In one of the consignments was a wooden box from Eire, from Reggie Goodbody to be precise. He carves wood and had been commissioned by my new owners to produce Enterprise a classic lined racing yacht as seen here and listed above:-
With all the bits & pieces stowed some provisioning done a meal at the Chart Room was called for. A plan to sail to Lamlash on the eastern side of the Island of Arran had been mulling over in my skipper's head and on Saturday morning having listened to the weather forecast, lines were cast and off I went.
The weather was better than had been suggested the previous day, a steady 15kts of wind and 7kts of boat speed. Much better than running my Lanmar engine all day which was believed to be the probable case the day before. The rest of the country was covered in rain and a new front was whisking it's way up from Cornwall, so rain was due, as was the wind, at some point during the weekend.
Lunch was delayed - not due to any issues but just because time passed as did the miles. In fact lunch was prepared & served as the wind dropped.
My skipper, never quite satisfied, went in search. He soon found the breeze and with half a roll in one hand opted to ease the main to help the girls pack away before anything was spilt. I'm not sure whether the speed at which I had got here had fooled my skipper but we soon bore away and sailed between the Holy Island & Arran. With much information coming via his Blackberry from a colleague, he opted to anchor on the Holy Island side, protecting his night's sleep from the prevailing wind.
However this was not to be as the island rises sharply out of the sea bed and the length of chain required to give a decent purchase meant it was possible for me to swing onto the rocks should the wind change during the night. A shout called to abandon this and head to a mooring buoy at Lamlash it may be a bit uncomfortable but safer. Prior to that on swinging into the wind to lower the main, the starboard side lazy jack that had been quietly chaffing at the spreader gave way with the resultant yards of sail spilling onto the deck.
The white dot on the fore shore was the anchor spot.
Lamlash, where a fee of £10 was paid for the security of a buoy.
With the skipper donning the bosun's chair and a lift up the mast, the lazy jack was temporarily repaired.
Skies brightening it was decided to board the dinghy and head for shore. The ferry master, who also takes people over to the Holy Island, was found sitting in his shed and was duly paid the mooring fee, a cast of his eye & a quick weather prediction meant we could be in for a restful night. A local hostillery was suggested but when visited appeared full ! So a short walk up the road brought my crew to a second resting place.
Sun sets 2230 at Lamlash
With a fair run back it was decided a 1030 start would be reasonable but on rounding the bottom of Arran in glorious sunshine the wind died. Knowing that rain was forecast for later, most had to be made of the current conditions and I passed a boat of fisherman whilst lunch was being prepared . Twenty minutes was allotted before my Lanmar would assist in my passage back. In fact 25 mins and the wind picked up for a while & vanished again. With the engine running, a course was set to the western side of the channel, out of the possible wind shadow of Arran. This soon worked and the wind speed rose 10kts, 15kts even 20 kts, T shirts were soon covered by fleeces and then by oiley's. By 1630 a reef was tucked in. By 1730 it was lashing it down with rain and with up to 30kts of wind the jenny was halved and the dinghy on it's davits was catching the odd wave from under me, causing it to swing on it's tethers. By 1800 visibility was poor and a local car ferry to Arran kindly waited for me to pass in front before giving me a wide berth to my starboard side, what the people on board must have thought about me & my crew at the time.
It was soon after that the dinghy caught a wave and pulled a tether off. With it singing wildly in the wind it spat out two of the four floor boards and unbeknown to us all, took the ensign & pole with it. Having lowered it into the water and tethered on a new line the dingy was towed. Panic averted.
My crew played with the jenny as winds would drop then rise again, as squall's rolled in one after the other. I was making progress though 5, 6, 7 knots over the ground but the northerly tack was not good and I was being knocked back more southerly than hoped. With light now fading fast, my crew battled on. Carrying a full set of oiley's
Through the murk the lights of the chimney to the Wymess Bay power station could be seen and long tacks across the Clyde was essential to make progress. At one point my skipper had to kill all boat speed to swing my nose behind a port buoy before colliding with it, such was the changes to the angle of the wind.
Sailing in heavy weather is one thing, getting back on to a pontoon is another. Like flying, the bit between A to B is easy its the landing & taking off that can kill you! In this case, it is easy to damage something or somebody in these conditions.
At 0030 the main was down and under motor heading would could best be described into nothingness. Inverkip has a narrow entrance, but my crew are getting a routine together, my skipper will over see and guide Alex in, she in turn has my controls. There must be a hundred last minute thoughts, checks and observations before the last command to reverse is shouted then he leaps with warps in hand in the belief he's got this one right too. With mid-ships secured first, bow & aft lines are soon attached, I'm secure. My crew their trousers now blown dry, can almost smile at the thought of being warm again.
At 0130, every one's too tired for a hot drink let alone the prospect of food the last meal being lunch. I know my skipper's mind is now recalling all of the day's events, information, and occurrences. He may not sleep mentally but am sure his body will soon lavish the cover of the duvet.
Later that day saw their guest head back to London and my crew organise themselves to undertake tasks they had intended upon and repairs they had not. The skipper on several occasions went up and down the mast to sort out the lazy jack system on both sides. With a trip to the top to turn the fins of the Windex moved by recent storms.
Tuesday was also a day of bit's and pieces. It's not always necessary to be healing over at 45 degrees to enjoy sailing, just being on board gives a sense of satisfaction.
Alsa Criag from a distance :-
Holy Island :-
The crew having been put through its paces, look forward to bring me south - next up date from 17th September
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