Caprice At Sea

	TORPOINT MOSQUITO SAILING CLUB Cruising Section Caprice at Sea 2010

From: Denise Phillips, Caprice at Sea Sent: 07 September 2010 13:44 To: website@tmsc.org.uk Subject: Ireland & beyond! Hi to all. The same old story – we're sitting out F8 winds again, at least this time attached to a visitor buoy (unlike last week when we were anchored for 2 days in 40kn winds and dragged...!). We're lying off the town of Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Firth of Clyde. When the winds die down, hopefully tomorrow, we'll sail over to the Isle of Arran and then head out of the Firth. We plan to dog-leg down to the Isle of Man, via Bangor in N. Ireland, approx 2 x 70 mile trips, rather than travel down the Scottish coast. At this rate, we'll be back in home waters about mid-Oct. Some of you know that I came back to Cornwall for 9 days at the beginning of August (I left Ian & the boat in Londonderry) – mainly to see my parents, but I confess that I needed a break after sailing the west coast of Ireland. It had proved to be an ordeal at times, although nothing can take away the sheer beauty of Connemara and Donegal and in other circumstances it could be a wonderful experience. It was mainly due to the appalling weather we had – almost non-stop heavy rain throughout July/Aug and having to find somewhere to sit-out that and the gales. There are no marinas (which doesn't bother us) - local councils have provided strong, free mooring buoys in lots of places, but getting ashore in the dinghy could often prove to be too dangerous and so we spent long periods unable to get off the boat. Also, visibility was poor, spoiling our view of the scenery and making it hard to pick-up transit points of islands and mountain peaks – essential in those rocky, often uncharted waters. The other hazards were the steep, Atlantic swell (again doesn't bother us now as we r used to it) but the whole coast is littered with pot-buoys (the most we've ever encountered anywhere) which are difficult to see in the high swell and worry me when trying to manoeuvre around rocks! It didn't make for a relaxing cruise! This sounds very negative and there were positives – the friendliness of the Irish people everywhere we went, the isolated anchorages amongst a stunning backdrop of mountains (we only came across 3 other “foreign” yachts and hardly any local ones whilst sailing this whole coast), the fact that we didn't pay for any moorings in Ireland until Londonderry pontoon. We'd do it again, but this time in May/June for that stretch when the weather (we were often told) is much calmer and drier. When I last emailed out, we were riding out gales in Clifden, Connemara. The highlights of places we stopped after are what follows: Killary Bay, Mayo – Ireland's only fjord – long and narrow, running for 16km with mountains rising up on either side. At the head is Leenane where the film “The Field” starring Richard Harris was made a few years ago.
Killibegs – the main fishing port on the west coast. We had to call in here as the engine had developed a problem (a leaking injector – repaired for 50e). We were rafted up against a deep-sea Atlantic trawler and a Dutch yacht, also in for repairs (see pic). As in so many fishing towns around Britain that we have seen, the town has seen better days as the fishing industry has declined and tourism numbers are down all over Ireland.
Teeling Harbour, Donegal Bay – we loved it here. A delightful anchorage (all to ourselves), a sunny day (!) and we were able to leave the boat and walk to Slieve League viewpoint. This was a 12km round walk, but boy was it worth it. SL is an awesome mountain range with the highest sea-cliffs in Europe. The viewpoint is known locally as “Kodak Korner” - the most photographed view in Ireland (see pic).
Off Arranmore Island, NW corner of Donegal – we walked most of the island in the few days here, albeit in wind and rain! A permanent population of 800 live here, the high centreground being mainly bogs and lakes, with great views over the Rosses and the Atlantic. After this we rounded “the corner” onto the north coast, calling in at Sheep Haven and Lough Swilly, before entering Lough Foyle and the long run up to Londonderry. The pontoon is in the heart of the city and you have to book in first at the port office, 2miles downstream. On arrival we were asked if we'd heard the news (!) - “no” - a car bomb had gone off 2 streets away from the pontoon at 3am that morning – did we still want to go up? The answer was “yes” as I was catching a bus to Belfast the next day for my flight home. Security was very tight, we had to be escorted by armed police on and off the pontoon and several streets were shut off whilst they searched for more bombs – what an arrival! A pity – the city is due to be City of Culture in 2011 and the Clipper race is coming in 2012 – they don't need the “troubles” to start up again. After my return in mid-August, we made our way along the north coast, eventually spending 3 nights on Rathlin Island pontoon, off the NE tip of N. Ireland. The island lies just 12 miles west of the Mull of Kintyre and we'd previously sailed past it went rounding the UK in 2006. It's an impressive, craggy place with waymarked walks in all directions. It was the scene of 2 massacres in the 16th century, the entire population being slaughtered by the English! This is where the cave that Robert the Bruce saw the spider is reputed to be. Had an easy crossing around the Mull into the Firth of Clyde, stopping at Campeltown. A great relief – self-service laundry, public rubbish bins and free internet access! How easy we are to please!! We've been making our way clockwise around the Firth. This is a huge, sailors playground, with limitless sheltered anchorages amongst beautiful scenery. Many of the hotels provide free moorings providing you buy a drink there – a real burden!! Very different sailing to the west of Ireland – you could spend a whole summer just in these waters – but more crowded with boats of course. It was Ian's birthday on 1st Sept and we had meal at Ardrishaig to celebrate (61!!). This is the village at the entrance to the Crinan canal. Ian had hoped to cycle the round 18 mile canal path, but got a puncture 5 miles along! After that we've just made our way around the islands at the north of Bute (had a few days of lovely weather, but has been rain all day today). We visited Mount Stuart, a huge Victorian Gothic house on Bute. Although only a 100 yrs old, the interior was one of the most jaw-dropping I've seen, especially the marble entrance hall. Well, I've run out of steam for now & need to get ashore for yet more laundry duties. Hope to be in the IofMan in about a week, which we're looking forward to. As always, take care to all & see you in a few weeks. Denise & Ian PS – if anyone knows of either someone going away for the winter who would like to have house-sitters, or of a holiday caravan/home that is available to rent, please let us know. We hope to do some refurb on the interior of the boat this winter & would like to haul it out. I, in particular don't fancy living aboard, especially after having had such a wet summer and the cold of last winter. A long shot I know, but you may hear of something (any or all of Nov-Mar, near to Torpoint/Saltash/Plymouth). Thanks. From: Denise&Ian Caprice Sent: 01 July 2010 17:00 To: website@tmsc.org.uk Subject: Ireland - part 2 Hi We are currently storm-bound in Clifden, on the Connemara coast, West of Ireland. Last night was very wild and we didn't get to bed until 3am. Gale force 8 and lashing rain made for a bouncy night on a visitor's mooring buoy. Unfortunately, looking ahead at the weather files, we appear to be in for more to come over the next few days. I assume this is as a result of the hurricane currently raging in the Atlantic, but the strong winds & big seas have come in much sooner than we had hoped they would. On the plus side, we are safe, able to get ashore in the dinghy (albeit a bumpy, wet ride) to the small sailing club and only a 2 mile walk into Clifden itself, which has all the amenities we need (laundry, WIFI, Lidl!). Oh and the scenery is stunning! Sailing this coast is definitely not for the faint-hearted or inexperienced. We have only come across 2 other visiting yachts since leaving Dingle and everywhere we go is empty. We have to weave in and out of submerged rocks (managed not to hit any so far), shoal banks and numerous small islands and are constantly keeping a watch out for pot buoys (for lobsters etc) that litter the inlets, ready to foul the prop if we catch them. However the wonderful beauty of the landscape (even beats the west coast of Scotland for remoteness), friendliness of the locals and fascinating places to visit make it all worthwhile. To catch up with where I left off the last email – we spent 3 days in the small marina at Dingle (our only marina stay since leaving Torpoint 8 weeks ago – none now until Northern Ireland). We loved Dingle – a very touristy town but with character. We were greeted on entry & exit by Fungie, the resident bottlenose dolphin that made the harbour his home over 20 years ago. He is big! He came up so close, I could have reached down & stroked him. Goodness knows what the town will do when he dies as there is a whole industry and livelihood built around him (perhaps they have another hidden away somewhere!). Talking of wildlife – leaving Sneem we had a minke whale surface about 40ft from us – a good 25ft long. Whilst in Dingle we went to a concert in a local church. A mixture of Irish and English folk music – although we hadn't expected to be listening to a sister act from Watford (Ian's home town – Tina you may have come across them – the 3 Stave Sisters, about the girls' age?). Before arriving at Dingle we detoured out 7 miles to the Skelling islands. The larger of the two is Skellig Michael, an awesome rock that rises 200 mtrs. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site due to the 7th century monastery perched on the top. It was built on artificial terraces, with dry-stone beehive huts and chapels and housed about 15 monks until the 12th century. Sadly we couldn't go ashore to climb the 650 steps cut into the rockface to the summit since there's no place to secure the boat (the seas are deep right up to the rock, so anchoring impossible), but it was still a magnificent site. We then sailed past Little Skellig which is a bird sanctuary with 25,000 pairs of gannets and a puffin colony – quite a sight and noisy! Other stops made were at: Ventry bay (lovely golden, empty beaches), past the Blasket Islands, Smerwick bay (from here we walked to see Gallarus Oratory, a 1300 yr old chapel) and Carrighoult inside the Shannon estuary. To finish off, before I bore you all to tears – we spent 4 days in the Aran Islands, on the largest of the three, Inishmore. We took a minibus tour of the island, stopping at Dun Aengus, a spectacular prehistoric ring fort perched on the edge of the sheer cliffs (with no barriers at all – very stomach-churning looking down to the swirling seas below). These islands are a stronghold of Irish folklore, language and tradition, as well as the home of Aran knitwear. The general topography is very stark and dramatic and we really enjoyed our stay here (ps: they were the setting for the series Father Ted – Craggy Island). Well that is us more or less up to date. Hope you are are all enjoying the sun that England seems to be basking in at present (well we knew that the coming here was not about the sun!) and we weren't sorry to have missed England's dismal failure in the World Cup! Take care Denise & Ian S/Y Caprice From: Denise&Ian Caprice Sent: 05 June 2010 16:42 To: website@tmsc.org.uk Subject: Ireland update 1 Hi to everyone. This is our first report on our trip around Ireland. We are currently in Bantry, lying on a mooring just opposite impressive Bantry House. Bantry is on the edge of County Cork, at the head of Bantry Bay, SW Ireland. This is the end of our 4^th week since leaving Torpoint and to date we have been lucky with the weather, only having 1 day & 2 nights with rain. Ireland is living up to all sailing expectations – challenging pilotage, stunning scenery , empty anchorages and friendly locals. On the minus side, WIFI/internet access is proving patchy, laundry facilities almost non-existent (luckily a serviced laundry here, so tomorrow they get a large load) and disposing of our rubbish is a problem sometimes (Ireland has a “bin tax” and most small harbours do not provide public bins). It's incredibly quiet here. Except for Kinsale (a major sailing & gastronomic centre) we have hardly seen another visiting boat (or many “locals” come to that). We crossed over from Tresco, I of Scilly on 18^th May, along with friends of ours (most of you know Nigel & Carol Bunker & their boat Rode Stella). We managed to hit a submerged rock whilst in Scilly – in Watergate Bay where we've anchored dozens of times in the past. Got too complacent about the pilotage and just caught it. Gave us quite a shock I can tell you as things went flying everywhere with the impact. Ian had to get the wetsuit out & dive below to look for damage (that froze his assets!) – appeared to be just a chunk out of the gelcoat on the keel and as no water was pouring in, we decided to proceed with the 140m crossing to Crosshaven (Cork harbour). Had a rough sea and foggy approaching Ireland. We stayed on a mooring provided by the Royal Cork Yacht Club (the oldest sailing club in the world) and were able to dry the boat out in between tides to check below. As thought, nothing major and Ian was able to make a scratch repair. We''ll not be so cocky in future, especially with the coastline we've got to come yet! I took a bus trip to Cobh, the other side of Cork harbour. This was the main port of emigration during the Great Famine and was the last port of call for the Titanic and the old offices of the White Star Line and the pier it left from can all be seen, plus a memorial to the victims. There is also a memorial to the Lusitania, which was torpedoed 20 miles off the coast in 1915, with a loss of 1200 lives. Some of the survivors were picked up by locals, plus bodies were washed ashore. There is a memorial and I walked to the old cemetery which houses 2 mass graves – very poignant. Out of 4 weeks so far we've only paid for 3 nights on mooring buoys, as anchoring the rest of the time. We've not kept apace with Nigel, although we are in touch – we have a long way to go and they are containing their cruise to this area & are returning to the UK by the end of June. We sailed around the Fastnet Rock, a “”must do” for all sailors because of the significance with the race. It's very impressive, on a 28m high pinnacle, as was Mizen Head, the most SW point. Food is fairly expensive and we've not eaten out (except for delicious takeaway fish & chips in Kinsale), but are catching mackerel easily enough, so getting our Omega3 ration! To date our favourite anchorages have been: Crookhaven (a long fjord-like inlet where we had a lovely walk up to Brow Head, where Marconi sent the first radio messages to USA) and Ardrgole in Bantry Bay (like a Scottish loch, surrounded by mountains and we had it to ourselves!). We should be into the Dingle peninsular in the next week or so and from there it's the challenge of the West coast and some very remote anchorages and the Atlantic swell! If you have time, please email your own news and whatever you are up to. We'll pick it up at some point and it keeps us in touch with home and friends/family. That's it for now... off to Glengarrif tomorrow, a picture-postcard natural harbour, populated by tree-clad islands. Denise & Ian S/Y Caprice Sat 5 Jun 2010 From: Denise&Ian Caprice Sent: 17 May 2010 15:36 To: website@tmsc.org.uk Subject: Contact detail Hi to all Just to let you know we are on our travels again. Currently on Tresco, I of Scilly, but we leave tomorrow am for the 130 mile passage to Crosshaven (Cork) Sth Ireland. Should arrive Wed am sometime. We plan to go clockwise around Ireland, cross to Firth of Clyde & then Isle of Man & wherever after that! Whilst in ireland we switch to our internation sim number ........................ from a landline of .......................... from a mobile. However, we'll keep ....................... charged up for txt mssgs or emergency call only! Sorry we didn't get to see everyone during the winter, but as always we hope you keep in touch with us, by email at least. Hope everyone has a good summer. Denise & Ian xx