A twenty four hour weather window came up, which we decided to catch for our further journey North.
No doubt, our stay in Dún Laoghaire and Dublin was too short again but we have to sail with the winds and also want to have some days left to explore Scotland a bit.
17°C under the cockpit tent requires some warm layers and plenty of hot tea.
Fair winds…
Pubs have quickly become part of our life. Rankings seem to be important. While ‘‘Jonny Fox‘s‘‘ ranking remains undisputed, “The Brazen Head“, claiming to be the oldest Pub in Ireland, got many contenders. Cheers! 🍻
Fair winds…
One of my long time favourite songs…
Loch Lomond, performed in a Pub in Inverness.
Despite today’s weather was not as charming as forecasted, we got compensated by some magnificent landscape in the county of Wicklow. Chilly but rewarding, not only caused by the pitstop in Ireland’s highest pub!
Fair winds…
The two photos aside represent how colorful the city of Dublin presents itself. Traditional and modern aspects go hand in hand in many ways. Our walk took us around to explore both areas at the same time.
Lunch was served in “The Brazen Head“, which claims to be the oldest pub in Ireland, dating back to 1189.
Today’s walk was another nice experience supported by Komoot to get around in this exceptional capital city.
Dublin seems to be a biking city. There are not only serious cycling tracks downtown but also here in the suburb of Dún Loaghaire. Today‘s ride took me to some of the nearby local attractions. Pretty impressive, I think.
Fair winds…
We have arrived in Ireland‘s primary center for yachting and with 820 berth, the biggest marina in the country. Like Crosshaven, but on a different scale – a Sailing Mekka at the outskirts of Dublin city.
There is no bad weather and the fleet of Topper training boats passed by ready to be rocked by young sailing enthusiasts.
Looking forward to explore the area over the next few days.
Fair winds…
I am on watch now. Midnight to 3am. Well, I started 40min late as Jan allowed me some extra sweet dreams.
There is surprisingly little traffic here in the Irish Sea but plenty of shallow areas, which somehow compensates for it.
One of them has been utilized by the Arklow Bank Wind Farm, the one and only offshore wind park in Ireland. The seven turbines wind park is clearly visible on our radar. A bit surprising to me that there are not more offshore installations as there are plenty of opportunities left for green energy around the island.
The tide has turned in the meantime and is now setting South. 2kn against us. It will peak more than 3kn in about one hour. Some light backwinds are still pushing us overall North but I can’t wait for the tide to turn again in our favor to speed up.
First drizzle has arrived but the gusts associated with the approaching mini-depression will reach us later. More rain and gusts up to 30kn. A few hours and it will all be over again. We try to reach Dublin in time.
It is chilly but not cold. 17 °C under the cockpit tent.
Fair winds…
We have now pasted Tuskar Rock, a landmark within St. George‘s Channel at the southern entrance of the Irish Sea. The tidal current sits at 3-4kn at the moment. A few more hours it will be on out nose.
Unfortunately we have another little mini-depression in our neck, which was not forecasted as such at the time we left this morning. We might arrive in Dublin before it will reach its full strength but in any case this is an excellent learning and good fun with Co-Skipper & TideMaster Jan onboard.
The adventure continuous..
Fair winds…
Today‘s ride took me through some impressive country side to some more island hotspots. First I stopped by at Robert‘s Cove Beach before heading on to Kinsale. The two places could not be more different in many aspects.
Fair winds…
