Sailing S W Ireland

The SW corner, between Kinsale and Dingle is a wonderful sailing area. I spent the whole of Summer 2001 in Ireland, and I have up-dated this site, with a new section from Dingle northwards - see cruising the west coast. The west coast is more rugged, and the sailing more challenging, but the reward is uncrowded, interesting cruising.

I have visited a number of times and I would like to share my experiences and thoughts.

Weather

Let's get the nasty bit out of the way first.

The prevailing wind is SWly, Ireland is the first place it hits after leaving America; it is moist, but warm (remember the Gulf Stream). It rains, it also stops raining. The weather can change extraordinarily rapidly, I have left port in thick mist and drizzle, and within two hours the sun has been shining and we could see 20 miles. During the summer it is warm, but not hot. Thanks to that Gulf Stream there are sheltered gardens where you can see palm trees growing.

The coastguard radio stations broadcast excellent weather forecasts on VHF every 6 hours, with a repeat at 3 hours. The operators are very helpful.

But the wind can blow fiercely, and you should have a capable boat, and in good condition, and know how to take in deep reefs, and have heavy ground tackle.

Scenery Stunning The coastline is generally rolling hills, backed by some substantial mountains. Towards Dingle there are spectacular coastal cliffs. It is somewhat similar to the W coast of Scotland but gentler, and more highly populated. There are three large inlets, Dunmanus Bay, Bantry Bay and the Kenmare River which have sheltered anchorages on both shores, so providing havens no matter the wind direction. In addition there is the wonderfully named Roaring Water Bay which is a mass of islands. A family with a boat, such as Cornish Crabber, could have a real 'Swallow and Amazon' holiday here, based on Schull.

Provisioning

This is a remote area; I hate having to go out of my way just to buy a few essentials. There are a few large shopping centres - Kinsale, Castletownbere and Dingle are the best - and I would recommend stocking-up with enough dry goods to last your cruise. Many places have small grocer's shops where basic fresh foods can be obtained, but be warned, some of these are small village shops and may only have the minimum (but at least you won't go hungry). Small places with better than average shops are Baltimore, Schull (or Skull), Goleen and Glengarrif.

You should also take every opportunity to fill-up with fuel and water. 'Green' (tax-free) diesel is available for yachts in Ireland but availability is scarce, try Kinsale, Schull, Castletownbere and Dingle. Elsewhere it is getting it in cans from a garage, which may be some walk. Plan water usage as there a few hose pipes, Kinsale, Union Hall, Baltimore, Glengarrif, Castletownbere are convenient.

UK Calor gas cylinders cannot usually be filled in Eire. I have always taken sufficient for my cruise. You could get Irish cylinders, but the regulator is different. There is also the question of what to do with empty cylinders. Gas will only be available from the bigger places.

Chandlery is difficult. Not even the big towns have yacht chandlers, probably the best bet is Castletownbere (and that is more for the commercial fishing fleet).

Marinas

If you have got this far, you may have realised that this is not the cruising area where each night you can go to a marina and plug into shore power. There are small (by English Channel standards) marinas at Kinsale, Lawrence Cove (by Castletownbere) and Dingle. These are modest in size, but makeup in welcome what they may lack in facilities. Elsewhere you will be able to anchor, and several places now have mooring bouys provided by the tourist agencies. Use of these is free (if you are used to paying S coast of England prices, cruising this area is pleasantly economical!).

There are several places where you can leave your boat, generally by arrangement with local mooring owners. My favourite is Glandore, which is well sheltered. I was charged IR £60 for two weeks in 2001 for Judicious.

Changing crew

This is an area where it is very easy to spend some time, perhaps part of a longer cruise round Ireland. Kinsale looks an attractive place to change crew, but it has the disadvantage that it is a long way to the next port westwards (and against the prevailing wind). I have spent 9 hours beating into a very fresh SWly with a somewhat green new crew to reach shelter. The coastal towns have a very reasonable bus service with Cork (at least several buses each day) and my preference now is change crew at somewhere like Schull or Glengarrif. Cork has good plane and ferry connections. Bus details from Bus Eireann in Cork. Shannon is more convenient for Dingle; the bus connection is a bit slow but if there are several of you a taxi will cost about IR £100 and be a lot faster.

Eating out

This can be a bit of a mixed bag. The ingredients are excellent, especially the fish, and the good restaurants are very good but in my opinion the prices are slightly higher than I would expect to pay in the UK. However, I think they are still good value for money because the food is so good. Food in bars and pubs I find slightly disappointing, the price is reasonable but they do not seem to have got it quite right. Obviously there are big variations between places, and my advice is to look at the type of establishment and make a judgement. I have only been let down once.

Charts and Pilots

I use the British Admiralty charts which are excellent for the area. The Irish Cruising Club sailing directions are expensive but essential. There is a new edition (2001) which seems to have a lot more detailed information. Get some general charts of the area (I would suggest BA 2424, 2092, 2495, 2552, 2129 and 2184), then look at the detailed plans in the ICC and see if you need the small area charts. In this area there are few dangers off shore, but many rocks inshore. Tidal streams in the inlets are weak, but can be strong round the headlands and through Dursy Sound.Tidal range is relatively modest, about 3m (10ft).

Fishing nets

The Irish are very keen on their salmon fishing, and they often set nets up to a mile long. These are usually identified by (smallish) buoys with flags at either end, and a line of floats. They are difficult to see, especially if there is a bit of a chop. There will be a fishing boat in attendance. If you see a fishing boat in the distance, apparently stationary, suspect that it is guarding a net. If it suddenly starts motoring (they usually patrol along the line of the net) and the crew starts waving, then assume a net is in vicinity and take avoiding action; they point in the direction in which you should go. At the worst, retrace your steps. I have sailed over a net with no problems (but Judicious is long keel), a boat with unprotected prop and rudder could well have problems, and I would not like to meet the local fisherman in those circumstances!.

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