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

04 September 2023 | Arklow

Ann and Steve Crome | Very sunny!!

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 end made it a bit better.
Rosslare harbour is for ferries only, yachts are not welcome, but with the very low winds forecast we could anchor in the bay about a mile from the port. Very quiet night.

Following day (3rd) the weather forecast promised a nice light (5-10 kt) southerly to blow us up the coast on the cruising chute to Arklow. Almost not to be. 2-4 kts is too light even for the chute. It picked up to 10 kts towards the end of the 6h run and we got the chute up for 45mins. That is once we had remembered how to rig it, we haven't used it since June.

We're staying in Arklow until the 6th and going to Wicklow on the bus tomorrow. Forecast for the 6th is light southerlys (again?!) so hopefully a chute run all the way the Dun Laoghaire (pron Leery) our port for a few days in Dublin.

Photo shows a lovely sunset looking from CG to wards Rosslare village from Rosslare Bay.

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