Practical Boat Owner – September 2019

English

Channel

N

ISLES OF

SCILLY

ENGLAND

WALES

IRELAND

GUERNSEY

JERSEY

Penzance

Kinsale

Crosshaven Cork

Arklow

Land’s End

Longships

Bristol Channel

Les Hanois

Lighthouse

St Michael’s

Mount

Milford

Haven

Cawsand

Bay

River Tamar

Fermain Bay

Seven Heads

Black

Head Point

St^ G

eorg

e’s

Cha

nnel

Galley

Head

KEDGE

ISLAND

Fastnet

Rock

Lizard Point

St Peter Port

Cherbourg

Plymouth

Teignmouth

Cargreen

nautical miles

0 100

Baltimore

Ce

ltic

Se

a

A still morning in Penzance Harbour

Into the inky blackness
I left at midnight again, slogging round
that hated headland in inky blackness,
lights for company, inching north.
In very light winds I set up the radar
guard zone and autopilot and rested as
dolphins played yonder. I became
disorientated in the darkness and aware
that I had lost a midnight hour for the
autopilot was AWOL again; fortunately I
discovered after two hours of fiddling that
the Hydrovane will steer, with sails just
pulling and the engine pushing.
As the sun burned off the fog, the
Kinsale oil and gas installation with its
guard ship hove into view; the east-north-
east wind increased to 10 knots and
Pippin stretched her creamy wings
towards Cork at 6.5 knots. I was learning
very fast about my new boat.
I docked at the Royal Cork Yacht Club
(RCYC) in Crosshaven, a gorgeous little
place, and met my first mate Angie.
I needed emergency dental treatment
and the receptionist at the RCYC the next
morning was sympathetic but clearly took
no prisoners. “‘Just tell me straight,” said
she very loudly into her mobile, “Can you
or can you not give this gentleman an
emergency appointment THIS morning,

YES or NO?”. Twenty five minutes later I

was in the chair.

Meanwhile my 20-year-old dinghy

breathed its last and slipped beneath the

waves, taking my lovely new Suzuki

outboard with it. I found the carcass on

the pontoon, and was told to leave the

outboard outside the marina office

unattended for collection by whomsoever,

for it is that kind of place. Off it went in my

absence – to where, I was not quite sure.

Meanwhile, a new dinghy was ordered

and took an age to arrive – a full 45

minutes later! The Suzuki returned the

next day.

Angie and I ambled round the Cork

English market, returning another day for

a leisurely lunch at the Farmgate

restaurant. We explored Camden Fort,

renovated and run by volunteers, while

enthusiastic amateurs lived out their

dreams in busy re-enactments.

The Royal Cork Yacht Club is the centre

of youth sailing and each day tiny tots

swarmed past in Optimists like noisy

butterflies, shepherded by older children

in RIBs. We laughed at cries of “Oh No!

Why does my brother have to be in the

same boat!” and “I want the toilet!” just as

the motorboat, loaded with ten kids, was

set to leave. People were so kind and we

could have stayed forever, but the first

mate needed to jump ship.

The next day the wind gusted to 30

knots and the sea was in foul mood with

shallow water fighting strong wind against

tide. Pippin was going nowhere fast. I had

lost my breakfast and yes, I wanted to get

to Baltimore, but not that badly. Once

again I turned away from the struggle and

headed for Kinsale, creeping past the

ominous headland into the shelter of the

estuary. Irritatingly the anchor winch failed

so I picked up a vacant buoy.

By now gas had become critical for,

without hot tea, this soldier will mutiny, no

question. I tried Myle Murphy’s but there

was no sign of life. “Might open 0930,

might not,” said the nice shop assistant,

sharing my bench in the sunshine, before

commandeering my Daily Telegraph.

Suddenly the shop door opened and I

pounced. Now I had gas, hot tea, no Daily

Telegraph and a

peaceful sea as Black

Head Point loomed to

starboard.

Ranks of cows

ignored us as we

shaved Seven Heads

across a placid sea

towards Galley Head.

A ruin sits atop the

skyline just before

Kedge Island with

Fastnet Rock visible

ahead. I anchored in

4m and thought it a

pretty place, with nice

dwellings along

LEFT The Old Head of

Kinsale

BELOW RIGHT a

pedestrianised street

off the market square

at Kinsale

GUERNSEY TO FASTNET ROCK

➜

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