no possibility of turning back, even if we
had wanted to. Slightly shaken, and glad
to be on flat water for a change, we tried
to find the best line to take, opting for
some reason (and unknown to us at the
time) for one that took us through the
Routen Wheel – one of only two named
whirlpools in Ireland. We clocked 14
knots going through it, Lughnasa jerking
wildly to port and starboard as she was
flung about while we clung on to the
tiller and tried to keep her straight.
Definitely the fastest we’ve ever been
in a Lugger, maybe even a new speed
record! Though it was exhilarating to
cover 60- and 70-mile legs in a day in
a Lugger, if you want to know my true
feelings about tides you can ask me in
the Mediterranean next summer.‘Lunacy in Lughnasa’?
Lughnasa, which was the demo
model at the 1996 London Boat
Show, we named after the Celtic
harvest festival which
historically took place in
August. Pronounced ‘Loo-nasa’
(although ‘Lug-nasa’ is also fitting), she
was appropriately named as we barely
launched her at any other time of year.
While we were organising our round-
Ireland trip a number of people considered
our intentions foolhardy, that an open
boat this size shouldn’t be taken to the
open sea. Prompting me to name our
initial blog Lunacy in Lughnasa, they
clearly hadn’t heard what these boats are
capable of. Fortunately lunacy didn’t
feature too prominently during our
circumnavigation, and we managed to
safely sail the four corners of the country
without any major mishap.
I’m not a purist. Overhauling our 2001
Honda 5hp outboard was one of the most
important pieces of work we carried out,greatly encouraged and paid for by our
Dad. Coming from a background of
mostly lake sailing, tides were always
going to be a major contender. Several
misjudged tidal streams, particularly
through the Dursey, Blasket and
Inishtrahull sounds, made having an
engine that started first pull very
favourable indeed. A second tank may
also have been useful, especially when
we had to refuel at the northern
entrance of the Dursey Sound during
a heavy wind over tide.
In any case, during a voyage that saw the
stormiest summer in 41 years and 25 days
of headwind out of 29 days sailing over
two months, having a trustworthy engine
was peace of mind for more than just our
Dad. Other sources of comfort came from
the array of safety gear that was insisted
we carry: two VHF radios, a set of flaresand an EPIRB neatly attached to the
glassfibre beside the Honda 5hp. It
seems to always be the case that the
most expensive sailing gear provides the
least obvious ‘value for money’: our n 800
EPIRB remains smugly pristine while the
n20 bilge pump was hardly allowed a
moment’s rest.
Bailing is a lasting memory of our
voyage. So too is salty spray, stinging eyes
and cracked lips, cold water pouring down
our collars, blisters, sleepless nights and
early starts, cold baked beans, dew... the
list goes on. But tides, above all, remain
the cause of our greatest shocks, annoyances
and thrills at every stage of the journey.
With a maximum hull speed of about
6 knots, favourable tides were always a
major factor for a successful circuit in ourDrascombe Lugger, most of all along the
notorious northern and eastern coasts
where Springs run up to 7 knots.Gratefully home
It took an incredibly busy few months to
make our pipedream a reality, which really
couldn’t have been achieved without
help from family and friends. At the time
I completely underestimated quite what
I was asking of our Mum, by placing the
safety of her youngest son in the hands of
her eldest. From the first mention of the
plan, when our parents took out a new
insurance policy and bravely let us use
Lughnasa for the challenge (not entirely
convinced she would return in one piece),
the support we received has been the
contributing factor to its success. We owe
a thank-you to those who helped during
the planning stages; to everyone who
looked after us along the
way, who kindly donated to
the RNLI on our behalf; to
Blessington Sailing Club,
which focused its annual
fundraising event on A Lugger Round
Ireland; our sister, Flora, who helped
organise fundraisers and our blog; and
Eddie English from SailCork, who kept
us updated with expert weather advice.
Fergus’ fearless and unflinching helm
through stormy weather, his patience
through sleepless nights at anchor and
long days waiting for better weather, and
his tireless dedication during so many
16-hour windward legs helped bring
Lughnasa safely home without a single
new scratch. It wasn’t quite the balmy
cruise we expected – the amount of
unused gear such as books, sun cream and
tennis rackets are a testament to that – but
our Lugger rose to every challenge that
faced her without hesitation. Next time
we’ll just sail towards a balmier latitude.Lughnasa’s final return to BaltimoreNathaniel and Fergus
set the sailsFlora Ogden
A Lugger round Ireland
Having a trustworthy engine was peace
of mind for more than just our Dad