Welcome aboard, Mike, for this very long leg that takes us from North Wales to the start of our home run along the South Coast.. 
7 August – Pwllheli to Fishguard An uneventful 60 miles if one excludes the visit from the range safety boat which seemed to think it owned all of Cardigan Bay. However, on arrival, things became more interesting. Since we were to lie at anchor in Fishguard Harbour, I thought it would be nice if the crew could get ashore in the dinghy, powered by our ecologically friendly Minn Kota electric outboard. 
The dinghy was duly inflated and launched – at which moment it became apparent that the painter was not attached. We did the quickest anchor raise you have ever seen and sprinted for the dinghy before it hit shoal water. Got it. Phew! Back on anchor again, with the dinghy ready to go, Brian positioned himself carefully on the thwarts – and fell in. I can report that his automatic lifejacket functioned perfectly and enabled a swift MOB recovery…. 
For reasons I cannot understand, Brian’s enthusiasm for dinghies waned somewhat and so, leaving Brian to air himself off in the sun and Mike to mind the boat, I set off for Fishguard in the dinghy…. 
… and was rewarded by the sight of a truly delightful village. Well worth a return visit. We spent a very pleasant night at anchor….. 
…apart from me waking up every 10 minutes to make sure that 2 GPS anchor alarms and 4 transits hadn’t changed. Worry, worry, worry…..
8 August – Fishguard to Neyland (Milford Haven) This bit involved – amongst other things – two infamous tidal races (Ramsey Sound and Jack Sound) horrendous rocks (the Bishops and Clerks) even more horrendous rocks and a veritable maelstrom (The Bitches). Was this perhaps why I was wakeful last night? 
However, we set off from Fishguard on a sunny morning with light hearts. Brave? Nope. Foolhardy? Nope. Mad? Nope. Reason: we weren’t going to do any of that potential boat-wrecking stuff. Instead, we did a nice, scenic passage around the outside of all of it, of which the worst that could be said in the log was: a bit bumpy, not much wind – but what a tide! We absolutely zipped along and were carried 8.9 miles out of 56.9 on the tide alone to Neyland, well into the calm sheltered waters of Milford Haven.
9 August – Milford Haven to Swansea
At last, they came to see us……
Difficult for the camera to catch the joy that these delightful creatures bring with them..
And so they sped us on our merry way to Swansea, passing the Mumbles just as Bertha’s storm clouds began to gather..
We spent a lovely day at Jannie’s home in Swansea before bidding farewell to Brian after 180 delightful miles….
… and heading off home for a couple of days to wait out the dreaded hurricane Bertha.
14 August – Swansea to Padstow
Our enforced break ashore – courtesy of Bertha – has required a reappraisal of the itinerary. We need to stay on time to meet our schedule; not least so that Mike can return to his day job on time and Drummond can be confident of meeting us in Falmouth.
Cardiff therefore has to be dropped. However, I still feel I have met my aim of going there since I had to change trains at Cardiff Central on my way back to Swindon!
So, we set off across the Bristol Channel for the long run to Padstow that would leave us poised to tackle Land’s End.
Bertha had left her mark on the sea-state, which the Mate described as really nauseating… Though it didn’t stop him enjoying an excellent sail….
… in which – wait for it – we clocked 10 knots on the fierce tide past the Isle of Lundy.
The sea state and wind combined were a cause for slight concern given that we would have to navigate the notoriously tricky (in onshore wind and swell) Camel Estuary to reach Padstow. When an estuary is guarded by a feature called Doom Bar, nature is probably trying to tell us something….!
I remembered that there was a National Coastwatch station at Stepper Point and called them up. Looking out directly over the waters we were approaching, they were able to reassure us that the conditions were not too bad and that all would be well if we stuck to the pilotage. What truly splendid people these volunteers are – and we really do need to use their services; they are there only for our benefit.
So we did stick to the pilotage. Notwithstanding GPS and the plotter, Mike helmed whilst I kept a careful eye on transits and marks with binoculars and compass. Sometimes, belts and braces are both required. It was worth the trip; Padstow was lovely…
.. we rafted up against an old naval officer seadog who had set out from Padstow that very morning – and turned back his (interestingly shambolic) steel-hulled 45 footer in the conditions in which we had just come in! Talk about hairs standing up on the backs of necks…..
Anyway, we celebrated with dinner at the Old Customs House. The tourist deal of two steaks and a bottle of wine for £35 fitted the bill perfectly – and then a good kip before Land’s End.
15 August – Padstow to Newlyn via Land’s End
Land’s End – our Westernmost point of the circumnavigation – is a notable Tidal Gate. For non-sailors, that means it’s best to time your passage to go through with the tide. Great. But you can only leave Padstow when the water – which goes away for quiet a while leaving you marooned in the harbour – decides to come back.
The combination of these two factors meant that we would need to push quite a bit of tide around Land’s End to reach Newlyn. In the event, Shimoni picked up her skirts and romped round it, leaving Mike and I to enjoy both the hors d’ouvres of spectacular lighthouses…
.. the waters of Cape Cornwall…
… and eerily abandoned tin mines…
…before the main event. We rounded Land’s End at the most Westerly point of our circumnavigation at 151511 UTC Aug 14, Latitude 050° 01′.475 N Longitude 005° 46′.690 W:
Even our arrival in Newlyn (not pretty) and our acquaintance with one of its harbour staff (requires attitude transplant) could not spoil a really super day.
16 August – Newlyn to Falmouth
This passage was Mike’s last and included two more important milestones; St Michael’s Mount…
..and Lizard Point – our most Southerly point of the circumnavigation. We rounded the Lizard at 160924 UTC Aug 14, Latitude 049° 056′.710 N Longitude 005° 06′.39 W..
We finished with a really excellent sail into Falmouth Harbour with Mike enjoying sailing on our ear and skipping around lots of boats not all of which were skippered by people who have studied the collision regulations.
Well done and thanks, Mike, for your outstanding seamanship; safe home…
