Milford Haven to Swansea



Day 44 & 45
We left Milford Haven at 0600 for our 12 hour trip to Swansea. It was going to be a long one but we were all ready for it and the weather was perfect.
It was uneventful apart from the engine stopping three times..oh dear! The best part was the dolphins. We had three pods of inquisitive dolphins at various times during the trip and it was magical. They were so playful, swimming fast alongside the boat, sometimes jumping up out of the water and sometimes diving beneath the bow of the boat and coming up on the other side. One very playful one kept jumping up out of the water by the side of the boat and belly flopped back down on it's side. Some stayed with us for some time then disappeared only to reappear in pairs jumping out of the water, as if to say goodbye before they headed off back into the sea.They were such a joy to watch.

Later we came across a "bloom" of huge ghostly jelly fish, which we later discovered were Barrel Jellyfish. There were hundreds of them and we sailed through them for at least an hour and a half. Having looked them up on the internet they are having a bumper year this year and some as big as a human have been seen off the coast of Devon and Cornwall. Do Google them you will be surprised and intrigued by these ancient creatures.

We arrived at Swansea marina lock and moored at our berth at 0605, a 12 hour trip. We had experienced lovely weather, dolphins and jellyfish, a nap here and there and some knitting. A very pleasurable trip!
Swansea Marina with Lunar Sea in the background.
Today we have been out to discover Swansea, the second largest city in Wales. It has an industrial past, especially relating to copper and was once known as "Copperopolis", but of the two main docks one has been converted to a large modern marina. Some well designed flats have been built around the marina along with restaurants and a leisure centre. The shopping centre and the covered market had everything you could want.

In late afternoon we all took a walk to the beach, a few minutes walk from the marina. The short walk to the beach rewarded us with a colourful bank of wildflowers, a lovely long stretch of sand and a warm sea. Roy, Mary and I couldn't resist a paddle. An observatory was also on the beach overlooking the sea and there was a strange poem and a door (see top picture.)

The Observatory on the beach, now a Jazz Club.


Swansea is also the home of Dylan Thomas and  just around the corner, Mumbles is home to Catherine Zeta Jones. The local post box was painted gold in honour of the swimmer Ellie Simmonds who won a gold medal at the Olympics.

One of several banks of wildflowers.

P.S. Hat update, I have completed my fourth one and Mary and just completed her first one, well done to us.

Mary's cheeky sailor hat.

Josh modelling my fourth sailor's hat.







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