Skippers observations!

Marita3
Mark & Helen Syrett
Tue 12 May 2015 09:37
51:42.329N 05:09.205W

The return of the grandchildren to Paris on 2 May after a week of ‘fun’ meant that we were able to plan our departure for Scotland. We had plenty of planning time as the wind howled and a succession of lows flew across the Atlantic and battered the south west. We needed a 48 + hour window to reach Dun Laoghaire (Done Leary !!), Dublin or 30 hours to reach Milford Haven as a port of refuge. After intensive study of the grid files over several days we decided to leave on Thursday evening, anything to miss election night and the swingometer, and set off on a forecast of a light southerly to Lands End and then freshening to easterly 5/6. We went round the Lizard at 0100 in a wet easterly and rounded Lands End at dawn where we the wind freshened from the east. We romped along at about 7 knots with two reefs in the main and and full genny but were soon winding this up as the wind increased and the sea rolled in on the starboard quarter. We both started to go a rather green blotchy colour and Mark was soon eating digestive biscuits, his cure all, whilst Helen finally succumbed. It was bitterly cold, the wind was gusting 30+ knots and with the prospect of another 24 hours at sea to reach Ireland we took the decision to go into Milford Haven for a good sleep. The entrance to the Haven is quite restricted bearing in mind the size of the super tankers that go in and out of there and with the wind now blowing hard behind us and a big curling sea we had to get the right angle to prevent a gybe. At that point a super tanker appeared from the west and started to turn for the entrance. That complicated the situation somewhat !! We sheltered in Dale and went to sleep with the Coastguard calling all ships to keep a lookout for a 26 foot sloop with red decks, (called Red Socks) one person on board that had left Newlyn 48 hours previously and was last seen off Lands End.
A good nights sleep and we awoke the following morning keen to get going—it is amazing how one forgets the endurance tests of the previous day. As we listened to the Inshore Forecast and yet another radio alert for Red Socks we saw this rather dishevelled person and small boat sailing in behind us—it had red decks! We hailed him and sure enough it was Red Socks and we told him the Coastguard was looking for him——he contacted them on his mobile.
On a forecast of an 18 hour window we departed to try and catch two favourable tides before the wind increased again.