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A SUMMER CRUISE WITH
YOU
1st. June.
Originally we had three boats making this cruise, Lady Beag ( Jimmy
Murphy ), Happy Captain ( Joe O'
Brien ) and Prince of Tides ( Derek Harris and Betty Dunne ). But Jimmy had a
few days extra to enjoy and he took off two days early....the plan is to catch
up later. Late on the Bank holiday
Monday we had a meeting, Joe O'Brien ( Happy Captain ) and myself ( Prince of
Tides ). We talked about our planned cruise, our preparation, safety, and
lastly about Drugs Watch. A few months ago an article appeared in a daily
newspaper from the Customs Drug Dept. about drug running on our coast and the
role pleasure boats could play( AIS was mentioned as a help ) in coastal
protection. At that time I had two Custom Officers down on the boat and they
gave me a run down on how we could help. I distributed the literature they had given me, a book on
Customs Drugs Watch, and Incident Report Forms. We agreed to help in whatever
way we could.
2nd. June.
Dublin to Arklow .
At 07.00 I called the Dublin Coast Guard on Ch. 83 and gave them our
details (3 adults, 2 males, 1 female bound for Arklow eta. 13:00 hours). Prince
of Tides broke from Poolbeg Marina alone, Happy Captain was delayed by twelve
hours, 2 hours before High Water Dublin. This helped us carry the tide to
Arklow. The weather was fine.....probably the best day of the summer, so far.
No wind, but we set the sails and hoped for a later sea breeze....which never
arrived. Quickly Bray Head and then Wicklow Head slipped by and at 13.00 we
entered the fishing basin
of Arklow. Not a very
exciting day, but satisfying....we were on our way. A call to Wicklow Coast
Guard on Ch 02 assured them we had arrived safely. The fishing dock was fine
and cost us Euro 10.
3rd. June.
Arklow to Kilmore Quay.
Another glorious day. Maybe this is our summer!? On local advise we
broke early, 06.00, 2 1/2 hours before Dublin High Water to carry the tide to
the Tuskar and around Carnsore Point. Called Wicklow Coast Guard Ch 02, but
could not raise them....must check my VHF. About an hour out Happy Captain
called, he was two hours behind us and would continue on to Kilmore Quay with
us. Off the Blackwater Bank the wind came in....a lovely NE force 3. We
motor-sailed and ate up the distance. We carried the tide all the way inside
Tuscar, around Carnsore Point ( I saw the wind turbines turning slowly, though
of what might have been ).....then on over St. Patrick's Bridge, and after
holding course for about a mile, rounded the sea marker and heading in towards
Kilmore Quay, picking up the leading marks to stand clear of the rocks. The Marina is a an
ultra-modern one. The outer part of the harbour is a busy fishing harbour,
while the marina part is between that and the town. The facilities are first
class; office, showers, toilets, laundry.....and professional advice for those
going West. An hour later Happy Captain rounded the entrance and tied up
alongside us....Poolbeg to Kilmore Quay in one go....not bad? We stayed two
nights and Mr. Kehoe's establishment, up the hill, opposite the Church, took
care of our remaining needs.....lovely food, with a cool pint.
4th. June.
Kilmore Quay.
The weather was so good we decided to stay. We visited the Garden of
Remembrance. This is a very touching memorial to those who lost their lives a
sea. It is a quiet place beside the sea…..a place to do some thinking. After a
walk around the village we adjourned to Kehoe’s….the dish of the evening was
the Trinity.. Well, the pub is opposite the Parish Church….so
why not have a dish
Called the Trinity. Actually the dish is large plate shaped like a fish
with three different types of fish on it….hence…
5th. June.
Kilmore Quay to Waterford.
We had been to Waterford on Way of Life for the Tall Ships (in '98?).
Happy Captain had never been there before, so we decided to take a couple of
days to re-live a few good memories. Again, with local knowledge we left
Kilmore Quay 3 hours before Low Water Waterford Bridge. It is 15nms from
Kilmore to the Hook. We needed to round the Hook shortly after low water and
ride the tide up Waterford Harbour and on to Waterford itself. Everthing went
fine. The wind came in from the NE and took us to the Hook. On the way across
we were buzzed by the basking shark - guess who got the fright? To see such a
beautiful creature wending it's way so slowly and gracefully through the water,
it's mouth wide open having it's dinner - the message I got was, ' I'm doing
fine. Thank you. See you.' ..Waterford is well worth visiting. It can be a good
option if weatherbound in Kilmore Quay or Dunmore East. It is so sheltered and
the scenery is fine, Crean Head, Duncannon, Passage East, Ballyhack, Cheek
Point, north of Little Island and on to
Waterford itself. Well worth a visit....a place to relax and under €50 for
three night's berthing. We hope to be back in 2011 for the Tall Ships again .
6th. June.
Waterford.
The weather was terrible. We woke to fierce wind and rain. On went the
heating and out came the reading. Bad weather can be a help while cruising…..it
can teach you to slowdown.
7th. June.
Waterford to Dungarvan.
09.20. We had great difficult getting off the pontoon. Eventually Happy
Captain broke first as he was outside Prince of Tides and then with full power
we cleared the pontoon and rushed out into the middle of the river. This was a
lesson on how a strong river flow has to be taken seriously.. . 10.00 at Cheek
Point I got mixed up with Port and Starboard markers and nearly ended up on the
mud bank……I had forgotton to keep my Port side to Starboard markers and
Starboard side to Port markers…..will get you safely to sea. The wind came from
the NE and we made good time to Dunmore East. We were heading for Dungarvan and
knew we had to go in one hour either side of high-water. But high water Dungarvan
was 18.30 and strange enough we had to slow our progress to make the time. A
friend sailed out as far a Ballynacourty Point and led us in. Dungarvan Sailing
Club were celebrating the Blessing of Boats and we joined them This is the
third Blessing Happy Captain and Prince of Tides have attended….there must be a
message in this for us.
8th. . June.
Dungarvan. To Kinsale.
Dungarvan………why? This is one lovely town that is often off the radar for cruising
sailors. I have found it easy to enter ( 2 hours either side of High Water ),
it is well buoyed, has a pontoon that can take most boats, a very sheltered
harbour, a very friendly Club and some of the best eateries in the south. We took
local advice and were off 2 hours before HW.
At Ballynacourty Lighthouse we had to veer east to avoid the Black Rock.
Later we found out that you can pass either side of the rock. We had planned to
stay in Ballycotton, but a NE 4-5 did not make it prudent to pick up a buoy and
be subjected to a beating all night. On we went to Kinsale and entered the
marina at 15.00. The marina staff were their usual professional selves and soon
we were tided up safely.
9th.&10th. June.
Kinsale.
Stayed in Kinsale Marina for three nights…..the summer had finally
arrived. Wednesday is one of the racing evenings
in the KSC and it is rounded off with a BBQ…salmon, roast pork, loads of crackling,
curry, all kinds of veg…..and salads.
11th. June
Kinsale to Baltimore.
As Nelson and myself say,’’ Men and ships rot in harbour.’’ It was time to move on. We made for
Baltimore. A Corkman from KSC told me many years ago, ‘’ Boy (I liked that), life
begins at Galley Head.’’ He was right………now we are into the best cruising grounds Ireland has to
offer. We passed the Stags and soon rounded into Baltimore Harbour. We had a
choice….Sherkin Island or
Baltimore. The crew insisted we needed to ‘shop‘, so no Sherkin this time.
Both are worth a long visit. .We bought a book (The Stolen Village) on the famous Barbary
Pirate raid on Baltimore in 1631 They
captured almost all the villagers and took them into slavery in North Africa, only two ever returned home..………well worth a read.
12th. June.
Baltimore.
Basked in the sun in Baltimore.
13th.June.
Baltimore to
Castletownbear.
To-day we were heading to the furthest point of our June cruise…..Castletownbear.
Not a very exciting sail. We stayed outside Cape Clear and inside the Fastnet.
The sea was very disturbed at the Mizen and we were glad to around it and head for Bere Haven Harbour. We chose the SE entrance and
ran up the Sound in the lee of the Bere Island to get out of a nasty S. wind.
At 17.00 we checked into Lawrence Cove Marina and abandoned Prince of Tides for
three days to spend quality time with John and Ann O’Sullivan and the family. This
is a quality marina, well run and friendly. Bere Island
is worth a visit and driving the Ring of Beara through beautiful mountains will make you aware of it’s long historical
connection with copper mining ( at Allihies )
14th&15th. June.
Castletownbear and Laurence Cove.
16th. June.
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Castletownbear to Baltimore.
We are turning for home. Paid for three nights in the marina…..very reasonable……and headed down
the Harbour at 10.30. We had three
guests who had never sailed. They enjoyed the sun shine and chat….the day just
flowed away. Nothing exciting…..just sharing time at sea with new friends. We beat a
building Southerly wind into Baltimore and once again made fast on the pontoon.
17th. June.
Baltimore to Kinsale.
Very strong SW winds..6 - 7. Decided to wait it out. Had a visit from a
Custom’s Officer and got back to the subject of drugs. Again, an invitation to
sailors to be conscious of the contribution they can make to policing our
national waters…..be aware and report anything suspicious you see at sea. Left Baltimore at 10.15. Had
difficulty getting off the pontoon with a very strong westerly wind, but with
help from the staff, got away. The Bay was very windy and we had to wait until
we got into the Sound to set the sails. With the very strong SW (force 7…) we
made great time. Nothing eventful happened. But on arriving in Kinsale we
realised that the Sovereign Week was the following week….the marina was filling up….cruising people
please note.
18th & 19th. June.
Kinsale
The town was in summer mode and
we decided to visit relatives and stay an extra night. We realised that the
marina was filling up rapidly. Sovereign Week is a big week for KSC and they
need all the space they have. We could see the boats gathering and knew we would
end up inside two or three of them if we stayed. Owners and crew can be hard to
find at exactly the time you want to leave….we decided to get out next
morning.
20th. June.
Kinsale to Helvick.
We were still on the outside of the marina berth and made our move at
noon. The wind was hard from the NW,
about a force 5. This was a beauty for us. It takes a lot of wind to get a
Fisher 37 moving. As soon as we cleared Charles’s Fort up went all our sails.
The Prince of Tides was perfectly at home…she stepped out royally. Soon
the Bullman was turned and we set a course pass the Big Sovereign, then the
Little Sovereign and on up to the Daunt Rock. For a boat her weight she was
doing 6.5 - 7.3 kts and flying. We made short work of Cork Harbour and ran for
Ballycotton. From 10 miles away we could see the Ballycotton Lighthouse
standing proud on its island. Now we had a decision to make. The original
plan was to run from Kinsale to Ballycotton (25 nms.) stay overnight and be in
Kilmore Quay (55 nms.) the following evening. But we were absolutely flying and
it was only about 16.00 and we were at the lighthouse. The weather was fine, the wind holding in the
NW and we were eating up the distance….what would you do? We decided to keep going. Up
ahead was an old friend, Helvick
Harbour (23 meson). We
had been going into Helvick since the early 80ies, but gave it a miss when the
harbour filled up with half-deckers and hire boats…..this was their livelihood and
needed to be respected. Not wanting to
walk on any toes we rang a friend who serves on the Helvick Lifeboat and was assured
we would not be in the way……as we only planned an overnighter. We passed Ram Head,
then Mine Head and finally Helvick Head and slowly entered the harbour. Hire
boats were coming and going, but they were very accommodating and could not
have been nicer. However, Helvick is a small, busy working harbour and a little
respect would get you a long way.
21st. June.
Helvick to Kilmore Quay.
The longest day of the year. We were tied up with one hire fishing boat
inside us and one outside... We wondered what reception we would get in the
morning when the skippers turn up. Helvick was supposed to be a ‘no go area’ for yachts. We
had avoided it for years. But the skippers of these boats were cheerful and
courteous. They even offered to swap boats … both of them would like to
retire and sail a Fisher. We apologised for coming into the harbour and tying
up beside them…..they were shocked and a bit hurt….. . ‘’ Yachts are always welcome in
Helvick ‘’ they said. We said that was not what we understood from the past. They
replied, ‘’It might have been like that in the past. But those people are gone,
they no longer fish. You are welcome. Come back.’’ That was good news. As long
as we respect the fact that it is a working harbour and if we visit and stay be
prepared to fit in with the fishermen and their sailing schedules. We thanked
our friends and eat a big breakfast before leaving for Kilmore Quay. We left
when we were ready and as we closed the entrance of the harbour we ran aground.
We sat there for an hour feeling a bit foolish, like missing a short putt on
the 18th green…..you think the whole world is looking and enjoying
your ***********. Again, the need for ‘local knowledge’ never be too
humble to listen. But the tide did come
in, we did float, and we got into deeper water and away... Verdict…...we will be
returning to Helvick. One last thing…there is no food in Helvick, but Murray’s pub up the road
makes up for that.
22nd. June.
Kilmore Quay to Arklow.
Not the best news in the world….to catch the tide some of the way to Arklow we
have to move off at 04.00. ‘local knowledge’ told us that
leaving any earlier would be dangerous . It would be too dark and crossing St.
Patrick’s Bridge and
taking on Carnsore Point would be stupid….and we listened. At 03.45, we
had the engine running and we were ready to take off. It was a bit too dark yet
to commit to leaving Kilmore Quay . At 04.15 the sky lightened and we cast off.
Clearing the harbour was no problem, but keeping the leading lights in line to
clear the rocks outside was a bit stressful. The morning was magic. No wind,
red sky and no sea. We found the seaward mark, turned, and crossed St. Patrick’s Bridge. The
bridge was very clear, the port and starboard lights bright and clear and with
20 ft of water on it... We set all sails and caught the tide. The advice to
leave at 04.00 was, of course, right (local
knowledge again). The speed jumped to 7.5 kts and off we went. Passing Carnsore
Point for the second time we got the clear message…..as we saw once again the
great wind turbines we knew green energy is the way…….soon we passed the Fundale
Rock, the Barrel’s, then Tuscar. As we approached Tuscar an Irish Ferry approached from
the east, making for Rosslare. Trying to read her speed and whether we could
cross her bow, was difficult. We
eventually changed course. . We made a very pronounced turn towards the stern
of the ship and then came back on course and slowed down. From 9.2 kts. to 4
kts. This caused us about twenty minutes delay, but it was the right thing to
do. Everybody proceeded on their way in safety. She crossed and I am sure the
skipper or watch officer was aware we deliberately signalled our intention of
going around his stern. Once clear we were off again, outside the Lucifer Bank
and on up the outside of the Backwater Bank. Around 09.00 we passed Cahore and
Courtown. By 11.00 we were only 4.5 nms from Arklow and preparing the boat for
arrival. At 11.30 we entered the fishing dock and secured the boat. Sleep came
fast and deep.
23rd. June.
Arklow to Poolbeg.
Another early start…..06.00. We wanted to catch the tide and arrive home
early in the day. The morning was a gem. The fish dock was calm and cool as we
move out. Down the river and a left turn had us facing north and back to
Poolbeg. Since the late seventies we have been at home in these waters…..we already had
the feeling that our cruise was over. Still, the day was warm and dry. We
caught the tide and slipped along smoothly.
Mizen Head went by, then Horseshoe Rock, Wicklow Head, Wicklow itself, Six Mile Point, Greystones,
Bray Head……we were in our own backyard.
Poolbeg Lighthouse looked well in a new coat of red paint…..very good of
Irish Lights to paint it for us….around and up to the Marina.
This was a special cruise. Why? Because you were with us. We cruised
with you in mind looking for the little things that might be a help to you. Our
coast is one of the most attractive places in the world to cruise…please take the step…..go and enjoy
yourselves.
Revised August Cruise
31st.July to 6th. August. WALES
Poolbeg to Holyhead.
If weather is good….Poolbeg to Holyhead on Friday 31th.July….if not, then leaving Sat 1st. August.
This is a lazy cruise to take in a few of the usual haunts and try and anchor for two nights in ( possibly)
Abermenai, Pilot’s Cove and /or Porth Dinllaen, Getting back to Holy head on the Wed the 5th
6th. AUGUST ISLE OF MANN
Holyhead to Peel
Sail from Holyhead, up the IOM west coast to Peel for the Traditional Boat Festival.. Stay in Peel until
the 10th August. Must arrive in Peel 2 hours either side of HW to enter flapgate to the inner harbour.. If
early or late pick up one of the yellow mooring buoys in the outer harbour ( there are three of them), take a
nap. and wait for the inner harbour gate to open.
10th. August. SCOTLAND
Peel to Portpatrick.
Distance 42nms. Watch the tide…Irish Sea ebbs North, floods South. HW Portpatrick 14.50. LW 21.06
Leave Peel at HW Dover. Entrance to Port Patrick a bit tricky….follow the Leading Marks ( One yellow
mark on the Quay wall and the second on the gable end of a Hotel up the road ). Open the harbour to your
portside and then enter.
12th.AUGUST RATHLIN ISLAND
Portpatrick to Rathlin Island.
Distance 40 nms. Tide ebbs North. LW Rathlin …Leave at HW Dover …tide ebbs North
A side cruise could go to Port Ellen, Islay…25nms to the north.
14TH. TO 25TH.August. SCOTLAND
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