SLYC to Carrickfergus.

24^th June 2012

Strangford Lough has 12 sailing clubs so we left Quoile (QYC) and headed for Strangford Lough Yacht Club (SLYC).

We anchored outside SLYC, carefully positioning ourselves in the centre of the Sunday youth topper training fleet.  We flubbered ashore and met a very nice club member called John.  John was incredibly welcoming and helpful, showing us around the club, giving us a set of keys and inviting us to use not only the full facilities of the club, but even his own flubber berth.  Indeed, when after a nice meal at Daft Eddy’s Pub, we returned to find that our flubber had managed to spontaneously remove its own bung and deflated, John even helped us pump it up again.

Daft Eddy apparently succumbed after being shot by a customs officer many years ago, however his name lives on in the Culinary Atlas of Ulster.

25^th June

Next stop, Audley’s Castle anchorage, just up from the famous Strangford Narrows.

A lovely peaceful place, just across from Portaferry.

 Audley's Castle Anchorage and view to Portaferry

 A nice walk around the castle grounds.

 26^th June

Up early (who cares?) and off through the Narrows and out to sea again.

Next stop Carrickfergus on the northern coast of Belfast Lough.

A modern marina with a statue of William III just outside and Sainsburys across the road.  All very civilised and comfortable.

Remind me never to try to get in here at low water springs, or in a swell. It’s not as deep as they say at the entrance, nor inside the marina.  We had 0.2M at the entrance 90 minutes after LW.

You get 2 nights for the price of one here.

We decided to stay for 2 nights.

We watched the Carrickfergus Yacht Club Tuesday Evening Race. 

There was absolutely no wind. 

Doesn’t anyone over here know how to rock a boat?

 Carrickfergus Marina

But the Sailing Club appears to have had a nasty fire.

 Carrickfergus Sailing Club

Rainy night.

27^th June (Thursday?)

Up early (again) and off to Glenarm

Glenarm has a very high BSA* and apparently a free launderette!

Rainy day with fog and no wind.

Despite this, had easy trip to Glenarm.

We motored past the spectacular high cliffs “The Gobbins” of Islandmagee.

Spectacular if you can see them, but it was foggy.

Apparently they are 80 metres high and almost vertical. 

Back in 1641, the (English) garrison at Carrickfergus, in reprisal for what we would now call “a terrorist incident”, threw the entire population of Islandmagee (300 people) off theses cliffs.

Yesterday, our Queen shook hands with a former leader of the IRA.

(Please note, this blog now contains historical facts subtly linked to modern politics, in addition to sailing and canine psychopathology.)

Anyway, back to Glenarm.

A very friendly welcome. 

The harbour master took our lines.

The showers are free and so is the launderette!

Footnote:

Still no news from home. 

I worry about Bonzo and his carer.

It seems unlikely that they are entirely happy together.

Has one of them succumbed (to the other)? 

If so, which one? (and to whom, and how?).

The only question not worth asking is “why”.

*BSA.  See previous blogging for precise definition and calibration of this important Marina Approval Index.

Arklow, Howth, Ardglass and Strangford Lough

We liked Arklow.

We walked around the town.

Pleasant and friendly but perhaps a little run-down.

19 June 2012

Up at 0600 (felt quite late really), left at 0630.

Motored all the way to Howth.

Jean

Howth is the posh marina near Dublin.

It is therefore where posh Dubliners keep their boats, but being in Ireland (as it is), it is friendly and generally very nice.

The main thing is to remember the correct pronunciation

“Howth” as in “Hotel” and not as in “House”.

Howth Marina is nice.

Yotties mainly keep their boats ashore and polish their bottoms (the boats’ bottoms that is) before and after every race.

 Howth (probably)

We filled up with very nice green diesel (entirely legal in Ireland) and went out for a very nice meal  (chicken liver pate or mushroom soup, pan-fried salmon, and a nice bottle of Sauv Blanc … what more could we ask for?)

20 June 2012

Up at 0900, departed 1200  (this is more like it!)

After many hours deliberation we decided (definitely) to go to Carlingford Lough.

However, within an hour of setting off we changed this for Ardglass (on account of the weather).

The weather, in essence, was forecast to come from all directions, mixed with rain and stuff.  One of the forecasts (and you can get Brittany, Dublin, Liverpool, Isle of Man, Belfast and the Beeb forecasts from here) mentioned “NW F8 later”  and one of our books said that Carlingford Lough could be “rougher than the open sea in a north-westerly”. Ergo Ardglass.

We sailed (using the sails, only) for the first 6 hours  … until the batteries all went flat (again)  .. then motored the last bit.

We saw the Isle of Man and the Mountains of Mourne.

Mountains of Mourne in the mist (etc.)

Arrived Ardglass 2100.

Lovely easy to get into berth, with nice (strong) lady to catch our bows.

All very wonderful.

On the pontoon were one Irish boat (“Glance”), an American single-hander (from America), a Swede, a German and a French Boat  … and us (English from Britain).

Ardglass was acquired by our Norman rulers in the 12^th or 13^th Century and suitably covered in Castles and Churches.  During the 18^th Century up to 500 fishing boats at a time would berth there (during the Herring extermination season). During the later 20^th Century, the EU (a transient Franco-German collaborative venture) helped fund a marina.  Now in the 21^st Century, the marina is pretty empty apart from international yotties (like us) sheltering from the weather.

21^st June

A day off.

Battery day.  Spent all morning trying to work out why 5 big batteries aren’t enough for one medium sized boat.

Eventually established that:

1. Jeanneau had installed our battery charger with its dip switches set wrong, and
2.  the batteries are all, essentially, b*ggered.

dip switches (why?)

Had a nice walk in the afternoon, past a couple of ruined castles and a few even more ruined churches.

22^nd  June

England and Wales were flooded again today. 

Ireland is always flooded, so we didn’t notice, but it did rain all day.

Ardglass Marina seems to be run by a very nice dog (is this an oxymoron?).

23^rd June

Up at 0800.

Off to Strangford Lough.

F6 on the tail.  Genoa only.

Arrived at “the narrows”  at HW Belfast – 0330 so the tide was only 2.5 knots (apparently it can be 7 knots, if you get it wrong).

Arrived at Quoile Yacht Club at the height of Quoile Yacht Club Regatta Day.

Went for a walk to the bird hide.

Lots of swallows, some sand martens.

A monument near Quoile Yacht Club (Strangford Lough)

Dinner aboard.

Strangford Lough Yacht Club tomorrow.

To Cork, KQ and Arklow

Bonzo really wanted to come to the airport with us but was outwitted by the front door (which was closed). He’ll be fine at home in his kennel, as will our new house-sitter so long as she remembers just to lob Bonzo his food from an upstairs window.

Ryanair to Cork.

Awesome taxi to Crosshaven.

Wind and rain tonight and in the morning;we’ll try to set off 10 ish.

Cheese burger at The Anchor.

Cosy wobbling on the pontoon at Salve while the wind gusts “et il pleut comme une vache qui pisse.”   

But then we are in Ireland again.

Saturday was a write-off (too windy).

Sunday, up at 0600. Left at 0630.

10 hours to Kilmore Quay. Sailed the last 2.

 Kilmore Quay

We like KQ.  Sunny. Good Fish and Chips. Helpful Harbour Master.

Monday.

Up at 0400.(Yes, 4 a.m.)  Left at 0430 (5 minutes late).

It’s all about the tides in the Irish Sea, you see.  They flow at up to 3.5 knots in your favour (if you get up early enough), or against you if you don’t.

Covered the 50-odd miles to Arklow in 5 and a half hours  (9 knots in a 7 knot boat, not bad at all) and managed to get sunburnt.

We like Arklow and the visitors’ pontoon.

 The Irish Sea at 0700

The Next Leg

Anxious readers need wait no longer for news of  The Next Leg!   (15th June to 4th July)

Basically Ireland to Scotland

Cork

Youghal

Kilmore Quay

Arklow

Dun Laoghaire or Malahide

Carlingford Lough

Strangford Lough

Bangor

Larne or Glenarm

Campbeltown

Lamlash

Troon

Then Glasgow Airport, and home to  check on the dog etc.

This means (for those planning to join us in July or August) that Leg 4 will start from Troon.

Salve Marine and home

We like Salve Marine.

Definitely the place to stay and / or  leave your boat when visiting Cork.
Easy access and a nice long visitors' pontoon, that even I can cope with.
Great value. Free electricity. Diesel on the pontoon (with a nice long hose that reaches your boat).
Free showers. Massive engineering workshop. Short walk to an excellent Chippy and to a most excellent Pub Restaurant (The Anchor) with the best plaice I've ever eaten.  But most of all, a relaxed atmosphere, where we felt really welcome and where the owner and his team would sort out anything we needed.

Three days in Salve!
No sailing required.
A nice walk to Carrigaline along a riverside footpath made from the disused railway line.
Fish and Chips and the odd half of Murphys.
All very relaxing.

Here's Jean relaxing.

It was even sunny and warm .. it would be, now we've stopped sailing

Wednesday.
The marina owner gave us a lift to Cork Airport and we whizzed home via Ryan-air.

A couple of other things about Salve Marine.
1. When we came here first there were four penguins huddled on a small iceberg just west of the pontoon.
(I didn't comment at the time for fear of looking silly).
2. When we returned, the iceberg and its penguins had gone but I noticed two penguins playing chess in the Marina Bistro while the other two were relaxing on deck chairs.
It all seems slightly odd now I mention it.

Footnote:
Great to be home again.
Bonzo looked pleased to see us.
What our family pet and guard dog seems to be having difficulty with is, in essence, appreciating his role.
He is supposed to attack (eat even) intruders.  I retrospect, I'm not too upset about the tropical fish and Nibbles (the hamster) was getting on a bit and had probably already had quite a good life,  but the TV remote ...
Awesome digestive system that dog has.

Glandore to Glandore

So we made it to Glandore (24^th May)

We like Glandore (BSA level 5)

We anchored. Was this a mistake?

Read on Dear Reader (both of you).

25^th May

We flubbered ashore, walked to the ancient Standing Stones (Drombeg Stone Circle). Ireland’s second most visited Iron Age Set of Standing Stones. 

I told an American lady that Stonehenge was even older. I think she was (slightly) impressed (briefly).

Lovely. 

Great position.

Would make perfect Iron Age Barbeque site (perhaps that is what they were for?)

  Jean at Drombeg Stone Circle

Anyway, nice walk back to Glandore and the pub (The Glandore Inn).

Nice lunch, very nice half of Murphys.

Flubbered back to boat. 

Siesta.

Windy afternoon.

Windy wobbly night.

Adjusted anchor and bridle etc. four times.

Slept occasionally.

26^th May

Windy.

You get used to thinking that the anchor is going to pull out and drag and the boat will be wrecked. 

You get used to the anchor bridle groaning and straining and threatening to snap.

Too windy to go ashore.

I was up on deck, worrying about what to worry about next, when the flubber blew over in a gust and capsized, complete with outboard.  Eventually we righted flubber and salvaged the outboard, which was full of water and certainly not going to run.

Now totally stuck on board. Far to windy to row ashore.

Anyway, the forecast said that the wind should ease this afternoon.

After much discussion decided to “go for it” at 1700.

1700 hours.

Up anchor

We set off across the smooth harbour waters and out to sea.

F7 on the nose. Waves as big as … whatever ... very big things.

After 2 miles, we turned around, back to Glandore.

We decided to splash out and use a “visitor’s mooring”.

It was a little windy as we tried to pick one up. 

I lost the first boathook overboard, but we eventually retrieved it.

Next off we picked up another mooring and (Jean) lost the other boathook.

This mooring was so near to the next one, that having attached ourselves to it, we banged into its neighbour.

Anyway, having picked up all our boathooks and grabbed another mooring we went to bed (without even a glass of wine) and didn’t sleep a lot.

Midnight, a French boat arrived and attached itself to the mooring (7 metres away from us) that we had rejected 4 hours previously.  After a brief explanation of why this was a bad place to park, it departed in surprisingly good spirits.

27^th May 0400

Yes, 4 in the bl**dy morning.

We got up and set off.

The wind had dropped.

Foggy but flat.

We motored towards Cork.

We saw the land occasionally.

I learned how to work the radar.

We saw a huge mega cruiser “Air”.

  Yacht  "Air"

We saw a Sunfish

 (Nice picture of someone else’s sunfish, thanks)

We saw some dolphins or  maybe porpoises, just outside Cork Harbour.

Now here’s a thing ..

As we motored past the first dolphin (or very large porpoise), it dived. 

Then we saw two porpoises (or very small dolphins) and they both dived. 

Then something hit our rudder, really hard 4 times in a row (hard enough to turn the wheel in my hands). Dolphins aren’t stupid, I don’t think it can have hit us repeatedly by mistake…. was it attacking us?

We saw the (biggest) dolphin once more after that, swimming away behind us.

Anyway, we motored on to Crosshaven and Salve Marina.

We like Salve Marina.

As the man who helped us tie up said that it is , “ the most relaxed marina in the world”.   

I think he’s right.

Paradise lost?

Lawrence Cove Marina is on the beautiful little Island of Bear, at the eastern entrance to Bearhaven which leads into Castletown Bearhaven  … apparently the second deepest natural harbour in the world (after Sydney). 

Not surprisingly it has been fought over by the English and Irish and the French. 

The English took it in 1601 (Bear .. not the marina)  and built a fort.

We had a nice walk to the headland, round the fort and through the village (Rerrin), which has a Pub and a Post Office.

Reeds Almanac 2012 mentions Lawrence Cove Marina.

I note:

Alongside Berths Euro 1.52 [per metre], and

“Friendly welcome at the only marina between Kinsale and Dingle”.

Unfortunately none of the above appeared to me to be entirely (slightly, even) accurate. 

So to avoid further disappointment … if you do visit, I suggest you insist on getting the price of everything before you buy it.    Thank Heavens the diesel pump wasn’t working.  … and the welcome?

Oh, and there is another marina between Kinsale and Dingle (on Sherkin Island).

Lovely spot though.

Enough said?

Next stop Glengarriff.

A very pretty little place where almost no one lives.

A bay full of islands covered in Rhododendrons.

We had a nice walk surreptitiously stuffing litterbins.

Time to think about heading home.

Glengarriff to Glandore (60 miles!)

We set off at 0610 in fog. Motor sailed the length of Bantry Bay without seeing land.

Got around Mizen Head against the wind, the tide, the fog and the weather, heading for good old Sherkin Marina, when, low and behold, the fog clears, the wind drops, the waves vanish and THE SUN COMES OUT and we decide to plod on further.

Managed to make it to Glandore (which carries a BSA  .. Bramah Seal of Approval  .. level 5). It’s lovely here (obviously).

Had a beer in the sunshine.

Footnote:  I’ve just finished a book (Maiden Voyage) about a girl whose father suggests that she sails around the world alone, in a 24 footer … so she does.

I’ve been thinking about Bonzo and our old Mirror dinghy, he’s usually up for a challenge. (Canine Voyage?)