5th July : Derby Haven, Isle of Man

We left Fleetwood on July 3^rd and had a long and tiring bash up to Whitehaven. We had two nights in Whitehaven to re-charge our batteries, then set out for the Isle of Man. Previously, we had taken a visitor mooring in Port St. Mary but there is another smaller bay close by called Derby Haven which we had made a mental note of. With the winds as they were Derby Haven was very sheltered, and made for a perfect anchorage for the night. Ronaldsway airport backs onto one side of the bay, and it was quite amusing to see the aircraft coming and going. After a very quiet, and peaceful night, we set off across the western side of the Irish sea towards Ireland, and ‘un-charted’ territory, electing to pass south of ‘Chicken Rock’ rather than through ‘Calf Sound’.

2013 : New Season

Having had such unpleasant weather this spring to get final maintenance done, and two elderly mothers with health problems, we have decided to scale back our ambitions for 2013, and explore the northern half of the Irish sea. ‘Norman James’ was out of the water for most of May to dry out thoroughly and carry out the normal ‘out of water’ jobs. After re-launching on 6th June, we had a quick sail in Morcambe bay over the top of the tide on the 7^th  June to check that everything was working, and all the ‘knitting’ was present & correct. 

Having several commitments during the rest of June, we drew up plans to have one or two weeks away at the beginning of July, probably leaving ‘NJ’ in Ireland for a week or so around the middle of the month while we went to our Son’s graduation ceremony. 

Christmas Approaching

We have visited 'NJ' twice since we finished sailing for the season, having some pleasant walks along the promenade towards Blackpool, and from Knot End, on the other side of the river towards the River Lune.

 I am now planning to have a day on the boat to get a few jobs done, such as changing the engine oil, and feeding a few cables to and from the stern for a couple of new bits of kit. I have also made an extra instrument console for the helm position, in which to mount the autopilot control head ( currently tucked behind the compass, and not very accessible ), and the remote microphone for the new VHF radio, so I need to check that this fits OK. On the way back, I shall detour via Liverpool, and drop off the life raft at NorWest Marine for it's triennial service. At least this winter the list of jobs is much shorter than last year ! Well, that's it for this year, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and fair winds for next season.

Seasons' end

We had a fairly vigorous sail from Whitehaven to Piel Island, with heavy showers, and squalls up to 36kts apparent. The wind hardly dropped below a force 6 all day, and after a rather worrying time at Piel ( dragging the anchor in strong wind and tide ), decided to make a run for Fleetwood. We didn't expect to arrive in time for the marina lock, but it was a bit deflating to miss it by about 10 minutes ( at 0300 in the morning ! ). Having picked up the stern of a small training lifeboat which was moored in the river, and been yanked around for another 3 hours, we decided to put 'NJ' on the beach. We dried out at 0630, so we knew that we would have about 4 hours before floating off again, so at least we could put our heads down for a while. Later in the next morning the small lifeboat we had moored to was driven off to the training facility just down river, and we were visited by one of the staff who were just checking that we were OK. We picked up a free mooring, which we hadn't seen in the dark of the early hours, and waited until the lock gates opened. Once through the lock NJ was moored alongside where she had been previously, and we then retired to catch up on sleep. Later in the day we went to see the marina office, and booked in for the winter. Over the next few days the sails were removed, along with the stack pack, which needed a few minor repairs, and the dinghy was packed away. We then moved to the pontoon berth which we had chosen, and secured 'NJ' for the winter. Every month or so we will drive over to Fleetwood and check that all is well, and take the opportunity to finish a few jobs, but for now the season is over.

Norman James out.

Whitehaven ( 2 )

While we were at Whitehaven on this second visit, we had a large spring tide. Walking out onto the harbour walls, the outer harbour was effectively an expanse of sand, and mud, with a trickle of water leading from the lock to the sea. The outer lock gates are built level with the inner harbour parapet walls, some 9m above the cill.

This photo doesn't really show how deep the lock really looks, but you can see how small the floating pontoon looks. At high water the level in the lock is a good meter higher than the inner harbour.

The original outer harbour wall dates back to the early 18th century, as evidenced by the date on the sundial ( 1730 ). The walls are made of the local red sandstone, and are heavily erroded in places. The inner harbour walls were added in the 19th century, with several 'tongues' protruding into the harbour being named after the main products landed there ( e.g. sugar tongue & lime tongue ).

The sun came out and highlighted the wave sculpture, and observation platform, this was built for the millenium celebrations, as part of the regeneration of the harbour.

This is 'NJ' in her berth, right next to the exit ramp - very convenient for the facilities !

We had two enjoyable stays in Whitehaven, but the weather is starting to feel quite autumnal, and we have decided to call it a day for this years cruising. With the tides as they are at the moment, we are faced with a fairly tedious passage back to Piel Island with foul tide for most of the day, and then on to Fleetwood to lay up for the winter.

By the time we get back to Fleetwood we will have travelled some 1850NM since setting out from Hartlepool in April, and although it has been a fairly dreadful summer from a weather point of view, it has been a fantastic experience which neither of us would have missed for the world ! We can now look forward to visiting the Irish coast next spring, and then moving up to the West coast of Scotland, and the Hebrides - Happy Days !!

Kirkcudbright

After 5 days in Whitehaven, a weather window opened, and we decided to move across the Solway Firth, and vist Kirkcudbright ( pronounced Ker-Koo-Bry ). The town is about 3 miles upstream from the mouth of the River Dee. Initially, a back transit is provided by the lighthouse and a beacon on the foreshore, this took us to the start of the winding, narrow, and shallow buoyed channel leading to the visitors pontoon on the edge of the town.

At low water, the river banks are revealed as being quite 'steep too'. There is also a very significant current in the river, so attention to spring lines was important.

The town itself was very pleasant, and there seemed to be a lovely light in the area, as witnessed by many art galeries and studios. There is also a significant fishing fleet based here which provided further interest. We took a walk out along the river bank towards the sea, and were rewarded for putting up with frequent showers by this fantastic rainbow arching over the town.

After 3 nights in Kirkcudbright, another weather window allowed us to start moving south again. We had a fantastic sail back over the Solway Firth to Whitehaven. More very windy weather was forecast so we booked into the marina for a further three nights.

Whitehaven

We left Fleetwood at 14-40 on 6th September after a month at home, and sailed over to Piel island for the night. We chose a slightly different spot to anchor but had no problems, and were ready to set off up the coast bound for Whitehaven. We weighed anchor at 09-40 in the morning and had a good sail, mooring in Whitehaven Queens Marina at about 17-00. The town is very pleasant, and the marina friendly and well maintained ( and good free WiFi included ! ). Whitehaven also has the best tidal access in the area at a nominal HW +-4Hrs.

We spent a total of 5 nights in Whitehaven, and had good walks up, and down the coast.

The photo above is the view looking North from the path towards Whitehaven with the southern pier visible, and below is St. Bees Head from the coastal footpath.

The weather wasn't particularly good, but on a walk up the coast to Parton, we got a view of the Galloway coast on the other side of the Solway Firth ( just to the left of the railway signal ).

This is the view from Parton towards Whitehaven, with St. Bees head in the background.

Finally on 12th September, after nearly abandoning due to heavy rain, we set of for Kirkcudbright on the Galloway coast. After a few heavy, and very unpleasant rain showers, the weather steadily improved, and we arrived at the entrance to the River Dee in bright sunshine.