Solo around (the other) Island

August bank holiday. Don remarked that it would be good weekend to go around the Island. He was keen to try it solo in his boat so he proposed a solo cruise in company. I had not sailed my boat alone but I was up for the idea and we agreed to rendezvous at my mooring on the Sunday. Saturday was wet so I pottered on the boat doing odd little jobs until come late afternoon it was bright and sunny. The light wind was too good to waste so I slipped the mooring with a little trepidation and went for a sail, running up to Beaumaris and beating back to the mooring. Now the cause of my trepidation was not the sailing but how easily or other wise I would find picking up the mooring on my own. I handed and stowed the sails mid channel then motored onto the mooring executing a perfect textbook pick up, admittedly the conditions were benign but I was pleased nonetheless.

Early Sunday Don piloted his Jeanneau Sun Legend 42 through the Swellies and picked up a mooring by mine. I rowed across and we breakfasted together and talked of our plans. We left shortly afterwards with me a little in advance and motored up to Beaumaris. Here the Fifes and the Menai Straits One Designs were out on the water so it was a little busy but I hoisted sail and began beating out towards Puffin Island. My advantage over Don’s boat was short lived and he sailed past gradually disappearing in the distance.

Once through Puffin Sound I could set a course for Point Lynas and I had a relaxing crossing of Red Wharf Bay. I could leave the boat to sail herself, she was impeccably mannered in this respect. With the sails correctly trimmed and the tiller held by bungee elastic I could nip below to brew tea, make sandwiches and attend to the navigation. The wind was dying as I rounded Pt Lynas, I changed from a no 2 to the no 1 genoa but soon we were drifting in an oily calm. Nothing for it to hand the sails and start the motor. Don called up on the VHF to say he was at anchor in Porth Wen which lay a short distance ahead. I put into here and rafted up alongside Don and we had a second late lunch in the cockpit.

The bank holiday crowd was in attendance an all sorts of motor craft so we thought we would push on to find a quieter anchorage for the night. Out of the cove we had wind and behind us too so although the tide was now against us by keeping close to the cliffs and making use of the back eddies we had a good run. It is good to keep close in here anyway as the coast is steep too with few dangers and you can admire the splendid cliff scenery. We put into Cemaes Bay and anchored close in under the cliffs. After supper we went ashore and the pub being noisy and crowded with holiday crowds we sat outside and quenched a well-earned thirst with best bitter.

Monday and the forecast was for E-N force 3-4 locally 5. I weighed anchor a little before Don ­ he would soon catch me up and after motoring out into the bay I hoisted full main and the no 3 genoa for a fine run down the coast, outside of the dangers marked by Harry Furlongs buoy and then between the guano streaked West Mouse and the coast for the inshore passage of Carmel Head. The tide runs strongly here with the pilot warning of dangerous over falls at certain states of wind and tide but my timing was right and I slipped past and into the broad expanse of Holyhead Bay. Here it was a fine broad reach towards North Stack. For once passing Holyhead there was no fast ferry to disturb my composure and I had much such good progress that the overfalls by the Stack were quiet too. The cliffs here are a grand spectacle and I was tempted to close them to spy the climbers at grips with "A Dream of White Horses". I pressed on however so that I might round Penhryn Mawr whilst the overfalls there were still quiet too. Here there was just the hint of a pobble as a sign of what later it would be like but the wind now decided to die away and I drifted with barely steerage way before deciding enough was enough, handing the sails and starting up the motor.

We had agreed to meet up in Rhoscolyn and whilst I motored round the outside of Rhoscolyn Beacon. Don, knowing the way, nipped through the inshore passage and so was at anchor when I arrived. The anchorage is tight here so I rafted up alongside him and we lunched in his cockpit. The wind had returned and there were numerous dinghies and sailboards skimming about in the bay.

Later motoring out from the bay the wind had picked up considerably so I hoisted the main with 1 reef and the no 3 genoa for a fast reach along the coast. We were a little over canvassed and at this rate we would be too early for safe passage over the bar, so by Llandwyn Island I hove to and took another reef in the main. 3 hours before high water and I let draw again. Once past the pair of buoys marking the entrance to the channel, two tacks, with a watchful eye on the depth sounder took me to the next mark, where the channel turns. The wind gods were smiling at me for I now found I could lay a course down the channel without beating. Further on, closing the mainland shore, it was time to start tacking again, but to make the most out of each board I left each going about to the last moment close to the beach which is steep too hereabouts.

Once past Abermenai Point the wind gradually died so one by one the reefs were shaken out and the headsail changed for a larger one. Operations which had to be carefully judged whilst tacking up the channel and trying to keep all way on. Dust was falling within sight of Port Dinorwic and the wind had gone too so handing the sails I motored to the moorings. So intent was I picking out a vacant buoy and lining up the boat for a clean pick up that I failed to notice until hailed by Don that by chance I was aiming for the mooring next to where Don’s boat lay. He had picked up a mooring here a whilst waiting to enter the lock for the marina where he berths his boat. After attending to the need for supper it was the ritual of inflating the dinghy and making the short trip to the pub ashore.

Next morning I slipped the mooring and motored. Time was short and the wind against us and besides the batteries needed charging, An hour later and an uneventful passage through the Swellies and I was back on my home mooring.

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