An experienced sailor old me that gales and lee shores should never be in the same sentence. Add the smell of burning and the future begins to look bleak. This is just what was happening to me as I sailed north up the west coast of Greenland last week. I had just sailed almost 2000 miles from Wales and was only one day from my destination. There was no smoke or flames, just the distinctive smell of smoudering electrics coming from the engine room. The culprit seemed to be the V belt which had become loose and was scattering black dust and small pieces of rubber onto the hot engine. Now I needed the engine to make progress into the wind as I was approaching the rocky coastline leading towards Nuuk. I could have continued under sail alone but ‘Catryn’ is a motorsailer and not at her best short tacking into 30 knots of wind. It would have added another day or more to the voyage.

 

I had to shut down the engine and took the decision to head off the wind into one of the numerous bays and fjords 8 miles distant. It was 11pm but fortunately still broad daylight as we lowered the anchor in a sheltered bay about 60 mile south of

Nuuk. There was no sign of any human habitation whatsoever. Huge icebergs drifted serenely south in the wind, pristine white in the midnight sun. I stayed in this beautiful spot for 36 hours while the gale blew itself out, changed the V belt, went ashore for a run and tried my hand at fishing.

 

This was just a small incident, but that’s always how the big ones begin and as always, we learned much from the experience. I had a good rest, my first full nights sleep in 15 days. There were a few more dramas on the passage but they’re for another day.

 

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Dywedodd morwr profiadol wrthyf na ddylai gwyntoedd tymhestlog, glannau peryglys ac arogl llosgifod yn yr un frawddeg. Dyma’n union ddigwyddodd i mi fel roeddwn yn hwylio i gyfeiriad y Gogledd tuag at arfordir Gorllewinol Yr Ynys Las yr wythnos diwethaf. Roeddwn newydd hwylio bron 2000 milltir o Gymru, a dim ond diwrnod i fynd nes cyrraedd fy nod. Nid oedd mwg na fflamau, dim ond aroglmudlosgi yn dod o’r peiriant. V-belt wedi llacio oedd y drwg, n chwalullwch du a darnauman o rwber dros y peiriant boeth. Roedd angen y peiriant yn gweithio i wneud cynnydd yn erbyn y gwynt fel roeddwn yn agosau at y glannau creigiog yn arwain at Nuuk. Buaswn wedi medru dal i fynd gan ddefnyddio’r hwyliau’n unig, ond mae ‘Catryn’ yn llawer mwy effeithiol gyda’r peiriant hefyd, yn enwedig mewn gwyntoedd cryfion.

 

Penderfynais hwylio i mewn i un o’r ffiords ar ongl llawer haws i’r gwynt, a thua 8 milltir o bellter. Roedd hi’n 11 o’r gloch yr hwyr yn barod, ond yn dal yn olau dydd yn ffodus – dyma’r Yr Ynyl Las – a gollyngwyd yr angor mewn bae cysgodol tua 60 milltir i’r De o Nuuk. Doedd dim arwydd o fywyd dynol o gwbl. Roedd mynyddoedd ia enfawr yn llithro’n dawel yn y gwynt, yn glaerwyn yn yr haul. arthoson ni yno am oddeutu 36 awr tan i’r storm dawelu, newid y V-belt, mynd i’r lan a cheisio pysgota.

 

Digwyddiad cymharol fach oedd hwn, ond dyna sut mae’r rhai mawr yn dechrau! Daethom i ben a hi, ac wrth gwrs, fe ddysgon ni lawer o’r profiad. Cefais gyfle i orffwys hefyd, y noson gyntaf o gwsg iawn ers 15 diwrnod. Cawsom fan drafferthion eraill ar y daith, ond mae hanes y rheiny i ddod eto!