Across the Irish Sea to Dublin

After 3 days in Penzance the weather cleared enough to move on. We set out at 4AM along with 2 other boats for Padstow, a quaint village that would take us around Land's End and on our way northward. We had to motor for the first half of the trip as there were no winds whatsoever. The swells around Land's End were not too bad, nothing like what we experienced in the Raz de Sein. Padstow turned out to indeed be very picturesque and the home of a famous chef, Rick Stein. He seems to have bought up the town as there were Rick Stein cafes, deli, home decorating shops, and a highly touted restaurant where we ate a excellent seafood meal. I have come to the conclusion that quaint seaside towns are to shop and eat in and little more.

The next day the weather forecast was good for us to cross the Bristol Channel so once again we were up at 4 AM and off by 4:30 for the 14 hour trip to Milford Haven. The trip was only 75.3 km but the tides and currents pushed and pulled at us so that we ended up taking 14 hours to make that distance. We pulled up to a pontoon set out by the Dale Sailing Club in a nice cove and spent the night.

We had been struggling with where to go once we got across the Bristol Channel. The coast of Wales had few ports that did not dry out and we were more interested in visiting Ireland than Wales. Finally we concluded we should head for Dublin. Dublin however, was too far to go in one shot unless we did an overnight. So the first port we could get to in Ireland would be Arklow which turned out to be 84.4 km and a 13 hour sail, the last 6 hours of which were quite exciting. A front was expected to keep us land locked for a couple of days but the next day (Thursday) we would be able to get to Arklow. So we were at the wheel again by 6 AM. While the early morning forecast made no mention of strong winds, at 11 AM a small craft advisory went out. We were in Force 7 winds by the end of the trip and well reefed with waves of 9 to 10 feet. Just as we were looking for the entrance to the Arklow port a rain storm came in decreasing our visibility to zilch. We puttered around until it cleared up enough to see the narrow entrance and finally arrived in Ireland.

That rain stayed with us for 2 days so we had time to clean up the boat, visit Arklow, and give the cats the attention they deserved. By Saturday we were ready to set out for Dublin which was only 42 km away.

Tides were favorable for a 6 AM departure. The 42 miles took 6 hours motoring as there was no wind. Dublin has one marina whose location is the absolute pits. It is in the cargo, ferry, and cruise ship port. We have rocked and rolled for 3 days now and are anxious to leave. Bow thrusters wake us up in the middle of the night and last night the boat was lit up like noon when a 3,200 passanger cruise ship can in at about 2 AM. The cats (us too) hate the rocking and all the noise. In addition the marina is a 1 1/2 miles out of town and not close to any type of transportation. I think few boats cruise to Dublin so there is no need to make a more hospitable place for them.

We did have a good time in Dublin. We took one of those sightseeing buses that gives you a good orientation to the city. Our first day we walked into town from the marina and it was grim because of all of the lovely but empty buildings a result of the economic crises here. But once in city center, it was full of tourists and the 10th annual Eurpean Street Performer Festival was in progress. The Chester Beatty Library was wonderful and we had a great high tea at the Shelborne Hotel.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) we are moving north. We are going to visit the Boyne battlefield before jumping over to the Isle of Man on Thursday if the weather holds.