DAY 6: 15 JUNE
MILFORD HAVEN TO DÚN LAOGHAIRE, 125NM
The alarm was set for 3.30am but I didn’t need it as I was awake and watching the stars grow dim as night slowly turned to day. I put on full yachty wet gear. It was a little chilly and I had the Irish Sea to conquer. Teeth brushed, bunk stowed, engine started, navigation lights on and lines slipped, I backed out of my berth and made my way to the lock.
By 4.45am I was steaming back up Milford Haven. The water was like glass. I passed St Ann’s Head and turned north west towards Skomer Island, 10nm away. That was the point when I had to decide if I was heading across to Ireland or sticking to the Welsh coast.
With the sun rising behind me, I started singing the 80s classic Should I Stay or Should I Go in the hope it would help me decide. The sea was flat enough and I’d already plotted a route to Rosslare. I made my decision. Ireland it was.
For the first 10nm, a slight sea state meant I was only making 17-18 knots but then the waves flattened and my speed lifted. All I could see in any direction was sea, sea and more sea. Then 100m ahead of me I suddenly caught sight of a dorsal fin. “Whale ho!” Backing off, I waited to see if I could get a better look but no such luck. It didn’t reappear.
The next couple of hours passed uneventfully until Channel 16 burst into life on my VHF. Minehead Coastguard were issuing a small vessel warning for exactly
