As part of this trip we are looking to help raise money for the charity Help for Heroes. If you would like to make a donation please visit our Just Giving page at:
http://www.justgiving.com/moonshadow
After recovering from the previous day's passage, we visited the council offices to collect the necessary paperwork for the Help for Heroes collection on Saturday 21st. The collection was a huge success and we collected £518.47. Thanks go to Whitehaven Police Station staff for opening and counting out the money collected.
Picture shows the Candlestick (ventilation shaft) a relic from the Wellington Pit in Whitehaven. 136 minors lost their lives due to an underground explosion in 1910
Tony and I had originally planned to go to Peel, so had listened to the forecast for the Isle of Man which was a force 4/5. However, we decided at the last minute to accompany the yacht 'Ginny' to Whitehaven. Two factors made this a better proposition. We had a licence to collect for Help for Heroes in Whitehaven and there was also a car hire company there, and I needed to get back home as my mother was going into hospital.
I tried unsuccessfully to log on the Met office site and check the weather forecast for the Irish Sea/ Whitehaven area. Mike, Marje and Mike on 'Ginny' had also missed the forecast. We assumed that the weather would be similar to the Isle of Man. Big mistake and a huge lesson learnt! We set off in bright sunshine as we sailed around the Mull of Galloway. Whilst on route, a gale warning was issued indicating force 8 winds were expected within six to twelve hours. It was not long before the winds picked up and the sea changed from moderate to rough at times. Having no suitable port of refuge we had no choice but to continue on through the strong winds and rain. During the trip 'Ginnny' developed engine problems which slowed progress, however it was better for both yachts to stay together in such rough conditions. It is comforting to know you are not alone.
Both Tony and I managed to remain positive. We put in a third reef and reduced the headsail and I heated up some meat pies to keep our spirits up. Often when it gets rough we play music through the cockpit speakers, but there was little point with the wind whistling through the rigging! It was a tough passage, but the crew of Ginny raised our moral by playing Cat Stevens 'Moonshadow' over the radio and we introduced them to Dulux, Moonshadows resident Monkey who sang and danced his way through the bad weather.
It was a huge relief to see the lights of Whitehaven through the heavy rain. We followed Ginny through the outer harbour and into the sea lock before tying up in the Marina. We were very tired but so happy to be in safe. Huge thanks go to Mike, Marje and Mike for all the help, and moral support. If you are ever in the Solent, please let us know and we will share that Ginn with you!
Photo shows one very tired and wet skipper!
It was a short sail out of Loch Ryan and down the Rhins of Galloway to Porpatrick. The entrance to Portpatrick is narrow, with ruined breakwaters on either side and plenty of drying rocks to keep the skipper focused! Once inside we were joined by several other yachts and soon got chatting, which is a great way to pick up local information and knowledge of the surrounding areas. We had a lazy afternoon sitting on Moonshadow and then took a walk around the village, before enjoying a bottle of wine by candlelight on deck. This sailing life is tough!
Picture shows Portpatrick harbour
The forecast on the 16th was for very strong winds, so we decided to stay put in Stranraer and give Moonie a good scrub. There had been a water shortage further north and so Moonshadow was covered in a layer of salt and grime. This sailing lark is very sociable and we spent more time chatting to other yachties than cleaning, which was so much more enjoyable. Thanks Raymond for supplying us with tea and coffee and giving us the excuse to stop work – twice!
Stranraer Marina is small, but has exceptionally friendly and helpful staff and the facilities are spotless.
We held a street collection on the 17th for Help for Heroes. We didn't start collecting until late morning as it was very wet and windy but managed to collect £216.68 which was very good as it was a Tuesday, so not the best day for a collection. Thank you to all who donated and to the staff at Lloyds Bank for counting the money.
Picture was taken looking north from Loch Ryan towards Ailsa Craig at sunset.
We dedcided it was time think about sailing home. Out time in Scotland had gone very quickly and the autumn weather would soon be upon us. There was so much more to see and do, but that would have to wait for another trip. We left Cambell Town and headed to Stranraer via Ailsa Craig. This very precipitous rock is a Site of Special Scientific interest and a European Special Protection area. Almost 40,000 gannets have been recorded on the rock which amounts to about 5% of the worlds gannet population! As we passed the south west side we could see thousands of gannets sitting on basalt columns, some of the columns being 400 feet in height. Hundreds of gannets were bobbing on the very calm sea, others plunged from the sky into the sea to feed on the fish, whilst many were flying in formation and with wing spans of up to a metre it was a truly awesome sight! As we sailed on into Loch Ryan, Ailsa Craig was bathed in an amber sunset – the perfect end to a wonderful day!
Picture is of a gannet
13th Cambell Town
Although it was Friday the 13th we were not deterred from making the journey from Holy Loch to Campbell Town. We set off in gorgeous sunshine, sad to be leaving the Clyde area, but excited at the prospect of sailing from Campbell Town to Ireland.
By lunchtime the winds had picked up and by late afternoon we were in a force six. Rounding the bottom of Arran the seas were heaping up and Moonshadow was rising and slamming down hard, as we sailed over each wave . It was very uncomfortable and slowed us down considerably. We eventually arrived in Campbell Town at dusk and were about to raft up to another yacht when the gear cable broke. Tony put the boat in reverse to stop us at the side of the another yacht but she shot forward instead! Thinking he had gone into forward instead of reverse, he tried reverse again, but Moonshadow shot forward at speed. It was very frightening as we had no way of stopping, but Tony managed to steer away at the last minute, minimising damage to both yachts. We were so thankful there was not another yacht rafted in front, as we would undoubtedly have crashed into the back of it! We used the tide to drift us in a second time and the crew of the moored yacht took our lines and pulled hard to stop Moonshadow. Thankfully the only damage caused on our first attempt was to our outboard engine bracket.
The time taken replacing the gear cable meant we lost the opportunity to round the Mull of Kintyre in suitable conditions. Sadly this meant cancelling the trip to Ireland. Friday the 13th was definitely not a good day for us!
A quick sail from Loch Goil to Holy Loch Marina, enabled us to charge up batteries and make use of the laundry facilities.
Picture shows a an upturned jelly fish. We have seen hundreds of jelly fish on our trip.
On the 1st of August our daughter Nicola drove us back to Scotland and joined us for a week's sailing. We visited Loch Ranza and Lamlash on the Isle of Arran, Campbell Town on Kintyre and re visited the Kyles of Bute and Tarbert before moving on to Holy Loch and Loch Goil. Nicola was thrown in at the deep end with a lively sail in a force six, but she also experienced some fine weather sailing and saw Scotland at its best.
