We visited regular haunts such as Kilrush, Dingle, Lawrence
Cove, Baltimore and Kinsale before moving on to new cruising
grounds with stopovers at Crosshaven, Kilmore Quay, Arklow
and Howth. Transiting Dalkey Sound in Dublin Bay was a special
joy in particular given that it was not part of our passage plan
for that day. We simply changed direction on the basis of the
glorious weather, super calm sea state, and a recommendation
from a good boating friend, Noel Griffi n (OceanFroggie on
the http://www.mby.com forum). Crossing Dublin Bay and rounding
Howth Head was also memorable.
From Howth we cruised to Ardglass in County Down passing
Crocus, a Belgian minehunter (M97) on the way. We then
passaged to Bangor at the mouth of Belfast Lough where we
remained for three nights before heading to Ballycastle (north-
east Antrim). This passage, in a super calm sea state, took us past
the striking 640ft cliff face known as Fair Head. And we were
only a short hop from Scotland. From Ballycastle we motored to
nearby Portrush where I had worked as a student at the Northern
Counties Hotel in the1960s.FULLY EXPOSED
The next passage turned from delight to nightmare in the space
of 20 minutes as we made our way through Inishtrahull Sound
at Malin Head. Mary’s initial reaction was that we were facing
5m waves – a serious challenge for a 37ft boat such as ours.
For close on two hours we battled the oncoming waves, with a
following tide behind us making matters even worse, until we
fi nally reached the calm of Lough Swilly. Arthur defi nitely lived
up to Broom’s marketing slogan of ‘go anywhere boats’!
We then had a ten-day break to re-charge our own batteries
until the next window of opportunity arrived when we passaged
to Bunbeg, passing Fanad Head, Tory Island, and rounding
Bloody Foreland (even the name strikes terror!) before arriving
in Gweedore Bay and the narrow and shallow channel that leads
to Bunbeg Harbour. Suddenly, on Ch16 we heard the call:‘Motorboat heading for Bunbeg please stop.’. We duly made
contact with the source of the call, Sabba Curran, the Gola Island
ferry operator, and were advised that we had probably missed the
tidal window needed to enter Bunbeg. Instead he kindly offered
us an overnight stay on his mooring buoy, which we gladly
accepted since it left us free to depart at any time the following
day rather than at the mercy of the tide-locked Bunbeg harbour!
The following day we cruised to Killybegs, enduring a lumpy
fi rst leg to Rathlin O’Birne before being gently swept towards
Killybegs courtesy of a fabulous following sea.
We were now on the toughest section of the circumnavigation,
fully exposed to the Atlantic swell that continuously batters the
West coast of Ireland. There is little or no shelter along this coast
so we knew that we would have to be patient and wait for a
suitable window of opportunity. Little did we realise that it
would be just over four weeks before that opportunity arose!
This is also an area with few marinas. We don’t mind spending
a night or two on a mooring buoy but prefer to have access to a
marina with full services. The next marina we had earmarked
was located in Rossaveal, just north of Galway – a distance of
160nm from Killybegs. We would have to get there via three
passages of 50nm each or two of 80nm. But, an additional
problem was the diminishing daylight hours. Sunrise was starting
later each morning and sunset was arriving earlier each evening.
On Thursday, 6th September we eventually departed Killybegs
bound for Broadhaven Bay and two nights on a mooring buoy
followed by a lengthy 13-hour passage to Rossaveal. It would call
for an early start on the Saturday morning. On Friday I rose just
before 06:00 to check the light for our early departure the
following day. A quick glance across Broadhaven Bay assured me
that a 06:00 departure or even a little earlier, on the following
day, would be fi ne. Returning to my bed I checked the latest
weather forecast on my mobile. Saturday afternoon was not
looking good. I quickly formed a new plan and gently woke
Mary. We departed Broadhaven Bay within 20 minutes bound forPreparation and patience are
the two words that summarise
our cruising success
CRUISINGLough Swilly
Marina, Fahan,
Co. Donegal