China Girl, UK Circumnavigation - Year 5

Vessel Name: China Girl
Vessel Make/Model: Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 41DS
Hailing Port: Ipswich
Crew: Ann and Steve Crome
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26 September 2023 | Troon Yacht Haven
26 September 2023
26 September 2023 | Troon Yacht Haven
15 September 2023 | Ballydorn in Strangford Lough, county Down
15 September 2023 | Ballydorn in Strangford Lough, county Down
04 September 2023 | Arklow
04 September 2023 | Arklow
27 August 2023
21 August 2023 | Kinsale YC marina
21 August 2023 | Kinsale YC marina
21 August 2023
11 August 2023 | Lawrence Cove
11 August 2023 | Lawrence Cove Marina
05 August 2023 | Dingle
05 August 2023 | Dingle
24 July 2023
08 July 2023 | Port of Galway (still!)
30 June 2023 | Deerpark Manor B&B, Swinford, County Mayo
25 June 2023 | Galway Port marina
13 June 2023 | Clare Island, County Mayo
Recent Blog Posts
26 September 2023 | Troon Yacht Haven

Statistics

So, we made it all the way around Ireland at last. We've only been trying to do this since 2020.

26 September 2023

Made it...

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 [...]

Freshwater interlude

24 August 2022 | Portavadie Marina
Ann and Steve Crome | Big black cloud!!
The Crinan canal goes for 9 miles across the top of the Mull of Kintyre peninsula and saves a very long trip of about 120 miles around the Mull. Said like that it should be a lot less effort, or so we thought! 14 locks, 11 of which are totally man powered, is no mean amount of work for a couple of unfit, 60-somethings. We did it over two days and it's a good job we did. The pilot book says it can be done in a day. Only by a boat crewed by a rugby team I would say. It is very pretty, pottering along at 4 mph. But each lock takes about half an hour to negotiate. We went through with other boats providing help and there are canal staff to help with gates and sluices, opening the 5 road bridges and planning. But still no mean feat.

For a meal on our first night in the canal the only choice was a 3* hotel that looked like the worst of run down Blackpool sea front. But the food was amazing. You never know what you will find.

We came out of the canal this morning for a short trip across to Portavadie, only 10 miles. We got a sail party of the way which we hadn't expected so that was a bonus. Off to Little Cumbrae tomorrow, then to Troon for the winter.

Photo shows CG crammed in a lock with two other boats. Mostly we locked with only one other because of our size, but the lock keeper crammed a tiddler in with us on this lock which made things even more interesting
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China Girl's Photos - Main
Seen on 1st trip from Penzance to Scillies
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Created 11 July 2019
A few photos of the collection of ships made out of matchsticks
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Created 2 June 2019
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Created 28 May 2019
No Photos
Created 27 April 2019

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