sails up and the effect on our speed was minimal, the engine was the only thing that would get us there. We passed the gas rigs and had a look at two things that had arrived since I last sailed these waters, the first is a single tower on the edge of Shell Flat to monitor the wind with a view to building a large wind farm, the second is the new wind farm off Barrow. We moved in to the Lune Deep with time to spare and cut the corner slightly and joined the Fleetwood Channel close to Wyre Light. The Pandoro ship overtook us as we set the foresail and we had our picture taken from the beach by both Andy and Barrie’s parents. We made past the lock gate with fifteen minutes to spare.

                                                                                                             Kevan

                                                                           Distance        Time
Sat 27th May      Hamble to Cowes                                7             2
Sat 27th May      Cowes to Lymington                            9             2.30
Sun28th May     Lymington to Dartmouth                  83.2           17
Mon29 May      Dartmouth to Falmouth                    92.5           25.45
Wed 31st May   Falmouth to Milford Haven            142.6           28.45
Fri 2nd June      Milford Haven to Holyhead            104.6           22
Sat 3rd June       Holyhead to Fleetwood                    74.9           12.30
                                                            Totals         513.8         110.30
Night Hours = 18 Hrs                                                                                  Engine hrs.= 92 hrs.