Another year and another cruise. I decided to go for Holy Island rather than Largs this year, and I noticed that the DCA were also having a rally there. Plenty of help getting in and out of the water! Then my conscious got the better of me so I decided I’d better join. Still for £17 it’s quite good value.

See also http://www.tmtr.com/rally for a lot more details on the area.

The forecast was not the best for the bank holiday weekend but like so many times before, the 4 days were OK and it didn’t start deteriorating till mid week.

I launched, with plenty of help, across the beach and left the wind to hold Dr Syn on the beach. Wayfarer’s BEWARE, 2 of us got small shingle in the casing, luckily mine freed after a struggle but Jim Burns had to careen his to shift them. From then on I never came back to the beach and either waded through the mud or used my little blow up dinghy to get ashore.

Launch day - The last time I came near that beach.

Saturday was a day of sailing around the area. The "harbour" is an immense drying area, but when the tide’s in gives plenty of sailing. Hundreds of seals are here also, so it’s quite interesting. Whilst sailing, the tiller extension decided to break off, so I had to grab the tiller and sit nearer the centre. I tried to repair it later by the old brick & spanner peening method, and whilst it seemed to work I thought I’d better lash it up also. You don’t realise how much you rely on these things till they go. Single-handing means you sit out on the sides more but you can't if the tiller extensions gone. I also noticed one of the rivets had pulled out of the spreader and it was lying at a funny angle. That will be left until the end of the cruise.

The evening was spent with the DCA members in the Ship Inn, for an enjoyable meal.

My anchorage in the "Ouze"

Sunday: forecast SSE 3-5 pos 6. The consensus of opinion was to go to the Inner Farnes, just under 7 miles away. It was a beautiful day and even though the forecast was 3-5 possibly 6, the wind was very light so it was motor on and off towards Banburgh castle when I could put a tack in to get to the Megstone, and from there another tack to the Islands.

Nearly there!

I think this was the first time I’d been amongst Puffins and I got quite close before they "ran" away across the water.

Inner Farnes

I ran round the outside of the group of Islands and then came back through "Wideopen Gut" to get to the Kettle, where I could see some DCA masts. As I got more and more into it, it looked to be getting too shallow so I kept going to Solan Rock where I could see a Tripper boat from Seahouses amongst the seals.

The trouble with sailing in Morecambe bay is that you can’t see the bottom so it never worries me. Here you could see 10 ft down easily and I kept thinking it’s a lot closer to the keel.

The return trip was uneventful till I got to within a mile or so of the harbour when the wind piped up. Nothing that we couldn’t cope with although with the tide pouring out of the "harbour" and the wind over it, it made quite a roller coaster ride. At that moment the tiller extension decided to break off again, but at least it was lashed on, so whilst not so responsive I still had control. In the end I lowered the main and just used the jib, as I was surfing and trying to broach. After 15 mins of this and only just stemming the tide I reverted to the outboard to get me through the tidal neck. Once through, the main was put back up and I returned to my mooring in the harbour to put the tent up.

Monday was another day of exploring the area (I still never got Guile point), sailing on the flats and fishing out beyond the Triton Shoal buoy. Needless to say, with all the seals in the vicinity I caught nowt.

He should have known better, they went round St Cuthbert’s in a coracle without lifejackets, and the water was freezing.

Tuesday’s forecast was for rain and wind, so most of that was spent on the boat reading or listening to the radio, and nipping off for a walk between the showers.

Wednesday was better so I spent it sailing in company with one of the remaining DCA boats in the Harbour, chasing seals.

You’re being watched

Thursday was a day of torrential rain, so I went to get petrol for the journey home tomorrow. I sat in the car on the beach for a couple of hours before I could get back to the boat.

Dried out

Friday morning, set the alarm for 4am, but was wide awake at 3:15 so hauled out then. It couldn’t have been quieter, the sea was like a mirror. I was on my own so I gave the dinghy a few more pumps with the split pump, rowed to the shore, got the car and trolley to the slip, rowed back and towed the dinghy to the slip, and pulled it all out by 4am. The wind started whistling through a couple of hours later.

03:15 the light is just trying to get through.

I repaired the tiller extension by drilling out all the pins, drilling a hole through the tiller, fitting a piece of copper tube in the hole, then reassembling all with bolts. The spreader was repaired by pop rivets and I fitted new leech reefing lines that lead back on clam cleats on the casing. I don’t have to go forward to hook the cringles to the boom now. I also had to repair the sealing strip on the rear locker, and replace the dinghy & lilo pump, which had split.

I have never had so many breakages on a cruise before. On Saturday whilst we were chatting on the beach, a friendly dog cocked his leg on mine. I laughed it off as being lucky, BUT IT’S UNLUCKY.