China Girl, UK Circumnavigation - Year 5

From Bangor we need to get to Troon, CG's home for the winter. The weather is doing its best to stop us. Even at this late stage we had a few doubts about making it. It's spot the weather window again. Ray arrived on the 20th, a window opened up on the 21st to get to Glenarm, just up the NI coast [...]

26 September 2023 | Troon Yacht Haven

More rain.... Arrival of crew

Lots of rain in Strangford Lough. We arrived on the 14th, 15th we sat on the boat and watched the rain all day, did nothing, went nowhere. 16th we managed a quick hop from Ballydorn on the southern coast to Kircubbin on the north coast, about a 3 h trip sailing on the jib. A quick look around the village [...]

15 September 2023 | Ballydorn in Strangford Lough, county Down

From fog to rain

Carrying straight on from the last post. Dun Laoghaire to Skerries was 4 hours on the motor in winds up to only 7 kts, but at least it was dry. Since then our weather luck has changed. Skerries to Carlingford, 6 hours on the motor in rain. Carlingford marina has a very narrow entrance, so much so [...]

15 September 2023 | Ballydorn in Strangford Lough, county Down

Time Flies

Just found the time for an update, thinking the last had been about a week ago, only to find it's been nearly two weeks. Sorry folks. We've only moved CG five times, from Arklow to Dun Laoghaire (pron Leary) to Skerries to Carlingford lough to Ardglass to Strangford lough, 112 miles in all. The trip [...]

04 September 2023 | Arklow

Around the final corner

We left Kilmore Quay on the 2nd September to nip around Carnsore Point to anchor in Rosslare bay. The point is the end of the south coast for us and the start of the trip up the east coast to complete our circumnavigation. 3.5 hours mostly on the engine in little wind but a half hour sail towards the [...]

Back to Scotland

01 August 2022 | Kyleakin

Ann and Steve Crome

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 to the marina at Port Ellen on Islay, 27 miles, 5.25h, great sail in a beam on wind to start with then motoring when the wind died. P Ellen is a pretty little place, rarely somewhere we have been before; last year on the way back from Mull to Troon. 29th, P Ellen to a visotors buoy in L Staoenaig on Colonsay, 36 miles 7.5 h including a sleigh ride up the Sound of Islay at speeds up to 10.2 kts (4 kts of boat speed, 6 kts of tide); sailed almost all the way in great weather. Brilliant day. 30th, Colonsay to anchor off Coll, 40 miles, 8 h. Another brilliant sail but a lot of drizzle in the morning and showers in the afternoon. 31st Coll to anchor in Armadale Bay on Skye. 36 miles, 7 h about 50/50 sail/motor but great weather again. Today, Armadale to Kyleakin on Skye which is the opposite side of the channel crossed by the Skye bridge to Kyle of Lochalsh.

In the Sound of Islay we had a close encounter with the Islay Lifeboat, a Severn going full speed to a pan pan for a fishing boat broken down about 3 miles away from us. Had the lifeboat not been there we may have had to respond to another boat in trouble.

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