Errors and Overfalls

Going to Port Saint Mary was a mistake. The bay is exposed to the south, and almost as soon as we arrived the wind got up from that direction and Robinetta started rolling horribly in the swell. Even though we were tired we could not stay there. Heading back round the Calf of Man to Peel would have seen us beating which did not appeal. Instead we decided to head for Douglas, and came off the mooring at 10:00, with no fog left to obscure the passage.

I laid in a course to take us clear of the overfalls off Dreswick Point, and Julian stayed below to try and get more sleep. I kept looking left, contemplating the two mile detour out to sea. We were close to high water and I could not see any disturbed water off the point, so I decided to cut across. This was not a good idea.

We had had the tide with is through the overfalls coming out of Strangford. This time we had it against us, with a stronger wind behind us. Robinetta, lovely lady that she is, just bobbed up and down and sideways, never feeling unsafe although the steering was hard work. Worm bumped into Robinetta's stern once, but generally hung far enough behind and somehow never took a drop of water on board. Robinetta did get some splashes into the cockpit, and I asked Julian to close the door, just in case a bigger one came in!

Eventually we were through, although it took a while at 1.8 knots! Immediately we were in smoother seas we were making 3.5 knots again. Going round the overfalls would have been quicker, and a lot easier.

We headed up the coast to Douglas with following sea and winds, but motor sailing all the way to make up for the tide being against us. As I checked the course I had put in I noticed we had just entered the Port of Douglas's Harbour Control area and decided to give them a call to say where we were. I used the phone as I was not sure they would be listening on VHF, but they told me to use the VHF and give them a call again when we were 10 minutes from the harbour, since Manannan, the fast cat ferry service from Belfast, would be arriving in the harbour at about the same time as us.

I went on listening watch on channel 12, and about 1½ hours later heard Douglas advising Manannan that the small yacht they could see was probably Robinetta, and that they would call us to check we would stay clear. It gave me a good feeling that they could ID us due to my call, but I was less pleased to be called on the VHF and be told that we needed to turn away and wait south of the entrance.

Turning into the wind felt like quite a difficult manoeuvre where we were, with the following wind and sea, but we complied and it was much easier than expected. Being tired both Julian and I were seeing problems where none existed. Mannanan soon cleared into the harbour and we were free to follow.

The sailing Cruise Liner Wind Surf was anchored in the bay, sending her tenders ashore to the secure landing stage inside the harbour. They were rolling like anything, and Robinetta did the same as we lowered the main, so I did not make a neat job of it.

On the waiting pontoon

We tied up on the waiting pontoon, forward of a Westerly Duo, whose crew came to help us with the lines. They are WOA members and interested to learn that Robinetta is in the “Westerly Story” club publication. 

 

I got the bowsprit in, and tidied up the foredeck while Julian raised the main sail and and took the reef out since he wanted to tighten the outhaul on the boom. One of the gaff robands had snapped, so he replaced it, and retied the gaff outhaul to tension the top of the sail properly too. He then went on to glue and restrap the tiller pilot attachment point on the tiller. Both of us were pretty much operating on autopilot ourselves. It was 14:30 when we reached Douglas but Julian had to work through his adrenalin rush before he could relax.

The marina staff visited us on the waiting pontoon and gave us a plan of the marina, with the berth Robinetta should take marked on it. They also gave really useful advice about when to call Douglas Harbour and ask for the bridge to be lifted so we could get into the marina. There is a flap gate, which hold the water inside the marina, and entry is only possible for two hours either side of high water. The road bridge crosses the harbour just above the flap gate, and needs to lift to allow entry.

Once Robinetta's mainsail cover was on we had a light lunch, then got the bed out and slept for a couple of hours. We wanted to move Robinetta as soon as possible, but this was not until 2045 when the flap gate would open, so we took the chance for a much needed rest.

After a couple of hours in bed we went for a walk to check out our new berth, and on the way back Julian saw the lifeboat launch down its slipway.

Winching the lifeboat in

Despite the force 6 winds there were 4 yachts racing in the bay. Once of them ended up beached, and the lifeboat launched to recover it and tow it back into harbour. We could see most of the events from Robinetta, and had a ringside seat to see the lifeboat being winched back up the ramp and into its shed.

In contrast moving into the marina was totally non traumatic, even though the wind blew us off our assigned berth and we had to go round again, and we were safely moored up inside by 2100.