We were very happy to have reached Dale. We have camped on the Marloes peninsular in Pembrokeshire since the 1960s  and the late May bank holiday had become a ritual camping week with the Roddy family, the children, the grand children and many other friends. It was our starting to sail three years ago that broke this ritual for us and voyaging to Dale by sea was a symbolic return to a part of the country we loved.

The Marloes red beach looking out toward Skokholm Island.  Skomer is just out of site on the right.

We motored ashore in our tender to meet Kevin Rogers at the Dale Sailing Club – we had a drink on the roof terrace overlooking the bay.

Dale Sailing Club with the new “The Moorings” restaurant

Looking out from Dale Sailing Club terrace – Ros with Kevin Rogers who had lent us his mooring while his yacht was being repaired.

 Earlier we had passed one of our favourite pubs, the Griffin. Many a year we had spent camping on the Marloes peninsular using the Griffin as a meeting point for a drink afterwards – sitting out on the wall in the evening sun while the children played on the beach. We were horrified to see that new owners had built a modern annex as a restaurant and terrace, which jarred with the beautiful row of stone houses and destroyed the view from the harbour.

Ros on the wall near the Griffin 

The Griffin with the new extension in the foreground

But all was not lost as you could still sit on the wall and enjoy a pint as long as you kept your eyes firmly seaward. And the good news is that Paul Garnish and his wife who used to run the Griffin are now running “The Moorings”, a restaurant at Dale Sailing club. We had a very enjoyable meal there of freshly caught fish.

Next day we were to return to Bristol for a week and Kevin once more came to our aid, borrowing a friend’s fishing boat to transport us and all our luggage to the pontoon.

Kevin at the helm of his friend’s fishing boat transporting us and our luggage to the pontoon. Milo is in the background on his mooring.

He promised us a better solution a week later when we were due to return and he was true to his word. He took his own tender out to Milo and brought her single handed into the pontoon to welcome us in the evening sun on our return from Bristol.

 Kevin bring Milo alongside the pontoon at Dale to greet us on our return from our week away.

After a meal at the Moorings with Kevin and Tina we retired early. The next day would be our long anticipated passage across the Irish Sea.