23/7
Put into Annalong 17 nm from Ardglass,after a foggy start and then gentle SSWesterly..Took 4 hours as we we lost the wind on the last 5 miles.Huge amount of lobster pots to negotiate and a harbour reminiscent of Moray Firth. A small fishing harbour with a pontoon for 3 boats or 6 max alongside. Perfectly perfect.More langoustine for dinner,we’ll probably make a chowder.
HM knew of Alan forefathers (grandmother in fact)
Lovely place,interesting geology. Apparently, the Mourne (mountain) contain the world’s hardest granite and the beach was covered in it,in a variety of colours and varied shapes though shame about the litter and dog’s mess in the streets.
Spoke to 2 fishermen, over a Guiness, in the pub and they reckoned we should leave about 06.00,as the sluice gate was being repaired later and with a spring tide (very high, or very low) and a forecast of strong winds later .
24/7
Departed Annalong at 06.00 along with Michael Caine and his crew aboard s/y Beaufort Endeavour Arrived Howth 13.30 after a lovely F4/5 SE sail from annalong,however,true to form it died about 5nm off whilst we were in a tidal race off Lambey Island.Then we had the tide against us to Howth. Nearly missed the marina entrance when I took a detour through a gap and then saw the port and stbd marks continuing and an old sign saying marina this way, in the opposite direction and remembered the pilot saying ‘stick to the buoyed channel!’.
lLocal woman gave me a lift over to the chandlers,as I tried to get an Irish courtesy flag,but it seemed everyone had a run and was out of stock.
Walked past lovely old warehouses,now fish shops and restaurants.Large fishing harbour and marina complex.Big dinghy sailing club for kids and racing boats everywhere.Shame the showers reminded me of school changing rooms and no laundry looked like a bomb had gone off in it!
Nick Holden, also an RNLI Sea Safety advisor (and former naval commander) arrives tomorrow.
Shall miss my mate Alan, but we’ll meet up in Padstow,( where he’s coxswain of the lifeboat.)Open day next Wednesday, but that’s a bit tight, as .I have a couple of hundred miles to cover to get there.
Andy Beach (yes!) meets me in Padstow Monday week.
25/7
Nick arrived and we set off into town for fish and chips.Alan sent text to say too many people in Dublin’Get sailing!’I decided that I wouldn’t go into Dublin,anyway, too much to do with prpepping the boat and that came first.Still got diesel leak and siphon valve leaks down under floor and carpet into bilge over each trip.So tiring!
Had a drink in Howth YC and met Tom (RNLI DLA) again,his friend Patrick spoke to us and mentioned once ,if not a hundred times that when we sail down to Arklow (our next port) we should moor alongside a fishing vessel in the fishing harbour,as it was a shorter walk back from town,or more correctly the pub.Tom showed us around their lovely modern YC very proudly.
Departed at 05.00 for Arklow and sailed past Dublin Bay in a fresh F3 from the SE.Beautiful coast with stunning deserted golden beaches.Arrived in Arklow and went alongside,as told to do, by Patrick! We were alongside three deserted sailing boats of gradually sadder condition towards the quay,plus two decommissioned fishing vesssels.Arklow was once,like many harbours, a thriving fishing community. The town however, is a brightly painted joy to behold.All the building painted and bunting everywhere.Albeit ever other building a pub.Some very smartly decorated.Found a nice café (hard to find!) on the riverside.Apparently the TV programme ‘Ballykissangel’ is produced from a village nearby.Went for a walk to the marina.it was very small and quite full up.
Back at our berth (also quite close to the lifeboat).The HM arrived and charged us 8Euro,then called Ned the mechanic (Tom in Howth put us on to him) came over .He pilots the Windcat,when not working at the station.There is an EU subsidised Wind farm offshore which needs maintenance.The engineers are German and the farm is now owned by Amercan Electric company.!Ned was wonderful and fetched us 3 cans ( I only had a 5 litre can) of fuel for the trip.The forecast was not too good with little and variable wind and thundery showers.
Arklow -Fishguard
Departed 05.00 (again!), for Wales and Fishguard and were able to sail for 7 hours in glorious sunshine,then the wind died and we had to put the donkey on for the next 7 hours.It was wonderful though.In the calm rolly glistening Celtic Sea we saw hunbdreds of wild birds.Guillemots,puffins,Manx Shearwaters and razor Bills,all with their young alongside.Nick also saw a seal.The ferry to Rosslare came out as we came towards the harbour and created an incredible rolly swell. Fantastic bay and rolling hills.
Found a lovely anchorage just off the old town in 3 metres.Launched the dinghy and rowed ashore to an old slip, I paddled us out and we carried the dinghy up and left our gear underneath (paddles,lifejackets).Nick was more trusting than me.Bumped into a strange character at the YC.Begged a shower but no go.he told us he’d just swam across the bay, in his wet suit.YC only open evenings!
Walked into town and woofed down our fish and chips in the pub.Pretty town with beautiful house and wild flower gardens,some precipitately hanging over the hills.not overly friendly though.Practised one of my 3 Welsh expressions (Nor star/Good evening).
Good nights' sleep at anchor. Milford next, needs careful tidal planning.
28/7
Had a fantastic day.25C + and a lovely dinghy paddle around cliffs,seeing Oyster catchers,Curlews (amazing long fine beaks) and a kingfisher.Walked into Goodwick,bought my Welsh and Irish courtesy flags.Nick fixed solar panel.had a swim.went to YC met lovely members.Had shower yum.Met Roger RNLI DLA (Deputy Launching Authority), took us to lifeboat station.Good craic with guys who'd just done First Aid course.Didn’t like what they’d done to dummies!Heard diver in trouble with Benz on radio.Saw the coastguard and ambulance trying to get him ashore.The helicopter finally came after midnight.We watched from boat as the winched him up.Poor forecast and we‘d got back late,hadn’t eaten,let out more chain.Went to bed and listened to BBC forecast SSW 5-7.Not good.woke at 0500 to driving rain.Not going today.Tough when you can’t control things
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