We arived at Dale around 11:30 on Thursday, an hour or so before low tide, and with just enough water left to launch the tender. We had an hour and a half to catch the slack at Jack Sound, so set off straight away, motoring into the South going current after passing St Anne's head. We got To Jack Sound just as slack was ending, and the North going flood was picking up.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Jack Sound from the South"]
[/caption]The seas around Pembs were flat calm, but there was still some chop and a few confused swells as we passed between the dangerous rocks, Louise at the helm. Once through, she put the sails up and we had a lovely sail, close hauled in the lightest of Northwesterlies, quickly covering the 6 or so miles to Ramsey Sound.
This was Ishtar's furthest point North to date, and despite Louise and I having 20 plus years experience of diving In Ramsey sound, the last 10 years or so almost exclusively, we'd never been through with a sailing boat. Navigating the rocks, strong currents, upwellings, eddies and whirlpools in a lightweight dive rib with 70HP or so on the back is easy enough. In a heavy yacht with a quarter of that power, it's a different matter.
In actual fact, we wanted to try and sail it. We'd planned on sailing well to the West of Shoe Rock at the Southeast end. then slip past the Bitches reef on our port side before heading to the Northwest to avoid Horse rock. Easy enough?
It all went well until we passed the Bitches reef, when an eddy set us straight for horse rock. We tacked frantically to give us some Westing and then got caught in a South going eddy which headed us momentarily back towards the Bitches before we picked up speed and resumed our North going passage out of the Sound. I made a mental note to motor through Ramsey Sound from now on whenever we attempted it without slack water. Still, we both enjoyed the achievement.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Louise. Ramsey Sound"]
[/caption]Just behind Louise in that picture is the 'Gower Ranger', run by our friends Clive and Cindy of 'Thousand Islands Expeditions' taking visitors across to Ramsey Island three times a day.
On we sailed, into the evening and, as we passed St Davids Head, and turned Northeastwards towards Strumble Head, we left the Bristol Channel for the very first time, and would now be listening to "St Davids Head to Great Orme Head including St Georges Channel" for our weather forecast.
A few hours later we passed Strumble head lighthouse, the sea again seemed in a confused state, after being so calm on the way up. It really wasn't worth mentioning, other than the fact that it made me think what it must be like there when there is a winter Gale blowing.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Strumble Head"]
[/caption]There was a distinct back eddy, about a knot and a half heading South West, with the main current heading NorthEast, as we passed the lighthouse, but we were soon turning the corner into the sheltered waters of Fishguard.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Fishguard Harbour"]
[/caption]We anchored in 5.5 metres, a couple of hours after high. I couldn't work out why so many other yachts were so much closer in than us, until I realised that I was still thinking in terms of Milford tides. When I checked the almanac, I realised I should have done a 'secondary port' calculation. Had I done so, I would have realised that there is a much smaller range at Fishguard, and we could have anchored further in, too.
Louise rowed Tigger ashore as the sun dipped towards the horizon, with the promise of hot sunshine for the next few days.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Ishtar at Fishguard"]
[/caption][caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Fishguard Harbour"]
[/caption]On her return, she cooked up sausages, cheese and onion mash with peas and broad beans and onion gravy, with tirimasu for dessert. A lovely, lovely day.
