Week 10 27th July- 2nd August

At 7:30 we moved Captiva from the mooring outside Peel harbour into the marina.

We had planned to stay on the Isle of Man until Saturday but we noticed strong south westerly winds were forecast that day and we were keen to avoid strong winds on our nose. The Friday forecast seemed more favourable so we endeavoured to see the Isle of Man in one day.

After some research we discovered an explorer ticket that gave us access to several modes of transport around the Isle of Man. We climbed onto a bus in Peel going to Ramsey. We were immediately mesmerised by the beautiful scenery as we travelled along on the top deck. Ramsey brought back memories for Richard, he visited the island with friends during a TT weekend.

After a coffee we found the station for the Isle of Man Electric Railway. We travelled to Laxey enjoying amazing views of the coastline and countryside.

When searching for the famous Great Laxey wheel we found the smaller Snaefell or Lady Evelyn wheel. The wheel came from the Snaefell mine that was closed in 1908. It was rebuilt in Blisland in Cornwall to pump water from a china clay pit. It fell into disuse in the 1950s and was dismantled and placed in storage in 1971. In 2003 it was returned to the Isle of Man and was restored and reconstructed at the Laxey Valley Gardens in 2006.

We walked to the Great Laxey wheel and were amazed by its incredible size. We climbed up several levels, the top one being slightly knee trembling.

We walked down to the mine entrance and had an interesting chat with one of the volunteers about the history of mining in the area. Initially lead was mined here in 1790. In the 1840s the Great Laxey Mining Company was formed, and became a massive industry, producing more zinc than all the mines in Britain put together. Life was very tough for the mine workers but a tourist industry grew up around the mining complex with summer visitors eager to climb the Great Laxey Wheel. Enterprising residents opened pavement cafes on what became known as ‘Ham and Egg Row’.

We returned to the tram station and climbed on board the Snaefell Mountain Tramway. This took us to the peak of Snaefell, which, at 610 metres is the highest point on the Isle of Man. We were fortunate that the peak was not completely covered with cloud.

Snaefell summit

On our return to Laxey we caught a tram to Douglas, the capital of the Island.

We had planned to have afternoon tea, but our chosen cafe was closing early. To maximise the use of our travel ticket we caught a steam train to Castletown. It was a scenic route on the last train of the day. The journey was longer and slower than we had anticipated. We only managed a short walk around Castletown and a beer before hopping on a bus back to Douglas then another to Peel.

In the evening we had a pizza in a lively outdoor wood fired pizzeria in Peel and helped some youngsters with the quiz taking place there.

Although only a brief snapshot, we enjoyed the Isle of Man and would have loved to have spent more time there. Sue did a project at school about the Isle of Man, back in the day when you got holiday brochures and cut out and glued pictures. She so wishes that she hadn’t waited so long to visit. There is so much to see and do on this charming Island. Very scenic, peaceful and lacking the tackiness of over tourism.

Friday Sailing to Wales

Winds SW4-5 Clouds and sun

We had a really good sail sometimes hitting 7 or 8 knots. There is a long approach to the marina which is only accessible HW + or – 3. We arrived in Conwy 7:30 and enjoyed an evening meal on board.

Saturday Great Orme

Saturday was a fairly bright day and we walked and caught a bus into Llandudno.

We wanted to climb the Great Orme Head. The tram station was very busy and the queue was nearly an hour long. We walked up instead, which was much quicker than the tram.

Once we had figured out the Llandudno bus timetables we returned to the marina. The bus company had removed all of the timetables from the bus shelters and replaced them with a QR code. It was difficult to know if we were standing at the correct bus stop. We missed two buses.

We had a good evening meal in The Mulberry restaurant in the marina.

There was a 90% chance of rain forecast in the afternoon. We set off for a walk to Conwy Castle at 9am.

After a coffee and an enjoyable walk around the walled town of Conwy, we returned to the marina. As the rain started we retreated to the Mulberry for a better internet signal (to write this blog). We had a late, light lunch before returning to the boat and Maisie.

Forgiven?

Winds SW 3 On the nose

After having spent most of our sailing adventure experiencing very light winds we are having to spend more time checking winds and tides.

We left Conwy at 10:30 when the water was high over the marina sill and the tide outside was slacker. Adverse winds and tides were with us most of the way, but it was only 18 miles.

Once we arrived at Menai we picked up a mooring after first calling the harbour office. We took the dinghy ashore for a quick wander around Menai. We found a Waitrose store : ) Yarg cheese and Richard’s first bottle of proper job after over 1000 miles. Serious withdrawal symptoms.

Aerial view of The Swellies from Caernarfon Harbour website https://www.caernarfonharbour.org.uk/passage-through-the-swellies/

The Swellies is the narrow channel that runs between mainland Wales and the island of Anglesey. It runs between the Menai and Britannia Suspension Bridges with strong tides of 5-8 knots. It is best to pass through the swellies when the tide is slack. The flood tide is divided by the Isle of Anglesey and the North and South streams meet in an area of slack water. This slack water advances from Puffin Island down the Menai Strait and reaches the swellies two hours before high water (HW) Liverpool. The water is only docile for 20-30 minutes so we were very careful to get our timings right. We had to leave Menai at 9:30am to catch the slack. We followed the recommended South Shore Passage.

We were quite relieved when we had made it safely through. Once the slack had passed the water moves fast for several hours forming eddies and making it a roller coaster ride. It was a picturesque passage.

Entering the narrow entrance of Caernarfon marina diagonally with a cross tide was interesting. The lifting sill gave access HW2±.

After a refreshing shower we were ready to meet Sue’s brother Shaun and his wife Rachael for lunch. It was great to see them and we enjoyed a relaxed pub lunch near to the castle. We wandered back to the boat for refreshments sitting in the sunshine. An enjoyable afternoon, thanks for coming to meet up with us.

Winds W then NW 3-4

Exiting over Caernarfon Bar was interesting as extended for miles.

We motor sailed at the start but as the wind shifted round we were on a comfortable beam reach.

We chose to pick up a mooring at Abersoch so that we were not restricted by tides when leaving in the morning. The seas were a little bit rolly until 11pm but we all had a good nights sleep after an enjoyable sailing day.