To Dublin
We spent two days in Portavogie. There was surprisingly little ashore so we were pleased of a chance meeting with another wooden boat enthusiast. Nick had a 68-foot fishing boat in nearby Bangor, which he was in the middle of revamping as a charter boat. He drove us up to see his boat, ‘Dundarg’, which was in remarkable shape, especially after a weekend of celebrations for her 70th birthday!
The following day we set sail for the Isle of Man, the seas were big to start off but soon settled down and gave us a good sail, if a little bouncy. A dark fin lurked in the water as we approached the island, it turned out to be a large basking shark that soon whipped off when it seemed we must run it over! We had no expectations of Peel Harbour so were delighted to find a picturesque harbour overlooked by a castle, a perfectly shaped hill and the town and beach.
We moored in the inner harbour where we could float at low tide inside the sill (a new and controversial development which is already malfunctioning). After Katie’s nap, we set off to explore and climbed the hill for fantastic views over the well-preserved castle and surrounding sea. We also met up with Mike Craine, editor of the 40+ Fishing Boat Association, who took us for a drive around the top of the island, told us some local history and showed us the thatched cottages used in filming ‘Waking Ned’.
Yet another unpromising forecast kept us in Peel for an extra day, so we were able to peruse the shops and buy some kippers, a local speciality. We discovered that the herring for these kippers has to be imported from Scotland as only 2 Manx fishing boats retain the right to catch herring! Katie enjoyed time off sailing on such a lovely sunny day and had a good time playing on the beach and flying her 99p kite.
We heard about an Old Gaffers Festival that weekend in Ardglass so headed there the following day in calmer seas. The poor weather had put off some of the regular comers but the eight or so boats there had enough crew for a very jolly night at the local pub. There was music and singing, with a variety of instruments from guitar thru squeezebox to spoons.
We had been told to make up a limerick beginning ‘There’s not a Tall Ship in sight at Ardglass’. After formulating 2 verses, I forgot to take the piece of paper I’d written it on and had to read out something half remembered and half made up on the spot! It sufficed to win us a pair of insulated mugs, and like every boat we were given a bottle of locally brewed wine, an Old Gaffers Special Reserve called Vino Calapso!
So one big gale and two hangovers later, we were finally ready to head south again. With the wind straight on the nose and squally showers, we decided to cut the trip to Dublin into two hops, stopping for the night at a place called Drogheda, that I can’t pronounce properly. (Apparently there’s no ‘g’!!??) It was a pleasant detour up the river Boyne and we moored for the night next-but-one to yet another sister ship, the ‘Ros Einne’.
Next morning we had a lovely sail in sunshine and flat seas down the coast to Dublin. We cut inside the privately owned Lambay Island, which has a population of six people and a large castle, then rounded the Ben of Howth and entered the busy shipping area leading into Dublin. We are moored in Poolbeg Marina right near the city and with a great view of container ships coming and going!
The following day we set sail for the Isle of Man, the seas were big to start off but soon settled down and gave us a good sail, if a little bouncy. A dark fin lurked in the water as we approached the island, it turned out to be a large basking shark that soon whipped off when it seemed we must run it over! We had no expectations of Peel Harbour so were delighted to find a picturesque harbour overlooked by a castle, a perfectly shaped hill and the town and beach.
We moored in the inner harbour where we could float at low tide inside the sill (a new and controversial development which is already malfunctioning). After Katie’s nap, we set off to explore and climbed the hill for fantastic views over the well-preserved castle and surrounding sea. We also met up with Mike Craine, editor of the 40+ Fishing Boat Association, who took us for a drive around the top of the island, told us some local history and showed us the thatched cottages used in filming ‘Waking Ned’.
Yet another unpromising forecast kept us in Peel for an extra day, so we were able to peruse the shops and buy some kippers, a local speciality. We discovered that the herring for these kippers has to be imported from Scotland as only 2 Manx fishing boats retain the right to catch herring! Katie enjoyed time off sailing on such a lovely sunny day and had a good time playing on the beach and flying her 99p kite.
We heard about an Old Gaffers Festival that weekend in Ardglass so headed there the following day in calmer seas. The poor weather had put off some of the regular comers but the eight or so boats there had enough crew for a very jolly night at the local pub. There was music and singing, with a variety of instruments from guitar thru squeezebox to spoons.
We had been told to make up a limerick beginning ‘There’s not a Tall Ship in sight at Ardglass’. After formulating 2 verses, I forgot to take the piece of paper I’d written it on and had to read out something half remembered and half made up on the spot! It sufficed to win us a pair of insulated mugs, and like every boat we were given a bottle of locally brewed wine, an Old Gaffers Special Reserve called Vino Calapso!
So one big gale and two hangovers later, we were finally ready to head south again. With the wind straight on the nose and squally showers, we decided to cut the trip to Dublin into two hops, stopping for the night at a place called Drogheda, that I can’t pronounce properly. (Apparently there’s no ‘g’!!??) It was a pleasant detour up the river Boyne and we moored for the night next-but-one to yet another sister ship, the ‘Ros Einne’.
Next morning we had a lovely sail in sunshine and flat seas down the coast to Dublin. We cut inside the privately owned Lambay Island, which has a population of six people and a large castle, then rounded the Ben of Howth and entered the busy shipping area leading into Dublin. We are moored in Poolbeg Marina right near the city and with a great view of container ships coming and going!
posted by Katie at 9:12 PM
2 Comments:
Welcome to wicklow , there are 2 other 50 footer's in the port , not in the same condition as your vessel , l have read and enjoyed your blog
regards
Tommy
belated happy birthday hazel
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