Holyhead Harbour
It was a very busy time over the August Bank Holiday weekend! Saturday, Sunday and Monday saw the marina and moorings playing host to gaff rigged boats large and small. They are so beautiful especially in full sail.
Shoreside, there were various traditional crafts being demonstrated; rope making, kipper smoking, basket and coracle making and the lifeboat crews were on hand throughout the weekend.
There was also a (reconstruction) artillery team firing cannon at frequent intervals throughout Sunday and Monday accompanied by a rifleman, all firing at the pirates, real or imaginary – it was fascinating, but very noisy!
There was also a visit from the Rescue helicopter based at RAF Valley – which may or may not have been piloted by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge!
Daf and I spent a couple of days on our boat. We watched the Parade of Sail round the harbour, which included both the inshore and offshore life boats, (not a sail between them, let alone a gaff!)
We then enjoyed the Battle of Holyhead Harbour, fought out between the Vilma and Zebu, the largest of the boats with a crew of more than twenty ‘scurvy knaves’ (some with a history in film/TV).
All the pirates were decked out in best ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ style and the battle, including loud cannon was appropriately accompanied by music from the film. They were obviously enjoying themselves and we were even treated to a boarding party and hand to hand fighting.
On Tuesday morning Daf and I sailed north from Holyhead Harbour to the Skerries for a brief visit. It’s always tricky manoeuvering near the Skerries and care needs to be taken with tidal drift – you really have to choose weather and times carefully.
The puffins had left some time ago, but on this visit we immediately realised the terns had also departed and the lagoon was left to the remaining gulls and the seals, whose calls we love to hear – they sometimes seem to ‘sing’ to each other.
We sailed back on the tide and as we entered the harbour limits, the magnificent Zebu was leaving to flood with the tide homeward to Liverpool. We manoevered near her for a while as the crew, up in the rigging, released the big square sails to the breeze – what a wonderful sight. Zebu sailed away east.
When we arrived at our mooring excitement was building in front of Holyhead Sailing Club, where people were gathering expectantly. It was all about the swim which was about to take place that evening…
Holyhead to Dublin Charity Swim
Steve Parry, champion swimmer, (third from the left), Pamela Stephenson, she has done too many things to list, (fourth from the left), Ronan Keating, singer, (fifth from the left), Jenny Frost, singer, (fourth from the right), Jason Bradbury, tv presenter, (second from the right) and other swimmers in front of Holyhead Sailing Club, posing for the press and public.
They set off on ‘The Swim’, a fundraising swim across the Irish Sea in aid of Cancer Research UK at 21:00 on Tuesday 30th August 2011. It was dark, which must have made it even harder walking down the ramp and into the cold, black water. No backing out though with people and cameras watching!
The first swimmer into the water was Ronan Keeting: he swam through the boat moorings accompanied by a canoe and several support vessels including a large life boat – I think he was choking in the exhaust fumes! He was followed by Jenny Frost then Pamela Stephenson. It’s around a mile from the ramp to the lighthouse at the end of the harbour mole – then there are still about 58 miles to go!
The tides were on ‘springs’ so the currents were at their strongest and took the swimmers a long way south before bringing them back north with the next incoming tide. Even though the team included some ‘serious’ swimmers this was still a huge undertaking. I take my hat off to every one of them. Unfortunately Richard Branson, who had also intended to swim, called off following the lightning fire at his island home.
Peace
/ppp