Glandore
More basking sharks spotted on the passage to Glandore, always special. The mackerel are getting bigger too! Great sailing along the Irish Coast with the sun still shining. Glandore harbour looked particularly inviting with the large estate houses and rolling green lawns down to the water.
More basking sharks spotted on the passage to Glandore, always special. The mackerel are getting bigger too! Great sailing along the Irish Coast with the sun still shining. Glandore harbour looked particularly inviting with the large estate houses and rolling green lawns down to the water.
Chatted to a local once we were anchored who came past in his dingy after being out to see the basking sharks. It was great to meet Shaun and after a great chat (he had visited Australia the year before) I offered him a couple of mackerel from the days catch only to learn he ran the local fish smoke house, therefore his own unlimited supply! He invited us up the next day for a tour and look which was fantastic and we also came away with a very generous gift of Union Hall Smoked Goods – delicious!!!
Later in the afternoon we found ourselves a great table at the pub overlooking the river and watched the local small boats race (including our new mate Shaun) and then watched yachts similar size to us cross the finish line in front us after having raced from Kinsale. We made friends with some from the race and ended up at the local yacht club for a BBQ dinner with everyone.
Kinsale
A sweet little colourful seaside village with a couple of old castles on each side of the river. Town feels like a very holiday orientated place with lots of B&B and cottages and gift shops galore and everything pretty expensive (from ice-creams to the marina fees) but all very nice especially with the sun shining.
Two days in shorts and tshirts on the water and we have both got a nice tan already, we stood out at the local beach as all the locals were sparkling white skinned, the beach was full of people all enjoying the weather, many swimming, I went in up to my waist and then chickened out .. far too fresh! Had a giggle at an old fella asleep on the beach in his shorts and socks – shoes off beside him on the towel!!
Were passed by the Irish Navy out on the sea who looked like they were heading into Cork.
Leaving Kinsale we sailed past the Old Head of Kinsale Links golf course. Pictures don’t do it justice but a golf club right on the cliffs around the light house. I have since googled it and it looks very flash, very expensive and a great place to bash a little white ball around, the views would be spectacular – wind may affect your game pretty severely tho on the wrong day. Not sure why but the pictures on their web site are much better than mine taken from Red Roo.
Ardmore Bay
Sunshine oh glorious sunshine.
Hardly any wind so very, very slow in the boat but oh so beautiful.
And to top off an awesome day on the water there were also basking sharks in the water (spotted 6 of them in the area) and got close to 2 of them and they were happy for us to near them. They were about 7 meters long with two very distinct dorsal fins and a big wide open white mouth scooping up the plankton in the water. Magical. Just magical.
After such a great day on the water we decided to pick up a buoy in Ardmore Bay (amoungst the basking sharks) and take the dingy to shore for fish and chips on the beach for dinner (in the remaining sun) only to learn the fish and chip shop had no chips – devastating!!!
Dunmore East
The entrance of the River Barrow (where we were up at Waterford). We rafted the fishing boats on the pier to set ourselves up to leave tomorrow and head west across the bottom coast of Ireland. Phil has learnt that this part of Ireland they prefer to drink their Guinness from a glass bottle rather than from a tap (keg/barrel) so of course it had to be tested, how could he possibly make an informed decision without trying both!!
Waterford
Got to say we were both a little disappointed with Waterford. It was a long way up the river to the city (over 3 hours motoring from the sea) and the city was dissapointing and the facilities for yachts were terrible in fact the worst we have encountered to date (now May 2017). Phil walked the towns historic Viking sites whilst I did the Waterford Crystal tour. We set ourselves up with phone and internet and got out of there, another long 3 hours motoring back out to the ocean.
I must mention that on the way to Waterford from Kilmore Quay just at the entrance to the river from the sea we did enjoy watching the Search and Rescue Helicopter doing some training drills, winching men in and out of the water. Hopefully it is as close as we ever get to these awesome people.
Kilmore Quay – Republic Of Ireland
Republic of Ireland ☺ Country number 5! A great crossing with good wind in the sails and doing an average of 5-6 knots for the 12 hour passage. All settled in and secure in Kilmore Quay by 5pm it was of course time for a local brew so off to the closest pub for a Guinness, we are both fans of this fulfilling brew and I must say these couple tasted particularly great.
The first gent we met at the pub was “Paddy” (I tell no lies) and he was 163 not out, short and only had one front tooth and the conversation that followed had to be passed though the lady behind the bar to us as his thick accent meant we couldn’t understand a word he said! Classic!
We also met Tony & Jenny from Freja in the pub a British couple also exploring Ireland (having arriving at the same time and sharing the pontoon with them). A great evening of bangers and mash and Guinness followed (and was the start of many more to come in Ireland and back in the UK).
Phil also did some shore fishing (this is where he walks along the pier and quays chatting to all the crews on the fishing boats and comes back with a free feed of today’s catch – my opinion is they give him the fish so he will go away and leave them to their work, but whatever – it works). Enjoyed a good feed of crab claws with the Freja’s. Looking forward to seeing more of this land called Ireland.
Custom requirements were completed with the local police “Garda” from Rosslare who were very welcoming, they came on board for a cuppa with us and a chat whilst stamping me into their country. I was given the maximum stay of 90 days and a clear message if I want to stay longer then all I need to do is just see the local Garda where-ever I am and they will happily give me another stamp for another 90 days.
Skomer Island
Puffins, hundreds and thousands of Puffins and other birds nowhere near as cute or endearing therefore will not bother to name them, nor mention them again. After not seeing any puffins at Lundy is was an absolute treat to see them everywhere on Skomer. In the water around the boat, on the cliffs, in the grass, in nests, walking across the paths in front of you literally meters away. They are obviously used to the people watching them and taking pictures.
Here is where I must put my hand up and confess to not being a bird fan, Phil however enjoys identifying and naming all the birds we see continuing in vain to impress them upon me, whereas it’s not something I feel the need to learn. As a huge nature and animal lover it is a little strange that I don’t find birds endearing in fact quite the opposite, but puffins well they have just done a considerable good job of changing my mindset.
They are so adorable and clumsy. They are sea birds living on the sea and only coming to land each year to bread. They fly but they do not look comfortable or in any way sleek they flap their wings up to 400 times a minute in flight but don’t bother folding in their legs, they just leave them sticking out and look funny.
Had a great day watching these little fellas and stayed the night in the bay on the mooring buoy watching them swoop, swim and fish around the boat until dark.
Milford Haven – Wales
Our forth country and Milford Haven I am sure isn’t exactly the jewel in the crown as far as the best place to visit in the country of Wales, however it was sufficient for our needs, those being to sort a couple of issues with the boat.
Milford Haven is a large industrial centre with many petrochemical plants along the river and associated large shipping to go with (no pictures of those as they are not exactly pretty). Also many yacht harbours up the river as well as chandlers (yacht shops) which was what we needed to fix an issue with our refrigerator. It normally automatically cuts in and out to keep at the required or set temperature however this function wasn’t working and we were manually having to run it (or turn it off so it wasn’t continually running) which isn’t a big deal but it is much better when it does it automatically. We found an electrical engineer who assisted with the problem and it also have the Captain a chance to pull the head (a fancy name for the onboard toilet) apart and clean the pipes – he gets all the good jobs). We had been using a bucket for a couple of days since the pipes blocked whilst at Lundy.
We did take a day out whilst waiting on parts to arrive to walk to Pembroke Castle and explore the region, Pembroke Castle a medieval castle built in 1093 and a major site in the Norman invasion. More recently however it was featured in the film “Me before You” based on the book by Jo Jo Moyes. Jobs done we left Milford Haven ready to head to Ireland.
Lundy Island
Our first encounter with fog, thick fog, frightening fog. We had sailed north from Padstow and anchored for the night on the west of the island. Slept well and arose to a calm sea and got organised to sail on (we had no intentions of landing on Lundy) and as we sailed around the south east end of the island near landing bay everything went white and disappeared. I was actually a little frightened such a daunting feeling, feeling very exposed and vulnerable. Sure it’s a big ocean and the chances are small but it was so very thick, it was a strain to see the bow of our boat from the stern (a bit over 12 meters). Out came the fog horn and the kitchen timer to be sure we sounded our horn (compressed air can with pump to refill) every 2 minutes as per regulations (me, well I personally would have been happy to sound off the ear piercing siren every 30 seconds – call it nerves!). I think my nerves were due to the fact we had just entered the ferry zone for tourists coming to visit the island.
Then all of a sudden Phil spotted a boat, a large tourist boat anchored in the bay not far off our port side, it wasn’t sounding a fog horn and it was anchored so a silent ship but enough to kick start the heart even faster. As we continued to crawl along at a very slow pace the sound of multiple small outboard engines was unsettling we were later to discover these were the small ribs transporting tourists from the boat to the island. We continued on past the ferry landing zone and snuck in as close to the island as we dared (couldn’t see land) and once we reached 7 meters of water and dropped the anchor. We heard (but didn’t see) the passenger ferry approach and then leave. Later in the day the fog lifted and we were greeted by huge imposing cliffs of Lundy and a stunning bay and were impressed with our anchoring spot (fluke).
It also just happened to be outside the landing bay meaning we could also fish from the boat. It turned into a glorious day, but a little late to start our passage north, so enticed by the rolling green hills and cliffs launched the dingy to go to shore and explore.
Lundy is a National Trust Island and has a small campground, a couple of lighthouses a pub and a couple of old farm houses that you can hire out to stay in. It’s very popular with bird watchers (twitchers) and the National Trust run it as a farm as well as a little tourism venture. The tourist ferry drops passengers there around 10am in the morning, and then for those not interested in landing (and climbing the steep hills to get onto the island) does a trip around the island to view the lighthouses, cliffs, seabirds and seals, and then picks the land passengers up again about 4pm and goes back to the mainland.
We filled the day in walking the circumference of the island which was stunning, the day now warm and clear (no wind, funny enough hence the fog). The lighthouses at each end were very impressive. One now accommodation and the other heritage listed, lots of farm life in the form of highland cattle and sheep as well as lots of native deer and plenty of birds. As we were started our walk back down the hill back to the dingy in the bay the fog settled back in and we learnt a valuable lesson…. We should have taken a GPS position of the boat, we set off in the dingy in the direction of the boat that wasn’t visible until we got fairly close!!
Padstow – May Day!
We were also fortunate enough to be in Padstow for May Day.
To be in the very centre of this event in the harbour was a truly magical experience, the celebrations are all around the harbour and the festivities started days before and went on for days after. We dressed Red Roo in all her flags and didn’t it look a lovely sight with the boats and streets all dressed for the event.
With thanks to Mike and Reg who gave us the local information on when and where to stand to see the best of the parades and the Obby Osses. Red Roo being in the centre of it also made a great rest stop for Mike and Reg to come for coffee and cake during the festivities. I am finding it hard to describe and write about it, so will insert my daily diary notes, they probably say it best, also below are some links to further information on the history of the event;
Saturday – May Day long weekend has arrived and started very nicely with a folk band on the grandstand (15 meters from the boat), they played the same tune all morning but the atmosphere was great. Flag raising day today for Red Roo to dress her up ready for Monday May Day. We have brought two lengths of small nautical flags which run from the top of the mast to the bow and stern each 12.5 meters long. We have the UK flag on the stern (as normal) and flying the small Australian and Cornwall courtesy flags midship also. We then have a large cornwall flag and a large boxing kangaroo which are flying port and starboard near the bow – it looks great! The other boats in the harbour are dressed also and there is just enough breeze to get them all flying nicely. Seems like thousands of people in town, so many taking pictures of the boats (would be nice to have a dollar for every picture taken). There is a carnival/fair setting up in the car park on the other side of the quay.
Sunday – May Day Eve and another day with thousands of people milling around the streets. A couple more boats have arrived in the harbour. Along the pontoon there is ourselves on the end prime position, Martin just back from us in an old wooden motor sailor who visits each year especially for May Day, further along are three older blokes on a yacht who also come each year (they have a lot of big flags), also another guy on a yacht who hasn’t had the correct weather to sail on (not hard for him to stay), and two local motor boats with half a dozen locals staying on each of them for the weekend partying (they have already given us a bottle of wine to say sorry for noise in advance). We haven’t met anyone from the boats around the outside of the wall. At sunset tonight a large truck came around dropping of large branches of greenery (basically tree’s) and they are now being tied to the rails and light poles along the streets they look great. The pubs on the quayside also put up more flag this evening, amusing to watch as a dozen blokes with beer stood around instructing one guy up a very tall ladder what to do! Around 11pm we walked up to the maypole (one block back from the harbour) and there were hundreds of people singing the may day song. It was the first time we have heard the song and it sounded fantastic. Just before midnight we went to the Golden Lion where the band (piano accordions and drums) were in the street, right on midnight there was two minutes silence followed by a group of around 50 locals who serenaded the owners who were up on the second floor windows with they may day song, they then moved on along the street to the other houses (they sing outside the houses of the most elderly residents in town), so magical and special. The words are beautiful also basically telling them to “rise up Mr ____ (or Mrs _____) summer is a coming today” we followed the procession for an hour and half before heading back to the boat to sleep.
Monday MAY DAY – Unbelievable, how to describe this day? Up early to see the Children’s Obby Oss, it was so good to see so many children involved singing dancing and playing musical instruments, this tradition is going to be carried on for generations to come. The kids Oss came down onto the boat ramp into the harbour close to us.
The “old” Oss (red Oss) came out at 11am it got the crowd going all over again. They both weaved in and out of the streets all morning (different streets so there was always something to watch), they took a half hour break for lunch then started again at 13:00 and went through until 19:00.
We went with Mike up to the parish church which was full of people (apparently some people wait there all day just to see it pass through the church) I can now understand why the acoustics in the church made the sound unbelievable. It then proceeded up to Prideaux Place (the mansion at the top of town), it was great that Mike knew the route so was able to keep placing us in the best spots to watch the precession.
At the end of the day about 20:00 both Oss’s came out for the final time and finally met at the maypole and danced together, the red and blue bands met and combined the street was alive with spirit. I think in the end we retired back to the boat exhausted well before the Oss’s and the bands finished their day.
The stamina of the parade unbelievable especially for the MC of each Oss carrying the staff. At least with the band there are so many of them they can take turns to rest and they certainly swap out the person in the Oss every 15 minutes or so but the MC he leads the procession ALL DAY, carrying the staff, raising it in the air to the beat of the music. The May Day celebrations or Obby Oss day can attract up to 30,000 people in little Padstow town and it sure felt like it. The origins of May Day are so old the true history as to why they do it is unknown (or disputed) as well as the reason there are two Oss’s (blue and red). Thought to date back over 4,000 years some say it began in pagan times others believe it is to mark the start the start of summer or a rain making fertility ceremony or even a deterrent to the French attempting to land at Padstow with the Oss’s scaring them away. Whatever the origins it is obvious that it brings this community togerher in a way that is rare in this day and age. The tradition is strong and the people are proud. The songs are beautiful and the tune will remain in my head and my heart for many years to come. We feel very lucky to have participated.
Tuesday – The day after May Day and it really is locals day. The tourists have gone or are hung over and it is time for those who paraded, sang, played all day yesterday to relax. They hang out at the pubs and break out into songs, it still felt very special being in the town. We listened on and off during the day to folk choir singers who would stand around in a circle outside the pub (near Red Roo) holding their beers and sing – no instruments just voices that sounded amazing. Singing everything from Madonna to U2 to ballards such as Bottany Bay and bound for South Australia!
Links to more information on May Day
Link to Padstow Obby Oss web site where you can see pictures, video’s and hear the music.
Red Roo 
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