The Welsh Assembly run an all party ‘Waterways Group’ in partnership with British Waterways. The group’s brief is “Improved Quality of Life through the Sustainable Development of the Waterways of Wales”.
We had been invited by Marc Evans of Civitas Cymru to give a short presentation on Winsome at the next meeting of the ‘Waterways in Wales’ group on March 13th.. Winsome is certainly about “quality of life” on the Welsh Waterways, she definitely represents a sustainable mode of transport and, most importantly, she provides a perfect alliterative fit to the Group’s title! Maybe this is why Marc also asked if we’d be happy to make Winsome available for a photo call with Val Lloyd, the Assembly Member who chairs the working group.
So, Tuesday morning (February 27th) found us pedalling furiously in a blustery Force 4 and intermittent driving rain, across the broad expanse of Cardiff Bay headed for The Welsh Assembly. The Cardiff Bay Harbour Authority had been signed up to look after us for the morning and their friendly and helpful wardens did an outstanding job – from greeting us on the River Taff slipway until shepherding us home 3 hours later on a very rough and wet windward passage back across the Bay. By this time, despite the generous provision by the crew of a large (and fairly clean) handkerchief to dry the helmswoman’s spectacles, identifying the navigation buoys at the entrance to the Taff river had become a serious challenge.
This was probably the roughest conditions we have experienced in Winsome (although the nautically-robust Newlands have surfed in over a lively Cardigan Bay bar before now). We were really pleased with how stable she felt and how little “green stuff” we shipped. With the flow out of the river Taff, we also set off at a surging 5mph leaving the Harbour Authority power launch surprised to discover what it took to keep up with us!
Twenty minutes or so later, we arrived safely and tied up at the ‘Pay&Display’ jetties below the Senedd and retired (with our harbour authority friends) for a hot cup of Cappuccino before returning for the photo call with Val, Marc and friends. Val is not a boater but enjoyed (we hope) experiencing a craft which was dry and stable, had comfortable reclining seats and didn’t immediately demand any insider knowledge or specialist jargon. We just felt sorry not to able to give Val a more gentle introduction to Winsoming in the altogether calmer waters of Winsome’s home port - the Mon & Brec canal at Pencelli. Although it rains as much here as in Cardiff, our 20 foot wide canal struggles to develop any decent waves even in a gale!
Photo call over, it was back to the café for an enjoyable lunch learning about Marc Evans’ interesting company, Civitas Cymru – then, lifejackets, waterproofs and hats back on and out into the driving rain and wind for our return passage under the ever watchful eye of our patient Harbour Authority friends. As we busied ourselves sponging the rainwater out of Winsome’s bilges, they asked us (politely) whether we would prefer a tow home but my late father (a life-long sailing man) would have turned in his grave at the idea of his daughter accepting a tow simply because of adverse weather conditions – no, it was Winsoming back across the Bay for us into the strengthening Westerly wind and, as ever, we enjoyed it.
We also discovered just how quickly we are able to get Winsome out of the water, stripped down, loaded onto the roofrack and lashed down when it’s pouring with rain and we are both 100% focussed on getting home as soon as possible for hot showers and tea!
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