A long time friend as a result of him being a fellow Parker 31 owner  when our children were young, John Morris arrived by train from Birmingham. The ‘Mulberry’ pub in Conwy marina provided us with an excellent meal and an opportunity to ‘catch up’ before returning to Hejira to watch the spirited England football performance against Italy in the World Cup.

Our dilemma for tackling the Menai Straights was that, with big spring tides, and not being able to leave Conwy marina until the sill dropped at half tide, we would have to plug a strong current and arrive late at the Swellies.

Calling the Menai Harbour Master, an alternative plan evolved. We could leave Conwy after the foul tide and only plug the lesser current in the straights up to the Menai Bridge and rather than pick up one of the buoys, take up his suggestion of mooring alongside the Bangor University research vessel Prince Madog.

He pointed out that we could then walk ashore and be in the perfect position to take the Swellies the next day. In hindsight, his recommendation was probably driven more for the ease of collecting the £17 berthing fee than from the safety of the berth. The passage from Conwy to Menai was straightforward and we did walk ashore for a beer and an excellent curry. We took advantage of our enforced wait the next morning to review the Swellies from the Bridge and I managed to get a haircut and beard trim for £7!

Disaster struck while we were preparing for our passage through the Swellies. A large motor boat had passed  through the straights against the tide at full bore and, unnoticed by us, had thrown up a huge wake which picked us up and dashed us against the hull of the Prince Madoc, right into its steel strake which had been well above our gunwale. The gelcoat has been slightly damaged and the teak gunwale topping has taken a whack. Very, very annoying and the incident overshadowed what would otherwise have been a very pleasant stop over.

The actual passage through the two bridges and the treacherous rocks between was taken at slack high water as the timing is extremely critical. Four other yachts negotiated it with us within the optimum five minute period, one of them, having arrived early, just held station until the timing was right.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the remainder of the Straights were more open and picturesque with Llanidan House and Caernarvon Castle particularly notable. The Caernarvon Bar was a challenge however as the channel has moved over the winter and the plotter course was completely different. Confusion was avoided by referring to the survey chart picked up in Conwy, just as well as the Bar is shallow even if you are in the middle of the channel at half tide.

Intending to sail through the night towards Swansea, we were blessed with a Northerly F4/5 and we made the most of our Parasailor which we carried until nightfall, making great speed and enjoying flying this superb sail innovation. Quite by chance, we saw an identical (but smaller) Parasailor in the distance on a Moody 36 called ‘Pearl’ out of Conwy and caught her up.

We agreed to share photos and I have attached one of their pictures.

The Parasailor is a derivative of a traditional spinnaker but it differs in several ways which make a huge difference to the cruising yachtsman, particularly in the ease of handling. In the middle of the sail is an opening across the width and in the middle of this opening is a wing which inflates with the wind which is focussed through it. The wing gives lift and stability, keeping the sail open and full while the slot vents gusts making it more tolerant of variable conditions. It is also flown without the spinnaker pole which also simplifies the process and with the guys led through blocks on the stub bowsprit, it avoids conflict with guard wires. The Parasailor is manufactured by a German company, Istec which make parachutes and wings for paragliders so it is built to the highest aeronautical standards. Anyway, we carried the sail for over 6 hours achieving speeds between 8 and 10 knots and we only reluctantly dropped it at dusk. It was some of the best sailing of the cruise so far. The 175 nautical mile passage from Menai to Swansea took only 24 hours and the average speed of over 7 knots was very pleasing.

We locked through the Tawe sea lock into the Swansea basin and then through onto an allocated berth in the marina. Once again there were depth constraints and it would not have been possible with a traditional keel yacht of our size.  I had left messages for my eldest brother, Alan who lives in Porthcawl, giving him updates of our progress, hoping he would join us, but I had heard nothing. This turned out to be because he had been on holiday abroad. He called when we arrived in Swansea and he and his wife joined us in a lounge on the 28th floor of a high rise with views over the beach and marina.

After a meal on board, Jenny, my brothers wife, left for home and, the next morning we departed on the first ‘lock out’ for our passage to Cardiff.

Cardiff Bay has an under used pontoon facility right outside the Welsh Assembly building and it operates on a ‘pay and display’ basis. We were the only yacht moored there overnight, having bought a ‘parking ticket’ for 18 hours and we could not understand why it was not more popular.

It did not have electricity or water but it was a mooring in the centre of Cardiff.

Locking out of Cardiff bay (the sea lock has a huge range) just after low water, we gently carried a favourable tide up to Avonmouth and entered the river up to Bristol as the tide approached high water.

Mooring in the centre of Bristol was reminiscent of the 12 very enjoyable years we spent in Port Vell in the heart of Barcelona.

Like in Barcelona, there was a square adjacent to our pontoon where there was a succession of musicians (some better than others) taking to a small stage to entertain the gathered crowds. Bristol does however seem to be a mecca for rowdy stag parties and some  continue noisily into the early hours.

It was 4am before quietness descended. A visit to SS Great Britain, in dry dock, was hugely enjoyable. We, as a Nation, seem to do nostalgia very well, this experience followed the equally enjoyable visits to Titanic in Belfast and Britannia in Edinburgh.

So, I have left Hejira, moored in Bristol while I return home for a week before resuming once again with John Morris, this time with his son, Tom. It is somewhat surprising that John has signed up for more apparent punishment. After I had re-tied his fenders for the umpteenth time, he had referred to me as ‘Captain Anal’!

Sunday was a leisurely day of laundry, cleaning and planning in Inverkip Marina while waiting for the late arrival of Dave and Mike by taxi from Glasgow Airport. Perversely, although I was able to pick up a good TV signal in Holy Loch, Kip marina seems to be a black hole and I had to go to a local Hotel  to watch the Canadian Grand Prix and you can’t sit in a bar without refreshment!

With the prospect of an 82 mile passage to Bangor in Belfast Lough, an early start was required and getting under way at 5am, we had a very pleasant passage with an enjoyable proportion of it under sail.

‘Captain Cooke’ (who had been on two of the previous legs) and his charming wife Linda were in Bangor, sailing on their friend’s Moody 38 and it was good to catch up and get the ‘inside track’ on Peel  and Conwy which were to be our next two stops and had been their previous two.

A train into Belfast and the City tour bus gave us a picture of Belfast and it is curious that the history of the ‘troubles’ has become a significant component in what the City has to offer the tourist. The Titanic exhibition in its impressive new building exceeded all expectations and we spent several hours, captivated by the various aspects of the story.

With entry into Peel harbour on the Isle of Man restricted to near high water, it is inevitable that one has to ‘plug’ the tide when heading south and with light winds we found ourselves beating back to Scotland. Later the wind filled in and we had a sprightly and memorable sail although Dave had adopted his customary position asleep in his bunk. This is a man who comes sailing to relax and escape work as a partner in a London accountancy firm but still ‘picks up’ 150-200 Emails a day! Poor bugger!

Following a short wait on a mooring buoy, we entered the marina over the sill and motored past the open footbridge to take up our allocated berth and we made ‘last orders’ in the excellent Creek Inn!

A £7 one day bus pass gave us the opportunity to see much of the Island, concluding that Peel is probably the best spot. Our visit happened to be soon after the annual TT motorcycle races and the infrastructure was still being dismantled. The bus route from Ramsey back to Peel took the route of the course for some of its length and the dangerous nature of the races was very apparent with what must have been incredibly fast sections of almost straight road with trees, walls and posts alongside the road with only token protection. It seems that there are inevitably fatalities, not only among the racers but the public who throng to the island and ride the course, seemingly, trying their hands at racing on the unrestricted roads.

We slipped out at the beginning of the tidal ‘window’ at 10pm and picked up an overnight mooring buoy outside in preparation for an early start to catch a favourable tide on our 75 mile passage to Conwy. The early light winds soon filled in and the sun came out so we had a super sail agreeing that ‘it doesn’t get much better’!

Anchoring for an hour to enjoy dinner in Moelfre bay, on the north coast of Anglesey, we resumed our passage to enter the approach channel  leading up to Conwy Marina soon after the sill had dropped and in time for another ‘last orders’ pint in the Mulberry Pub directly outside the pontoon gate.

For several days we had been trying to organise rail tickets and to locate somewhere to watch the All Blacks v England rugby game early on Saturday morning and the quest had been complicated by the fact that the IOM is a ‘foreign’ country and the Hejira WiFi didn’t work. The situation was resolved, on both counts by booking the train from adjacent Colwyn Bay where we also found a pub opening at 8am, providing breakfast and showing the rugby – result !

Dave and Mike left on the train after the game and I was left to clean up, do my laundry and shop in time for John’s arrival later in the day. Routine checks in the main and engine bilges revealed water in both. The main bilge turned out to be (I think) a loose leaking shower hose in the forward head so that whenever the tap was turned on, the connection leaked running back down into the cupboard and bilge. The engine situation was more worrying as there was a lot of salt water in the engine ‘bund’.  After checking the usual suspects, the hose connections and the pump cover, the problem turned out to be a tiny hole in the exhaust water lock which, under pressure and gravity, squirted a steady stream into the bilge. This was particularly annoying as the box had been welded up over the   winter – clearly not properly. Limited access left few options but I was able to drill the hole bigger and self- tap a screw with a washer and rubber gasket into the hole which has appeared to stop the leak but it will need monitoring pending a more permanent solution over the winter.

Now it’s time to plan for a passage through the Menai Straights and the daunting ‘Swellies’!

Checking out of the hotel near Glasgow Airport and collecting  Dr. Stephen Williams, my only crew for this week, we embarked on the drive back to Oban. The scenery was pleasant and unspoilt with a coffee stop in the pretty town of Inveraray where the author of the Para Handy short stories was born and where the (renamed) Vital Spark is moored but looking sorry for herself in a poor state of repair.

With the Mull of Kintyre between us and the Clyde and only the two of us on board, we had some decisions to make. The Crinan Canal is a shortcut through the top of the Mull of Kintyre. It is unlike the Caledonian Canal in that it is smaller and the locks are not ‘manned’ so it is necessary for crews to work the gates and sluices themselves. Our luck changed when we made contact with some old friends who used to live in Ascot and who retired and moved back to Scotland 12 years ago. Paul and Mary Smyth built a new house on the family farm at the head of Loch Craignish and we met up in the ‘Galley of Lorne’ pub in Ardfern where we had moored.

They gave us a tour of their wonderful house and farm showing us the ancient Cairn and Standing Stone which aligns between the ‘paps’ on Jura and the sun on midsummers day. Moreover, they volunteered to crew through the Crinan and their help was invaluable.

Overnight in Cairnbaan, halfway through the canal, we eat on board but the experience was overshadowed (literally) by the clouds of midges. Spraying the pests under the sprayhood while we replaced the wash boards, we were greeted in the morning by a carpet of dead insects to be hoovered up. It seems the problem is particularly bad this year following a mild wet winter and spring. Paul and Mary returned the next day with a bottle of Avon ‘Skin so Soft’, it being the midge repellent of choice of the Forestry staff. They cautioned however that the formula may have recently changed and that it may not now be as effective. Their old bottle worked very well though!

Paul and Mary stayed with us for the final reaches and locks of the canal and we at least had a sail down Loch Fyne to East Loch Tarbert where they left us after a few beers on the harbour front. Big thanks to them as the Crinan passage would have been infinitely more difficult without them.

In conversation, they told us about a new marina at Portavadie on the other side of Loch Fyne. They said that they routinely took the ferry from Tarbert to the excellent restaurant in the marina. Intrigued and faced with little wind, we ghosted across the Loch to take a look and spend the night there. En-route, Stephen caught a solitary mackerel but, having gutted it, we put it in the freezer for later, more were needed for a meal. Portavadie is a strange place.

A deep water Loch had been protected by breakwaters in an attempt to attract rig construction. This function had never been adopted and fortunes have been spent converting it into a ‘ritzy’ marina with glass and stainless steel apartments and facilities. The marina is currently utilised to no more than 20% capacity but it is heavily staffed and the degree of effort is probably best crystallised by noting that, in the very plush facilities, there are hair straighteners in the gents!

The landscaping of the marina area which is still going on appears to include the erection of their own ‘faux’ standing stones overlooking Loch Fyne, how very contrived!

A gentle drift down the loch to lunch in Loch Ranza on the Isle of Arran failed to yield any more mackerel but the afternoon brought a little more wind and a very enjoyable beat up West Kyle inside Bute to an overnight mooring buoy off Kames.

Light unfavourable winds on Friday morning recommended a gentle motor through the beautiful Kyles, past the ‘Burnt Islands’ and on to moor in Rothesay Harbour for lunch and a look around the town.

Dodging the ferry comings and goings, we made our way up the Clyde to Holy Loch to overnight in the marina. Holy Loch was a submarine base for the US Navy between 1962 and 1992 and the piers, now incorporated into the marina, were built by the US Navy. There is no other residual signs of military occupation and it is a very pretty location.  A taxi ride to the recommended Coylet Inn on the land locked Loch Eck turned out to be well worth the trouble.

A sprightly reach in deteriorating weather on Saturday morning cemented good memories of a very enjoyable week and it was with a degree of sadness that we said goodbye, Stephen taking a taxi to the airport.

The Clyde area offers such a variety of excellent sailing to the cruising yachtsman. Long flat sheltered reaches, quiet out of the way anchorages and with an abundance of visitor mooring buoys it is delightfully un-stressful. It really deserves more than a week and I certainly have reasons to return.

With my new crew arriving on Sunday evening, I can take it easy, catch up on the cleaning, washing and victualling in while planning what adventures the weather will recommend next week.