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| -- July 10th to 15th, 2024 -- |
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From one side of Ireland to the other, this chapter brings us to the Southeastern part of the island. We then will have sailed the whole Eastern shore of Ireland, and always with the current, well done ! At this occasion we dust up our Irish flag, the one we made in 2012!
More pictures on our page
Pictures.
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150 miles sailed
1398 miles since the start
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July 10th: Ardglass – Dun Laoghaire (63M)
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Yesterday, the weather window to cross to Dublin ended up slammed shut by showery gusts. We hope better for today. The different models we look at started pessimistic, but are improving… at least as far as wind is concerned, because they all agree on a lot of rain! Well, it will rinse the oilies… a last look at the local forecast: North West 3 to 4, perfect, let’s go!
So, it is raining. A lot, all the time. But the speed is good! One reef and almost all the genoa, Saltimbanque is gliding at 6 knots straight to the goal. But around noon, crash, the wind collapses… Junior must be called upon despite the swell even higher than the day before. As we hear the weather forecast read on VHF by the coastguards, everything is explained: “All ships, strong wind warning, force 6 increasing tonight”. Mmm, not exactly the same as predicted this morning… and indeed, the wind suddenly picks up, and we find ourselves with our favorite “Shetland” setting: 3 reefs in the main sail and genoa almost entirely furled… (the one constant point in all of this was the rain). It is the opposite of comfortable, but we make good progress. Even better: during this trip we transition from the northern tidal stream system to the southern one, meaning that we get the tide with us the whole time! At 7 knots, the passage is over sooner, and we can already see Dublin bay (which, given the largely reduced visibility, means that we are close indeed!)
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The oilies are well rinsed, only missing the spinning and drying functions now...
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Saltimbanque with 3 reefs and a little bit of genoa, approaching the Howth peninsula, on the North end of Dublin bay
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There are several marinas around Dublin: Howth in the North of the bay, Poolbeg close to the center inside the river, and Dun Laoghaire in the South (pronounce “Done Leery”). The latter is maybe the best known by visiting yachts, and famous for being not so friendly and very expensive. We’ve been exploring all alternatives (how to sail up the river, which smaller yacht clubs may welcome visitors…) – well, no point. Such as Ijmuiden in Holland, which we always try and never succeed in avoiding, such is Dun Laoghaire. Howth is too far upwind, it is pointless to try and motor against force 6 upriver, and the small yacht club’s pontoon is actually not connected to shore… so we end up in the marina together with 800 other boats, and pay 41€ for the night…
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A little disappointed, we need to remember the nice passage we just completed despite the challenging conditions. We huddle around the heater, together with the oilies and wet clothes hung up everywhere…
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Warm atmosphere onboard, in the good company of all our soaked clothes...
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July 11th: Dublin (ashore)
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After Belfast, we come to Dublin, this is a tour of the Irish capitals!
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Inside Saint-Patrick cathedral
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Dublin is an old city, there are traces of prehistoric dwellings. It was also a commercial hub under the Vikings. Then arrived the famous Saint-Patrick, credited for having spread Christianity throughout the country. A huge cathedral is built in his name as early as the 12th century, where one can see the stone marking the well at the place where he was said to baptise his converts. In the same monument, many famous people are buried, including Jonathan Swift (who wrote “Gulliver’s travels”) who was – we didn’t know it – the dean of this church.
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Another famous writer is associated with the city: Oscar Wilde, whose childhood house can be seen in the “Georgian” neighbourhood. Four kings called George reigned one after the other between 1714 and 1830 – and a good part of Dublin was developed in that period. The houses of that time were terraced houses in bricks or stone, their faces very flat, with as the main decoration a colourful door surrounded by an ornate white frame. Many public squares were also opened at that time.
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The "Georgian" district with its typical house fronts, surprisingly modern for the 18th century we find.
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The most recent bridge over the Liffey river, inspired from a celtic harp.
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More recently, literary success came to Dublin through Samuel Becket. His legacy is treasured at the “Trinity College”, one of the oldest public university (founded by Elizabeth the 1st). Between all the highlights, we walk from one neighbourhood to the next, and along the river
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But what is really famous about Dublin is of course… the pubs! There are 800 pubs in the city we’ve been told, many of which are in the “Temple bar” district (as long as there’s “bar” in the name, can’t be bad!). Many tourists and a few too many souvenir shops for our taste, but we still enjoy the evening very much, listening to live music and drinking Guinness and Irish coffees!
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Imposible to visit Dublin without having a pint at "Temple bar"
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July 12th: Dun Laoghaire – Wicklow (21M)
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Of course we could have left with the tide at 4am… but surprisingly enough we chose the 4pm tide today! A little more sleep was appreciated, and we also had a pleasant walk on the promenade. We are now clearly closer to Brittany than to Norway: plants, rocks, even the shells on the beach are familiar. Alas, we still don’t find any spotted cowry (our lucky shell) :o(
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Our main activity when motoring close to shore is actively watching for lobster pots
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The wind stayed in bed today. After a brief test of the asymmetrical spinnaker, we resolve to motor our way through the whole trip. On the plus side, we can sail closer to the coast and get a good view of the long sandy beaches and small rolling hills. Once again when we are not expecting it, we catch dinner! Two mackerels, nice fresh food!
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At Wicklow, there is no pontoon. One moors to the long stone quay, equipped with a few wooden fenders and ladders to climb up more easily. More easily doesn’t mean very easily… there’s 2 meters tidal range, some northerly swell noticeable in the harbour … we need to think a little before finding the appropriate combination of ropes and knots!
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Not so easy to moor to a quay with strong tides...
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The coastal path in Wicklow seems to have potential!
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It is late already and we will stay only for one tide, just the time for a short walk around the quay. It looks like a very nice and friendly place, there’s a pretty cliff, a small ruin, and a local artist who paints boats on the breakwater. Note to self, for a next cruise …
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July 13th - 14th: Wicklow - Arklow (14M)
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The tidal stream dictates departure times around here. Today, it says “6am”, and we obey – leaving the harbour in the beautiful sunrise, together with the fishermen.
Still no wind, we progress only thanks to the engine (and the stream!). It is a short trip to Arklow, and we enter in the river where the harbour is set early in the morning.
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The lighthouse on Wicklow head is shining under the sun rise.
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The river of Arklow and its floating pontoon accessible at all tides, very convenient in the area!
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The place couldn’t be more different from Dublin. No tourist at all in Arklow. The only visitors are yacht people, who appreciate the pontoon accessible at all times and tides. We find ourselves in the middle of “real Irish life”.
Arklow is a medium sized city on the far side of the commuting range to Dublin. It is a “10 pubs” town. So, somewhere in the middle between the 800-pubs Dublin and the 2 (closed) pubs in Glenarm. The river walk is really not that appealing, but the big Aldi supermarket provides the cheapest grocery round of the trip!
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As this is Saturday, we hope to enjoy some of the legendary Irish pub atmosphere again, maybe in a more authentic setting than in Temple Bar. But tonight, the whole town is partying! Food stands are set up in the street, teenagers flock to the fancyfair on the square, there’s music in the street. We are looking for a less crowded experience, in a pub, preferably with live music. Here’s one, along the river, the music sounds good and there are a few dozens of people listening to the player in the backyard… equipped each with a Guinness, we settle in the middle of the crowd. A couple of people come to ask where we are from. We stand out, being a little less well dressed than the average – and with more clothes on, as we are still relatively sober and not that warm! – and as this is not a touristy place. Our response “Norway” satisfies them and they go on dancing. After one hour or so, as one song is getting the whole crowd on their feet and we look wonderingly around, one lady tells us “you see that guy just got married yesterday, it’s day two celebration, it’s like this in Ireland”. Suddenly we notice the little sign by the backdoor “just married” and the balloons next to a table… well-dressed people make more sense… we simply crashed a wedding celebration without noticing! Oooops … half-ashamed half-amused, we slip out and rejoin the party for everyone, on the street.
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And you, would you have made the mistake as well? All the clues we had are on this picture!
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At the top of main street, there’s an ABBA tribute band playing for the whole town gathered in the name of summer (which is finally there). It’s a friendly atmosphere, all ages are dancing, and we enjoy ourselves too!
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The Eastern shores of Ireland are far from what we may imagine of this country.
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On the next day, the wind is forecast from the South – which is not at all good for us! We decide to stay one more day, and take advantage of the sun and the temperature getting more summer-like every day! Our steps take us to the shore, on the path between the beach which reminds us of the North Sea (maybe because of the wind turbines offshore on the sandbanks), and an old quarry. This part of Ireland is not exactly pretty, it is not the picture perfect South coast always shown on postcards. Here, no creak, no beautiful rocky shore, just sand dunes and strong tidal streams!
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The harbour is simple and practical, with showers, electricity and even laundry for free. On the first day, the harbour master tells us “the usual fee is 40€ / night – one fee for all… but since you are so small, you pay 30”. Then he comes back on the second day and asks:
“Are you staying one more night?
_Yes, we are leaving at 4am
_Well, bon voyage then!” – smiling and turning around.
Nice! Very different from Dublin indeed!
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15 juillet: Arklow – Kilmore quay (52M)
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We said it, we are leaving at 4am. Well, at 4.30am more precisely, due to a strange phenomenon called “the dark night”, which caught up with us as we are progressing south… after 9 years of summer sailing in Scandinavia, we are really not used to it! The waters around here are teaming with lobster pots – impossible to see in the dark – better wait for daylight.
The objective for this morning is simple: sail 35 miles before 11am, before the tide change at the South-Eastern point of Ireland (Carnsore point). 35 miles in 6.5 hours, it can be done with the stream if we sail a steady 4.5 knots on the surface. The wind is too weak however, and we need to use all means at our disposal, the sails helping the engine (or vice versa), even when there is a little breeze but not enough to reach the required speed… probably one of our least elegant trips!
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Superb sun rise.... way passed 5am !!
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Carnsore Point, the South-Easterly end of Ireland. We are then leaving the Irish Sea for the Celtic Sea.
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But we make it. Just about. Once passed the cape (which is all flat and covered with wind turbines), the wind peaks up (bringing the rain with it) and we can properly sail. The stream is now against us, but weak enough for us to make way. Wind against tide creates some choppy sea and the last miles are not the best ones. We even put up the pole to the genua, to avoid it flapping in the swell. We feel like in the washing machine ourselves today, rolled by the sea and drenched by the rain (which gets inside the boat too, as we are downwind…). Luckily there is enough visibility to see the line of signs marking the entrance to Kilmore Quay, very useful line to keep to avoid drifting with the stream on the rocks…
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We are really relieved once passed the narrow entrance, between the numerous fishing boats, to find the last available berth. We have barely enough energy for a short walk in the village between two showers (there’s a beach, two streets and a small shop), then we quickly return to the boat, huddles around the heater, trying to dry what can be dried.
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Kilmore Quay is first a fishing harbour, but the little marina is extremely convenient and strategicaly located.
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Tomorrow, we will leave early again, this time with a more ambitious objective: to cross the Celtic Sea!
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