Tenacious Travels

10 June 2019. Struggling to find a way to pay the ferry person for the mooring in Lamlash. Very quiet morning. Allowed ourselves the chance to sleep in and have a slow morning. French toast, orange juice and coffee. Needing to eat up the supplies now.

Noting the distances so far:

• Wicor to Beaulieu - 7 hours 04m, 15.9 nm,
• Beaulieu to Falmouth - 30 hours, 161.1 nm
• Falmouth to Dale, Milford Haven - 30 hours, 150.8 nm
• Dale MH to Dun Laoghaire, Dublin - 19 hour 16 min, 114 nm
• Dun Laoghaire to Ardglass NI - 11 hour 11 min, 62.7 nm
• Ardglass to Lamlash, Arran, Scotland! - 17 h 17 m, 92.6 nm
• Lamlash to Portavadie (final destination!) 6h 2m, 28 nm.

Grand total: 127 hours sailing time, 669 nm total distance.

It is OK, we managed to pay the mooring fee.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u5HmmTQIr_ueMU-oIry4nMWvYFUv33ko/view?usp=sharing

9 June 2019, Ardglass (NI) to Lamlash (Arran). Another 17 hour sailing day. Up at 4:30 am(!) and arrive at 21:30, managing to eat all three meals today while we were underway.

Quite a few ferries to avoid and while crossing the North Channel intercepted Isobelle of YouTube fame to say hello and demonstrate our fender arrangement. Patrick was very polite and asked where we were sailing too.

Taking turns on watch as usual, we each managed a wee sleep while underway and Richard continued reading "Sextant". Jellyfish appeared, now we are in Scotland, no other seals, dolphins or basking sharks (yet).

Ailsa Craig was very impressive to both sail and later motor past. Planning to return and climb up up this granite island sometime. Seemed to host a colony of very healthy albatross.

For Sunday night we are on a mooring in Lamlash bay with about 5 other visiting yachts.

Dinner underway below -

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xptLUYoar9om6dNojVlN5EY3EOjRdJsG/view?usp=sharing

Leaving Ardglass at sunrise:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AEYolZRsvxXV0zFOdJ1i4aP-LQWflVIC

8 June 2019. Ship's Log Tenacious. Another mostly fine day. Voyage from Dun Laoghaire (Dublin) to Ardglass (Northern Ireland). Ardglass is a great spot.

Probably another sail tomorrow too. Today was windy at the start of the day, 21 knots, but fell to a pleasant 15 knots for most of the morning as we surged along. Then turned light in the afternoon and we had to motor a fair amount. Actually managed to read our books and not collide with anyone. Didn't take many pictures in Dublin, but made up for it in Ardglass.

6 June to 7 June. Another day another country. Wales to Ireland yesterday. Arrived Dun Laoghaire (Dublin) at 1 am in the morning. We have now checked in and showered and fueled up (60L, after running the engine for 35 hours from Wicor (for the technically interested)).

First day sailing that was throughly pleasant weather. Entirely downwind and a few tight angles, but all was well. Code 0 in use for about 1/2 the way and full main and jib for the latter part. Will post some pictures and attempt a video link again. 114 miles, 19 hours, 6 knot average.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1FOdEuBA6mk9jnmzNZ6KFdtRMZCqVrG_s

Above should be a video of us sailing along.

Another picture of Ardglass harbour. Northern Ireland.

4-5 June 2019 - Another epic. Although the forecast wasn't perfect, we thought we would sail through the centre of a weak low and get around Lizard, Lands End and on to either Milford Haven (Wales) or Ireland.

Left Falmouth at 7 am, getting coffee and breakfast as we motored out. Good sailing to begin with, round Lizard Point we had heavy rain showers, and we opted to motor-sail a few times when the wind went light. Sailed around Lands End and the tide was carrying us first to Lands End and then up into the Bristol channel. Pleasant and sunny until about 1/3 of the way across.

Wind picked up from the west and while we could sail well, the sea state kicked up, and we reefed both sails, and even later actually got to the third reef in the Main. Usual incident with ship traffic, used AIS, radar and the VHF (ch 16) to discuss a convergence and ensuring we avoid a collision.

Arrived Milford Haven about 12 midday, a 29 hour journey this time. A little short of sleep and a little bedraggled due to the constant westerlies for the last 15 hours. General wind speed was 22-24 knots, with sustained bursts of 27-28 knots. We seemed to be able to make hull speed whether we used one, two or three reefs.

Plenty of porpoises (we think) at night, and plenty of small dolphins while we sailed towards Milford Haven. Will try at load some video

3 June 2019. Quiet day in Falmouth. Replaced the engine battery, as it seemed to be no longer holding charge. We will see if a new one helps. Nearly lost a Cornish pasty to a seagull, and enjoyed Rick Stein's fish and chips for dinner. Few other yachts also heading to Scotland are in the harbour in Falmouth. Likely setting sail early in the morning on Tuesday 4 June.

1 June 2019 (8:30 am departure) - Beaulieu river to Falmouth (arriving 3:30 pm 2 June). 31 hours sailing time for about 180 miles.

Left Beaulieu unsure if we were going to stop in Weymouth for a day and then on past Portland Bill, but favourable forecast for at least one day meant that we decided to carry on for Plymouth or Falmouth.

Required an overnight sail and we used a day of light SE, turning to S, to sail out into the channel, then as the wind changed to SW, we reached back north and west towards Falmouth. Long sail in, both sailors very tired when we eventually arrived and berth bow towards the town in Falmouth Yacht Haven.

Some dramas with the engine battery on the journey as it seems not to be holding charge. We were required to maintain a reasonable level within the house batteries to ensure we could always restart the engine to charge both. This was demanding at night as we had the instruments, autohelm and fridge running.

Discovered Tenacious is very stable pointing under both sails and locking the helm with one of the wheel brakes. This saved using the autohelm and lasted for over two hours at a time. Worked when under sail, or sail and engine.

Will try and upload a sound file from the GoPro of what happened in the channel when we had to call a freighter that was bearing down on us.

https://dmail-my.sharepoint.com/:u:/g/personal/rparsons_dundee_ac_uk/EYYO7qsOt_1Hgv6OIuLlCnUB7SjqdrjsxM81QhmnXFpeEA?e=vWY8Ec

31 May 2019 eventually at 3 pm left Wicor for Gosport to fill our diesel tank. Drama at the refueling station when the steering quadrant stop fell loose and left us with jammed steering. Managed to go back to dock to diagnose and repair (lucky we had a spare bolt) after a worrying 30 minutes.

Sailed against the current and wind to Beaulieu river for a visitor's mooring. Very pleasant evening and morning.

31 May 2019. Wee jobs before we set off from Wicor Marine:

• Replaced batten in jib
• Repaired batten pocket in jib
• Fitted new heads outlet 90 deg bend
• Installed repaired radar dome on the mast mount
• Installed the jib on the furler
• Loaded stores, spare fuel, sailing gear