The Adventures of Cat & Cod: Coast and Countryside

Sunday, 31 August 2008

We are sailing, We are sailing: Y Felinheli with John - 31.08.08

"Ay, Ay Cap'ain!". Family friend John, who owns a boat beside the Menai Straits of North Wales, in a small village called Y Felinheli (pronounced "Uh Vellinhelly", I believe) had offered to give us the sailing experience aboard his beloved Vagrant. So, we turned up, armed with waterproof EVERYTHING ready for the open sea, which was perhaps as well given that the only way to reach John's 1973 Scandinavian vessel was in a small inflatable dinghy - slightly prone to tipping and quite intimate for 3 - but I was impressed at how dry we stayed throughout the day (well, the first 5 hours, anyway, until we were returning to shore and the dinghy filled with water...typical!!!).

I have to say that the day was a huge success (a little excitement but not too much...and time to down anchor for a nice cup of tea and some lunch) and fun was had by all. John, who is a remarkably jovial and reassuring character, especially when dealing with amateur sailors (it must be the Quaker in him), showed us the ropes and seemed happy to hand out duties to his new crew..."Starboard ahoy, ready about, loosen your gaskets...LEO!"...or something to that effect. While Cody and John were busy leaping over ropes, ducking under the boom and dislodging the anchor I was discovering that left takes you right and right takes you left...phew! I did, however, feel much more comfortable at the helm than edging along the side of the boat at a 45 degree angle and yanking on ropes. The extreme tipping when turning gave me that oh so familiar vertigo sensation, only this time the "ground" really was moving, so all I could do at this point was hang on for dear life. Commodore Cody, however, looked quite the pro and really got his hands dirty.

I must, at this point, remark on the beautiful scenery that we were treated to on our trip, surrounded by misty mountains and lush green countryside. This really was a lovely way to spend the last Saturday of the school summer holiday.

Thank you, John!