Log of Irish Sea Cruise 2008
Crew Ray Hickey Barry McMahon Ronnie Sheehan John Walsh Declan Ward
Having cancelled our departure from the previous day due to a Gale Warning and torrential rain, Ray, Declan & John left the Marina in Dun Laoghaire at 0702 on a dark, cold and blustery summer (sic) morning. The forecasted strong North - Westerly’s were not long making themselves felt and we were pushed off course to such an extent it was looking like we were going to end up at the Kish. We considered sheltering in Howth to see if the conditions improved. However a change of the foresail (from the No. 2 to the No. 3) with the full reefing of the Main while in the shelter of Howth Head gave us the courage to strike for Skerries (our next possible refuge) before making a final decision to commit to the ‘exposed’ leg of the passage – there being no shelter north of Skerries. Due to the Force 7+ winds, which when coupled with a large running sea from astern, we then had a full-power, close-hauled sail all the way to Ardglass with consistent ‘surfing’ speeds of 9 knots and above.
The only incidents to report was the phenomenon of the ‘flying Ray’ and his cup of tea which emptied into Declan’s lap-top necessiting an advanced strip, cleaning and re-assembly of all parts – the tea-cup survived. We were also possible participants in a demonstration of the efficiency of the Coast Guard, who having received a report of what look like an up-turned boat from shore, declared a ‘PAN-PAN’. CKK was the only responder but we were soon dismissed as, despite our unprecedented great speed it would take us over an hour to get to the last location of the sighting and we would be of little use thereafter as we were only good for a broad reach. The Dublin SAR helicopter was scrambled and reached the location in 10 minutes. Their initial impression was that it looked like an upturned boat but on closer examination they came to the conclusion it was a partially inflated tent being blown along by the wind! The ‘PAN-PAN’ was stood down and all we had to do was figure out the Collision Regulations for a tent approaching under full sail from windward on the Port side.
We made Ardglass at 1845 wet, tired and exhilarated. We dined aboard on Kate’s most welcome and delicious casserole and found a delightful quiet, cosy ‘adult’ pub – Mannies.
Barry & Ronnie joined us at 1200 after a fast drive from Dublin – just as we had finished drying out. We left at 1215 into a strong South-Westerly wind (Force 5 to 6). The sea was running high due to wind over an incoming tide. The resulting outcome of big wind and big waves was an exciting full-tilt sail. The weather stayed dry but ‘flying sea’ was much in evidence. Declan was again the victim of the ‘flying phenomenon’ as he landed on the cooker. We got to Peel at 1753 for an 1800 ‘gate opening’ into the inner basin. Barry’s immediate reconnaissance secured us delicious chips which gave us a boost and a foundation for later activities. We rafted up and erected Barry’s ‘Moroccan tent’ which despite its wispy desert-like sheerness kept the deluge of rain out from the companionway. We ate in the Creek restaurant where the seafood was fine provided it was not fresh. We had a few pints in Peel Yacht Club – a bit dreary. Due to numbers aboard Barry found a B&B (the Central Hotel and excellent value at £35). It was also a boost for Barry in that it happened to be the late-drinking venue for Peel.
Our anticipated 1200 departure was dependent on the tidal gate. It came as a surprise that the gate times had changed leaving us 30 minutes to make preparations for 1000 against a 0930 weather forecast. Barry had to be collected from the B&B and escorted to CKK (without his breakfast). Gaining access to the B&B was difficult as there were no staff there and the decorators had not arrived. A search of several bedrooms (all thankfully vacant – a bad tourist season) found Barry in bed and alert. John got to perform his ablutions in Barry’s en-suite.
The run was made under motor and initially it was dark, cold and wet – typical August weather! We went through the Calf Sound on the ebb tide and only encountered rough seas on the Southern side of the island. The sea was in turmoil and we had a roller-coaster ride until we reached a calm and peaceful berth alongside the pier at 1257. It was worth noting that in all the three berths we made there were many boats sheltering from the weather – some for as long as a week. We were the only boat we saw out in the weather heretofore – does that say something?
Port St. Mary has a deserted Edwardian-era seaside town feel about it – only one shop and only a couple of cafes/restaurants which close at 1700! After a scouting trip we had an excellent lunch (even if Ronnie’s beef pie was not up to Desperate Dan proportions) and a few pints in the Pavilion Café associated with the golf club (a par 3 really). Declan departed for Dublin and did a fly-past before bearing away for Dublin.
We taxied into Port Erin where we had pub-grub in the Station Pub – Barry was short-changed on the ribs. It would be fair to say that both towns (villages?) were deserted and dreary with nothing to redeem them other than their sea-side location – but then it takes all sorts. We went pack to the Albert Pub (nice and buzzy) for a pint and had a nightcap in the Yacht Club on the way home.
An early start at 0700 saw us first off the pier and set on a southerly course with calm wind and seas. We motored until 1330 when we increased speed by putting up the sails and turning off the engine! Our speed rose until it was impossible to do less than 6 knots even with only the No. 2 up thereby getting us to our waypoint for entering Conway before the tide. We pottered around the safe water mark for an hour or more before entering the channel and subsequently the ‘gated community’ of Conway. We ate in the Marina (excellent rack of lamb).
People reflected that the five of us on the boat were experiencing a ‘dry-run’ for entry into a ‘homestead facility for senior citizens’ i.e. a nursing home. This view originated in the reflection that our movements were severely constrained by only being able to move from the bed to the day room (cockpit) with a restricted choice of food. It was enforced by the absorbsion of many in the community (which incidentally had a moat around it) with bodily movements; coupled with a fixation on visiting toilets at every (and I mean every) opportunity. People fell asleep after every meal and even when they were brought out for a trip. Our world had shrunk to the basics of existence – the alimentary canal.
We hired a car and reconnoitred the Menai Straits including the bridges. Our appreciation of their social, economic and technical impact was brought home by a visit to an exhibition where we were admitted for below the OAP concessionary rate! Ray bought the community ice cream cones to mark our day out.
We collected Declan from the HSS in Holyhead and returned to Conway Marina Restaurant for rack of lamb (called the Mulberry after the WWII prefabricated harbours for D-Day which were prototyped in Conway Bay).
We left at 0715 once the gate was open and having cleared the channel raised sail for Puffin Island (the entrance to the Menai Strait). With a South–Westerly wind coming up the Strait tacking proved useless and time consuming against a deadline of reaching the ‘Swellies’ by the slack of high tide – a turbulent overflow situation occurs when the tide entering from the Northern and Southern ends meet – as it happens between the Menai and Britannia bridges. All went smoothly with the GPS guiding us down the channel to Caernarfon to yet another gated community by 1200.
Caernarfon is a touristy destination with a Norman castle and walled town centre with a range of diversions from barbers to betting shops which we sampled during a run ashore. We ate in the Black Buoy and had a drink in the Royal Welsh Yacht Club – where concerns were raised about deteriorating weather conditions in the Irish Sea over the coming days. The options were to:
The advice was not to leave Caernarfon in a Southerly direction as the sand bar was treacherous in prevailing conditions. With safety our priority opinion coalesced on option 3 provided the weather conditions were favourable.
The morning’s weather forecast was bad for the Irish Sea but within tolerances for Anglesey and a gap was discernable to enable an early run from Holyhead to reach Dun Laoghaire before 1600 on Sunday when Force 7/8 winds would re-establish themselves.
We left for Holyhead at 0841 and passed back through the Straits without incident or wind. Once we left the Straits and headed West along the top of Anglesey the South-Westerly wind gave us a good sail as it began to build up all afternoon to the extent that by the time we passed the Skerries Rock and headed down into the Irish Sea toward Holyhead we were motoring straight into a Force 7 and an incoming tide – very splashy. Against such conditions CKK did us proud, under the heroic helming of Ronnie who was assisted by his facemask (he really required a snorkel as well), which got us to the breakwater in Holyhead and on into the Marina where we eventually found a safe berth for what now looked like a week-long sojourn for CKK prior to retrieval to Dun Laoghaire.
After welcome showers we ate in Holyhead Yacht Club having decided to leave CKK in Holyhead and return Dublin by Ferry. Barry & John took the 0345 ‘slow boat’ to Dublin while Declan, Ray and Ronnie took the morning ferry.
After a great week’s sailing there was no sense of failure over our inability to complete our planned cruise within the allotted timeframe. Rather there was a sense that CKK had proved herself capable of making safe and solid progress in stiff weather conditions and that her sailing capabilities were brought home to us by her strong and consistent performance in even mild winds – ‘if she can do it here she can do it around the cans in Dublin Bay’.
Declan, Ray, Ronnie and Mark arrived back in Holyhead on the HSS on Friday evening and within an hour had slipped out of the harbour with only the North Stack light to bid them goodbye. Calm conditions and no wind prevailed until around 0330 when they were getting10-15 knots so the No.1 was hoisted and the motor turned off for about an hour. The wind died again and the speed dropped to under 3 knots so the motor went back on to get back up to 5.5 knots. A helm/watch system of 2 on/2 off was worked throughout the night. There were beautiful views of the Plough and the Milky Way with the occasional meteorite flashing across the night sky. Tea and cake were served throughout the night as Ray had stood on the biscuits. After passing the Kish, the wind came up again and CKK sailed right into Dun Laoghaire. It was 0845 as CKK motored past the Royal Irish, exactly 12 hours after her departure from Holyhead. A most agreeable trip.
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