Leg 3 Dun Laoghaire to Troon

Return to Dun Laoghaire: 16th May 2013 We travelled back to Dun Laoghaire by train, ferry (to Dublin), coach and finally train (DART) in calm and sunny conditions, with front row seats on the ferry.  It felt good to be back on board Noisette and to find her almost as we had left her.  Almost... because as we walked along the pontoon  Chris noticed something hanging off the back quarter and realised that it was her mid layer chest highs which she had hung on the boom to air the day we had left. They must have blown on top of the boom out of sight (and therefore mind) and spent 10 days getting rained on and gradually blowing along the deck.  A quick wash, hung up to dry - this time where they would not be forgotten - concluded a lucky escape - 1 more day on the deck and they would have been overboard and lost.

A pleasant tradition seems to be developing, that we celebrate our return to the boat with a meal in a local 'eatery' and this time we chose the Purty Kitchen , a 10 minute walk from the marina, billed as a traditional Irish pub serving good local food and as an additional bonus 5% discount to marina customers.  The reality exceeded the expectation, the food was not good, it was excellent, the place was bustling and the staff friendly.  All the tables were full but they were happy that we sat and ate at the bar and we were very comfortable there. We realised that we had waited longer than we would have expected for our food and had noticed that things were getting increasingly frenetic on the other side of the counter. We were not particularly bothered as the Guinness and cider were going down very easily, and before we could say anything the guy in charge came and apologised profusely for the delay and thanked us for our patience explaining that they had booked a 'new' band, a Steely Dan tribute band, for the "Purty Loft" that night, the demand to see them had been way beyond their expectation.  The venue offers a "meal and show" experience  and, on top of  the restaurant/ bar bookings this was proving too much.  We could only empathise when he said  "We have a Saturday night crowd and Monday night chef...the kitchen staff are in bits - they are in tears back there..."  We thought they did a brilliant job - everyone got served and the food was well worth the wait.  If you are in Dun Laoghaire pay them a visit.

 Day 1 & 2: 17th & 18th May 2013 - A Guinness (and cider) induced slow start to the morning was followed by victualling for fresh supplies and a leisurely lunch on board after which we set sail for Howth.  We are not pressed for time and so are taking a short hop to see more of Eire. We slipped the mooring at 13.43 and were soon sailing under full main and genoa across Dublin Bay.  A steady force 3 and favourable tide gave us a speed over the ground of around 4 knots and a gentle first trip - very pleasant.

Trip statistics:  Time - 3 hours 42 mins , Log - 11.4 nautical miles
 

Noisette with Howth Yacht Club in background

Howth (pronounced "Hothe" or Hote" depending where you're from in Ireland) Marina is not a 'commercial' marina but is operated by the Yacht Club. In stark contrast to other marinas we had visited, it was not half empty but absolutely full.  We were allocated a berth alongside the main pontoon between two lines of finger pontoons.  Noisette slipped in perfectly with 18" to spare at the bow and 2 feet at the stern - nice one David! We were greeted by 3 or 4 locals, wanting to take our lines and exchange sailing histories before we had chance to tie up.  It was interesting talking to them through the evening, in the bar and the next day and considering the similarities in the issues that they have with those facing our own club, Midland Sailing Club.  Like MSC they had

Howth

decided to focus on junior development, and had employed a coach specifically for this purpose.

They were certainly an enthusiastic group of young people rigging and launching on Saturday morning alongside the J/24's .  Howth Yacht Club is hosting the J/24 Worlds in August so the local boats were feeling the pressure and going out for a training session - not much wind today though!  

Looking back over Dublin Bay from the Ben of Howth

At this stage of the leg we felt as though we had time on our hands and decided to stay and explore the town and walk around the Ben of Howth and to look for the intriguingly named 'Bog of frogs'.

Day 3: 19th May 2013 - Time to move on - 09.35 we slipped

Ireland's Eye with Howth in the background

the mooring and with winds no greater than 6 knots, and mostly considerably less, we motor sailed along the coast to Ardglass in warm, sunny, glassy conditions, passing inside Ireland's eye, Lambey Island and Rockabill .  There were several seals watching our progress as they swam past  and a short sighting of a couple of small dolphins - probably harbour porpoises - but otherwise an uneventful trip.

Rockabill

Chris practising sun sights with her new sextant.

 We tied up in Ardglass at 19.00.  We found the village of Ardglass to be somewhat run down, and similarly the marina and its facilities would benefit from some TLC.  We read that  £5 million of fish went through this harbour - suspect that is sadly no longer the case.  But the surroundings are  wonderful. 

Ardglass fishing harbour

Entrance to Ardglass from our berth

Trip statistics:  Time - 9 hours 35 mins, Log - 56 nautical miles





Day 4: 20th May 2013 - All the indications were that the wind would increase significantly later in the week and in order to avoid getting stuck in Ireland we decided today was the day to make use of the forecast force 4 or 5 and cross to Peel, Isle of Man.

We slipped the mooring at 12.05 and hoisted full main and genoa.  By 12.30 with 16 knots of wind over the port quarter we were making 5.9 knots of boat speed (6.2 knots over the ground, SOG).  Just after 13.00 the wind dropped to a force 2 and boat speed was down to 2.5 knots.  We discussed whether to put the mackerel lines out or whether to use the engine and decided that we needed to maintain our passage time so used the engine to assist the sails.  

Entrance to Peel inner harbour

By 15.00 the wind had increased to 13.4 knots and was again providing all our power. The sea state was also increasing.   The wind continued to build and by 16.20 was outside of the forecast range (F4 or 5) and was steadily blowing 23 knots, we decided that it was time to put a reef in the mainsail.  At 16.40 we sighted land and were glad of the reef as the wind continued to build to a steady 28 knots with frequent gusts of 33 knots.   As we got closer to land and the sea got shallower the sea state increased dramatically providing a very bouncy last half an hour, before we hurtled around the end of the Peel breakwater at 18.00.  We were glad to get behind the breakwater where everything calmed down again remarkably quickly. 

Safely tucked up in Peel

The stronger winds had meant a faster passage than expected and we tied up against the breakwater wall to wait for the sill to lower on the rising tide and allow us into the inner harbour.  We were given a friendly Manx greeting by a local sailor who was on the breakwater watching the sea - assuring himself that the decision to cancel that evenings club races was the correct one.  He took our lines - saving a long climb up a vertical ladder and we convinced him he would not want to be out there tonight.  19.30 saw us safely rafted against another boat in the inner harbour.

Trip statistics:  Time - 6 hours 15 mins, Log - 32.9 nautical miles



Day 5 - 7: 21st - 23rd May 2013 - Three days of gales in the Irish Sea made us glad we had "come over" when we did and gave us the opportunity to explore Peel and orientate ourselves to the island.  Although still very windy it was bright and sunny.  We caught the bus to Douglas to collected bus time tables - non available in Peel - and visited the marina office, to ensure that they were aware we were coming at the weekend, and then took the bus to Port St Mary to deliver our entry for the Round Mann race. After a chat with the harbour master about mooring options we 'did' Port St Mary - a very pleasant little town, before catching the bus back to Peel via Douglas.

Hopeful Irish Yacht awaiting second attempt to leave harbour

The next morning we walked around Peel Castle and noticed that there was a yacht tied to the breakwater where we had been.  We stopped to chat to them. They had left the inner harbour early that morning hoping to get back to Ireland but after 3 hours of bashing heavy seas realised they were going backwards and decided to return to Peel.  We declined their invitation to drink wine with them - we had only just had breakfast - they probably thought they had had a long day - such is the nature of the sailing time warp. 

Peel castle on St Patrick's Isle with Peel Hill behind

 
A brisk walk around St Patrick's Isle brought us to the smokery where we purchased some first class Manx kipper fillets for lunch, before braving the wind to climb Peel Hill. 
As we began to walk down we noticed a small yacht making its was out of the harbour and into open seas - we wished them "bon voyage and fair winds".



If we are going to get to the start line on Saturday morning we need to get to Port St Mary tomorrow in preparation we victualled for the trip and for the race before taking a walk along the beach and cliff to the north of Peel.





Day 8: 24th May 2013 - We left the inner harbour at 11.45 to time our arrival at Calf Sound to avoid too much excitement.  There was still over 20 knots of wind which would be behind us once we rounded the breakwater and headed towards the south of the island, so we decided not to hoist the mainsail but to run on genoa alone - and we left 3 rolls in that.  It gave us a comfortable sail - in 21.7 knots of wind we were making 5.3 knots boat speed, 5.7 SOG.  

Passing through the sound, Kitterland to port ...

Calf Sound is the narrow passage between the main island and the Calf of Man, where the strong tidal stream creates standing waves and turbulence.  Our calculation was that although the wind was still strong, it was blowing in the same direction as the tide through the Sound, and our smoothest passage would be as the tide turnned to the South East at about 14.00.  As we entered the  Sound we could see some white water, and we put the engine on but kept it in neutral, just in case we should need a little extra push to keep to our course and get through this narrow channel.

...and Thousla Rock to starboard

There was a small audience watching from the cliff and the car park at the Sound Cafe, but other than a little bit of bouncing, we did not give then anything spectacular to watch and passed through the Sound easily into the calmer water and more gentle winds of the sheltered side of the island (at least for today!).

We completed the trip, under full sail with one reef in the main, and picked up a visitor buoy in Port St Mary at 15.40.

Trip statistics:  Time - 3 hours 55 mins, Log - 17.5 nautical miles

Cruise on hold... we need to get into racing mode.  Noisette  is a 7.5 tonne Hallberg Rassy with almost 4 tonnes of lead in her keel, and is complete with carpets, vacuum cleaner, 3 anchors, an inflatable kayak and lots more cruising gear.  We are entered in the 2013 CADOGAN Round Mann Race with lean mean racing machines.  The sponsors welcome evening starts at 19.30, and our crew, Nigel and Sue Rollason, will be joining us there, and we have a tender to inflate so that we can get ashore.

We had a great evening chatting to the other competitors, some of whom were sharing tidal information in quantities that could only be designed to confuse us, but we have an early start tomorrow and a very tired crew who left their home, near Exeter to travel to the island at 03.00 this morning! Back to Noisette in two trips in the tender. 

30 mins before the start!

Day 9 & 10: 25th & 26th May 2013 - We were up at 05.15, ready for the 06.00 start (start line literally a cable from our mooring buoy) and greeted by a glassy sea.

As we drifted across the start line it seemed that this would be a race of tidal knowledge rather than sailing ability and observing some of the other boats as they passed (or rather tried to pass) Langness Point that was certainly the case in the early stages.  There were some early retirements so we knew we  would not be last.  We were pleased when the wind filled in, and that we could still see the four leading boats.  We were even able to hoist the cruising 'chute (asymmetric spinnaker) after Maughold Head and past Ramsey on our approach to the Point of Ayre at the northern tip of the island. 

Nigel concentrating on approach to Point of Ayre

 

Chris's turn down the other side

The leading boats told us later that they thought we were catching up with them at this stage, but once we rounded the Point of Ayre we had lost sight of the other racers completely.  We surmised that they had caught the tide and disappeared towards the finish.  What we had hoped would be a reach down the western side of the island turned out to be a beat against an increasingly adverse tide in less and less wind, until we approached the Calf of Man  in the early hours of Sunday morning.  The Sailing Instructions define the course as "leave Isle of Man and Calf of Man to port", and so we are prohibited from taking the short cut through Calf Sound.  We had to pass between the Calf of Man and the Chicken Rock lighthouse.

At this point the wind died completely, and for several hours we had no boat speed and so no steerage.  We were at the mercy of the tide swirling around the Calf.  At times it was sweeping us south, beyond (or at worst through) Chicken Rock, at others towards the steep-to rocky shore of the Calf.  At least it was now light again and we could see just how close we were to the rocks.  We kept our nerve and managed to jiggle the boat sideways through the gap avoiding the worst of the tidal eddies.

Our fears that the tide on the other side of the Calf would sweep us south beyond the lighthouse and away from the finish line were not realised, as it took us so long to get through, the tide had turned in our favour again!

A small wind filled in, and with the strengthening flood tide, carried us across the finish line at 08. 04. 44 -  26 hours 4 minutes and 44 seconds after the start and well within the 30hr time limit.

We congratulated ourselves on finishing and picked up a visitors' mooring  for a couple of hour' rest before rafting up against the Port St Mary breakwater to go ashore for the prize giving at 12.00.  We wanted to know how the others had got on.  Never in our wildest dreams did we anticipate what we heard - 11 boats had expressed an interest in entering, 9 actually entered,  7 made the start line, 5 retired, and 2 finished.  We were second boat home!  The winning boat beat us by some 10 hours but our fat bottomed girl showed them that you have to be in it to win it!  Here is the link to the official race report  

We left a very tired Nigel and Sue in the clubhouse (they would later make it back to their rented house in Douglas by car) and returned to Noisette to sail round to Douglas.  At 13.45 we slipped our warps, hoisted full main and genoa and by 14.00 were making 3.7 knots (boat speed) 3.6 knots SOG in 12.6 knots of wind.  We knew the tide would be against us and by 14.45 we were off Langness Point where steep overfalls and 20 knots of wind gave us an exhilarating sail.  Such a contrast to yesterday.  We bore away around the corner and surfed the waves towards Douglas where we tied up against the Battery Pier Pontoon at 17.40 to wait for the flap gate on the cill to lower with the rising tide and the swing bridge to lift (15 and 45 past the hour)  to let us in to the to the inner harbour.

Noisette against the waiting pontoon

From the waiting pontoon we could reach the road and a toilet block via stone steps and it provided an adequate waiting area.  Just one word of warning to others who might follow in our footsteps - when the 'fast cat' ferry came in we had a huge surge of water past the pontoon which might cause problems if your springs and fenders are not properly adjusted.
  

We had time to eat, walk to the marina to identify our allocated berth and catch some sleep before the bridge opened at 22.45 when we followed one of the race retirees, Kuba, skipper of the Sigma 33 'Polished Manx', into the Inner Harbour and our berth.

Trip statistics:  Time - 3 hours 55 mins, Log - 20.9 nautical miles

Day 11 - 22  : 27th May to Friday 7th June 2013 - After the excitement of the Round Mann race we are taking a holiday from cruising for the duration of the TT.  We have provided some narrative to give readers who have not experienced the IoM or the TT a perspective on the island and the atmosphere the TT produces, but this is primarily a sailing blog so we will try not to over indulge.

Douglas marina from Noisette's berth

Chris had never been to the IoM before and it was 30 years since David's last visit.  We were both impressed - David that it had not changed too much (although Douglas has benefited from considerable capita inflows, and the TT marshals seem to be much bigger than 30 years ago) and Chris by the whole character of the island.  It has something for everyone, but is very understated.  The scenery is stunning whether you are in the numerous glens, on the coast, on the mountain or in a forest.  The Manx people are very proud of their heritage and the museums, castles and exhibitions are extremely well presented.  Local produce feature strongly in shops and eateries.  

 
The transport system is varied, exciting and efficient but most of all joined up!  The horse- drawn tram along Douglas Promenade links the main bus stops and the ferry terminal with the electric railway.  The stream train serves the south of the island,and the buses - although on strike when we were there and only offering a Sunday service - provided a  frequent and efficient link between towns, villages and the airport.  It's so easy to get around and therefore both locals and visitors use the transport system - win win!  Perhaps this is why the locals are all so relaxed and friendly.

Douglas Bay

The first week we were in Douglas was practice week.  That meant that the island functioned relatively normally during the day but all circuit roads were closed by 18.00 and remained closed until after practice had finished at 21.00.  As long as you planned your route it was still possible to get around and to get back after practise.  We hired a car for 3 days so that we could visit the more remote parts of the island and used it to its full potential including one lap of the circuit.  Our little hired Ford Fiesta could just manage 90 mph redlined at 5k in 4th going up the Mountain Mile, which was probably 60 or 70mph slower than some of the bikes overtaking us, but it felt fast enough!  As a matter of record, we broke no speed limits, and the tyres never squealed.  Unlike the UK, the derestricted signs in the IoM mean exactly that.   

Colby Glen - perfect peace!

This was Chris's second trip around the circuit as Nigel had driven us around in his car earlier in the week.  Chris could not help but comment on the similarity of riding the TT circuit in a Volvo estate and doing the Round Mann Yacht race in a Hallberg Rassy - we never learn!   

Niarbyl

During the week the island was getting noticeably busier, motor bikes everywhere, but everyone was friendly, good humoured and with a common interest conversations flowed and absolute strangers were like old friends in a matter of minutes. On Saturday 1st June, practice turned to racing and the format changed, with races in the morning and afternoon (sometimes additional practise and sometimes a 3rd race or parade lap).  It was important to get to your chosen vantage point on the circuit in good time but the island returned to normal by 18.00 allowing for a more relaxed evening.  All in all a great combination and even as a complete non motor bike fan Chris found the racing awesome!

We needed to be home by 10th June, and  wanted to get to Scotland before we left the boat.  The weather forecast looked promising and we calculated that if we left  the inner harbour after the Friday Senior Race, we could make it.

The bridge opened at 21.45 and we passed over the cill and out into Douglas Bay with 6 other boats.  We needed to be in a position to make the tidal gate at Point of Ayre - mid day Saturday - and any progress that we could make along the island tonight would mean a later start in the morning.  There are no harbours which do not dry along this stretch of coast and we decided to anchor in Garwick Bay just south of Laxey.  With less than 3 knots of wind we motor sailed the 5 nautical miles to the picturesque anchorage and, at 23.05 (high tide) were anchored in 10 metres of water.

Trip statistics:  Time - 1 hours 20 mins, Log - 5 nautical miles


Day 23: 8th June 2013 - With a bit of swell coming into the bay we woke early and decided to weigh anchor ahead of our planned time, reasoning that we could lose time further along the coast if needed.  The wind was still only managing 3.3 knots and we motored gently along the coast enjoying the view.  The wind gradually filled in and we were sailed with full main and genoa for about 45 minutes before it died again and we restarted the engine at 09.40 as we passed Maughold Point.    

Breakfast off Ramsey

With the conditions so slight we agreed to continue ahead of the ideal tide time and take the overfalls off Point of Ayre - there was only a gentle swell today, but you need to pick the occasion to do this.  We had bought a copy of the Manx Cruising Club Sailing Directions because of its detailed local tidal information to assist us in our passages around the island and in the race and it had been invaluable and comes highly recommended.

Leaving the Isle of Man far astern, and still no wind!

 Conditions remained slight as the IoM slowly disappeared from view and we motor sailed across to Donaghadee Sound to anchored in Chapel Bay to the south of Copeland Island at the entrance to Belfast Lough, at 18.14.   A lovely calm anchorage out of a fearsome tide (at least on this occasion), and pretty as well.  It would have been nice to spend a little time exploring the island but we are on passage and have an early start.

Trip statistics:  Time - 6 hours 12 mins, Log - 48.8 nautical miles

Day 24: 9th June 2013 - We meant it when we said early start.  This was only a stop to catch some sleep and to wait for a favourable tide and at 00.55 we weighed anchor (lifting a load of kelp for the first time) and were on our way.  We are now so far north that with a clear sky, it is never actually dark - there is always a lightness in the sky to the north.  There was still no wind and we motored across the North Channel, with the five flashes of the Carnsore Point lighthouse beckoning us on along the Rhins of Galloway.  Although the wind  increased to 9.1 knots as we approached the Firth of Clyde, predictably it was 'on the nose'. 

As we passed  Ailsa Craig (currently for sale if anyone is interested) the wind increased to 12 knots and we were sailing with full main and genoa, and even briefly considered a reef. 

The wind direction meant that we would be beating but it was still early in the day and this was too good an opportunity to miss.  As the wind backed then veered, we had the opportunity to sail close to Ailsa Craig and have a good look.

Although it is sunny, it was cold - these photos were taken before 09.00 -  we had been sailing for nearly 8 hours already.

The wind stayed with us as we beat up the Firth of Clyde, increasing to a maximum of 18 knots, giving us a great sail before dying off again as we approached the Ayr coast. We turned the engine on at 13.25 and motored the rest of the way into Troon, tying up in the marina at 14.58, though somehow it felt later.


Trip statistics:  Time - 14 hours 3 mins, Log - 70.6 nautical miles


A sunny and warm Sunday in Troon brought the crowds, ice cream vans and bare flesh to the beaches of the town, enlivening our long walk to the station to check that we could collect our train tickets booked online from a ticket machine at the station.  

Day 25: 10th June 2013 - Leaving Troon at 13.00, we arrived home via Glasgow Central before the end of the rush hour.  The crush on the platforms at New Street Station seemed worlds away from our experiences of the past four weeks, and reminded us of what we hadn't been missing!