Leonard Jones

Wind forecast 9kt WNW Low water Waterford 10:48 HW Liverpool 09:30 HW Dover 09:28 Plan to leave the swinging mooring at 05:00 sunrise 06:30 Didn’t get away as early as hoped 05:45 left the mooring. We motored out past a large anchored ship before turning to windward to raise the main. Wind from the NW so we had turned back on our path and as we had issues delaying us raising the main; a lack of preparation on unwrapping the reefing lines! This gave me concerns as we were heading back to the vessel at anchor. We turned back to our course, a dead run and completed the raising of the main in the light air going downwind. Rounding Hook Head there was a gentle swell and not enough wind to get our speed up as we turned to our course of due east. As the boom was swinging about we fixed the preventer; running a 2 hour crew rota Harry from 05:45 Len from 07:45 then me Engine off 06:50 Wind dying away 07:25 engine back on. Through Saltee Sound just after 08:10. Just noticed that the wind instrument head has started working again - great news! Engine off at 09:00 wind now 14/15 KT. 09:00 52-09.400 06-27.598 Engine off 09:50 Wind increased so we put in a reef. Then off the entrance to Rosslare wind died again so engine back on around 11:00 and the reef taken back out. The wind now on the nose once again at around 11:40 so furled the jib and we were battling 2.1kt of tide. 13:00 52-22.195 06-15.154 Tidegradually going less against us now only 1.7 COG 20 SOG 4.6 Engine revs at 2.5k winds still F1. 13:40 unfurled the jib and engine off with winds gusting 13kt. Then it died away again. By 13:50 I noticed that the tide is now running with us and we are now making better speeds but with the wind dropping again our boat speed is getting too low so we put the motor back on. Another long day and we were glad to get into Arklow on a free part of the river pontoons where the Harbour Master came to talk to us as we moored up. Shortly after another yacht came in with a German couple so we invited them to raft up alongside Flair IV and we had an interesting chat as they had sailed from Hamburg round the north of Scotland setting off in May when they left their jobs as hospital doctors. We had the remains of the food bought in Crosshaven before heading out to the pub just across the bridge.