Fire at sea is a frightening event, partly because there is nowhere to run away to. Yesterday, as the boat rolled wildly in a squall, I dropped a teabag onto the stove and invented a new form of Lapsang Souchong (no, it's not worth trying). However, I have to admit that it was a very tiny fire, so it was a bit of a storm on a teacup...... We enjoyed a very fast sail from Dun Laoghaire to Ardglass with wild, cold, squally winds. We tried out the new working jib, flat cut for heavy weather and set on an inner forestay. It worked well, giving us 7+ knots over the water for lots of the time. We close and beam reached in winds of about force 4/5 but which sometimes dropped to about force 2, leaving us slatting in the cross-seas, and then gusted up to force 8, briefly overpowering our single reef. And so to the gentle town of Ardglass and the cosy marina. Ardglass Marina A big advantage of cruising at this time of year is that there is plenty of spac...
At last we've made it out to sea! At 08:00, we waved farewell to a small group of friends at Weir Quay, and motored down river. About to leave the mooring - photo Pat Moss A warm day but with a strong chilly breeze from the SE. We made 6 to 7 knots with one reef in the main, under clear blue skies. The seas were quite rough, left over from the previous gales, so we both felt a bit queasy at times but we managed to keep down our porridge. Then disaster: Our water tastes like mouldy plastic and even the spare water in containers is little better! Two hours out and already we can't make a decent cup of tea. The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner springs to mind but we wouldn't harm a seagull, let alone an albatross. So we have diverted into the town marina in Falmouth, where we are flushing out the water system, treating with sterilizing fluid and then refilling with fresh. So much for a quiet anchorage up the Helford River. We'll consol...
Our next voyage through the Small Isles took us to the Island of Rum. This is a wild and mountainous place with just one anchorage on the east side. View of Rum Island from the Sea Rum has two interesting claims to fame. One is the exotic and rather curious Kinloch Castle, a hunting lodge for a previous owner, Sir George Bullough. Sir George used to have his staff fire at unwanted boats who dared to enter his waters, earning it the title of the "Forbidden Isle". The other is that they boast the largest and most prolific population of midges - maybe not something you would normally want to advertise to potential visitors! Kinloch Castle The island was sold by the Bulloughs in 1957 and is now owned by Scottish National Heritage (SNH), a government funded organisation that promotes the natural environment for the public to enjoy. The population is currently about 30 people and they have a primary school (described as "very remote, rural") with 1 pupil...
Comments
Post a Comment