Broads Rally - 19th to 21st September 2014

Having been to the Norfolk Broads with Tra Bhui in 2013, we were keen to visit again in 2014 as it would be not only another opportunity to sail this year, but a chance to see a bit more of this beautiful area.  

Attending the Broads Rally meant an 800 mile round trip for us. Towing a boat 800 miles for a two day rally may not be everyone’s idea of fun therefore to allow us the maximum time at the Rally, I set off on the Thursday afternoon (after voting in the Scottish Independence Poll) and Kathleen who was working on the Thursday and who falls into the camp of people who would not choose to sit in a car for 800 miles flew down to Norwich on the Friday morning. As the Rally was under an hour from Norwich Airport we could arrive early and make the most of the Friday there.

Friday 19^th September

This year the Rally was to be based at the Waveney River Center which is a holiday center on the River Waveney  a few miles inland from Lowestoft. The approach to the Waveney River Center is via some pretty narrow single track roads with relatively few passing places, but fortunately we did not meet anyone coming from the other direction.

Arriving at the Center in the early afternoon we immediately set about getting Tra Bhui in the water in order that we could get the cockpit tent set up and ourselves organised which would in turn allow us time to go and explore the surrounding area during the afternoon.

The River Center has an easily accessible slipway next to the basin where we would be mooring. After checking in with reception, buying our 48 hr. license for the Broads and paying our launching fee we parked Tra Bhui at the top of the slipway in order to rig her and get her into the water. What is usually a quick and simple operation became a minor epic.  

Determined to overcome the minor furling problem with the genoa which is caused by the forestay having been incorrectly supplied without a separate trace for the jib up haul, I ended up raising and lowering the mast three times as I tried a number of minor variations and configurations of blocks to solve the problem. The trial and error way of rigging was worth it in the end as the furling worked perfectly when we used it. 

Break Back Trailer

It was a rather reluctant Tra Bhui that slid from her trailer into the River Waveney once we had at last finished rigging her. Normally she runs freely off her trailer but this time a good bit of shoving was required – something to entertain our fellow ralliers who by now were starting to arrive. 

With Tra Bhui afloat and the cockpit tent erected I took the crew to the nearby pub for a very belated lunch only to find that they had stopped serving food 2 hrs. earlier! Boy was I a popular skipper by then!!!

Tent up - time to go and explore

After a quick cup of tea and some peanuts in the Waveney Arms we set out to explore the immediate area. The Waveney River Center sits pretty much on it’s own miles from anywhere with only a few houses and a church nearby. The church was a very interesting building with a square Ziggurat inspired stepped tower and a mixture of brick and flint stone walls.

After a pleasant walk south westwards along a country lane (England) /  single track road (Scotland) called Straith Road (so it is not a lane after all!) which heads nowhere in particular but is part of a network of lanes criss crossing the countryside we headed back to Tra Bhui. After trying out the marina’s showers which are shared with the adjacent campsite we retired to the Waveney Inn for dinner.

Saturday 20^th September

The calm of Saturday morning

After waking to a windless morning we set off in a generally west direction with the aim of “sailing” to the market town some 7 miles away. By mid-morning a light breeze could be felt but it gave anything but a constant wind and with every tree along the river appearing to effect it direction it offered challenging sailing conditions. This resulted in Tra Bhui doing far more motor sailing than sailing as each time the wind dropped or swung round a bit, the river current tended to cause the boat to “ferry glide” towards one of the river banks.

Drifting towards Beccles

The Gig is probably not the Drascombe best suited to the narrow stretches of water that form the Broads. With it’s long keel it does not turn as quickly as other boats in the range and it’s slightly deeper draft discourages one to venture too near the reed lined sides. When heading upwind on the Broads, the ability to short tack is vital to make any meaningful progress. Unfortunately this is not the Gigs strong point and gives me an excuse however spurious for not sailing when heading upwind in light winds.

Tied up at Beccles

Arriving at Beccles at lunch time we tied Tra Bhui up to a convenient  wharf where the other Drascombes that had arrived before us were already alongside.

While most appeared to be happy to eat  lunch on board, we set off to explore Beccles and to find a coffee shop.

The townscape of Beccles is dominated by the detached sixteenth-century bell tower of St Michael's church. Like the main body of the church, the tower is Gothic in style and is just under 100ft tall. The tower is not attached to the church and at the wrong end of the church as the correct end would be too close to a large cliff.

Other than the church tower there are a number of old building around the town center which adds a bit of character to the town. We found a pretty decent café for lunch before having a wander around the town.

Our sail back to Waveney offered a little more sailing   but still the outboard was needed to ensure we got back before dark.

Rally Dinner

The Rally Dinner was  held in the Waveney Inn which is part of the River Center. I think a good meal and an enjoyable time was had by all those who attended. After a few post meal drinks we retired to Tra Bhui for the night.

Miles sailed (motored) - 14 miles

Sunday 21^st September

To allow Kathleen to catch her flight home from Norwich we planned to be off the water, packed up and on the road by 14.00hrs. As most of the Rally participants had lengthy distances to travel and also wanted away sharp, our planned trip would be a shorter one to Oulton Broad which is just under 2.5 miles from the River Center.

Under way on the River Waveney

Oulton Broad is an expanse of water and marsh which forms part of the network of man-made bodies which form the Broads. The Broads themselves are believed to be the remnants of medieval peat cutting. To the east Oulton Broad is linked by a lock to Lake Lothing which passes through the center of Lowestoft and opens into the North Sea. To the west it is linked by Oulton Dyke to the River Waveney.

Oulton Broad is the most southern area of open water in the Broads system, and is a busy tourist and sporting center. It is one of the few broads that has adjacent residential areas, with houses to the north and flats to the east. The north side of the Broad is one of the most expensive residential areas in Lowestoft and includes large detached houses with lake frontages.

While the eastern and north shores of the Broad are built up, the west and south-west are quiet and natural.

After the calm of Saturday by Sunday the wind had risen with a vengeance and shortly after turning eastwards from the river Waveney we were running down wind on Oulton Broad at up to 4 knots under Genoa alone. With the Broads speed limit of 5 Knots and having had been stopped for speeding by the Broads Authorities the year before we had no need or desire to raise the main or even let the mizzen out!

"Racing" Daisy II back to Waveney

Arriving at the mouth of the Broad we lost the wind behind a group of trees so a short distance under motor was required. Just as we began to clear the trees the motor suddenly cut out and we drifted quietly into the reeds which line the river. Having checked the fuel system and supply to the engine, I reckoned the problem was electrical, but having loaded my tool box along with our camping and cooking stuff into the car to speed our departure when we got back I had no means of investigating the problem any further.

Preparing ourselves for a tow, I noticed that the engine cut off switch under the remote controls had been kicked to the off position. It just shows that the simple and obvious things should be the first things to check!

Satturday - red / Sunday - yellow

Back under power we made a circuit of Oulton Broad before motoring into a strengthening wind as we headed back to the River Center.

Packing up after the Rally

Hauling Tra Bhui out was less problematic than launching her and soon we were de-rigged and packed to go. With some time in hand we lunched at the Waveney Inn before saying our farewells and heading off to Norwich Airport.

After dropping Kathleen at Norwich Airport just before 3pm I headed northwards by road arriving home just before 11pm

Miles sailed / motored - 5 miles

Loch Lomond Rally September 2014

Written in the form of an article for DAN magazine

For anyone who has not yet enjoyed sailing on Loch Lomond the annual Drascombe Rally in September provides an ideal opportunity to sail on the largest loch or lake in Great Britain (by surface area). Within the United Kingdom, it is surpassed only by Lough Neagh and Lower Lough Erne in Northern Ireland.

Loch Lomond lies on the Highland Boundary Fault which demarks the boundary between the lowlands and highlands of Scotland. The fault is the reason for the stark contrast in landscapes between the north and south ends of the Loch and it is responsible for a number of the Loch’s islands.

The planned cruising area for this year’s rally was the area of Loch to the north and west of Balmaha as this area contains nearly all of the thirty odd islands in the Loch.

Having some “spare days”, I had planned a pre rally sail to the top of Loch Lomond (25 miles away); however this had to be put on hold due to adverse weather conditions. Not the wind and rain normally associated with September in Scotland, but sunshine, blue skies and a perfect calm! Not a ripple could be seen on the water. Was the Rally going to be two days under motor?

With my plans to be on the Loch on Thursday morning now abandoned, I launched our Gig - Tra Bhui at the Duncan Mills Memorial Slipway in Balloch late on the Friday afternoon and motored down the Loch towards the “Geggles”, a narrow passage between the islands of Inchmoan and Inchcruin.

For centuries Inchmoan was a source of peat fuel for the inhabitants of the nearby Lochside village Luss. In the centre of this island is a jungle of plant life with peat, rhododendron, birch, alder, gorse, bog myrtle and blueberry. The north and south shores offer long curving sandy beaches, whilst the western peninsula is covered in Scot's pine trees and is home to a large ruined building.

With darkness falling the anchor was dropped in a bay just short of the North West tip of Inchmoan and with the cockpit tent erected I settled down for the night enjoying the dead quiet of the Loch. A few of the other boats attending the Rally were also on the Loch and were spending the night at various different anchorages among the islands.

Saturday 13th September

On Saturday morning the Loch was covered in mist which reduced visibility to under a mile and with not a breath of wind a day under motor looked more than likely.

The plan for the day was to meet at Millarochy Bay on the west side of the Loch just north of the village of Balmaha. Our destination would depend on the wind direction, but with no wind we had numerous options to choose from.

"Crew"

I headed over to Millarochy Bay early as I wanted to walk back along the West Highland Way towards Balmaha to meet my wife Kathleen who was due to join me as crew for the weekend.
The West Highland Way is one of a number of long distance footpaths in Scotland. At 96 miles long it runs from Milngavie just outside Glasgow to Fort William on the West Coast. A section of it follows the east side of the Loch for 21 miles from Balmaha to Inverarnan.

The "Fleet" gathers on Saturday morning

By 11.00 (Drascombe Time) most of the Rally fleet which consisted of Coasters - Sula, Sula (yes two Sulas), Rosie of Dale, Prawnpipe and Clarach Mary; Drifter 22 – Clarach Mor; Long Boat Cruiser – Otter; Gig – Tra Bhui and Lugger - Lucy had assembled.

After a very informal briefing we set off northwards under motor to our lunch stop at a small un named beach which is surrounded by mature trees lies just behind one of the two Ross Islands. These small islands lie just off the south shore of the Ross promontory, about two miles south of Rowardennan on the east side of the Loch.

Heading for lunch under adverse weather conditions

Lunch over we headed southeastwards again under motor across the Loch to Luss where we briefly stopped for ice cream before continuing southwards through the narrow passage between Inchtavannach – “The Monks Island’ and Inchconnachan – “The Colquhoun’s Island”.

Inchtavannach is a long wooded island which rises steeply at it’s northern end to a rocky summit, which provides splendid views of the Loch and surrounding countryside. Bandry Bay separates the island from the mainland. It is thought that St Kessog was killed here.

Inchconnachan boasts a wealth of secluded bays that none of the other of islands can match. Throughout the summer these havens are filled with overnighting yachts and cruisers. The 1920s wooden bungalow situated near to the narrows was previously the holiday home of Lady Arran Colquhoun who introduced Wallabies to the island. The wallabies roamed wild and these strange creatures can still be seen today.

Still heading southwards we past the “Haven” a large sheltered lagoon, a popular anchorage and one used by some of the other boats on Friday night. Leaving Inchtavannach behind us we crossed over to Inchmurrin – “The Island of St Mirren” where we had arranged a “Rally” dinner at the Inchmurrin Hotel. The Inchmurrin Hotel is open from March to October and has become the venue for our traditional “Rally Dinner” as we can tie up for the night alongside the hotel’s small jetty, only yards from the small hotel itself.

Tied up outside Inchmurrin Hotel

Inchmurrin is by far the largest of Loch Lomond’s Islands and is truly an enchanting place with woodlands, meadows, high ridges and gentle valleys. There is a small community on the island centered around the hotel, a boatyard and a reasonable sized farm which not only rears beef cattle but which supplies the hotel with local fresh meats.

Set on a headland on the south western extremity of Inchmurrin stand the ruined walls of an ancient castle. Early Christian monks are known to have constructed a chapel somewhere nearby. This chapel was dedicated to St Mirren who is thought to have visited or lived on the island at some point.

Sunday 14th of September

Windier conditions on Sunday morning

Sunday morning saw a change in the weather due to the high pressure which had given us the unexpectedly good September weather moving northwards. A fresh wind from the south east provided ideal conditions for us to beat across the Loch to Inchcailoch – “The Island of the Nun”. 

Inchcailoch was an ideal upwind location for lunch as there is a sheltered sandy bay with a picnic area and a small campsite at the southern end of the island.

Lunch time on Inchcailoch

In 717AD three Christian missionaries arrived in Scotland from Ireland. After much travelling one of these missionaries settled on Inchcailloch and there she died. A nunnery was founded in her memory and in the twelfth or early thirteenth century a church was also built and dedicated to her memory.

For approximately 500 years the people of the mainland parish rowed across to their Sunday worship, and here they also buried their dead. Those ruins and the graveyard remain on Inchcailloch today.

Heading to Balmaha after lunch

Inchcailloch is now owned by Scottish Natural Heritage. Carefully maintained nature trails allow vistors to explore the island without causing undue disturbance to the wealth of vegetation and wildlife that lives there.

Tra Bhui's crew on Sunday 

After a very pleasant picnic on the beach the Rally fleet split as some of the boats headed back to Balmaha in the east where they had launched on Saturday, while those of us who had launched at Balloch in the south enjoyed a “run” across the Loch past Torrinch – “ The Tower Island” and Inchmnurrin where we had spent the previous night. By late afternoon we were packing the boats up on their trailers before heading homewards.

Running "home" to Balloch

Baltimore Rally Feeder Cruise August 2014

Baltimore Rally – Feeder Cruise

Having arrived home with Tra Bui on the Thursday afternoon and after carrying out some necessary repairs to the standing rigging and the trailer, Saturday saw both car and boat repacked ready for our planned trip to the Baltimore Rally Feeder Cruise. Due to work commitments Kathleen was unable to spare the time for the week long trip so our son Scott who was is to sit his Day Skipper examination in August came along to rack up an extra few sea miles.

Sunday 3^rd August

Yet another ferry crossing!

With Tra Bhui in tow we set off from home at to catch the 07.30hrs Ferry from Cairnryan to Larne in Ireland. The ferry is pretty quiet and as we set sail into a very wet and grey day we tuck into bacon rolls and coffee as we watch the ladies Cycling event at the Commonwealth Games on the TV. It may still be dry in Glasgow but the weather we are sailing through on the ferry is heading their way!

Larne is wet! We head south towards Belfast and then continue south to Dublin and Cork looking out on the way for a supermarket where we can stock up with provisions. In Scotland it is easy enough to find a supermarket when travelling along a motorway or trunk road as developers seam to build them at junctions, not so in Ireland which appeared to us as a land devoid of large supermarkets.

Reaching Cork the until now wide and empty roads change to more rural country roads. The Irish do not appear to be believers in straight roads and prefer meandering roads complete with Tractors and “Sunday” drivers. Having made good time to Cork we then proceeded to follow many a tractor, push bike any other slow moving vehicle the locals could find, for two very slow hours until we reached the outskirts of the coastal town of Bantry.

Nearly there

Now that we had our destination in sight it was time to call Jack O’keefe who as “Cruise” organizer had already launched Tyboat and who was somewhere in Bantry bay. The call would let us know where he was and where we should launch.

Looking out over Bantry Bay

Jack was moored off Bere Island and suggested that we launch at Castletown - Bearhaven which was another hour or so away around the bay and which had two potential slipways, one at the ferry and one in the harbour. On arriving in Castletown - Bearhaven we found the town to be bursting with tourists and people out for the day. Driving along the main street was a challenge in itself as cars were parked on both sides of the road and the rest of the road was being used as a number of informal beer gardens outside the many pubs and bars in the town. Finding it impossible to stop let alone get into the car parks beside the slipways we had no alternative but to continue through the town until we could find a place to stop on the far side.

Calling Jack again to discuss alternative launch venues, Jack was able to suggest that there may be a small usable slipway 5 miles or so outside the town. Unfortunately as it was an isolated spot there was no Sat Nav features to go to, nor were any of the small roads leading to it named. Taking Jacks advice of go 5 miles or so and turn left we set off again. Having passed one road at 4.5miles, another at 5.5 miles and a third at 6.3 miles we turned around and took the one at 5.5 miles which was exactly the same width of Tra Bhui’s trailer! This could be fun!!

500 yards or so down the road we met a local car which graciously pulled into a field entrance to let us passed. As we pulled alongside, Scott lowered his window to get directions, which turned into a bit of a pantomime when once we had established that we were looking for a “slipway” and not a “slipway” (It is in the pronunciation!!!) the local looked at us incredulously and advised that there was no slipway down this road. I asked him if we turned around and headed back could he give us directions to which he replied that there was no need to turn around as we could go along the road we were on (having just told us there was no slipway in the direction we were heading!), and if we took the first right and then the first left we would see the slipway.

First sight of Black Ball Bay 

Onwards again and the road started to climb which when you are looking for a slipway is never a good sign! Shortly after starting to climb a lovely carpet of grass started to appear and the verges grew higher and closer together. With the trailer wheels now running on the verge on each side we reached the top of the hill and the right turn that we needed to take. The right hand turn was an adventure in itself and soon we were driving down a steeply inclined track towards a farmyard. Convinced we were on the wrong road I was surprised to find that the road actually wrapped its way around the farm buildings before delivering us to the left hand turn which involved an incredibly steep  hairpin bend which was so tight that I could practically reach out my window and touch Tra Bhui’s gunwales as we drove around it,

At anchor in Black Ball Bay

Sure enough after another half mile or so we found the promised slipway and pulled into a grassy area in order to inspect the slipway and the end of the road before committing ourselves to using it.

The slipway was ideal although the acute angled bend halfway down which was part blocked by a boat on a trailer would prove to be a bit of challenge. Looking seawards from the slipway, Black Ball Bay looked very promising as a sheltered overnight anchorage so we set about getting Tra Bhui rigged and launched.

Tyboat at anchor - Black Ball Bay

With Tra Bhui in the water a couple of locals very generously suggested that we park the car and trailer in a nearby field beside their cousin’s house where it would be safe while we were away.

Jack joined us at anchor in the bay just before midnight as he had sailed around from Bere Island so that both boats would be able to set off early the next morning to make the most of the morning tides.

Monday 4^th August

Black Ball harbour / Cannalough to Crookhaven

With breakfast out of the way we passed out of the natural harbour a few minutes before 08.00hrs and some 20 mins after Jack on Tyboat – there are some disadvantages of a tent over a fixed cabin. With the wind on our port bow we beat in a general SSE direction towards Mizzen Head which is the southernmost part of Ireland.

Scott helming towards Mizzen Head

The south coast of Ireland is stunningly beautiful with dramatic sea cliffs set against a background of green countryside. As we crossed the mouth of Bantry Bay we were joined by a school of dolphins which took great pleasure in playing around Tra Bhui as we sailed along. Soon the dolphins were joined by a Puffin which circled around us, it’s wings beating at an unbelievable speed.  Later in the day we were also fortunate enough to see a whale which rose twice near us.

Mizzen head is the southernmost part of Ireland and is associated with strong tides which lead us to give it a wide berth. After rounding the head we took an inner line towards our destination Crookhaven while Jack in Tyboat kept further offshore. Jack's route proved to be better as with the wind dropping and becoming more and more fickle reached the stage where we were making no way against the tide. Jack however appeared to have more wind and less tide so while he sailed into the mouth of Crookhaven harbour, we had to resort to the outboard.

Crookhaven Harbour

Crookhaven harbour was a busy little place with numerous holidaymakers out enjoying the sunshine. 

Scott - crew for the week

Amid the numerous vessels of all descriptions we managed to find a suitable place to drop our anchor a 100m or so from the very congested village pontoon.

Ashore we enjoyed a pint outside what is advertised as Ireland’s most southerly pub, a claim which may be hard to substantiate as we then went next door – southwards- for another pint and some locally caught fish and chips at the pub next door!

The southern most pub in Ireland

Miles sailed - 24

Tuesday 5^th August

Crookhaven to North Harbour – Cape Clear via Fastnet Rock

Crookhaven - early morning

For a change Tra Bhui was the first boat away today. With no wind we motored out of the harbour to the open sea where we hopefully raised our sails to catch what little wind there was. Our planned route would take us around the Fastnet rock which we could see on the horizon some 7 miles away. As we moved gradually offshore the wind filled in and soon we were beating into a south easterly wind towards the rock.

Towards Fastnet - where is the wind?

At Crookhaven we had been joined by Vernon and Kay Turnball on their Drifter 22. The Drifter 22 is not known as the best boat to beat to wind wards with and soon we had opened up a reasonable gap , however as usual Jack on Tyboat was the man to beat – not that any of us was racing – having left last from Crookhaven, Jack appeared alongside us as we approached the Rock before bearing away to investigate the possibility of landing there.

With Scott on the helm we rounded the rock just as a rain front moved in. In heavy rain we reached towards the Island of Cape Clear.  Heading towards the only harbour shown on the charts we had an exhilarating sail as the front brought fresh winds and soon we were topping 6.5 knots over ground. 

The South Harbour on Cape Clear is at the end of an inlet cut into the surrounding rocks by millions of years of geological happenings and erosion. The harbour itself consists of a short wharf and little else. Picking the most sheltered spot we could find we dropped anchor  and in pouring rain quickly got the tent up and some hot lunch on. As time passed we began to wonder where the other boats had gone to and were surprised when Jack asked us on the radio where we were as they were in the harbour and could not see us!

Cape Clear - North Harbour

It turned out that the main harbour on Cape Clear is the north harbour which is home to the ferry, the fishing fleet and tourist boats, but for some strange reason is not shown on the charts! With the tent still up we motored around the end of Cape Clear to the north harbour where we found theother two boats anchored off of a small beach inside the harbour.

Once Jack had heaped praise on us for our navigation we berthed Tra Bhui alongside the stone wharf of the old harbour while the others decided to remain at anchor.

North Harbour redevelopment

As it was still wet we all decided to eat out at the small restaurant that is part of the island’s shop and which overlooks the harbour only a few yards away from the boats. Once again fish and chips were the order of the day.

Miles sailed - 15

Wednesday 6^th of August

Cape Clear to Baltimore

Exploring Cape Clear

?????

Waking to bright sunshine and with Baltimore our destination only a few miles away, Scott and I took the opportunity to explore Cape Clear in the morning with the plan to set sail around lunchtime. 

Cape Clear is a beautiful little island with what appears to be quite a busy little community relying on the summer tourism for a large part of it’s income. The island has very few cars which made our circular walk along the narrow single track roads very enjoyable. Having just had serious knee surgery Scott was conscious of not overdoing it and damaging his now recovering knee again so the walk was good exercise for him however he did manage a fairly spectacular injury to the end of his big toe when he caught it on the road surface!

Drascombe - Dinghy Display Team

Back at North Harbour Jack and Vernon had had a strenuous morning reading and eating while Kay went exploring. As the sun was out and the wind was favourable we decided it was time to go and Tra Bhui led the fleet out of the harbour and east towards Baltimore.

The wind which had blown from the south east yesterday had swung round to the west which allowed us to run down the north  side of Cape Clear and Sherkin Island, around the north end of Sherkin Island and into the harbour at Baltimore.

Baltimore harbour is a busy little place with a large sailing club, a role on roll off ferry slip, innumerable moorings and pontoons.  The actual Rally which was starting the next day was starting to attract Drascombes of all types. The favoured point of mooring seemed to be rafting up in a fairly chaotic way in the small inner harbour, but as we were sleeping on board and as I did not want to subject Tra Bhui to the bumps and scrapes that would go with rafting up in this manner we opted to finding a quiet place to anchor in the bay on the north side of Baltimore which was only 5 or 10 minutes’ walk from the town centre and the sea front.

Having arrived at Baltimore we had to recover the car and trailer from Black Ball Harbour / Cannalough which was approx. 78 miles away by road. As we had nothing planned for the evening we decided that this  was as good a time as any to go for the trailer. 

Baltimore Sailing Club

Buses in the Baltimore area are as scarce as leprechauns! Using the only bus service would take me 11 hours the  next day to get to the car so the only option was to take a taxi. I have an irrational dislike of taxis and I normally go to extremes to avoid them so it was painful to agree to the fixed price that Jack’s friend at the local hotel was able to negotiate for us with the local taxi firm.

Baltimore

78 miles later and it appeared that the fixed price was not a fixed price at all and the miserable little git that drove us there demanded more money from us, despite knowing where we were going and giving us the price in the first place! After demanding more money he hoped that there were no hard feelings! Hard luck pal, not only are there hard feelings but I wish ten thousand punctures on you which must be the taxi equivalent of a plague of locusts. Be warned if you need to take a taxi in Baltimore beware of the git in the VW Transporter who is not man enough to honour any agreement with him.

The highlight of our journey back was stopping for some of the best chips I have ever had – more high dining for the crew on Tra Bhui. Scott did not have any highlights as after rashly promising to keep me company slept most of the taxi journey and the return trip, waking only to be fed.

We had had a very generous offer from Kay to drive me around for the car on the Thursday which would have meant both of us missing a day’s sailing. The offer was greatly appreciated, but I felt it would be unfair to accept it as she was here on holiday and she should not be spending it driving me around – Drascombe owners always willing to help out!

Miles sailed - 13

Thursday 7^th August

Day sail from Baltimore

Having retrieved the trailer on the Wednesday evening we had a free day to go sailing and join in with the first day of the Baltimore Rally. After the morning briefing we headed out into Baltimore bay where we tacked about for a bit while the other boats got ready and set sail. As a Gig Tra Bhui is one of the faster boats in the Drascombe range so we did not want to be too near the front when we set off as we wanted to sail with the others.

Our destination for the day was the eastern of the Skeams Islands which lie to the northwest of Baltimore. The rally fleet of circa 27 Drascombes (yes 27!) was to be accompanied by kids from the local sailing club sailing a variety of dinghies and accompanied by a number of rescue boats. As Baltimore bay has a  pretty narrow access channel to the north the prospect of fifty odd sailing boats squeezing past Spanish Island and Sherkin Island at the same time was going to be interesting. As it turned out things became even more interesting when the local ferry decided that it was going to set sail at the same time.

Showing great seamanship the local sailing school chose to keep well out of the way of the ferry which was magnificently held up by a number of Drascombes which oblivious to the large metal monster behind them gaily sailed up the center of the navigable channel. 

The ferry being held up allowed the sailing school to fill the channel behind it so that when the ferry eventually managed to pass the offending Drascombes (what ferry, Oh!!!! That ferry!!! S**t!!!!!). All fifty odd boats converged at the elbow in the channel at the top of Sherkin Island. To make matters even more interesting the elbow in the channel was the narrow point which funneled the incoming tide into force that stopped everybody in their tracks as the sailing school boats being smaller and more nimble frustrated any attempts to tack around the elbow when the normal rules of right of way were thrown out of the proverbial window!

Luckily we were slightly ahead of the carnage and with clear water ahead of us we matched Vernon and Kay in their Drifter 22 as we sailed past Heir Island to our lunch stop at a beautiful sandy beach at the end of Skeam Island.

Twenty seven Drascombes along a beach is an impressive sight!

After a very pleasurable lunch in the sunshine Scott and I set off to explore the island. The ruins of a number of good size farm houses were all that was left of the small community that had once lived there. The houses would make ideal homes for someone who did not mind the commute by boat to the mainland.

Back on board we opted for a longer sail back to Baltimore and joined by a few other boats we set off around the Skeam Islands in an anticlockwise direction. By the time we had reached the south end of south Skeam the wind had died to nothing so we headed back to Sherkin Island under motor and sail and dropped anchor just off the pontoons in front of the Island’s hotel.

As we had taken a longer way back from the Skeam Islands, we arrived as most people were finishing their meals in the beer garden in front of the hotel, but as we planned to stay there at anchor overnight we were in no rush and made the most of the evening.

Miles sailed - 10

Friday 8^th August

We  were hauling out at Baltimore a mile or so across the bay and we had to get up to Dublin by early afternoon. As we wanted to use the roll on roll off ferry slip before the ferry started an early start was called for. By 6.00am Tra Bhui was being winched on to her trailer and by 8.00am we had said our farewells and were heading north to Dublin where we were meeting family and flying to Portugal while Tra Bhui was going into short term storage for collection in September just before the Loch Lomond Rally.

Total Miles sailed - 62

Feeder Cruise Track shown in yellow