3 Small Dinghy's On The Irish Sea - Abermenai Channel At The Wrong Time!

[@WaveSweepertheAdventureD-rn4nx]

Very nice trip. She's looking great with the spinnaker up!

[@SailingWithDave]

Oh yes, I have struggled with that sail all season, but gradually gaining confidence and tweaking how I use it and it really does help. You see it a few more times before the end of the season!!!

[@jamesspiers-b5x]

Love this part of the world, it's great to see it from the water. Look forward to the next adventure.

[@SailingWithDave]

It is lovely. I wonder what it's like in windy conditions though but i'll take the weather we had!

[@JeremyEvans-d7c]

Really enjoyed the trilogy. Looked like a fantastic adventure 👍

[@stuartmenziesfarrant]

I take a book on the boat for those dead moments. No batteries required! With a hot beverage of course!

[@SailingWithDave]

Thats a great idea. Or fishing as someone else has mentioned before. I think the key is to relax and not worry when you're sitting still!

[@philj3727]

Brill, a real adventure and an inspiration. Thanks.

[@SailingWithDave]

Haha, yes beats the mini "adventures" on the lake doesn't it. I am hoping to do more of this type of stuff in the coming season.

[@joewilliams5396]

Thanks for posting. The drone shots were great & the voyage, plus overall video.

[@SailingWithDave]

Cheers Joe, trying to up my game a bit!!

[@anotherangleUK]

Lovely series, looking forward to more of these adventures aboard Lulu Lugger.

[@SailingWithDave]

Many thanks. Some more to come soon!

[@fat_tommo_goes_boating]

This is a credit to you Dave, well done. You have also pointed out the big problem for me with sailing, I know it's part of it but that's why I currently use the powerboat, simply because of the time I have available

[@SailingWithDave]

Hi Tommo, I completely get that as I would love to go further afield but 3-4 kts only gets you so far!!! I enjoy anything on the water really, powerboats or sail both have their charm to me and I could easily see myself in a motorboat of some kind...maybe a Shetland one day!!

[@fat_tommo_goes_boating]

@@SailingWithDave you can't beat a Shetland, in many ways they have a lot in common with the lugger, in terms of practically and dependability

[@SailingWithDave]

@@fat_tommo_goes_boating I nearly bought one and put it on a mooring 4 years ago!! Ended up being too much hassle and the boat had a few issues so never went ahead.

[@fat_tommo_goes_boating]

@@SailingWithDave I have had two or three Shetland 535's and a 498. The 535's were all projects to do up

[@SailingWithDave]

I guess they're all old now and get a lot of use. One reason to buy them. I headr the 570 is not as seaworthy or is that wrong? I thought originally the 570 was just the newer version?@@fat_tommo_goes_boating

[@ShoeProtestorGrrrr]

Fabulous Dave. You really do have salt in your blood now. Dda iawn as they say in Aberffraw.⛵

[@SailingWithDave]

Croeso! Yes certainly do and the salt makes you eager for more.

[@johnburgess5534]

At each tide change there is a STAND so hardly any noticeable movement.

[@SailingWithDave]

Hi John, are you referring to what I have learnt as "SLACK" water where there is very little or no height change at HW and LW and therefore movement of water at that point is also zero?

[@papataffy]

Great series, enjoyed...

[@SailingWithDave]

Many thanks for that. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@philj3727]

Do you think the epropulsion would have coped with the amount of motoring. I can see that the petrol outboard prevents range anxiety.

[@SailingWithDave]

Definitely not. If I could use the Epropulsion I would. On the lake when it's dead calm I have tested the epropulsion and it doesn;t get the boat up to hull speed. When it's rough it really needs full pelt. It's fine on the lake to be honest as I know I can get home and on the mooring no problem, but on the sea it would struggle and it would run out of power very quickly.

[@LNM0000]

Can hear the cars being hooned about on Trac mon.

[@SailingWithDave]

Yes you can, bit annoying really. I wonder what the locals make of it!

[@knucker4931]

Very nicely done. A proper first adventure. What made you choose the petrol outboard over the electric? Thanks for taking us with you! Al

[@SailingWithDave]

Many thanks KNucker. SO the electroic just isn;t powerful enough for the sea. I would have to run it at full pelt to get her going in any kind of current or tide which means I would have about 2 hours of power with both batteries. On the lake it's fine, but on the sea I need the power of the 6HP and the range of the petrol!! I am starting to understand why people say Drascombes need a bit more engine power than some dinghies!

[@knucker4931]

@@SailingWithDave that's fair enough. A shame, but fair enough. Thanks for getting back to me. I have the same electric outboard, but my boat is considerably lighter and goes through the water with less effort than Lulu. That means less stability/comfort though, so it's all swings and roundabouts! Best wishes Al

[@SailingWithDave]

@@knucker4931 Hi Al, On the Mirror that motor will get her to hull speed at about 1/3rd power and she will go all day long on 1 battery so its perfect. Only thing I would say is that a small outboard would probably be lighter and you could carry fuel to extend the range and also refuel at places if cruising. I also did 11 miles along the River Dee with it too on the Seahopper and had about 1/3rd to 1/4 left. I had oars with me though and did a bit of rowing, although not too much! It would be interesting to see how well something like a Wayfarer does at 160KG it would need far less energy and they sail much better in lighter airs, also pointing far better too You see most people with 2.5HP outboards on them to justify that weight saving. However I would have anxiety about needing the range, just in case you had to motor for an hour.

[@knucker4931]

@@SailingWithDave well, I have some alterations to make on my Albacore, but she is similar in size to a Wayfarer at 15 foot long. A fair bit lighter though. 240lb (109kg for those into that there trendy metric stuff! 😁) and a foot narrower in the beam. I've only had the Spirit outboard on the boat once, not very satisfactory due to the transom design, but I have a cunning plan for that! I don't really plan to use the Spirit 1 for cruising, more trips on our local rivers and canals. I will be having oars as a paddle in a dinghy is of limited use. Learning to scull over the stern is also on the ToDo list. Hoping to make considerable progress this year. Best wishes Al

[@SailingWithDave]

@@knucker4931 Oh yes. I tried sculling last season and got better and better at it, but kind of gave up after a while. ROwing the Lugger is fine though, she rows well, just need to centre the rudder and she steers herself. Albacore is nice. Just about the right size for stability but you know you can right her too if needed. The Wayfarer and certainly Lugger you would struggle.

[@davidpoots8362]

Great trip. We plan to sail a mixed fleet of wayfarers and drascombes to Islay this summer, how did that work for you? Were the wayfarers too quick to stay together?

[@SailingWithDave]

Hi David. Firstly, forgive the forward-ness but, I am hoping to sail the Clyde or the outer sea there (Craobh haven, maybe the crinan canal) this season so if you have room for one more Lugger, I would be very interested to join you to Islay. I saw an amazing video of 3 men sailing their Mirror 16 from NI to Islay and it looked like one hell of an adventure!! Like-wise contact me if you want to join us down here. I'm not sure what we're doing just yet but I may post the trips on the DCA anyway for a simple "Come join"! So I learned very quickly how good Wayfarers are in light winds!! Norman is an ex-racer in the Wanderer and he's sailing at least 1-1.5kts faster than me and hardly ever using his outboard. If the wind dropped, then a quick paddle to one side got that boat moving enough! The Wayfarer has a less skilled captain but she still goes like the clappers in light airs. He can accelerate away from me easily in the slightest puff of air. I would say in lighter airs it proved to be difficult to stay together unless I was using the motor ever hour to catch up. Where I really struggled was when Running. With no polled out main and mizzen those sails are almost useless running. Interestingly one of the racers at Bala showed me how the sail needs a boom/pole to attain power when the boat was still on the trailer after this trip. You could literally feel the power in the sail. or lack of it without being poled out. OIt was eye opening. The spinnaker helped loads though and I think boomed, Main and Mizzen with the spinnaker poled out (See my video of that on the lake a few back) and sh'e be a lot better. Pointing, I don't see that issue with the boom on the Lugger so much however I think on the sea, if you are sailing into the wind then it may be time for a little motoring in the Lugger, just to keep the progress up!! Beating you have more apparent wind effect so can motor sail too for a quick boost. I did spend a decent amount of time motoring to just keep in touch. However that was laregely due to these trips being the first on the sea for me and not wanting to experience a different seastate at critical points. Something, you'll see in the next trip! If we do the same trip this year, I would have no problem letting them go off and meeting up later, now I know the waters better. I also know that the currents here aren't that great and the west coast so motoring against one isn't a huge issue if I had to. Also we arrived at the destinations quite early if anything, so there would have been plenty of time for me to arrive late and join up at the camp. In fact next time, if we do this I will anchor off the shoreline and maybe do a spot of fishing or reading in the boat before aiming for the river. It would be interesting to see the Lugger in stronger winds against these boats. On the lake, where there are plenty of Wayfarers about, Lulu holds her own when reaching against them. OK if the Wayfarer sailor is intent on racing and planing then not so much, however on the sea you would be reefing the Wayfarer and sticking to 4-5 kts, I could still fly all sails in 12-15kts. It brought up a debate in the evening of whether the other 2 would be happy in the larger seas that the wind would bring to benefit the Lugger and indeed if the Lugger is flawed to some degree if you need the wind (and thus accompanying sea state) to sail the boat at a reasonable pace. However I htink we are indeed talking chalk and cheese here. Much the same as a Yacht would speak to a motor boat. Another Lugger sailor I know summed it up niceley thats why he sails alone. Then you have no-one to beat or race or keep up with and thus cannot be late or left behind!! I think the tides generally dictate anyway so if the Lugger comes in 1-2 hours later, you haven't missed all that much and you get a longer sail!!! But the key is to perhaps accept they are very different boats, maybe suited to different wind when cruising, so plan trips where they can meet up in good time for camping etc. The ony thing I would be concerend about is planning key points and making sure I am safe. For example on this trip I was going through the Abermenai channel at mid-tide, 2 hours behind the other two. I was barely making progress at one point and that was a bit alarming for me as a first timer. Looking back it was OK, but if the weather and wind were any worse then what would the sand banks have brought and owuld that have been recommended etc etc? The beauty of a dinghy is that I was no more than 5M from the shore so could have ditched the bvoat if in doubt, and even walked her through. So when we do an Anglesey circumnavigation I will be planning the points in but for me a bit better. Using the outboard is not whats it's all about!!!

[@davidpoots8362]

Thanks for the long reply. I'm based in Northern Ireland and our trip will be the same open crossing to Islay. Two wayfarers and perhaps my scaffie. We are still debating neap or spring tides. Neaps for calm water but we need push from the springs or we might miss scotland. The wayfarers will be quicker and I might have to accept using the hated motor to make tidal gates. Would love to share a trip with you.

[@SailingWithDave]

Haha. I type super fast!! Oh thats an adventure and a half. Alas getting the NI would be a challenge too far for me at the moment, however I do hear a lot about Drascombes sailing over there. No shame in using the motor when needed in my view, especially if it's to stop you missing Scotland!!!. Good luck and let me know how it goes. ​@@davidpoots8362

[@marcdaigle1163]

Great multitasking, Dave...Don't tell anyone, but, there is a mysterious narrator, that infiltates your video, once, and a while, hehe...🙂

[@SailingWithDave]

I wonder you that may be!! ;-)

[@marcdaigle1163]

@@SailingWithDave Well,... He is very good at narrating...

[@SailingWithDave]

Thank you very much!@@marcdaigle1163

[@HELIFAN1]

Nice adventure, very well edited. 👍 Already nominated for BAFTA film award?

[@SailingWithDave]

I wish. I did these as a little test and also to scratch an itch i've had for years to make a more documentary style film so i'm really glad people like them. More to come!

[@johnburgess5534]

What you can see in the distance is NOT visible through your wide angle lens.!!!

[@SailingWithDave]

Haha Yes, I somteimes forget that. On the lake I can usually put a little marker around something when its a bit small, but on the sea everything is so vast and far away!!!

[@basshunter9030]

You still haven’t learnt to spell Aberffraw.

[@SailingWithDave]

I think my auto correct sometimes changes it you know. I will double check. The title seems OK though?