Cardiff and the last post

Day 48 & 49  Cardiff. We have decided to leave the boat in Penarth for a couple of weeks and head home. We will return in a few weeks time and decide whether to leave it in Penarth for the Winter or possibly take it to Portishead or Bristol.

In the meantime Celia and I decided to take the ferry across Cardiff Bay to Cardiff. We were the only passengers on the first ferry at 11.00 and heard a commentary about the harbour area as we went. The Norwegian church was built by Norwegian timber men who brought their cargo's into Cardiff. It has been moved from it's original position and restored with the help of a donation from Roald Dahl. He was born here and his parents were Norwegian immigrants.

The Norwegian Church on Cardiff Bay
Captain Morgan, the infamous pirate, came from Cardiff but died in the Caribbean. Captain Morgan Rum is named after him!

The Pierhead building, Cardiff's Big Ben

Mermaid Quay Cardiff., with the Pier head building and the Welsh Assembly
We alighted at Mermaid Quay and visited the terracotta coloured Victorian Pier head building, next to the modern Welsh Assembly building.The Pier head was the Harbour Board's offices and has some lovely Victorian interiors of terracotta and tiles.  In the Pier head there is a small exhibition charting the history of Cardiff and the docks. It grew with the advent of coal and then went into decline in the 1950's. It has reinvented itself with great success. The barrage closed off the whole bay area so it is now fresh water and there are three sea locks which take you out into the Bristol Channel. There is a sailing and a yacht club and of course Penarth Marina just across the bay where we are.  There is a large leisure centre with an Olympic swimming pool and a water park. Outside is a white water park which is the largest in the UK.

We stopped for a coffee in the large modern building just back from the quay, the Wales Millenium Centre, which was hosting a graduation ceremony. There were many students in hat and gown with proud parents and friends dressed very smartly. A live band was playing jazz style and it was all in all a very festive atmosphere.

Wet fish stall in the covered market.


The city itself has an amazing array of shops and arcades all pedestrianised, and a wonderful covered market selling everything from fresh produce to vintage clothes. We spent a very enjoyable afternoon cheese and shoe shopping, heaven. We also popped in the oldest building apart from the castle, the St. John the Baptist church, which was an oasis of peace and quiet. We lit a candle for loved ones and there was a lovely poem on the wall, so I will leave you with this.



So for now goodbye from Lunar Sea and all who have sailed with us this trip. See you again soon.

Thanks to Celia for all the photos on this blog.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day one and two of the Caledonian Canal - the adventure continues

Image
The Lunatic crew for the Caledonian Canal   We entered the  Clachnaharry sea lock at Inverness for the 1.30 lock and were met by a very helpful, calm lock keeper who talked us through. There was a large sign saying Ireland this way! Clachnaharry Sea Lock, the entrance to the Caledonian Canal, The Great Glen, Loch Ness and Ireland! The lock was timed so that you could then sail through the railway swing bridge, then on to the Muirhead flight of four locks. We had relaxed once we got on to the canal, thinking things could only get better and there is much less to worry about in a canal as opposed to being out at sea, no tides to think about for example. How wrong we were, we were forgetting this is the Lunacy cruise. At the second lock Mick fell in! We heard a plop and a splash and Mick had fallen into the lock between the lock wall and the boat. Josh's quick thinking saved the day as he put the long swim ladder over the edge and Mick managed to climb up before he
Read more

Day 48 and the return to our home port of Ramsgate.

Image
Lunar Sea and her crew back in Ramsgate  Dear Readers, we finally arrived back in Ramsgate five years after setting off on 1 May 2017. The weather then had been atrocious, but it couldn't have been more different for our return. It was promised to be the hottest day of the year, so we had plenty of sunshine and not very much wind. lt did pick up to about 12 knots as we approached Ramsgate, so we managed to get the sails up and the flags flying for our entrance to Ramsgate.  Leaving Dover, heading for the Eastern entrance,  on our way home now. It had been an uneventful 4 hour trip from Dover to Ramsgate, but for some reason the unusually hot weather had created an optical illusion and we had a really clear view of France as we passed Deal. Perhaps it is the high pressure, not sure why?  France, shall we go there instead? We had Josh's daughter Jo on board and Owen and Jordan, two of Josh's grandchildren, joined us in Dover for the day sail. When we got to the approach to Ra
Read more
Image
  Hello again from Lunar Sea in Portishead. The boat has been here for two years now and we are continuing our adventure from tomorrow, the 31st May, by locking out of Portishead Marina (near Bristol in case you wondered) and we will be heading for Penarth Marina (near Cardiff) for our first stop. Then on to Padstow via Watchet for a night's stay and then probably an anchorage for one night off Clovelly, to break up the 18 hour trip from Watchet to Padstow.  We have been so lucky to have found this charming marina which has been Lunar Sea's home for two years, we will be sad to leave, but excited to be on the homeward stretch of our marathon around the UK sailing trip. It was supposed to take 2 years, but due to bad weather in year 1 and a mutinous crew, plus the pandemic in the third and fourth year, it will have taken 5 years (assuming we get back to Ramsgate this year, watch this space!) Wish us luck, calm seas and a good wind. I will try and do a daily blog, sailing conditi
Read more