Holyhead to Ireland to The Scillies to Cornwall

15th June 2015

From Holyhead to Arklow.
Sara had joined us. This was good.
We sailed most of the way which was unusual, but given a favorable breeze and the engine over-heat alarm going off randomly, it seemed a good idea.
Albatross is actually a sailing boat anyway.

I like Arklow although not everyone enjoys the long walk to the "facilities"

16th June 2015

To Kilmore Quay (KQ).
We motored all the way, apart from a brief return to Arklow when the engine over-heat alarm went off again, when we sailed a bit.

One of the many reasons for liking Arklow is because it's quite easy to sail into the harbour entrance given;
      a Southerly F3,
      sunshine,
      favourable tides,
      a fit crew,
     flat water,
     a sailing boat and an overheating engine.

Anyway, on the second attempt we left Arklow (nothing wrong with the engine, actually) and motored to KQ.

KQ

We like KQ, especially as we were met by a famous Irish artist who advised us to have supper in the restaurant that displays his paintings.  I liked many of his paintings but unfortunately I can't remember his name, although I do believe he really is famous.

18th June.

We must have had a day off in KQ because my log empty for 17th.

Anyway, 18th June was very exciting  for 3 reasons:

1.   We were going to sail to the Isles of Scilly
2.  Judith was going to meet us there
3.  We were boarded by Irish Customs.

Irish Customs Boarding Party

Irish Customs Boarding Party Boarding

The big question that needs to be answered is this  ...
Why would The Irish Customs bother to board us when we were leaving  Ireland?

What, we wondered, might we have been smuggling out of Ireland and taking to The Scillies?
Eventually we decided that, given the cooler weather in Ireland when compared with that of The Scillies, and therefore the later blooming of the Irish daffodil (when compared with that of the Scillies), it might have been profitable to export late flowering Irish daffodils (from Ireland) and to import these into The Isle of Scilly  (where they would be in demand as the early Scilly daffodil crop would by then be, in a word, "all over").

The Irish Customs men duly boarded out boat, and asked whether we had and guns ("No"), narcotics ("No"), contraceptives ("not at my age"), alcohol ("yes, plenty thanks")  on board.  They were however, playing their cards quite close to the chest because, rather than simply adding "And would there be any of our late flowering daffodils on your ship ?" they simply went below and poked around briefly, presumably trying to sniff them out.

Irish Customs Boarding Party Leaving

So much for the very nice and courteous Irish Customs.  Next we heard from Judith who was preparing an epic trip of her own.  Manchester to St Mary's (a Scilly Isle), by car and ship.

KQ to The Scillies is 135 nautical miles.  This is long way.  Fortunately, with favourable winds and expert seamanship we arrived after only 23 hours without either being run down by a freighter (taking something from KQ to Bordeaux  (empty wine bottles, we thought) or  bumping into a fishing boat that appeared determined to search for fish directly in our path.

Friday 19th June.

We arrived at Hugh Town, St Mary's and attached ourselves (the boat) to a mooring buoy. We went to sleep.

Hugh Town, St Mary's

Having met up with Judith, our intrepid foursome set about exploring the various Isles of Scilly.

Making use of Sara's detailed knowledge, we safely visited  The Cove (St Agnes),  Porthcressa  (St Mary's) and New Grimsby (on The Isle of Tescos).  Tesco Isle have a famous garden centre so we went and had a look at it.  It was full of  plants.

Tea time at Tescos

Wednesday 24th June.

To Newlyn.
Judith saw a whale.  We all saw some porpoises.
We had a nice sail and arrived in Newlyn without any further interference from the Irish Customs.

Newlyn is in England, which is part of Cornwall, which is owned by Charles, whom I've never met.

Holyhead to Holyhead

It's only 330 miles from the Essex Kennels to Holyhead, so we decided to pop up there for a few days.

It sometimes rains in Holyhead.  It did when we arrived.

Holyhead Marina berth E29 doesn't have electricity or piped water. We needed both if we (Jean) was going to jet-wash the deck while I dried out my socks over the fan heater.
A man at the office said we'd be fine if we had a 100 metre extension lead.  We didn't.

We decided to move.

Holyhead berth E29 to Holyhead berth D22 involved only my second solo voyage in the 6 years we've had our Albatross.    According to the BBC there might be a weather window around 10 hundred hours, the tide was favourable and the chart work not unduly complicated, so we decided to go for it.

We checked through the passage plan, simplified our warps, adjusted the fenders, and cast off.
Jean opted for the healthy option and walked.

Two minutes later Jean took my lines as Albatross slipped into her new and fully-serviced berth.

Albatross safely berthed (No, not the police boat, the white boat with the white hull, left middle).

Later that day, Jean did wash the deck and I did dry my socks.

After such excitement, we are now back home again.

Our Spring Cruise

Back up to Troon. Possibly for the last time.

Life, of course, is a beach. Or is it a fridge?
Anyway, in an ongoing struggle to provide enough electricity to keep our Albatross' fridge cool, I spent a joyous day installing a new charging gadget. I'm not exactly sure what it does or even how but it has lots of wires in and out of it and many flashing lights.  When none of the lights flash, it probably isn't working. Anyway, I think it probably is now.
We also fitted the new (and possibly soon to be famous) life raft box and rigged the genoa without much difficulty.

Next day Al arrived. This was a good thing.
We had a "Farewell Troon" final supper at Scott's and settled down to some serious passage planning over a very small bottle of wine.

Our plans were clear, orderly and definite. Troon to Campbeltown to somewhere in Ireland and so on. Jean phoned Campbeltown. They were shut.
We changed our plans   Definitely then to Rathlin Island or to Ballycastle.
So on Tuesday 17th March we set sail for Sanda.

It is very important to remember to turn the fuel back on before motoring out of a harbour.

Sanda Island (population 1) has a surprising and very good anchorage.
Although it was 1600 when we arrived, it was bright and sunny.
We anchored.

Anchored off Sanda

It is very important to test the anchor windlass before first using it in earnest at the start of the season.

Next day, to Rathlin Island.

The new marina is good although the approach to it was shallow.
The windlass skillfully repaired by Al and me only yesterday had found a second reason not to work.
Although the three of us have more qualifications in Biologically related scientific subjects than a school of emperor penguins, this is of absolutely no use when trying to fix a windlass. Windlasses need electricity and this was absent.  My helpful crew went for a walk. I fixed the windlass and joined them.

Rathlin Island Marina

We had a very nice walk.

Rathlin Island Lighthouse

We were "the first boat in (this year)" at Rathlin. Of course.  The nice marina man charged us only £5 in recognition of either our hardiness or possibly our stupidity.

Passage planning around Rathlin Island is all about tides.
We left at 0600 with 6 knots of tide behind us and 8 knots of wind and motored all the way to Glenarm.

Glenarm is welcoming

Glenarm Marina is secure

At Glenarm, the very nice Marina Manager (having noted that we were "the first boat in") suggested a very nice walk in the forest (with an opportunity to see a red squirrel) followed by a walk around the town and up to the castle.  Al explained all the history to me. I pretended to understand bits of it.

A nice fungus. (Note absence of squirrels).

The very nice Marina Manager even contacted his friends in Belfast Marina and gave us useful tips on how to get there safely (by sea).  We like Glenarm, the black guillemots, the harbour, the town, the forest, the free washing machine and the marina manager.

Black Guillemots 

20th March 2015.
We had a lie in as we didn't need to leave Glenarm before sunrise.
We left at 0700.
We motored most of the way to Belfast.
As we entered Belfast Lough there was a 95% eclipse of the sun with a rainbow at the same time.

Why does the wind drop so much during an eclipse?  We biologists had no idea.

Belfast marina.

We were "the first boat in". However because the marina is manned by a robotic ticket dispenser that couldn't speak, we had to congratulate ourselves, ourselves.

Belfast Marina is very good. £16 per night to include electricity, showers, a washing machine and the occasional eclipse. We had a walk to the Titanic Centre.  This was, indeed, quite large.  Much of the commerce and tourism of this part of Belfast now revolves around the Titanic and the story of its sinking. Unfortunately (for Belfast) it proved impossible to make a sequel to the film of that name.

The Titanic Centre

We had two nights in Belfast and some fine food.
I slept as much as possible.
It is important that the skipper gets enough sleep, such is the burden of command, etc.

Next to Arglass where it rained a lot in 2012  (for further details please read my blog).
We had a nice Chinese Meal in Ardglass.

We sailed some of the way to our next port.  This is unusual for us.
"Howth" is pronounced "Hoa't".

It is important to know where you are going when you enter Howth Marina.

Is this the way in or out?

I think not.

We had 4 nights in Howth.    Howth is posh suburban Dublin.  The Dulwich Village of Dublin (except that is almost an island and has a huge fishing fleet).

We had a very nice but rather long walk in Howth but spent most of our three days there worrying about the weather and where (exactly) to go next.
Al took us out to yet another lovely meal before leaving (by air) for Newcastle.

It really doesn't matter how many  different weather forecasts you study when the weather is foul, the weather remains foul.
We considered
1. flying home
2. buying a camper van and driving to Spain
3.flying to Spain
4. all of the above at the same time  
5. sailing to Arklow
6. Sailing to Milford Haven.
Eventually we sailed to Holyhead.

Holyhead is a "Harbour of Refuge". This is a good thing.

Holyhead Marina

A harbour of refuge (looking outwards)

We like Holyhead.

I had a little more sleep and eventually we caught the train back to Essex.

Bonzo was, of course, delighted to see us.

Awesome Weirwood

A yachters' day out at a beautiful sailing club, meeting old friends

Watching the racing

Enjoying the sunshine

Something for everyone

Happy memories

It was lovely.

Thank you!

February in Troon

A short update on our activities.

This time  last week we were in the marina at Troon, having left home at 5.30 AM.

The weather being almost dry we started work on Albatross' hull.

Her topsides were transformed from a dirty cream colour to an almost  shiny white while Peter decided he could not do the new seacock and plumbing as he need an extra right angle bend.  This saved cutting a hole in the bottom of the boat, a lot of fibre glassing and probably a day's work. I was not sorry.

The Anchorage Hotel in Troon is the oldest licenced premise in the town and thus looked a bit run down and dodgy but proved to be the most comfortable place we had stayed in in Troon and extremely convenient being only a short walk from the marina. 

The food was good but we both now feel at least a stone heavier, especially after cooked breakfasts...

Saturday morning, fairly early we were out attacking the hull at great speed before the forecast rain/sleet/snow at 11 am.  The last few licks of paint went on just as the first snowflakes fell.  then it was 'indoor' jobs like polishing up the propeller after removing the largest barnacles I've ever seen on our boat.

Albatross is the the one on the right with the very nice new paint.

Sunday dawned wet, cold and windy.  Peter fitted the new stern gland while Jean read the whole Sunday Times waiting for the moment when her help would be invaluable.  It was eventually as the fitting turned into a wrestling match and needed about 6 pairs of hands.

Our very nice new stern gland

That completed the necessary on-land tasks, so feeling very virtuous we went to ask if Albatross could be launched a day early.  No problem, except for the impending gale (average wind speed about 40mph with big gusts).  We turned up hopeful on Monday morning, but no go.  So I went for a run (and didn't quite get blown over) and Peter fitted our smart new life raft box, lovingly fabricated from marine ply and fibreglass at home.

Our very nice new life raft box

It didn't actually rain until the afternoon.

Tuesday (average wind forecast 30 mph, gusting 45) we arrived expecting another cancellation, but Albatross was duly lifted and put in the water between squalls.  Quick clean up and clear out and we were off south again.

Next Year

It is never too soon to think about next year.

(A bonxie, probably contemplating the future)

Much though we love Troon, we have decided that we need to end up somewhere warmer next year.

Our plan is to sail to Spain.

This epic will be undertaken in a series of legs. The first leg will be determined by my arduous responsibilities at Essex Polytechnic.

So, approximately:

Leg one      Troon to Shannon

Troon         15th March 2015

Campbeltown

Glenarm

Rathlin Isles

Portrush

Lough Foyle

Sheep Haven

Bloody Foreland

Inishkeel

Killybegs

Sligo

Killala

Broadhaven

Westport

Ballynakill

Aran Islands

eventually to Kilrush Marina in the Shannon Estuary, and  Ryan Air back home by about 10th April.

Sailing

Leg two     Shannon to Cornwall

Kilrush          12th June 2015 (Ryan Air)

thence:

around Ireland 

Milford Haven

Isles of Scilly

Newlyn

Plymouth

Sunset

Leg three     Cornwall to Spain

Plymouth             Mid July 2015

Brittany

L'Aberwrac'h

Audierne

Across the Bay of Biscay

Biscay

A Coruna

Explore Galicia

Ria De Vigo    Mid September

Fly home, feed dog, cut grass, plan 2016

Any takers?

August in Scotland, sailing with friends

The only place in Great Britain with worse internet access than our home in Essex has to be Scotland.
This makes blogging from Scotland almost impossible.
Anyway we are home now so I can try to blog from Essex again.

4th August 2014
We returned to Arisaig, flubbering out to the boat without significant drama.

Arisaig (again)

Next day to Mallaig. We like Mallaig, its marina, electrical sockets and Co-op. Richard and Gwen arrived. This was a very good thing.I don't think I have ever taught complete novices to sail before but they took to it like Guillemots to water. Being soundly grounded in camping and caravanning is a huge advantage. Add a mast, some random physics and the Northern Atlantic and you're there, pretty much.

I also taught Gwen all I know about ornithology and regretted it. Fortunately, I did know more about Swinhoe's Petrel than she did (see Swinhoe's Fortunate Petrel elsewhere in this blog etc.)

Ornithology tutorial in progress

We sailed to Rhum (aka Rum) where we anchored for the night and had a very nice walk and chicken for dinner.

Canna was our next stop. Richard and I made it to the church. Jean and Gwen didn't.

Canna.  Note church in distance.

Canna is very nice but we lost our anchor ball there .... so Dear Reader, if you happen to find a very nice unattached red anchor ball floating off the west coast of Scotland, please retrieve it because it is almost certainly ours.

This is very interesting

Next off, a beam reach in F4-6 to Loch Harport where we anchored at the 4th attempt.There is something about anchoring in Loch Harport.It rained.

9th August dawned warm sunny and breezy.We sailed all the way to Arisaig.We had a walk and I fell in a ditch.It rained a lot and very windy. I blame Mr Salmond.
11th August. A weather window appeared late that afternoon. Weather windows are ephemeral, quixotic and generally tenuous things, but we whizzed back to Mallaig anyway.We like Mallaig, its marina, electrical sockets and Co-op.

12 - 13th August
Richard and Gwen left for their B&B, apparently happy and with no obvious injuries.
I'm hopeful they will come again next year.
I had a riveting day marking exam papers from Essex Poly and helping Jean to unblock Albatross' alimentary tract.  We had dinner out. Jean left her handbag in the restaurant. A nice man telephoned Susan in Croatia to tell her about Jean's handbag and we all lived happily ever after. I wont bore you, Dear Reader with the details.

14th August.
To Tobermory. We set off early to be sure of a berth. It was almost empty when we arrived.
We had 4 nights in Tobermory and bad weather.

Martin arrived from Essex.This was good.
Martin helped me unblock our Albatross again.  Apparently ammonia, urea, seawater and silica form a complex that some desert-living Egyptians can carve into antiques. (Camel pee plus sand plus sunshine, is similar apparently to Albatross poo plus seawater without any sunshine at all).  However, we decided to forgo the opportunity of starting a local craft business in Tobermory (carving the concretions) and dumped it back in the sea (where ultimately it should have gone in the first place)*

Martin

From Tobermory, Troon beckoned. 
With strongish northwesterlies, we stonked down to
Loch Spelve

Lock Spelve

to West Loch Tarbert (Jura),  past the Paps of Jura

The Paps

 and to Port Ellen (Islay), around the Mull of  Kintyre to Campeltown and back to Troon.

Troon is and was much the same as ever. Probably the best marina we have ever staying in. Easy access, efficient friendly staff, good shelter .... I could go on.

We said "Goodbye" to Martin and hope he will join us again next year.

Car hire back to Essex.

Amazing what you can pack in VW Golf.

By the way, Bonzo is fine.

Next year, Portugal via the wrong side of Ireland and the Scillies.



*You know what I mean.