Arklow - Skomer (S-W Wales)

Nano's blog.
Nigel Anderson
Tue 4 Jul 2006 18:45
Date: 04-07-06     Time: 17:15 UTC      Position: 51.44.11N  005.16.90W   Name: Skomer, (island S-W Wales)

Click here for English version;

Siden vi skulle starte så tidlig idag, la vi oss rett etter klokka var ti. Alt lå tilrette for å komme avgårde tidlig. Så - litt før middnatt - hørte vi lyden av en båt rett utenfor oss. En seilbåt hadde kommet seint, og skulle legge seg utenfor oss - det var ikke ledig plass langs flytebrygga, men vi var 6-7 båter som lå der og de kunne ha valgt en hvilken som helst båt å ligge utenfor. Det er litt fælt å komme så sent på kvelden, for så å bli vekket kl- fem for å flytte seg, så jeg gikk på dekk for å forklare at vi skulle reise tidlig og at de ville kanskje legge seg utenfor en annen båt. På dette tidspunktet var de ikke halvveis ferdig med å feste tau i båten vår slik at det hadde vært en enkel sak å flytte seg. Men nei - her skulle de ligge. Ikke problem for meg, jeg måtte bare vekke dem som varslet kl. fem slik at de kunne slippe meg ut. De to som kom på dekk i pyjamas for å forhale båten kl. fem så ut som at de angret på beslutningen siden de ikke hadde fått mer enn fem timers søvn. Jeg sov heller ikke spesielt bra, og har vært trøtt i dag. Heldigvis har vi hatt flott seilebris mesteparten av dagen og begge to har fått sove litt mens den andre har vært på vakt.
 
Vi så delfiner igjen idag, uten å greie å ta bilder av dem. Mye lundefugl og andre fuglearter også.
 
Vi ligger nå i en utrolig flott uthavn på sørsiden av øya Skomer.  Hele øya er et naturreservat og er proppfull av sjøfugler. som bildet viser er det kun én båt til her (foreløpig). ikke overraskende for et så avsidesliggende sted, er det ikke mobiltelefondekning, så dette ble sendt over satelittelefon - dermed ikke bilde. Jeg har allerede brukt kr200 på mislykkede sendinger med bilder, så nå siste forsøk uten bilde. Jeg sender flere imorgen når vi igjen har vanlig dekning. 
 

English version

As we were to make a crack-of-dawn start, we went to bed just after ten. Everything was prepared for a quick and early getaway. About midnight we heard the sound of another boat very close to us. Not wanting to have another boat lying outside us as this would mean waking them up to let us out at five in the morning, I quickly got on deck to tell them that they would get a full night's sleep if they chose one of the other 6-7 boats that were lying alongside the pontoon. They had only just begun to put ropes on, so it would have been no effort for them to move forward one boat. Despite my warnings they insisted on mooring outside us, so I went back to bed, wishing them a good night's sleep and see you at five. I don't know whether they thought I was being an awkward sod who did not want a boat lying outside him, or the caring boat owner who has deep concerns for his fellow boaters sleep patterns. I certainly like a long sleep after arriving so late and I know what I would have done! Anyway I knocked on their hull just after five, and two bleary eyed men in pyjamas and bare feet came up to undo their lines and pull their boat into the space I was to vacate. I guess they reackoned I was the awkward sod and didn't really intend to get going at five. We will never know the truth. Anyway, the upcome of this was a rather disturbed night of sleep, and we have both been pretty tired today. Fortunately we have had easy sailing - a good breeze until about one, then motor-sailing in rain showers. We have been able to sleep a bit when the other one has had lookout duties.
 
We saw dolphins again today, one again failing to take pictures of them. Todays picture is from out harbour for the night - south harbour on the island of Skomer - south west tip of Wales. The island is teeming with puffins and other birds. It is a nature reservation, so we will not land here. Just one other sailboat here in the bay. Very reminiscent of the natural harbours back home in Norway. Not surprisingly for such a remote island, there is no mobile phone coverage, so I have sent this by sattelite phone - no picture. I have wasted twenty pounds in repeated attempts to send this message, and I now trying one last time without picture to see if that helps. I will send pictures tomorrow when we have normal phone coverage again.