fl avour of north-west England. You eat English food and drive
on the left, yet somehow Man feels a little bit foreign.
Tucked into the east cliffs, Douglas is the capital and the
marina here is an interesting place to winter a boat. On the west
coast, Peel Harbour Marina is handy for jumping off for Ireland.CRUISING FROM PEEL
Arriving at this convivial harbour, you pass a fabulous castle to
starboard. Peel is a soothing place, with green slopes one side and placid quays on the other. The Peveril Inn is next to the harbour
offi ce and life feels easygoing. Local boat owner Ben Corcoran is
part of the scene and has been afl oat since he was a nipper. Ben’s
present boat is a Sealine 42/5 and he described some interesting
jaunts from Peel. In quiet or easterly weather, Port Erin Bay is
a memorable anchorage, ten miles south of Peel. Facing Ireland
and the Mountains of Mourne, this striking inlet is cocooned by
hills and partly protected by a rubble breakwater.
On settled weekends, Ben likes to cross to Ardglass in Northern
Ireland, a sociable marina in a horseshoe bay 32 miles west of Peel.
Doyles excellent bistro is on the north quay. Cumbria is a favourite
too, with Whitehaven only 46 miles away north-about the island.
This stylish resort has a thriving marina and an elegant Georgian
town centre. There are pubs and bistros galore.DOUGLAS HARBOUR
Douglas feels pleasantly dated – its seafront has a timeless row
of Victorian and Edwardian hotels and guest houses and children
can still have donkey rides on the beach here. The marina is
accessible through a swing bridge two hours each side of high
water and is an agreeable place to lie, with a green hillside above
the south wall and attractive buildings along north quay. The
Little Fish Café is a tasty stop at any time of day. It’s perfectly
safe to leave a boat at Douglas, and nearby Ronaldsway airport
has frequent fl ights all around the UK.The dramatic
entrance to Peel
Harbour Marina
The anchorage at Port
Erin on the southern
tip of the Isle of ManJames and Sarah McGoff
Boat Moonbeam, Sunseeker Superhawk
43 Berth Conwy Quays MarinaThe McGoffs live near Altrincham, an
hour and a half’s drive from Conwy. Their
Superhawk has a fast twin-step hull and
her Volvo D6-350s give 35 knots in quiet
conditions. Though Moonbeam isn’t
an obvious Irish Sea boat, James likes
getting to places quickly before settling
down to real relaxation! On a calm day,
he can do Conwy to the Isle of Man in
under two hours. James and Sarah enjoy
heading for Ireland, particularly Malahide
where the locals are welcoming and the
village has some great Gaelic bars.
A regular weekend routine is leaving
Conwy on Friday afternoon and cruisingthrough the Menai Strait to Caernarfon’s
Victoria Dock, with its gentle rural
outlook. On Saturdays, James and Sarah
might return to one of the moorings
Conwy berth holders have laid just above
the Swellies. They can dinghy across
to Menai Bridge town, quite chic these
days, where Dylan’s restaurant and
Château Rhianfa are favourites.CONWY LOCALSTRAVEL