Pwll-Du Picnic

At last both the weather and tides coincided. A picnic at Pwll-Du was planned, we had the boat rigged and launched at 11:15hrs, low tide (quite springy) was around 14:00hrs so that should have helped us down the coast and the wind was at max 5-6 mph from the south west.
Harry took the helm as soon as the transom touched the water and he proceeded to steer us out past the end of the Peir towards the Scarweather south cardinal mark. Unfortunately, due to the time of our departure we couldn't take the short cut through the outer lighthouse sound as the causeway had completely dried out. So it was a case of sailing around the Mumbles Lighthouse and over the surprising calm Cherry stones. After almost an hours sailing we were on our third tack and had passed Braclet Bay but had yet to get properly beyond Tutt Head and Limeslade. Both Clare and I reluctantly thought it wise to start the engine before we had a mutiny on our hands so we ended up motoring the rest of the way. Harry was now very pleased as at the moment motoring is better than sailing and he does enjoy steering close to other anchored fishing boats to show them who's in charge, much to Dads amusement.

I guess we would have arrived at Pwll-Du at around 13:00hrs, our friends who had left earlier were already settled and the BBQ's were cooking nicely. We left the FBB anchored with a little rope ladder hanging over the side just in case we had to swim out for it . Although, we needn't have worried as when it was time to leave there were plenty of taxi offers.

As is so often the case the sail back was absolutely lovely to the extent that it all goes by too quickly. The light wind hadn't changed direction so we had a run all the way back, when we were off Caswell we gybed the main leaving the Jib and Mizzen on a starboard tack to sail by the lee. When we arrived at the Lighthouse there was now enough water to cut through the sound and gybed all the sails on to Port! This is often the case at the Mumbles corner of Swansea Bay, the wind was South Westerly in the Bristol Channel but Westerly behind the Mumbles Head, moorings and slip, so rather than beating we put on the engine and motored our way to the end of a perfect day on the water.