Skipper

Skipper’s Log UTC 1720 Saturday 17^th 2013-08-17

You may have heard from Jeanette on Facebook that we had a bad passage down the Irish Sea.!!  We are at rest after what can only be described as exhausting and quite terrifying for Jeanette who hasn’t experience open sea on a 12m yacht.  I was very impressed by her lack of seasickness in general but when you are in fear for your life and very very anxious one would expect sickness.  At one point Jeanette suggested we call the RNLI and I reassured her we were safe and in no immediate danger. The RNLI is not there to accompany frighten sailors but to rescue when life is in danger.  Had one of us been injured or the boat was compromised due to water intake or dis-masted then one can call the RNLI.  In our circumstances, they would have only accompanied us to a safe port.  It was frightening but not dangerous with a 12m steel blue water boat capable of crossing oceans.

We left the Isle of Man at 0750 Thursday and reach Anglesey 22 hours later!!!!!!!! 0620 Friday. The South West wind drove us towards Cumbria.  The large waves kept us from going South West and we needed to get into the lee (behind) Anglesey to protect us from the wind.  The wind was force 5-7 went up to 34 knots, near gale at one point and the boat went backwards. The boat speed was painfully slow and we did not want to do night sailing but once you are in the situation the choice has gone.  When we reached a safe anchorage we had hot chocolate and went to bed. Amazingly, the same day we went into the Menai Strait at 1500 and had a wonderful sunshine sail.  What a crazy weather world we live in.  Even caught 5 mackerel with a line over the side of the boat. Supper was very nice with a slice of lemon.

The passage reminded me of a cartoon with a group of 3 sailors after a long sea passage, 2 sailors walking towards a pub and a third walking towards a church.  When the third sailor is asked by his friends where he’s going he says, “I’ve got a promise to keep I made out at sea”.  The sea must have made many a believer.  According to my reading, John Newton who wrote Amazing Grace was converted at sea in a storm.  When I asked Jeanette if she had prayed on our trip down the Irish Sea, she said “many times that God would keep us safe”.

Hope you can see the chart of our journey, Jeanette is going to put it on a wall.