053:19.274 N
004:38.177 W

Holyhead V

Variations of wind we are experiencing means we calculate sailing 20% of the days available.

We are sailing north which means we would like to sail in:
   - East, South and West = 75% of wind direction available
  - The tides are ferocious so we can sail in 50% of tides
  - 10-25 knots of wind are ideal and as we are experiencing 0-40 knots = 37% of wind strength is preferred
  - Swell is between 0.5m and 3m and we like to sail in 0-1m = 33% of swell is enjoyable.
However, in reality, we are finding about 1 day in 5 to be to our satisfaction!

Just when we needed a mathematician, Harry rang from uni so we put this conundrum to him; his response was classic:  “Those stats are all fine but there is no equal and uniform distribution of all mediums and you are assuming all are independent so it really can’t be guaranteed to be 20%”. 

Be careful what you wish for.

~

It was fun speaking with the Holyhead Sailing Club Secretary / Commodore who knows RSYC member Dom Breen Turner extremely well. We surprised him by sending this photo earlier today.

Just sharing one photo from yesterday’s train ride. It was very pleasing to stop at the world's longest officially recognized train station name: 
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
It translates to "St Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St Tysilio near the red cave". I remember fits of giggles at school trying to pronounce it in Geography lessons. 

Patrick and Hugh headed off yesterday. We plan to leave in the morning so this afternoon was reading and planning the next week or so. Tomorrow we will tiptoe around The Skerries, a series of rocks guarding the Holyhead entrance 6nm north of here, then negotiate the tides north, including those that divide up around the Isle of Man. The Boatman said to pass the Skerries at slack tide, so it’ll be a morning departure aiming towards Peel.

Forecast looks gorgeous.