Neyland to Caldey Island

We got to Neyland at 23:30 last night, so were in no mood for an early start. Luckily high water Neyland was at quarter to nine. Since that was the earliest sensible time to leave we were in no rush.

Julian cooked breakfast while I got the cockpit cover off and folded, then after breakfast I walked along to pay while Julian carried on getting Robinetta and Worm ready to leave. By the time I got back from the marina office he had the engine on to warm up, the bowsprit out, the chart plotter hooked up... There was very little left to do, and we motored gently out of the berth at 09:20. The whole process was made easier by the fact that Robinetta was bow out on the berth. 
 
It was a beautiful morning for October, bright sunny and warm, with the only drawback a lack of wind. We got the staysail up as soon as we were clear of the marina channel, and realised there might be a breath of wind, so Julian got the main sail up (the wind was so light we did not bother trying to go head to wind to do this). With 2 knots of tide beneath us we turned the engine revs down, and then off as Julian found there was just enough wind to give us steerage way.

Thorn Island Hotel, Milford Haven

 We sailed gently down the Haven, turning the engine on again when the wind died away to nothing, but keeping the revs low. We were in no hurry to leave the Haven since once we were outside the haven the tide would be against us until 12:25. We motor sailed through Thorn Island Sound, and once we were clear turned off the engine and headed for Sheep Island. Unfortunately we had to put the engine back on to clear the headland, and it stayed on. 

Sheep Island in the sunshine

Once we had the tide under us again we made good time, with a gentle following wind and swell. Every now and then we put the engine in neutral, but there was never enough wind to give us steerage way in the swell. We took the Crow passage past Linney Head, inside Crow rock and the Toes, and stayed well inshore past St.Govan's Head. Even with the very gentle wind going with the tide the seas got much shorter just off St.Govan's Head. It was easy to see how overfalls could develop here. 
 
Julian did not fancy cooking lunch in the swell, and our breakfast kept us going until we reached Broadhaven Bay, just south of St Govan's Head. We dropped anchor there for an hour and had a lovely late lunch of scallops. The wind came up a little, and we raised sail at anchor. We managed to sail up to the anchor and raise it, but did not have steerage way, so had to put the engine back on to clear Church Rock in the centre of the bay.

Church Rock in Broadhaven Bay

Motor sailing, with an occasional quarter of an hour of pure sailing brought us to Lydstep by 16:40. We then headed for Priory Bay, Caldey Island, and managed to sail into the bay. This was our planned overnight stop if the swell was slight enough, and since it was we headed in under sail. 
 
Anchoring under sail felt really easy. We dropped the anchor in 5m of water beneath the keel at half tide, and put out 30m of chain, expecting another 3.5m of tide by 21:00. The pilot book says this anchorage is safe, but rarely free of swell. It was flat calm when we dropped anchor at 17:30, and only occasional swells rolled us in the evening.