Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts

Friday, 22 June 2018

IRISH SAIL PAST. CORNWALL PREPARATIONS. June 22nd 2018

Audleys Castle  before the fog.

There was the ominous hum of a big motor out there in the murky gloom as we pulled the anchor. In the thickest fog we’ve ever seen we had to leave Portaferry with an outgoing tide.  The ferry was stationary, motor running, according to the AIS and there was no other traffic evident on the Radar. Taipan was whisked at 10+ knots the five miles down the channel via our incoming track and there was very little we could do about it except steer!!. Thank goodness for AIS and Radar, without which we could have been stuck there for several days. 

Lions Head Light after the fog!!

We had anchored at Audley’s Castle, Strangford Lough, en route from Islay, Scotland to Dublin. This was our second overnight stop on the Irish East Coast. The weather had been light and visibility good, until this morning. A long day followed, to arrive in Dun Laoghaire marina, just a short train ride from Dublin. The Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta was on and we took the opportunity to visit the wharf to see the ships. 

Street art collage! Dublin

The waterfront mansions south of Dublin. Rich and famous. Enya has a house here.
Wicklow was the next and last stop in Ireland. What a welcome. The Sailing club was open and we were invited and made very welcome. Wickow hosts the Around Ireland Race which has become a very big event attracting international yachting names. The postman was at work on the wharf touching up his ship paintings. Wicklow is set in the most beautiful countryside and we sailed on down the coast admiring its beauty. The weather looked good for a crossing direct to Landsend UK so we continued through the night to make Penzance by evening the following day.

Paintings from the history of the Wicklow Wharf with the artist / postman 

The spectacular anchorage at the foot of the magnificent St Michaels Mount and a good nights sleep before pressing on the Saint Mawes an old favorite anchorage just across the River Fal. Here the St Mawes Sailing Club once again made us very welcome and we enjoyed many evenings socializing with the club members. Especially Glen! During our visit, the Golden Globe yachts came and went and it was exciting to participate in the festivities and meet the contestants.

Tradional Work Boats racing at Saint Mawes.

Cornish Working Boats race in St Mawes and Falmouth during the week. They're a spectacular sight with their colored topsail. These boats were preserved by an accident of history which saw the Cornwall authorities declare that endangered river Oysters could only be harvested in the River Fal using traditional Oyster boats. They must dredge under sail or oars. These boats were therefore preserved and have been elevated to racing status by aficionados. There are still working, sailing oystermen in Cornwall. 

Saint Just in Roseland Church.

Team Taipan at church

Barry called by in his dingy to introduce himself and we caught up with him for dinner then the following day we were taken on a tour of the area. St Just in Roseland Church, a 13th century Church set amongst beautiful gardens beside a peaceful tidal creek. Legend has it that Jesus landed at the site with Joseph. The church is on the site of a 6th Century chapel which served for 400 years until it was taken over by the Bishops of Crediton and Exeter. 


Fal River wildlife

Further up the Fal is the cottage where Churchill and Eisenhower worked out the D day landings, US, and Allied troops hid in the forest along the Fal prior to the landings and there are still the remains of their huts in the area. 

The famous cottage of Eisenhower and Churchills meetings

The Fal River headwaters, where once was a thriving town. The river silted and the population moved towards the coast. The narrow meandering tidal stream provides an ideal habitat for birds, waterfowl, and wildlife.  Returning to Saint Mawes we lunched at the Melinsey Mill, an old corn mill with interesting artifacts and excellent food.


Falmouth Waterfront.
Falmouth

Some days were spent at anchor across the river in Falmouth. This thriving regional center has loads of charm and a bustling waterfront. There are plenty of services for yachts with a huge population of boats moored, penned or hardstanding in the area. 

There are all types of watercraft in Falmouth.

David rebuilt the water maker with a new pump supplied from the UK and solenoids were tracked down to repair a faulty anchor windlass switch. We had the noisy Chartplotter fan replaced by the excellent team at Charity Taylor in Falmouth and we were at last ready to leave for France.

Saint Anthony Head farewell light. Early departure to cross the English Channel to France.
Islay to Falmouth St Mawes






Saturday, 13 August 2016

IRELAND. TRAINS PUBS AND AUTOMOBILES. 13th August 2016

Dun Laoghairy ( pronounced Dun Leery! As I was politely informed by port control) is a very cosmopolitan town with great facilities and entertainment opportunities close at hand. There are three big yacht clubs and the huge City Marina where we berthed. It was very cold and the south westerly wind didn't let up day or night. Being plugged in to the power made it much more pleasant as we could run the little heater. It was a very long walk from Taipan to the marina office but facilities were good and clean. 
 The Maritime Museum, housed in an old church, provided several hours of entertainment as did the Royal Marine Hotel with its collection of interesting historical photos of the area. There's a big supermarket an easy walk from the Marina and plenty of dining opportunities.
 
Dublin Castle
Dublin City and history galore. Dublin Castle was one of the first stops. Dublin Castle was founded as a major defensive work in 1204, some time after the Norman Invasion of Ireland in 1169, a castle was built with "strong walls and good ditches for the defense of the city." Some of the early structure has been excavated by archeologists and now forms part of the Castle tour. Some goulish tales and unsolved mysteries were uncovered. Very little of the original Castle exists. Only a tower and the old foundations. Some of the facility is still used for State functions.
Wikipedia on Dublin Castle. 

Temple Bar district. Cobbled streets plenty of color and history with pubs on every corner and several in between.

Temple Bar is the old center and has quaint narrow cobbled streets filled with tourists We walked through several times and of course had the obligatory Guinness here and there. One evening Patrick took us to the  Gate Theater to see W. Somerset Maugham's "Constant Wife". Super entertaining in a lovely little theater. We spent three days seeing the sites of Dublin then hired a car and drove to Galway and Limerick return with lots of diversions along the way.
 
Colonel Hall-Walker and Patrick
First stop was the Irish National Stud in Tully, Co. Kildare. The Stud was founded in 1900 by the wealthy eccentric Col. William-Hall Walker, a man with a passion for astrology, gardening and horses. He did the astrological chart of each foal as it was born and decided it's future on the prediction. Somehow he managed to be very successful. In 1915, Colonel Hall-Walker departed to England, presenting his entire Tully property to "The Nation." His Stud Farm became the British National Stud. In 1945 (Tully properties having returned to the Irish Government in 1943) the Irish National Stud Company was formed. 
Maternity wing.

Many famous race horses were bred here. Vintage Crop a Melbourne Cup Winner among them. We saw Hurricane Fly in one of the fields. It was late when we arrived but we did get a tour and the facilities are superb.
The stud is 958 acres of land and there are 288 boxes on the farm for mares, foals and stallions. Not many horses about as the stud season is over, foals are weaned and brood mares are out. The grounds and gardens are beautiful. There is a horse museum and we spent quite a while chatting with the Farrier and the harness maker both have been working on the property for over 35 years.

Cloncarlin House
We stayed at a great B&B called Cloncarlin House a 250 year old house situated on a 280 acre beef farm nearby.
 
Roscrea. The remaining tower and entrance.
Next stop after a huge farm breakfast was Roscrea Castle Complex where we were given a great tour by a very informative young man with an emphasis on the furniture of the period. The complex was very nearly obliterated in the 70s for a car park but thankfully local objection and much rallying caused the council to cancel the demolition order.
The weather deteriorated as we drove westward. Galway was gridlocked when we arrived and it took quite a while to get out of there. We headed through some pretty if wet countryside towards Limerick and over nighted at a little B&B just outside Gort. 
Streets of Limerick
Another big breakfast and we were fortified for the run to Limerick where we walked the streets and enjoyed some local fare before tackling another huge castle called King Johns Castle. 
Across the River Shannon to King Johns Castle
Building work began in around 1212 and took decades to complete. It was the site of a terrible siege when in 1642, 800 people were trapped within the walls. They suffered truly dreadful conditions. Dead were buried in a pit near the gatehouse a stones throw away from those still desperately clinging to life. Link to Wikipedias King Johns Castle
View up the River Shanon from atop one of King Johns Castle distinctive drum towers.
 Now it was time to head back to Dublin, return the car and hop aboard for the trip across the Irish Sea to Wales. We had a good weather window and departed early morning for the passage of just 55nm arriving in Holyhead before dark. Calm seas and very little wind saw us motoring most of the way. We kept company with a big pod of dolphin for several hours. Always a great delight.
Now its time to check out Wales.
 





Friday, 5 August 2016

ONWARD TO DUBLIN. August 5th

On Friday we headed back down the river in much better weather and were able to catch all the sights we missed coming in. There is a great cycle and walking path right along the southern bank which is  very well used. We passed Blackrock Castle dating from the 16th century. Built by the citizens of Cork in 1582 as a watch tower and fort to guard the river entrance against pirates and other invaders, it now serves as Ireland’s first fully interactive astronomy center, and is open to the public.

We were able to admire the riverside architecture and small towns like Ringaskiddy and Monkstown on either side. 
The impossibly tall and delicate spire of St Colemans Cathedral at Cohb had us searching for a dockside tie hoping to take the opportunity while passing to explore, however after a fruitless search we reluctantly continued on to Crosshaven and picked up a mooring for the night. Construction began on the magnificent neo-Gothic cathedral  in 1867 and was not completed until over half a century later due to increases in costs and revisions of the original plans.  The cathedral organ has 2,468 pipes. It also has a 49 bell carillon, the largest bell weighing 3.6 tons is suspended 200 feet above the ground The Cathedral has one of the largest carillon in the British Isles and has it's own carillonneur. Virtual tour of St Colemans Cathedral

Cohb St Colemans Catholic Cathedral.
There is also a Titanic museum in Cohb as it was the last stop for the ill fated ship. You always have to leave something to come back for.

Fort Davis and Rams Head forts loomed large on either side of the entrance to the River Lee. They had been shrouded in such heavy rain as we came in we completely missed them.

 We had an early start on Friday to Rosslare Harbour for and 86nm run. Fortunately the days are long and the current was favorable so we arrived just on dusk to tie up next to a fishing boat in the harbor. Rosslare is a ferry port with boats going to Wales, England and France.
Saturday dawn broke as we departed and the day was bright and sunny again. We motored for a while then the wind started to build. By mid afternoon we had 35 knots from dead behind and an uncooperative auto pilot. David managed to tame the beast after some excitement and eventually after playing with the settings we were once again under auto control. 
Wicklow Head Lighthouse
It used to be the ferry terminal. But closed.
Dun Loaghairy, our destination, is an old walled harbor dating back to the mid 1800s with Martello Tower forts east and west of it. The port offers excellent protection and easy all weather access, large enough to enable us to lower the main within its tall protected walls. Scott, the marina staff member on that afternoon came out to greet us and met us on the dock as we very gratefully threw lines and tied up Taipan after a fairly arduous sail.
Dublin is a 20 min train ride away from the station just across the road so a very convenient spot to stop.
So we are off to explore Dublin.

Wednesday, 3 August 2016

TO CORK? OR NOT TO CORK? August 3rd. 2016

 
Port of Cork City Dock
Ordinary weather to go sailing. Too windy and too wet! Another boisterous sail. We left beautiful Kinsale to make the 40nm passage to Cork. It started out OK but rapidly deteriorated. It was so miserable and misty we hardly saw Cohb as we sailed past. Its 14 miles up the River Lee to Cork City. There was no one on the Port Of Cork City Pontoon, (not surprising in this weather) situated conveniently right near the center of the city so we docked without fuss and once secured, set out to find some city life. Wet and gloomy as it was, we managed to stumble onto a pleasant little Japanese Restaurant for sushi reinforcements and then while away several hours strolling the almost empty holiday Monday streets.
English market
 Tuesday we shopped and explored the English Market, an old Market building in the city with lovely fresh local produce, gourmet delights from near and far and a great dining experience overlooking the activity from the Mezzanine. 
Blarney Castle

Wednesday we grabbed a local bus and headed out to Blarney Castle. The weather was better and the 60 acres of parkland grounds were fabulous.   The first  structure here was a wooden hunting lodge constructed in about 1200 it was reinforced and built in stone in around 1210 then destroyed in 1245, it was later built in stone then in 1446 Cormack McCarthy demolished it for the stone to commence the building of the current castle.
Stable yard
There were far to many tourists, as you would expect, however we persevered for an hour and a half in the que to the top of the castle to kiss the famous Blarney Stone and are now suitable endowed with the gift of eloquence.
"There is a stone there,
That whoever kisses,
Oh! He never misses
To grow eloquent."
It was actually quite fun, with interesting people around and some diversions along to way into tunnels and various rooms leading from the steep and narrow spiral stairs. Always paying strict attention to ones footing on the aged uneven and worn stones. 
 
Blarney House

Once atop the great castle walls the view was lovely thanks to the clear skies. Blarney Castle is still in private hands and is extremely well presented with fabulous grounds to explore and a new home, Blarney House, built in 1874 for the owners,  in Scottish Baronial style and somewhat resembling a Disney castle. The Colthurst family still occupy it.
Beautiful gardens and grounds at Blarney Castle.
The Poison Garden, just beside the Tower is the only one of its kind in Ireland, complete with a fabulous cannabis plant in a steel cage, along with wolfs bane, mandrake, ricin and opium Blarney gardens with its many other interesting and beautifully displayed plantings, it's a fascinating diversion. There is also a large fern garden and extensive water gardens and waterfalls.  There were rumored to be extensive tunnels under the castle but there is apparently no evidence of their presence today.
We had an unplanned adventure returning to Cork when we missed our city stop and ended up doing a bus tour for another hour or so south to Ringskiddy.
With Cork explored we decided to head to Dublin, taking Taipan instead of driving as planned. Accommodation was all booked out with a long weekend coming up. We will sail east to Rosslare then north to Dublin in 2 day hops.

Goodbye Cork
 
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Even more photos of Cork and Castles

Wednesday, 27 July 2016

AND IRISH MIST. NOT WHISKEY! July 27th

We arrived in the west and moved east along the coast.

The Wild Atlantic Way. Massive rugged storm lashed cliffs fall dark and broken into  white foamy sea which claws at them relentlessly from  murky grey depths. Treacherous jagged rocky post glacial remnants lurk off their perilous fringes, decorated with the treasures of countless wrecks, old and new. Watchtowers, falling down and tired remnants of the Napoleonic period struggle to attention on every hilltop. Cleaved to the cliffs, various ruined castles cast a baleful eye over us as we make our way along the southern Irish coastline through sun and rain, mist and fog, marveling at the beauty, power and history.
Some of the fishing vessels in Castletownbere.
Castletownbere.
Farmers fishermen and summer revelers frequent the quaint little villages on their various business. Castletownbere sits snug in a tiny dredged harbor, home to the whitefish fleet numbering over 80 ships, some from EU countries, Spain and France predominantly. The biggest whitefish fleet in Europe.
We dined in Castletownbere for Sunday lunch at Murphys, of course! The fare was simple, well cooked and followed by one of the many delicious deserts available. Patrick O'Sullivan was fated to have us accompany him during our lunch as the restaurant was understandably full. He obliged by regaling us with the local stories, gossip and legends as well as some useful facts about the life and times in the area. He then walked with us and pointed out the various places of interest. I had the best Irish coffee in Ireland at the local Pub later before we all returned to Taipan on the anchor in the small harbor.

Monday involved a quick trip to the local Fisherman's coop to pick up a few bits n pieces for the boat. Always a cheaper option than the Marine Chandlers. 

Next stop was Crookhaven. The deeply indented coastline topped by Ballyroon Mountain form a stunning backdrop as we sail across Bantry Bay, around Sheeps Head, Three Castle Head, Mizen Head and Brow Head. The famous Fastnet Rock just 10 nm to our south as we head into the very sheltered and pretty Crookshaven anchorage. 

The weather hasn't been great with constant mist and poor visibility. We did spot the Three Castles for which the head is named. They were apparently a folly built by some noble lord in the period past when castles were the architectural fashion. They are now ruins but are apparently a popular walking destination being set upon a pretty little lake in among dramatic rocky countryside, and of course with an outstanding view.
Crookshaven, probably named for the crooks who frequented the area in times past as pirates and wreckers. The coastline was notoriously dangerous and to add insult to injury it wasn't unknown for wreckers to be active in the area, luring unsuspecting ships onto the rocks to slaughter crews and passengers and to steal their cargoes. 
Crookhaven

Today however it's a pretty town, albeit shrouded in mist, set on a narrow promontory and forming a fairly deep and well protected anchorage. The last port for most ships bound for the New World. The two and a half million immigrants headed to the Americas would have fare welled Europe here and headed to the vast beyond with hope in their hearts and dread in their eyes. Marconi was based in town while he experimented with radio telegraph for sending and receiving Morse Code. We saw the small cottage he was living in at that time. He abandoned Crookhaven in favor of Rosslare Strand, Co Wexford After discovering that the copper rich rocks in the mountains were interfering with his signals.
While exploring the little village we met a gentleman with two small boys who were heading out fishing. Later we met them again and were presented with six big fat mackerel along with instructions for catching the same. Armed with this new knowledge and eager to put it into practice, Captain Dave rigged the line and promptly pulled in another 6 fat mackerel  even managing a triple header! So we were assured of another dinner as we set out for Schull the following morning.
Navigating the narrow Long Island Channel the short distance to Schull was very scenic with pretty farms dotting the small fields on the islands and mainland. We were treated to a rare delight as the sun shone through the clouds for most of the afternoon making for excellent exploring weather in Schull. Here we met Deirdre Crowley, an exuberant artist currently exhibiting in Schull.  She was fascinated by our story and took a great photo of the three of us in front of one of her works. Schull is a reasonably large village for the area and we spent several hours walking the streets checking the pubs and just getting exercise.
Next stop Baltimore was a mere 8nm away, through narrow convoluted channels and around numerous rocky islands. Low and pastured they too are small farms. Heaven knows how they get their stock to market but we did see some trailers which look like they go on local barges. 


The cottages are stone and nestle down in valleys sheltered, I imagine, from the howling, freezing winter gales. Today though the kids are out in small sailboats racing around the relatively protected waters off Skelkin Island, undeterred by the misty threatening weather. It is after all, summer in Ireland and they are taking their summer holidays seriously. Baltimore was much smaller than it looked on the map but a pleasant spot to walk the legs and reestablish acquaintance with the he blood supply to them. 

Photos from Crookhaven Castletownber Baltimore and Schull 

45nm east is Kinsale, a delightful small village built 5 miles upstream on the river Bandon. The weather was awful. Windy, wet and cold with a fair following sea. At least the wind was behind the beam. With one reef we managed good time and rounded Old Head of Kinsale, one if Ireland's oldest light houses, early in the afternoon.  The Lusitania was lost just 11 miles off this headland when it was torpedoed by German  U Boat. U20 in 1916. There was significant loss of life and a third of the passengers were American. This attack on a civilian vessel contributed to the American decision to enter the war with Britain against Germany. 
Old Head Lighthouse. One of the oldest lights in Ireland
During the passage we were followed for a while by an Irish Navy patrol boat P42, and then they called us for details of vessel and crew. We encountered them as we entered Brandon River mouth where they were anchored up out of the weather.

Charles Fort stands guard on the East side and James Fort on the west. They provide a startling reminder of the history of British rule and the intermittent Spanish and French involvement in Irish affairs over the centuries. Charles Fort was to provide us with an interesting and informative adventure in the coming days. James Fort, long abandoned and now a ruin, was also visited. 
Charles Fort. Kinsale.
 Kinsale is a gorgeous town. Busy with the hum of tourists from all points of the compass, eagerly enjoying the history, spectacular scenery and neighboring castles and coastline. The anchorage was good and we were greeted by the local yacht club manager in a small boat, come to ask if we were happy to anchor or would like to enter the marina. We declined his offer and secured the anchor in the river, an easy dingy ride to the Marina dock where we were provided with a key card and a very friendly welcome.
We spent 3 nights in Kinsale and should have stayed longer. There is much to see with an excellent bus service between Kinsale and Cork. 
A very ancient Celtic religious site now the site of Church of St Mutose Whilst the building is 850 years old, it has been a site of continuous Christian worship for of worship for over 1300 years. 
Lovely little shops and a small castle in town kept us busy on our feet all day each day. Shopping for provisions was easily achieved with several supermarkets right on the waterfront.


On day two we dinged downriver to Summer Cove and walked to Charles Fort where we spent an entertaining morning being further educated in confusing and convoluted Irish history. The first fortification was built of earth and timber on the site of an earlier fortification called  Ringcurren Castle. This was followed by a more substantial construction of a Star shape fort in1670's and 80's. It was besieged in 1690 in the Williamite War. In a combined land and sea operation, Williamite commander Marlborough, took the city and captured 5,000 Jacobite prisoners. Repairs were made after the seige and the  and the British used it as an army barracks for over 200 years.
 
Charles Fort
In the afternoon we watched the charity fun raft race on the river and then took the dingy to James Fort. A more leisurely pace with no guides or entrance fee. The main fort structure is walled off and gated as it is unsafe to enter. A short climb down to the river there is a Block House. It was fortified with 2 levels of cannon and a tunnel ran under the hill from the block house to the main fortification. This has been blocked off, much to David and Patrick's chagrin.
 
James Fort
Kinsale has numerous eateries and many of a fine standard. Patrick, being our resident epicurean maestro, was suitably impressed. There are also visitor moorings here and we could easily have arranged to leave to boat and tour by car for a few days. The hinterland looked very interesting especially to the west with the remnant glacial rocky lakeland and scoured hillsides offering great walking trips and scenic countryside.

All to soon we have to move on again. This time to Cork about 40nm to the east. 

Link to more photos from Kinsale.