Holyhead - Gateway to Ireland

Snowdon stood out to the east

I had intended to leave Pwllheli at 06:30 – another early morning start to catch the tide. Early mornings were never my strong point and we were about 30 minutes late leaving. It was a sunny morning with a breath of wind from the South East. Snowdon stood out clearly to the East.

We needed to catch the flood tide north and round to Holyhead, so we were leaving at just before low water. Another anxious time watching the echo sounder as we creep down the harbour channel.

We made it with about half a metre * in hand and headed for our first rendezvous with the tide – Cindal point. According to a bit of local knowledge I had gleaned the in the bar, the tide there turned early and would get me through the passage between Bardsay Island and the mainland whilst there was little current (up to 5knots at Springs)  and then out into the beginning of the mainstream flood tide northward.

On time at Cindal point

Freddie pushed us on. We were on time at Cindal point and the local knowledge was well founded – a small current took us westward to the sound. The water in the sound was flat calm with no signs of the dreaded over falls. We were out into the Irish Sea: flat calm, no swell and no wind.

The coast disappeared into a haze. Eventually, an island appeared to the north, and the haze cleared to reveal the north coast of Wales and the coast of the Isle of Anglesea.



Eventually, the dreaded South stacks appeared and the tide turned against us. More local knowledge had told me that if you get really close to the South Stack, there’s on odd eddy that runs contrary to the tide.

Approaching South Stacks

I saw a small boat making use of this eddy and followed her through, into the bay between South and North stacks. Cliffs loomed over us as we clung to the shore and we crept past North Stacks to see a line of breaking waves (overfalls) to the north of us.

Ouch.





As we approached, seeking some way through them, the tide current must have changed a bit, for the breaking waves just collapsed, leaving a mass of seething water.





North Stack - the lighthouse is for sale



Freddie barged us through and we rounded the North Stacks to see the harbour wall of Holyhead. It’s a mile and a half long and the tide was now really against us – it took nearly an hour to get through the entrance, and then we had to go back down the other side of the wall to reach the Marina. 55 miles in 10 hours. And all thanks to Freddie, who was hot and salt encrusted at the end.



RNLI doing it's stuff



A day off today (10th August) watching the RNLI doings it's stuff.

Now it's the Isle of Man and then Ireland tomorrow.  We're going abroad!

*A bit more than 18 inches