SV Ulladh (ul-la)

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

October 2012

October 31, 2012
Afternoon high tide Fox Grove Marina;

October 30, 2012
Sandy has now moved into central PA as a tropical storm, the Philadelphia area was lucky with localized damage and power outages, but major highways are open. The surge in the Delaware River while above flood stage produced very localized flood in areas that normally flood. River levels for the rest of the week are predicted to return to normal.

http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=phi

October 29, 2012
Sandy will make landfall near Atlantic City NJ this evening then cross South Jersey to Philadelphia early Tuesday morning.

October 27, 2012
Haul-out before the storm, the season is over.

Potential for stormy weather to end the month, no sailing this weekend.. If the projected path holds true then we can expect a potential storm surge in the Delaware Bay and River, followed by flooding later from heavy rain up-stream in the watershed. The storm is slowing its progress so tropical storm conditions will be present for more than a few days. Expect a large surge and flooding for at least a week.

Late October monday afternoon sail at Essington10-22-2012

Afternoon sun over Little Tinicum Island

Little Tinicum Island

West end of Little Tinicum Island

Lazzareto and float plane dock

Corinthian Yacht Club

Monday, September 3, 2012

September 2012

September 22

Philadelphia Navy Yard Basin

September 1st and 2nd
A sail to Delaware City with buddy boat TakeFive.

Depart Essington just after noon to fight the last 2 hours of flood tide before ebb.
Warp out of the slip to overcome the current grabbing the long keel and spinning the boat to the opposite slip. I may try warping out more often with a line to the opposite slip to counter the current driven spin.

Hot and humid with a gentle breeze from the southwest, some periods of nice sailing and dodging the crab pots between the Marcus Hook anchorage and Wilmington.

Tanker with fuel barge at Marcus Hook anchorage

Green can in ebb current off Newcastle

The breeze builds for a good sail Christiana River to Newcastle dropping to zero after the north marker on Bulkhead Shoal Dyke.

Motorsail Bulkhead Shoal to Delaware City, dock staff monitoring VHF 9 advise a strong current in the Delaware City Canal with shoaling at the entrance. Stay in the canal center from day marker to ferry dock.
The dock crew direct me to a floating dock and assist securing the boat against a current propelling the boat at 2 knot in idle toward the route 9 fixed bridge. The boat is secured at 6:30 PM

Tug at Delaware City Marina

Depart Delaware City 7:30 AM and ride the flood in increasing overcast skies with a gentle breeze out of the northeast that is not much help for a course that is predominantly northeast then directly east. A mix of sailing and motorsailing.
At Cherry Island Flats foul weather gear on as a front gusts in before the rain and set the 1st reef, The bimini was down with the overcast sky earlier but back up and tensioned to keep all but the gusting rain off and motor sail to Essington.

Dredge pipeline relocation off Claymont bound for Essington to Walt Whitman channel deepening

The rain stops as I begin the slip approach for a gentle dock still against the flood. The boat is secured at 1:30 PM.

Not the best two day sail but a good excuse for being on the water.

Uninspiring photographs, but not untypical.

Ulladh

Ulladh pronounced "ul-la" (null lad).

Uladh the gaelic spelling for the territory of the U-Nail chieftains in the ancient Irish province of Ulster (English/Norse), originally the counties of Down and Antrim, but now including Derry, Armagh, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan, also referred to as Ulidia (Greek/Roman),.

Uladh was the home of a pre-celtic, cruithne (crew-en-ya) pictish tribe, who may have been descendants of prehistoric tribes indigenous to the British Isles since the retreat of the last ice age.

Evidence from cut marks on deer bones from more than 30,000 years ago found in the karst formations of the Burren probably from hunters suggest a homonid precence. Archeological finds date first inhabitants (DNA evidence suggests dark or black skin and blue eyes) to about 6,000 BC and trade goods from Rathlin Island, County Antrim off the northeast coast of Ireland made from porcellanite stone appearing in Egypt and Crete by 2,500 BC.

The early tribes of Ireland where displaced by later waves of migrants from mainland Europe; about 1700 BC by bronze age tribes, celtic tribes about 500 BC, and in the past two millenia; Roman trading posts, Viking settlements, English plantations... and in the 21st century a welcome increasing diversity from the European Union and the world.

SV Ulladh (for vhf clarity I use "sailing vessel ul-la") is named for the territory of the first peoples to settle in Ireland after the retreat of the last ice age.