Dodging The Gales
With a gale forecast for the Irish Sea next day, the 20th August, we gave up on my cunning passage plan and went to bed, reluctantly giving up on a Westerly wind. It looked as if we would be spending several more days in the rustic Carlingford Marina.
I liked it in Carlingford Marina, it is a quirky place, including the way ashore via an ancient (originally steam powered) concrete tugboat, built in the first world war. The harbour walls are also a bit rough, much of it founded on two sunken concrete barges. The approach is circuitous, and needs some local knowledge to avoid a large mud bank. One in the marina, don't turn to starboard, where the keel soon touches the soft ooze (we did this, at slow speed, but easily got off again). Our pilot book needs updating on that subject.
At about 02:00 hrs next morning, we got up for a call of nature, and Rosie, as is her wont, checked the weather forecast. The gale warning had disappeared and we decided to leave, after all. The engine was started at 04:50 and we left in the dark, but with a full moon, through the narrow concrete entrance and over the mudbank.
The necessity to leave with enough ebb tide meant an adverse current out at sea but we didn't care, because the wind was in the WSW and West, and finally, after what feels like weeks, we were not beating to windward. The wind built through the morning to about force 6 with stronger gusts but still we didn't care! Rapport with working jib and two reefs made about 7.5 knots, easily beating the adverse current. Yes, we were heeled hard over on starboard tack again but that's much less painful when footing fast, more beam on to the seas.
The cunning passage plan worked perfectly. We kept reasonably close to the shore to minimise the wave heights but not too close, where turbulence off the mountains causes strong, swirling gusts. Our destination was Greystones Marina, which I find a bit sterile but which Rosie seems to love, particularly for the local (ridiculously priced) croissant. Well worth sailing 60 miles for!
Still, I wouldn't want you to think that life is easy for us seafarers. Food is best made in advance. Tea or coffee is mostly too much effort. Moving around the boat needs strong arms to climb the slopes and resist the slamming. Using the heads is quite a struggle, firstly out of life-jacket and oilskins. We keep our toilet paper in the starboard heads locker and this is a design defect because the toiletries all tumble out when you open the door. Meanwhile, one is trying not to break off the toilet seat with the sideways forces, by leaning hard against the port bulkhead. As the boat slams, the toilet lid flops against your back. Which is all a good justification for some luxury when one arrives somewhere, or at least, we think so. Hence all the pictures of us with food, overlooking Rapport from safe vantage points ashore.
Today the winds are strong and ahead again, rising to a gale ("perhaps severe gale 9") tonight, so we'll stay here another day. Suddenly I find that Greystones Marina is very pleasant, after all. And I'll leave the working jib rigged on the inner forestay; we might just need it again.
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