« April 2007 | Main | June 2007 »
Wed 30 May 2007
Tory Island
After a night at Burtonport, entered through a narrow, rocky channel, where we ate very well at "The Skipper's Tavern" we set out for Tory Island - the remotest inhabited island off Ireland. In a few miles we came across "Napper Tandy", a ketch drifting in the negligible breeze with a dead engine but our help was not needed as a local boat was on its way to assist. The weather was perfect with the hills showing sharp in the cool air before the temperature rose as the sun beat down from a cloudless sky. Tory Island is named from its three distinctive tors, and is the home of "Balor of the blows" - the Celtic god of darkness. The island teems with bird life and the Skipper got a rare sighting of choughs - shiny black cliff-dwelling crows with scarlet legs and beak. As the photo shows, we are nicely tucked in harbour alongside a very similar yacht.
Posted by skipper at 09:50 PM | Comments (1)
Tue 29 May 2007
Donegal Bay
Calmer seas prevailed for the long haul across Donegal Bay from Ballyglass to Killybegs. As we left in the early morning we got this photo of a rainbow highlighting the lifeboat. We answered a Coastguard request for a volunteer for a helicopter hi-line exercise (as we experienced off Shetland last year) but they wanted a larger vessel. A group of 8 or 9 very lively dolphins played around us for a spell, but as usual we failed to get a good photo. Killybegs is a major fishing port with many large pelagic trawlers laid up out of season, but we found a quiet spot out of everyone's way in the harbour. As on the west coast of Scotland, there were many active Spanish trawlers unloading their catches on to huge trucks bound directly for Spain. Now at Teelin, a small, pretty natural anchorage on the north shore of Donegal Bay, we are well placed for the next leg round Rossan Point inside the wonderfully named Rathlin O'Birne Island and up to Aran Island (not to be confused with the Aran Islands of a week ago, off Co. Clare).
Posted by skipper at 09:16 PM | Comments (1)
Fri 25 May 2007
Triffids!!
Don't know what these are, but they could certainly pass muster as triffids. We have seen lots lurking by the roadside ..... waiting to pounce? At Achill Island the cox'n of the lifeboat was very good to us - ferrying us ashore, giving us a lift to the village 5 miles away, and sending a colleague to pick us up as we walked back in the rain. Fortunately it cleared later, giving a fine evening and the opportunity for a walk ashore. Today gave us the best sailing weather and coastal scenery so far. Achill Island has dramatic cliffs backed by sharp grassy ridges leading to prominent hilltops - it looks to be a really good walking area. In places the sea surge was shooting spray 50ft in the air, but sadly no photos - the skipper fully occupied helming in the confused seas, and the mate hanging on!
Posted by skipper at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)
Islands at Last
After 700 miles the cruising is becoming much more interesting, as we are among islands and passages between instead of steadily passing headlands to starboard. We are now getting some shelter from the continual Atlantic swell, which makes 8 and 9 hour trips quite physically tiring, but gives a real feel of being at sea when the immediate horizon is the next big swell. After Inishmore we rounded Slyne Head and made up the Connemara coast to the island of Inishbofin for a good overnight anchorage. Then we island-hopped in the mist up to the S end of Achill Island where, inside a narrow, twisting entrance, we are in calm water on a visitor's mooring just off this old stone tower. We have been fascinated by some of the names on the chart - here are just a few from the last couple of days ...... Gubbinwee, Inishbiggle, Doonguddle, Inishgalloon and Carrickmoylenacurboga!
Posted by skipper at 06:05 PM | Comments (0)
Tue 22 May 2007
Dingle to the Aran Islands
It was a 40 mile trip round the Dingle peninsula to Fenit with little gained in the way of northing. However the scenery was good - round Slea Head, through Blasket Sound, past Mount Brandon (an Irish 'Munro') and into Tralee Bay. Fenit has a fishing harbour and yacht marina (photo) dominated by an imposing statue of St. Brendan the Navigator - a bit over-hyped as a "Heritage Park" as it would fit in your back garden! A 55 mile trip today gave us a fine motorsail, averaging just over 6 kts with still a SW swell, up to the Aran Islands of sweater fame where we turned in to Kilronan on Inishmore. A few miles away the smallest of the three islands - Inisheer - is better known as the "Craggy Island" of Father Ted.
Posted by skipper at 07:41 AM | Comments (0)
Sat 19 May 2007
Dingle Dolphin
This is a bronze of Fungie the bottlenose dolphin which has made Dingle Harbour his home for over 20 years, and is a major tourist attraction. He did come out to greet us as we sailed in and eyed us closely, but decided we were not worth one of his spectacular jumps high out of the water. For once the weather forecast has not been an exaggeration and winds have reached force 9 (severe gale) with more of the same today. However showers have been infrequent and it is mostly sunny. Winds are due to moderate greatly overnight but we expect quite a residual swell off the west coast. We enjoyed some live music in a pub last night (uillean pipes, banjo and guitar) and may look in tonight at the pub advertising "mighty sessions nightly". For anyone thinking of a visit to Cork and Kerry, we recommend Dingle - our most attractive port of call so far.
Posted by skipper at 03:08 PM | Comments (1)
Fri 18 May 2007
A Touch of the Irish
We knew there were smoking restrictions in Ireland, but hadn't realised they extended to herring. So now they are having to catch their kippers at sea - as this packaging shows. We are now in Dingle after a long trip from Bear Island in Bantry Bay, with little to see other than headlands looming out of the mist as we progressed round the coast and across from Valentia. We plan on staying here to await better weather - the 24 hour forecast is for a SW Force 8 gale (and possibly 9!) - but we are tucked into a nice wee marina in a nice wee town so all is well. There are numerous pubs advertising live music so that will be tomorrow night's entertainment. One pub that caught our eye was Foxy's Bar and Hardware Store! Yes, there were gantries and beertaps down one side and bins of nuts, bolts and screws down the other, with the punters in the middle. A shop we saw elsewhere offered computer repairs and fishing tackle! (It'll be ready next week - would you like to go fishing meantime?)
Posted by skipper at 11:48 AM | Comments (0)
Thu 17 May 2007
New feature: Where's Arctica?
You can now track the adventures of Arctica using a map on this site. Just click the Where's Arctica button (top-right) to see her latest position.
Arctica's position is updated every day or so with GPS information from her navigation system - phone signal permitting!
Watch this space for improvements to the map over the coming weeks!
Posted by skipper at 11:54 PM | Comments (3)
Mon 14 May 2007
Mizen Head
Today we rounded Mizen Head, the SW point of Ireland after an extra night at Crookhaven to let the passing gale blow over. There we had a Saturday night Murphys at O'Sullivans pub, who declined to take a fee for use of a visitor's mooring "until June". As at all our other ports of call, the houses and cottages are all kept neat, tidy and well painted. There is an atmosphere of pride about the place - in contrast to much of the Western Isles of Scotland. We had fine sailing weather today and an excellent sail round Mizen Head, Sheep's Head and up the length of Bantry Bay to Glengarriff. It is a well sheltered anchorage, protected by islets and skerries and with something of the feel of Balmaha on Loch Lomond - although that has nothing to match the splendid frontage of the Eccles Hotel. Come nightfall we half expect echoes of the Goon Show to waft across the bay!
Posted by skipper at 08:27 PM | Comments (2)
Sat 5 May 2007
Crosshaven & Kinsale
We reached Crosshaven for the rendezvous with our crew from London for the holiday weekend with a day in hand, so we took the opportunity of visiting Cork for an afternoon. We had shopping to do so we did not have time for tourist attractions, but found it an attractive city. Situated on the River Lee, it shares the distinction with Paris and New York of being founded on an island. Crosshaven is near the mouth of Cork Harbour, on a river with a strong tidal flow. With Finlay and Jeannie, Chris and Maria aboard we moved the short distance round to Kinsale on a day of mirror calm and brilliant sunshine, enjoying the brief company of a pod of dolphins on the way. Kinsale is a very attractive coastal resort and a major centre for yachting. The streets are narrow and colourful, as pictured, and are home to a huge number of pubs and good restaurants. Surprisingly, it lacks a chandlers and we found that the local filling station sells groceries but not engine oil or any motoring requirements!
Posted by skipper at 11:01 PM | Comments (3)
Thu 3 May 2007
Limerick
No, not the town at the head of the Shannon estuary but that peculiar form of verse. On long tricks at the helm the mind can wander (OK.....who said the Skipper's is always so?) and today, ruminating on the odd pronunciation of Milngavie, for no apparent reason the idea for a Limerick emerged:
A wandering lass from Milngavie
Emigrated to distant Shanghavie
But lacking the lingo
And missing the bingo
She travelled back home, bavie and bavie.
Or, bringing in an Irish slant:
A trendy young colleen from Youghal (Yawl)
Got dressed up as though for a boughal
Her gown was so highbrow
It raised every eyebrow
At the ceilidh in Cashel church houghal.
It must be something to do with the Guinness!! The photo is of sunset this evening at Crosshaven, near Cork.
Posted by skipper at 11:38 AM | Comments (2)
Tue 1 May 2007
Grumpy Old Man
Nice as are the Irish folk we meet, Ireland must have its share of grumpy old men and sure now we came across one yesterday at a fishing port - un-named to protect the guilty! (The photo was taken at Kilmore Quay - a lovely fishing and leisure harbour). As instructed in the almanac, we tried calling the harbour before arrival on VHF 16 and 14 without response, so continued on in. While tying up alongside a huge laid-up deep sea trawler the Harbourmaster appeared waving his rule book and calling over about £500 a day penalties for unauthorised use of his harbour. "Fine" (sorry, no pun intended) says the Skipper "I'll stay two days - will a cheque for a grand be OK?". But humour was wasted. Deflated on hearing that we had called as we should, he retaliated by saying we could not go ashore because 1) there was no gangway off the trawler and 2) if a fishing boat wanted our berth he would cast off our lines and set us adrift. However the upside was that we then couldn't get to his office to offer payment of harbour dues, and left with a clear conscience this morning. Today we had a sparkling sail with a following F5 easterly, and are now in Youghal (pronounced 'yawl') of carpet fame. We are at anchor for the first time this trip, but will not be going ashore in the dinghy, as there is now a steady F6 blowing across the open anchorage. But the sun shines and all is well!
Posted by skipper at 06:41 PM | Comments (0)