We drove a 200 mile arc across Wales to arrive at Holyhead on the north-west corner of Ynys Mon, the beautiful isle of Anglesey, where a traditional sailing festival takes place every year in late summer. Though we had to leave Nutmeg, the newly acquired Cornish Shrimper behind with a mis-firing engine. But that led to a hitched ride on TÍr na nÓg, Sean Walsh’s Dublin Bay based Heard 28. A guff-cutter built on the lines of the sailing oyster dredgers of Falmouth, she is a fine sea boat and a seasoned campaigner of many a festival on both sides of the Irish Sea as well as across Channel to France.

We raced at noon in fresh conditions. It began quietly enough in the sheltered waters of Holyhead harbour but once outside the breakwater the sea grew alive. A windward leg took us the first mark following a tack to clear a buoy marking the wreck. Then the main was set loose for the long downwind leg to the green Bolivar buoy, hard on the heels of arch rival Happy Quest. There had been no talk of shortening sail but suddenly the wind did it for us. With an alarming bang the ten foot long bowsprit leapt from the horizontal to the vertical, wrapping itself in the foresail in the process. A bobstay shackle had given way under pressure.

The foresail was quickly stowed and the now idle bowsprit put back in place. With order restored and progress resumed, beer and sandwiches were passed around- well this is an Irish boat! More than a dozen gaffers began the race and we were now well down the fleet, not an accustomed place for TÍr na nÓg – we pressed on.  Out towards Bolivar, conditions got livelier still- 25 knots of wind stirred rolling green waves crested with white foam that enveloped the lee gunnel and sent dollops of cold spray rushing over the coachroof into the cockpit. The helmsman glistened wet in the sunlight. Much of the fleet retired, especially the smaller boats including the beautiful little Herreshoff designed fin keeler Winifred that continued gamely until she became waterlogged and had to be taken in tow.

The forestay on the Cornish Crabber Tilley parted and she limped home with her mast lying along her deck. Her owner’s other boat, Shearwater did not even make the start, she snapped her mast when single-handed on her way to Holyhead and was escorted in by the inshore lifeboat. It did not however stop her from taking part in the parade of sail with a shorted line of flags flying from the stump.

   TÍr na nÓg finished the race as a sloop rather than the cutter she began it as, but in a creditable third place and second in class. So once again the winner was Happy Quest, with Lassie of Chester taking the honours for working boats and was the only other finisher. TÍr na nÓg sailed for Dublin the next morning.