I am posting this now after the event – even though we are now safely here in Milford Haven in Wales (and don’t mistake Haven for any derivative of Heaven – it’s from Harbour and frankly – a visit here and you would either immediately recognize the correct connection or you would doubt the need to lead a pure and devote life in order to get where to some “Haven” like this one!). The faces on the few boats at anchor with us in Tresco were clearly looking at us and thinking “wow – you guys are adventurous ” –  as they watched us prepare to leave the beautiful anchorage. The wind was driving hard and even though the sun had recently started to shine – the breakers at the confluence of the sea and channel were spectacularly white and bubbling and very very high and clearly saying to us “keep away”! 

Said differently and shorter, what the folks in the anchorage were really thinking was “idiots-  what the f*** are you doing” and you know what – that’s exactly what my inner voice was saying too! Now – back to before please read on – no – please!

So we’re all (that’s 5 of us – 2 new crew members joined the boat in Penzance) sitting in the Salon onboard Tonic listening to the wind drive through the channal we’re anchored in at, blowing at about 30 Knots (about 35 MPH). It’s quite cozy sitting here in anticipation of a departure around 14.00hrs – 2 hours time. Our passage today is around 120Nm NNE of here with winds coming from the West (and may be Southwest for a time). In sailing terms it means we should be on a reach, between beam and broad and therefore make a quick passage. We’ll have the 3rd reef in to get going (I really don’t want to be over sailed on this passage – with gusts of up to 45 Knotts plus possible- yes that’s PLUS – over 50 mile an hour winds and we just listened to the weather forecast tell us that “Gale Warnings for Sea areas Lundy and Fastnet – and we’re in Lundy with Fastnet off to our immediate left – west of us – a real Gale Warning for our sea area!)). The more worrying thing is that the seas are coming from the same angle is the wind and so we will likely be taking much of the sea on our aft port quarter (back left hand side). I’m skippering this passage and it’s the longest one I’ve done on my own – in weather conditions like this. Happy to be doing it, but just like leavying Salcombe last week (fog) – I might be tempted to sit the gale out – but time is not on our side and we want to get to Dublin by Friday night (the worst thing to do when sailing – is to plan a passage on the basis of a time deadline!). 

Yesterday we spent the day very nicely exploring the Islands of Bryant and Tresco. We drank a pint in the most westerly bar in the UK (Fraggle’s Rock and the most westerly Hotel. We then had dinner in another pub on Tresco (The New Hotel) where we returned this morning for a cup of coffee and a bacon Sandwich. All was well with the world yesterday – the sun shone, the beer flowed and the dingy rides to and fro were fine. This morning we got a proper soaking in the dingy and I stayed in with Tom our Training Skipper to take off the line second line that was holding us to the mooring ball – the safety one. The wind, rain and sea meant I got a really, really proper soaking!

I’ll let you know how this passage goes when we get to the other end – but on the basis that there is no connection to the Internet or anything else where I am right now – you will possibly get this at the same time anyway!

Pip pip,

N

Our anchorage as the sun went down on Monday evening – from my iPhone while in the dingy after a few “beers”!