Traeth Bychan Harbour - Captain\'s Blog

Mooring chain snaps in heavy seas

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 21:02:41 GMT

Unusually heavy seas for August pushed into the harbour putting a strain on the main mooring chains causing the one at the stern of "Blue Water" to snap. Whilst the waves rolled in and the rain thrashed down, the Seaward 23 and the yacht Escape III were left shackled only to the back of Blue Water and rode precariously close to each other on the swell.

Fortunately, little damage was caused to any of the boats and after the tide retreated we were able to run ropes across to pull the boats back into position on the evening tide and replace the chain.

Channel 16 blocked by careless use

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 09:14:11 GMT

Sunday afternoon, 24th June – After listening to the weather check from Holyhead coast guard and switching back to channel 16, I found it to be repeatedly blocked by what sounded like a pleasure craft, with a couple of adults and a number of children on board cruising and possibly towing a skier. I suspect that someone was leaning on the transmit button or perhaps the microphone was jammed on a seat.

Whatever the reason, it could have had potential problems for anyone trying to call the coastguard, possibly in an emergency situation. There were no obvious craft in the Traeth Bychan area that could have been the source so there was little I could do.

Of course there was no malice in this action and it does happen from time to time but it is a situation anyone with a radio aboard should be wary of. Below is a link to an article on such instances with a few recommended lessons for marine radio users. Worth a quick look.

http://www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?nid=76114

Grounded yacht on Moelfre outflow rocks

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:15:19 GMT

It’s not the first time and it certainly won't be the last that someone picks the centre of Moelfre bay to anchor for the afternoon only to fall foul of the rocks on an ebbing tide.

Sunday 20th May, early evening and skipper of this yacht appeared to be oblivious that his centre keel had grounded on the rocky outcrop adjacent to the outflow pipe until it started to list heavily as he moved from one side of the boat to another.

After losing their own tender, the two crew members were safely picked up from the boat and ferried to the shore by the local inshore lifeboat from just around the corner.

Fortunately the sea was somewhat calmer than it had been in the morning and it was just a case of waiting for the tide to turn and refloat the yacht.

Useful link for anyone else thinking of mooring here

And an excellent link to video of the rescue taken by the RNLI at Moelfre LINK HERE

Check your lifejackets!!

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:53:17 GMT

I had read reports of new automatic lifejackets failing to inflate due to poor build quality but not taken the time to check my own. However, this weekend, I put on my automatic lifejacket only for the automatic inflation device to fall out onto the floor. Clearly this had not been screwed tightly onto the canister unit and had worked itself loose over time. This also brought to my attention that the replacement date had just expired so I’ve now checked and replaced all canisters and automatic devices on my lifejackets.

Lifejackets save lives but only if they are worn. Similarly, they do need to be maintained so check the inflation units, make sure they are connected tightly and replace expired units as appropriate.

Anyone had similar experiences?

Craning in day

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:14:36 GMT

Craning in day is scheduled for Sat 7th April.
High water 11:40AM (approx)

Congratulations - Moelfre Lifeboat Day Gold Award

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:07:00 GMT

Congratulations to Moelfre Lifeboat for scooping the Best Event of the Year awarded by Anglesey Tourism Association (sponsored by Anglesey Energy Island/Ynys Ynni Môn)

The 2011 event saw over 7,000 people visit the village to enjoy the various stalls and activities and raised a magnificent £8,400 for the RNLI .

Read more

Craning out day Sat 15th Oct

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:11:41 GMT

Craning out day will take place next Saturday, 15th Oct. I will post details as soon as I have them

Holyhead coastguard to remain open

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 20:33:06 GMT

Plans for major cuts to the coastguard service have been scaled back by the government, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has told the House of Commons.

That means that the re-assuring sound of Holyhead coastguard on channel 16 will remain for the foreseeable future. However, Liverpool station is included in the eight that are still scheduled to close.

The move comes after there were calls for the original plans to be dropped on safety grounds.

New proposals for Common Fisheries Policy

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:41:36 GMT

In 2009, the European Commission said the CFP had failed to sustainably manage fish stocks and had to change.

The draft proposals for the new CFP will be published in Brussels at noon on Wednesday 13th July. The proposals are likely to recommend a discard ban. Some progress but at the moment it remains just that, a proposal and in the mean time the policy of discarding unwanted fish and those caught over quota continues..

If like me, you feel strongly about the need to protect both our fish stocks and our fishermen’s livelihoods - before it's too late, then you should sign up to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's "Fish Fight"

So please, have a look at the website at fishfight.net!

Trawler runs aground

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 12:40:47 GMT

Last night a trawler ran aground onto the beach next to the site where the Royal Charter was wrecked. I've only found one picture of this posted so far if you want to follow this link.
http://yfrog.com/h3wcfytj