THE " VENTURE " or "Joyfull" in the wind ! - a circumnavigation •

This voyage was planned for a June start, but adverse weather conditions in the Irish Sea delayed departure until suitable tides and winds arrived for our departure from DeganwaY'on September 15 th. at half flood. We were well equipped and provisioned for our trip, and encouraged by a forecast of settled conditions for the next four days. As we sailed up the Conway· Channel to the Pairway Buoy, we got a friendly hail from the enormous dredger entering to join in the co�struction of the new Road Tunnel to link Anglesey" with the mainland. As we' approached ,, we lost the shelter of the mountains and encountered", a rather rough patch, so we took the shortQcut across Dutchmans Bank to enter the Menai Strait at Buoy No. 2. , followtng the marked channel we passed and Gallows 'Point under a fair breeze and

time to look around �nd enjoy the sunshine. A brisk sail-took us down the , first half of the Strait pasr Bangor with it's disused pier Inow under renovation) and the huge concrete barges which offer temporary' moorings but are situB.ted in the rather dangerous stream which runs at 6 knots atcSprings.

On then to our first anchorage off the two small islands lying 'off the ,town of , where we rowed ashore to stretch our legs and 'phone home. It rained heavily during the night, but after an early breakfas� it was up anchor and away under motor at 0710 hrs, to be under the centre of the Menai Suspension bridge at '07)0 hrs to catch the H.W. slack in th�,notorious

Swellies • We had timed it right and thenpassage was uneventful as we stuck carefully to the only safe course - passing the mainland arch of the Brittania

Bridge at 0741 hrs •.and catching the ebb now beginning to run, and hoping to hold it right through .the Straits. Now under sail we'passed Dinorwic and Caernarvon checking on each buoy as they appeared and thus passed between Fort Be'.an and Abermenai .Point where we encountered the· first of the heavy swells as the Irish Sea meets the Strait. We experienced this for the next forty min�tes as we cleared the S.W. entrance Buoys and s.et course for tower at Pilots Cove on the Llannwyn Islands " visible to starboard and about two miles· away where we planned to spend our next night. This is a beautiful spot, a rocky nature reserve which is" full of wild floweres in the Spring, and many

historical landmarks are mentioned in the West Coast Pilotage • As we rounded the red can buoy outside Pilots Cove we carefully entered Mermaid Cove, watched by the seals basking on the half-tide covered rocks, we anchored bow­ and-ste'rn inside Ynys-y-Clochydd - a large rock which is home to hundreds of

sea bird s • Next morning we made 'sail and cleared the "Prongs" around Pilots Cove and crossed Mall treath Bay, making for Aberfraw, a tiny vil'lage reached by a narrow inlet a "dinghy only" job, where we picked up fresh milk etc. and made our daily phone .call home .' Setting sail once mare we proceeded up the west coast for Rhosneior Bay and heMwe found a wind shift which forced us to make long tacks to try and make any headway, eventually the continual sight of Valley Airfield forced us to resort to the engine, as the tide was beginning to turn, and we intended to reach Porthwen in Bay . Here is full shelter from the North and East, and having safely negotiated the rocks at the Western entrance we spent an

hour or two in the sun on the sandy beach awaiting the flood t'ide • \ This is a fairly desolate, rock-strewn area - it lies to the West of Silversand Bay ( and it really' IS silver sand !) in Cymran Bay which is at the Southern end of the "Inland Sea" which creates Holy Island, giving it's name. At slack water we .motored out through the sound between the Beacon Rocks , an.d Rhoscolyn Point to avoid any overfalls , and set course to routld Rhoscolyn Head outside the groups of rocks in Penrhos Bay, around Raven's Point to enter Bay just about sunset - only one there and we other boat was I picked up a vacant mooring with no difficulty. Next'morning, sfter re-plenishing our water supply snd 'obtaining another gallon of petrol(just in case!) we walked for a couple of miles along the

Western cliff tops for a preview of conditions in Craig-y-mor lag09n. The � gaunt old house there is now occupied again- what a marvellous view they must , have though a bit draughty in the winter I should'nt wonder! Leaving Trearddhur as the ebb slackened , to get through the heavy overfalls around the "Fangs" and Penrhyn Mawr Head and to have the early flood

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JL CHARTS USED :­ , �; ';464: Mebai strait. ' , ..,/1970 -Caernsrvon Bay . .I'I.t.u.1'JI:UTIIU' • lr- /1'41) _Holyhead Approaches . � 1977 - ������!�_!�_�!�_2rme Head.

, , I Weather Forecast� : Met Office Valley.

. " 11 , (always "spot-on !! . : ' .. ' .'{ .. . . VIV BURT. 1 ' . � \ -', " . . . ,. '. " TIlE ANGLESEY VENTURE (Continued.) wi th us across "Abraham' s Bosum " we took the insho rl! .PClSSBoIl:e around , so dodging the main race which we could see stre�cn�ng out 0 sea �n'� flurry of white crests '. w.hile Gegarth Bay, which seperates the North and

South Stacks was not as rough as expected • we made good progress close inside a rough Holyhead Race - in tact the look-out at the �og Station gave us a wave and two toots on th� diaphone te cheer us on. our way ."

At ·this point, the wind still being Northerly t we hoisted sail to skirt the and head across' to .Church Bay , leaving the Wreck Buoy to Starboard t and for an hour :-r two we made progress until another wiIlld shift and . a stronger tide than estimated • decided us to press on to .Lynys-y- Fy�lyn Cove where we could safely await the next flood to take. us round Carmel Head, and avoid the races between there and the Skerries. We anchored here __ . well • inside and opposit ·.e o'rl.e of the entrances to the Vi�ing Caves. - this is a little- ' known but valuable sheltered anchorage from both the Worth and East. • When the tide Segan to rise, we motored out , and keepi�g close in roun�ed Carme! Head without much difficulty as the head rocks are "steep-to". and there is plenty of w�ter-· so leaving the overfalls around Passage Rock to port, we steered-now under sail once again - to the Victoria Bank Buoy leaving the West Mous·e also to port and with the tide now definitely in our favour we approched Trewyn with the Har�y Furlong rock to starboard, and the Nuclear Wylfa Head Power Station now in sight we we crossed Cemlyn Bay as the

sun was setting, rounding the Head to enter Bay in the twilight • This is a wide and deep Bay containing several smaller bays, but is wide open to the -North,. so the 8well rolls in and it is a rather uncomfortable It was dark as we anchored, and with only two other boats show1ng lights berth.. . in a small cove to the East, we set about cooking our evening meal. The evening Inshor.e Weather Forecast gave warning .of increasing N/N.W. winds , so we decided to omit our planned visit to Red Wharf Bay and instead

for • te press . on Conway . We left Cemaes at 0530 the next morning near the last of the ebb, keeping the to port we rounded Llanlleiana Head, and s�t sail.

Although the wind at that t1me was light it was favourable • and wit� this on tne po�t quarter we laid course for Point Lynas as a ghostly tanker appeared out of the early morning mist. Off two other tankers were at the off-shore Oil Terminal - Amywch was once the major port for the copper exports from Parys Mountain in the days of Welsh oppression, and I believe work is soon to

commence to extract further minerals from �he same site • PaSSing inshore of the we crossed Lynas ·Bay, giving the Point a wider berth than we had intended due t. the appearance of much white water close in, and the. Race was· picking up in the now strengthening wind. we set course acrOljlS Dulas Bay ,· outside Lynys Dulas, a small island supporting· a tower where o��, a cache of supplies for shipwrecked mariners was·kept! �The Great Orme was now just 'faint. ly vi�ible , so we steered for it - passing Lynys Moelfre and cutting straight across Red Wharf Bay towards Puffin Island through Table Road . I , with the prominent "Arthur'.s Table Rock clearly visible, we passed inside the Dinmor Bank Buoy ,skirting the seaward side of Puffin Island and seeing the bl ac'�· and white banded Lighthouse at Trwyn-du ·to starbo.ard we took the N.B. � trait entrance which proved to be the roughest part of the voyage, as we �vffeted our wa�· for the next hour and a half to the Conway Fairway Buoy . Down channel now to the Beacon where we got some shelter from the Mountains, we sailed comfortably down the Kstuary turning into Deganway Lock at 1415 hra on s�pt. 20 th. A most exhilarating and interesting week(s sailing ! . . VIV BURT Well done Viv !! - has anybody else out there made a similar voyage 1 We might even run a competetion for the best "Log" of the season· like the • Trident Ownfrs Association do 11 Wh�t about it. ?1 --ED. . . . . - A· ! r SSOF"ASS J.ny fellow long suffering scri.bes attending the Earls Court Boat Show on Monday January 12th? Suggest Meet at the HARDY Stand at 12.00 brs . for lunch and/or a noggin? -7-