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 [...]

Dodging the storms

05 August 2023 | Dingle

Ann and Steve Crome | Variable!!!

Well, we made it back to CG on the 26th as per our air tickets. The toilet no longer leaks and the wind generator is installed and working, albeit it took right up to the wire to sort it out. We arrived back in Kilrush on the 26th hoping to leave in the 28th but were stormbound there until the 1st. It also took until the 31st to get the last few bits of the wind generator sorted. (Actually there is one thing outstanding but that can wait until the winter.) So, huge storm up to the 31st and another coming through on the 2nd. A (very small) window of opportunity to move on the 1st - Kilrush to Fenit, 34 miles in 5 hours, a 2 h sail managed but the rest motoring into the wind. Then another storm on the 3rd, a 1 day window on the 4th and another on the 5th (today) We had hoped to do Fenit to Dingle over 2 days with a peaceful night in one of several pretty bays, But the weather gods say no way. A mad dash to Dingle, 46 miles in 7 h, all on the engine as too little wind to sail to beat a gale warning, force 8 winds coming through last night. It's really weird to be motoring in 5 kts of wind knowing there will be 50+ kts in the same place in less than 12 hours. Thank God for the weather forecasts.

Photo shows us coming out through Kilrush lock. Note the lovely sunny weather we are dressed for !

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