Onto Southern Ireland

After spending 8 nights in Howth we eventually found a weather window with winds generally below force 6 and in the right direction so departed, with 3 other yachts, south at 06:00.  2 of the yachts were sailing in company and heading for Milford Haven but at this stage we were undecided.  To make Milford we would arrive about 10 in the evening and we didn't fancy that prospect with the shipping and lobster pots so hugged the Ireland coast and made for Kilmore Quay on the SE corner. All went well with a romping sail down the coast, achieving 7 & 8 knots over the water and touching 10 on the GPS with the tide. However it went a bit naff round the SE corner at Carnsore Point were overfalls were expected.  With the tide under us and a close reach we made good speed but the seas were high and very lumpy.  We even had one break over the boat!  Alice survived but insisted she didn't want to experience that again.  Eventually made it into Kilmore Quay and what a nice place that is.  An active fishing harbour with a marina at one end. 

Had a good lunch in the local pub, and hooked up to the harbour wifi.

Viewed the local seal sunbathing.

And left at 07:50 the next morning for a 150 mile trip south to the Scilly Islands.

Epic motor south.

With 150 miles to go we had to maintain about 6 knots to achieve it in about 24 hrs. In fact we made it in 25hrs to Hugh Town, Saint Mary's arriving early morning.  But it wasn't a nice passage.  The wind was a force 3 to 4 mostly behind us but the sea was so confused and lumpy, we motor sailed for most of it and just motored over night for the second half.  I tried all sail combinations including the spinnaker but they all slammed about and added little interest to the trip. The one high note to the trip was that several dolphin pods visited us and played in our bow wave for a considerable time.

They also came at night but not easy to photograph.

In the morning we found what we believe to be a couple of garfish on the deck.  Maybe the dolphin were chasing them.

After I had been awake for 24hrs, the sail into St Mary's was a bit weird until the sun came up and the brick walls surrounding us became sea waves!

Dublin

We sailed to Howth Yacht Club marina just north of Dublin estuary and so we are now in Ireland for real. Have to use euros!  The yacht club is great, very active and friendly but it looks like we need to stay a few days more as a gale is supplying too much wind and in the wrong direction.

Visited Dublin on Saturday (before the train strike on Sunday and Monday).  A vibrant city - as cities tend to be - but still quite interesting.

 Howth marina from the breakwater.

They have evening racing twice a week at this club and one of the boats they sail is the Howth Sailing Club One Design that is over 100 years old.

One of the club members helped to restore the rig on the yacht Asgard. This is significant yacht in the history of Ireland as is Howth as she was one of the 2 yachts that did gun running from Germany to Howth in 1914 to support the Irish Volunteer Force.  The restored yacht is in a museum in Dublin but we didn't get to see her but we did get to a talk given by this club member which was most interesting.

The Asgard was owned and skippered by Erskine Childers, 'The Riddle of the Sands' author.

Ardglass

Sailed south inside of an Island off Belfast sourthern shore and quietly made our way south in a light breeze doing about 5 knots but with a knot of tide with us.  We were slightly annoyed with other yachts  motoring past when they clearly had wind to sail and we were half expecting them to pinch the best moorings at Ardglass.  Fortunately that wasn't the case and we motored into a suitable slot.

 The AIS was picked up this trip.

 The narrow channel at Ardglass viewed from our marina berth.

We had a go at sailing further south the following morning but were met by seriously lumpy seas and too much wind on our nose.  So retraced our track and snuggled back into out marine berth.  I went up the mast to sort out a lazy jack block that was rotating and winding up the lines.

 

Port Ellen

Had an early wake up at 04:30 to ensure we made the tide gate through the sound between Islay and Jura.  We were surprised that the anchor was holding so well for the few days we were off Bunessan but when we hauled it up we could see why, we had hooked a wharp or cable of some sort.  Put a line round it, unhooked the anchor and slipped the line with ease.  Quite a struggle against the wind to motor out of the loch but once clear, we could lay a starboard tack past the tip of Mull and on the outside of Iona.  We were quickly up to our favourite 7+ boat speed, touching 8 at times with a good force 4 to 5.  Negotiated various rocks as is normal round these parts (thank goodness for the Garmin) and made our way to the north east end of Colonsay.  We had a quite close encounter with what we thought were 2 basking sharks.  There were 2 fins slowly going round in circles a few feet from the boat.  

We approached the Sound of Islay with just over an hour of favourable tide through the sound.  This is rather important as the tide stream can run up to 5 knots in the sound and you wouldn't want to plug against that.  So to ensure we made it through the 11 miles before the tide changed and sucked us back into the sound, we started the engine to supplement the sails ensuring we had a boat speed of about 7 knots.  So we had a wonderful squirt through the sound passing distilleries at up to 11 knots over the ground (sorry Colin, couldn't stop).  Spat out of the end, cut the engine and sailed onto Port Ellen on the south of Islay after missing a significant amount of Islands and rocks.  We had a struggle to get into Port Ellen as the wind had piped up to F6 on the nose so motored tacked into the poorly defined harbour.  Moored up to the almost self service marina.

Electricity and water are free with the mooring but the 2 showers are part of a local guest house and in demand from the many yachts so we went without again for another night.

Sailed in the morning, leaving the harbour and distillery (sorry Colin) behind.

Meeting up with some family

We stayed anchored off Bunessan for several days to meet up with various family members coming over from the Minessota, Brighton and Inverness and also to shelter from local gales.  The anchorage at Bunessan was generally a bit lumpy with a bit of shelter but we were happy to leave.

 The morning before the wind came in.

Had a great get together with the family including visiting Iona just off Fionnphort where they were all staying.  Had a great meal together (14 in total) at the Keel Row Inn at Fionnphort and we were kindly ferried about by car.  Absolutely no phone signal on that part of Mull and minimum O2 so could just communicate by email only. 

N Ireland

It's just a short hop (30 odd miles) from Islay to our next destination Ballycastle in Northern Ireland but reading the books and looking at the chart, it's a bit scary with overfalls and races all round and between Rathlin Island just off Ballycastle. So again the timing was important and again I think we got it right, timing our approach to Ballycastle at slack water.  Our sail down south was nice and fast mostly goose winging the Yankie jib, reefing, un-reefing and reefing again as the wind required it.  7 to 8 knots was the order of the day.  It was of course quite a rolling ride and both Alice and I were suffering from unstable legs when we got onto land. 

 View of Ballycastle from Spring Breeze

The facilities were superb. New, clean and free - wifi, electrics, water, showers, and laundry!  We had to stay a few days with another gale coming through but with such a nice place, we put up with it.

The first full day was a jobs day, 4 loads of washing, shopping and sorting out the lines to ensure Spring Breeze could withstand the gale without damage and it being too uncomfortable and noisy.  The harbour has a bit of ground swell in a gale which pushes and pulls the boat and ensuring there is enough spring in the lines without letting her vere too much and reduce any chafe is the challenge.  

The second day of the gale we visited The Giants Causeway which is just a few miles away by bus.

 With it blowing best part of a gale, interspersed with driving rain made the visit someway dramatic if not uncomfortable.  Nice to get back to the boat, leaning to the wind gusts!

On the third gale bound day we visited Colraine and one of our suppliers that manufactures foil strain gauges.  A very interesting visit with a view of the town thrown in.  Bought another mobile phone because my one had died.

The wind had eased in the morning so departed with a good favourable wind.  Reached across the top end end of Ireland, round the headland and goose winged south.  The wind and swell increased and we had an issue of needing to stop so headed to the lee of north shore of Belfast estuary, removed all sail and motored down to Bangor Marina.

I don't have much to say about Bangor.  The town is large, visited their museum but the marina is large and un interesting.  Sailed further south in the morning.