China Girl, UK Circumnavigation - Year 4

It's July 28th, we are in Ballycastle, NI and we have arranged to meet Steve for his re-arranged, covid ruined trip out with us, in Kyle of Lochalsh, Skye, on 3 August. This is about 160 miles so we need to get our skates on compared to the trundling along that we have been doing. 28th, Ballycastle [...]

01 August 2022 | Kyleakin

Sightseeing

Four nights in Ballycastle, a very pretty little place with good transport links. One day to chill, one for sightseeing, and one to clean and restock the boat. We got the bus from Ballycastle to Carrick a rede where the rope bridge crosses a chasm. Photo shows us on it. It was built to allow salmon [...]

01 August 2022 | Kyleakin

Survived!

Sorry I've been out of touch, no wifi anywhere and no 4G in some places. Limited data availability in the contract in NI.

19 July 2022 | Belfast Marina

Covid strikes China Girl

So, after 2 1/2 years of crewing ambulances and dealing with dozens of known Covid positive patients, here I am on holiday in Belfast and I've got it! One day before Steve was to join us for a six day sail, so he has had to cancel, very annoying. Ann's escaped so far; she has moved into the fore cabin [...]

16 July 2022 | Belfast Marina.

Belfast

So here we are in Belfast, with wifi and decent 4G, yippee. Ardglass to an anchorage at Copeland Island, which is at the south east corner of Belfast lough, 30 miles in 5 hours another excellent sail. Overnight there, pretty but not much to see, then a quick hop 19 miles in 4 h to Belfast city centre marina. Not the prettiest approach but the marina is OK, the showers are brilliant and the location walking distance from the city centre. What's not to like. Here till the 20th. On the 19th Steve Arnold, a sailing friend of long standing, is joining us for six nights. We'll decide where we are going with him (and the weather forecast!). In the meantime we are back to tourism (Belfast hop on hop off bus tour is very good) and boat cleaning. Photo shows the approach to Belfast marina, the Titanic exhibition building just in shot on the left.

16 July 2022 | Belfas

IoM to Northern Ireland.

Crossing planned from IoM to Ardglass in NI. We needed to go through the narrow channel between IoM and Calf of Man, a small Island at the southern tip of the main island. To do that we had to get the tides right. We could not get out of Douglas marina over the sill, down to the south of the island and through the sound with the right tides so we broke the journey in Port St Mary in the south Eastern end of the island overnight on a visitors buoy. Port St Mary to Ardglass, 35 miles in just over 6 hours, pretty good going. Very comfortable sail, mostly a beam reach, bits of motoring when the wind dropped. Two night in Ardglass to allow a bit of boat cleaning and maintenance. Pretty place but not a lot to do. No photos of Ardglass, not sure why, failed there. So photo to prove I am there with Ann, Douglas in the background.

Liverpool

28 September 2019 | Liverpool Marina

Ann and Steve Crome | Rainy

Been in Liverpool Marina since Sunday 22nd. Some days hiding on the boat from the rain. But also have done city centre and Beatles sites bus tours, The Beatles Experience exhibition, Merseyside Maritime Museum and the Motown Experience stage show. Highlight was he whole tour bus singing along to Penny Lane while the bus drove down that street.

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