Escape from the S Coast
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I have reflected on how Solent sailing used to be, and that I
was not really enjoying it any longer. I recalled doing my
Yachtmaster in the Hebrides in 1976, an area in which I much
enjoyed sailing, and I have visited a several times since, once
with a charter, and with friends who had their boats in the
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| Helford departure, 06.00 | Round the prop, 07.00 |
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In late May the English Channel was reluctant to let us go. Bad visibility meant that we had a final night at Studland, by Poole, a departure after the early morning forecast, head winds, a foul tide around Portland Bill, thick fog off Dartmouth at 03.00. A farewell meal at The Shipwrights Arms at Helford and a dawn departure. Not quite. The remains of a plastic tarpaulin round the prop an hour later meant a chilly dip before we were released. We again had head winds all the way - 54 hours to Kinsale (180 miles on the chart, 260 miles logged). What was noticeable though that when we cleared the chop off Lands End we got into the Atlantic swell. Even with f5-6 winds, two reefs in the main, it was a bit tedious, but not (to) uncomfortable. Thanks Robert Mellor, for getting me there.
It is another world. Stunning scenery, small fishing ports, good (uncrowded) restaurants, very few boats, but always interesting (both boats and crew), friendly natives. Sometimes challenging navigation to miss the rocks - or not as the case may be.
Robert departed at Kinsale, and I had a week on my own. This part of the coast is reasonably familiar to me and I took the opportunity to re-visit old haunts. A good spinnaker run Westwards in glorious sun with an overnight stop in Castlehaven, next day lunch in Barlogue Creek, where it was so hot I took the opportunity to paint the decks, and towards Baltimore in glorious sun, through Baltimore Harbour taking the shortcut to the wonderfully named Roaring Water Bay. This is quite narrow, but I have used it a number of times before and thought I was familiar with it. It involves going between a line of rocks, passing between numbers 2 and 3, keeping to the port side. I was distracted by a very pretty gaff rigged turf hooker and miscounted the rocks, as a result I went between numbers 3 and 4, keeping to the port side....... A very nasty crash as the base of the keel grazed an outlier of Two Women Rock. Fortunately I was only doing about 2 1/2 knots, and Judicious has three tonnes of lead keel. A quick check showed no water coming in, so on to Schull for the night, where an underwater check with the goggles on showed some antifouling missing, but nothing obviously major.
However, I decided a more through investigation was required, so the next day around Mizzen Head to Kitchen Cove in Dunmanus Bay, as I remembered there was a good quay where Judicious could dry out alongside. Running up the bay exchanged pleasantries with a fisherman tending his pots, and anchored for the night just below the bar (of the Guinness kind, rather than the river kind). Enquired of the friendly fisherman what the arrangements were for drying out on the slip; he was rather perplexed by being asked and said 'just do it', he would arrange with his colleagues to leave it clear.
By 08.00 the following morning, on a tide that was falling rather faster than anticipated, Judicious was well snugged down, and the antifouling was showing below the boot-topping. An opportunity for a scrub to get rid of the Solent slime (after only two months!). Anxious examination as more of the hull was revealed showed only some relative minor gouges, about the size of a little finger, right on the base of the keel, and some slight grazing. The lead is encapsulated, with the hull being about 35mm thick in this area. Cleaned-up, these were filled with epoxy filler as a Band-Aid until more permanent repair can be done during the winter lay-up.
Interest shown by the locals, and a pint in the bar at lunchtime. Friendly fisherman examined my handiwork, complemented me on a stout boat (thanks) and presented me with some crayfish from his catch. By 18.00 Judicious was back on her anchor, the crayfish were grilled with lots of butter and garlic, and ashore to the bar, where my day's work was a topic of conservation.
The following day was one of the most perfect day's sailing I have had, of which more here. Then to Cape Clear Island and a night spent in a most idyllic anchorage in the large bay on the south side. Dinner of poached wild salmon taken on the terrace of a small bar, overlooking the bay with Judicious below. This was a Saturday night and we were the only boat there. My thoughts were of Newtown Creek on the Isle of Wight, with boats swinging with tide against wind, bumping into each other, and noisy parties coming back from the pub. Back on board with the loom of the Fastnet Rock light (Fl 5s) over the hill to the West.
A morning constitution to the NE end of the island. The spring flowers in the hedgerows were magnificent, and a local farmer started a somewhat erudite conservation about the finer points of his Aberdeen Angus bull calves, to my untutored eye they looked very chunky males. Then off to Castlehaven again and the pretty village of Castletownshend, with a single street going up a steep hill. This street has a tree in the middle, and the bars are at the top. The anchorage was busy; there were two others boats. Judicious was in good company with a large Rival and an American boat which had just arrived from Connecticut. A pleasant evening with their skippers in the bar.
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| Castlehaven | Glandore |
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Next day off to Glandore where Judicious spent a lonely couple of weeks on a mooring rented from the pub at Glandore, and I got a taxi and bus to Cork airport and to earn a bit of money.
