This Thursday...

We start our move down to wales. Hopefully finishing on Sunday morning in time for a day sail. As we mentioned before we're moving to Pembrokeshire part-time, after simply deciding it is a wonderful place. (And we get more use out of Shoestring) The photo above is of the view from the livingroom window and below is looking up the garden at the Cow Shed. All getting very excited now!

Lack of news...

Mum in the forepeak, note the new Solva Pottery mugs. :0)

Since our last trip down to Shoestring, at the end of August, i've simply not had time to post any entries! Sorry!

We had a quick weekend away, with Mum and Shaun. Got in a good 1/2 day sail, and then explored more of Pembrokeshire. Shaun loved his surfing lesson with me on Broad Haven.

Still more leaks popping up in Shoestring's cabin roof... I may take drastic measures and epoxy everything!

Oddly, after our last post on feeling like 'Semi-Locals', and odder still since nearly a month has past from our last visit. Everything is going to change!

From the 1st October we're moving to Pembrokeshire! We're renting a wonderful converted barn in the Preseli mountains, only a half hour drive from Shoestring!

This also means that we'll be also living in London, as we both have work commitments, so our aim is to have a one week in London and one week in Pembrokeshire basis.

While in Wales, MW will be working on his handmade bicycle wheels -www.michael-ward.net and i'll be continuing to develop my design projects.

It also means we can fit more sailing in!

Semi-locals ?

I always felt pangs of dread as I left Pembrokeshire to return to London. That dread that it was back to day-to-day London life...

While away Ju90 commented that we were not 'tourists' but Semi-locals... now thats a nice idea, and quite true. We've been and will be down there so much that it makes sense for us to think of ourselves as semi-locals. After all, we have an address, a 'floating' cottage, friends and genuine love of the area.

Being a part-time local gives us a sense of belonging and not just visiting. In fact having Shoestring then becomes just like a second home, albeit a small wooden one that leaks in from the roof the rain. So no need to find excuses to go 'away for the weekend' it is simply 'working from home for the week'.

Not quite sure what this wittering on  is about either. But anyway it made me feel better. :0)

Welsh Cakes!

On our second trip to Wales I found this delicacy in Morrisons of all places. Now I realise they are available all over wales by many large bakery brands.

I have to say the best ones we've found have always been fresh ones from smaller bakeries, in particular the bakery on the corner of 'Y Welsh' and 'Ropewalk' in Fishgaurd have the most amazing ones we've tasted.

Welshcakes are small round cakes a bit like scones and eaten with or without jam or butter, we prefer without.

We now find ourselves bringing back a few boxes of them each time we return from wales for friends and family.

I've included a quick recipe from the BBC website below incase anyone feels like having a go.

Ingredients
225g/8oz self-raising flour, sieved
110g/4oz (preferably Welsh) salted butter
1 egg
handful of sultanas
milk, if needed
85g/3oz caster sugar
extra butter, for greasing


Method
1. Rub the fat into the sieved flour to make breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, dried fruit and then the egg. Mix to combine, then form a ball of dough, using a splash of milk if needed.
2. Roll out the pastry until it is a 5mm/¼in thick and cut into rounds with a 7.5-10cm/3-4in fluted cutter.
3. You now need a bakestone or a heavy iron griddle. Rub it with butter and wipe the excess away. Put it on to a direct heat and wait until it heats up, place the Welsh cakes on the griddle, turning once. They need about 2-3 minutes each side. Each side needs to be caramel brown before turning although some people I know like them almost burnt.
4. Remove from the pan and dust with caster sugar while still warm. Some people leave out the dried fruit, and split them when cool and sandwich them together with jam.

The last trip out: Over night at Lawrenny Yacht Station

Shoestring moored up to her buoy for the night

We had our last night in Pembrokeshire, (due both to The Rum Situation and work demands). We left our moorings in Neyland at 11am just before the high-tide, and went out for a sail. Initially we were going to sail up to Angle Bay and then turn back up river to Lawrenny, but the wind and tide was against us, so we sailed as far as the entrance to the Pembroke River and castle pond, then turned to sail up river towards the Cleddau bridge.

After pottering around under sail, Michael had a go at the helm under sail, this time without hitting any buoys, King slept as usually. We realised how much the time flies while we're sailing as four o'clock came round we turned back with hardly any wind -we even tried motor-sailing to speed up things, and headed back from Picton Point towards Lawrenny.

Michael (and new hat) at the helm.
(Shoestring is in need of a new mainsheet traveler!)

The Lawrenny yacht station is a wonderful location, but popular, we managed to get a last minute visitors buoy by calling in advance. -£10 for buoy B28 on the edge of the Cleddau and the Cresswell river mouth, a beautiful spot as you can see but requiring a bit of a paddle to get to the Yacht Station's pontoon -King's first trip in the Sevylor Canoe! (link to the review), needless to say he was nervous but very trusting and eventually enjoyed it.

Thankfully our charts are a bit more up-to-date, but you get the idea.

Once ashore we realised that the wallet was still on the dashboard of the car at Neyland! A quick, but expensive (£60) return trip in a mini-cab solved this. We didn't go in but the Lawrenny Arms pub on the old quayside has been recommended to us many times.

Me(Tony) off out in the canoe.

We rowed back to Shoestring in the canoe, after having a bit of fun trying to get King into the canoe over the edge of the pontoon. -Thankfully he had his lifejacket on so he was easier to carry. -Or at least aim and throw as it must have looked like to the people watching with great humor in surrounding yachts.

After dinner on board we had an amazing sunset at Lawrenny, we sat on the fore-deck in our woolly jumpers with a scotch and coke (YES NO RUM) and watched the still water reflecting the light from around. Then complaining as a motorboat user, just after sunset decided to show off water-skiing skills with no navigation lights and making lots of noise and lots of wash. Thankfully this ended after twenty minutes or so.

Sunset at Lawrenny, looking up the Cleddau river.

We settled in for the night, noting that Shoestring didn't move that much more than she did in the Marina. I was in the double bunk up front and had to have the forward hatch open for a while longer to look at the amazing star-fields you get in the very low light pollution skies.

Shoestring's bow, with No.1 job awaiting a tie-down for the night.

Come morning all had changed. Rain, and I mean RAIN, was falling, Shoestring's cabin roof leaked again, this time in 1 new spot too! We had a quick breakfast of toasted muffins and jam then decided to return to Neyland under engine. -Wearing every waterproof garment we had.

King relaxing on his bunk (again)

Safely docked at Neyland about 2 hours later, we both wished we had spent the night out there before in our trip. We decided to leave Shoestring at Neyland during the wet stormy weather, and drive back to Lawrenny for lunch at the (award winning) Quayside Tea Rooms, where we had a very reasonably priced lunch that was one of the best we'd had on our trip.

One of our best shots from the evening. (Before the storm hit!)

We can't wait to take Shoestring back to Lawrenny. Perhaps next time exploring by Canoe further up to Cresswell Quay (the water is too shallow for Shoestring) where there is another great pub which has the best hog roast and BBQ in Pembrokeshire on a friday night apparently. We'll investigate and report back!

Link to Lawrenny Yacht Station

Made in Solva

I have to confess, for the last six months with Shoestring we've used Sainsburys Basics blue mugs... Shocking I know. 

We've been on the lookout for some nice handmade mugs for ages, we both love craftsmanship in all forms, as reflected in our day jobs, and of course, having a wooden yacht.

On a visit to Solva last week we found the perfect mugs to compliment Shoestring's craft. At £9 each they were not cheap, but these beautiful blue mugs were made by Bobbie Jacobs, whom we had a long conversation with on her work as she found us four of a similar size. -The mugs are thrown and spun instead of being cast. Her work is a wonderful reflection of the area with her bright blue hues and tones setting a theme in their work. You can visit the Solva Pottery page here.

Solva is a wonderful little town, accessible for 2 hours either side of high-tide, and it's quay drying completely. It has a great, dog friendly pub: The Harbour Inn, which serves great food, next door to another great café 'Number 35' where Michael enjoyed a locally caught crab salad. (Which was caught by the café's own boat).

We had a browse through the "Window on Wales" store there, both purchasing a fine pair of Wellington Boots. Then went off to visit the local Woollen Mill.

About one mile away from the harbour is the Solva Woollen Mill, another traditional crafts-place. Their workshop forms part of their retail store where visitors can literally walk up to the looms and discuss their workings with the crafts-people there.

More than a tourist attraction the mill is a working company and offers a fine variety of rugs, blankets and throws. -Their 'Skomer' pattern is particularly nice!

Sadly, the Sock-Knitting-Machine pictured above was out of order. But made me want a Sock-Knitting-Machine of my own nonetheless. 
The Woollen Mill is currently raising funds to restore its water-mill workings, some of which can be seen turning both outside and inside in the tea room area.

We've still to explore the quayside and harbour area fully, but can definitely recommend the town to visitors by car or sea. -We've not tried yet but previous owners have managed to dry Shoestring out alongside the quay wall there.

Last night at Lawrenny

We spent last night moored up river at Lawrenny Yacht Station. Just a quick entry this one, until I get a chance to post fully.

PHOTOGRAPHS!

Thanks to a 97pence camera card to CD service I can upload few photographs for you all. Above is Shoestring in light winds near Lawrenny. (I've now fixed the slipping boom vang.)


Here's me at the helm, this is a bit past Castle Reach on the River Cleddau, No2 Jib raised on the bow, I'll be testing the Genoa tomorrow!

Here's Julie and myself at the helm under engines after a sudden summer storm blew us all over the place. Michael was in the cabin making tea, while Ju watched. -I think this is just past Picton Point on the Cleddau.

I'll upload a few more photographs over the next few days.

Neyland Yacht haven on a clear march night

A lovely moonlit (but cold) night in our home birth at Neyland Marina on the Westfield Pill. and below in day light. -Both at low-tide