Sailing back from Scotland down the Irish Sea is always going to be a challenge. We all know the prevailing wind is from the south west and there’s no way you want to motor into it with a strong south going tide in the North Channel, nor a west going tide around Carnsore Point.
There were a couple of land based constraints in out passage planning. Claire and I wanted to visit her mother and also go to a Saw Doctors concert in Glasgow, on the Friday. Dick Lincoln agreed to join us on the Saturday for a cruise down the Irish Sea, but before the weekend, we all realised we wouldn’t be going anywhere until Monday at the earliest. Dick changed his flights, and got to watch Waterford Minors triumph in Croke Park! Far better than being frustrated in a marina in Troon, where the chances of finding a TV with hurling on it, would be nil!
Dick flew in on Monday afternoon and joined us in the afternoon. A quick cup of tea and we set off into a stiff southerly at 6pm, but although raining and uncomfortable, we knew the tide would be with us when we reached the North Channel and the wind was forecast to back into the North for at least 18 hours around 10pm.
The wind behaved and the rain stopped and we motor sailed with a reef in the main. When I came on watch at Midnight, Claire and I unfurled the Yankee, before she hit her bunk for a few hours. Conditions allowed us to have 2 hours on, 4 hours off. In addition, it was only really dark from 12pm to 3am, as there was a beautiful orange sunrise at about 4am.
The joys of sailing in June!
After a breakfast of pre-prepared bacon butties, up went the cruising shute, after a minor struggle with the snuffer. The wind was right on our tail and as it began to ease we had to put more west in our course, and started to head off the rumb line towards Dublin. Eventually, we had to decide to push on, or we’d miss the tide off Carnsore, so the iron genoa was fired up and we motored through the evening, down the east side of the Arklow Banks.
In the early hours the wind slowly filled in from the north west, and we were able to motor sail around Carnsore Point. In glorious sunshine, we left the Saltees to starboard and Coningbeg to port. Dick has a wealth of knowledge of small anchorages around the Irish coast. As we were going to have to wait for the tide to get into Dungarvan, we took him up on one of his recommendations, and dropped an anchor just outside the picturesque harbour of Slade, on the east side of Hook head. We enjoyed a sunny lunch and snooze before motoring on 3 hours later towards home.
The wind slowly increased and veered further into the south west and we enjoyed a glorious few hours beating towards the setting sun and Helvick. We passed Annabel J and 3 other yachts at anchor, tacked up the channel before dropping our sails and picking up our mooring nearly 5 weeks after we had left it on 1st June.
We’d done the trip home in a oner, not the original plan when we’d asked Dick to join us for a cruise down the Irish Sea, but a pragmatic delivery, within the available weather window. 265 miles on the log, 53 hours from marina to mooring. Boat and crew, all smiles and content!
Charlie Chavasse, William Tell
