Sat 26th July 2003

Up early due to sleeping in a very brightly lit area - about 5:00.

Views from the ship entering Cork harbour.

We were on our way shortly after seven for our 100+ mile trip to Lough Derg. Irish roads seem pleasantly quiet after the clogged up motorways of England. Stopped for a very good fry-up at Blarney. Then on to Limerick where we stopped for a brief look around - Castle cost too much for a quick visit but the free museum provided some distraction from the travelling.

Limerick.

Then on to Nenah for a spot of food shopping, and finally up to the boat yard at Dromineer. We arrived to find no-one there, but Jules found the boat and had a good look around anyway. Shortly after we had the customary briefing with Ted Knight the owner of Shannon Sailing. "Engine? don't touch it - you'll not need to be doing anything to that. Just use it and she'll be fine". The boat - a 33ft Westerly Ketch, was tatty, but serviceable. Very little in the way of creature comforts, and would certainly not pass a British Waterways boat safety exam - gas bottle just wedged inside a locker, batteries not secured, very little labelling in the way of isolating valves and switches.

Sailing route, Saturday. (marked in red. Click for bigger map)

We finally took her for a sail at about 4:00pm, but while we were motoring out, the engine started racing and finally cut out. No problem, we were there to sail, so we sailed, and enjoyable it was too in the light but sufficient south-westerlys. The problem came when we went into harbour at Garrykennedy for the night. We went in for a look, and turned back. Skip said it would be difficult but doable. On our second attempt, we got it slightly wrong, lost the wind and went back out. On out third, a large motor cruiser cut us up at the last moment and we had to retreat. On our fourth attempt, we decided to go outside the marker slightly to give us a better angle - and we rather embarrassingly bounced off the rocks. We got in, but rather un-elegantly bounced off the harbour wall with the bow. But we got in with no damage done.

Garrykennedy harbour.

Great evening at the pub in Garykennedy - a fantastic meal, the inevitable pints of Guinness and later live Irish music. Slept that night like a very sleepy log.

<< PREV - HOME - NEXT >>