A Gaol, a garden and Dublin

Day 37
8th June
Went into town after breakfast and found an obliging internet café where I could update e-mails and blog. From there a pause for coffee and postcards. Next the museum. An interesting collection of memorabilia from Arklow and its seafaring past. Then Aldi, and back to Pepsand. It has stopped raining! The farmers certainly needed the rain, but it is good when it stops. When the tide turns we leave for Wicklow.
Left at 15.00. Almost as soon as deep water was reached the mist came down, reducing visibility to less than a mile. However, the tide kicked in with a vengeance as a groundspeed of over six knots was achieved. Gradually the low cloud lifted until after an hour as Mizen Head was passed, Wicklow Head was quite clear, about five miles to the north. The rest of the passage was without event, and I tied up in Wicklow just after six. The northerly wind persisted, but the East Pier gave adequate shelter. About an hour later contact was made with Geoff and Betty on Quadriga, and they came in not long after, having had to motor most of the way from Wales. We had a cuppa on Pepsand before walking into town, eventually partaking of chips at an American Diner. Then bed. Although there was some movement in the night we all slept well.
Day 38
9th June
Up at nine. Breakfast, then a trot into town with Geoff and Betty. From a nice coffee shop we walked round to the gaol, which has been turned into a tourist attraction. This provided and entertaining and interesting hour, after which we walked south out of town past the golf club and onto a cliff-top path which led back to the harbour. The golf course is somewhat spectacular. The remains of a Norman castle crown the little headland that shelters the harbour from the south-east. At the lifeboat station we saw the weather forecast. Northerlies for the time being. If it gets too lumpy by the pier we may have to move into the river for shelter. Back on board Quadriga, a Countess 33 cutter-rigged sloop, Betty provided us with lunch of tuna rolls and a welcome cup of tea. The sun came out. The rest of the afternoon was spent doing jobs, tidying and snoozing. Tourism can be tiring.
Geoff went into the Tourist Office and asked about somewhere to eat. The lady directed him to a particular pub. As we were leaving the boats to go there we were privileged to observe the RNLI crew conducting a sea survival and life raft handling exercise. The rib stood by whilst several crew, ladies included, leapt into the harbour from the pier. The resident engineer meanwhile played a hose on them, presumably to simulate heavy rain, or perhaps just to try to put them off. Leaving them to their training, we made our way down the quay and over the bridge to the pub, where we enjoyed a good feed in pleasant surroundings. It was nearly ten when we came back. In the meantime the wind had got up, and with I the sea. The boats were pitching and banging against the pier. Clearly we were not going to get any rest if we stayed there. Advice was taken from the RNLI crew still at the station, who agreed that we should abandon the pier and bring the boats into the river and tie up alongside what turned out to be a survey boat. So the three of us took Quadriga round, tied up, and then Geoff and I walked round to fetch Pepsand. As we came off the bridge onto the quayside road, a car drew up and one of the lady RNLI crew gave us a lift back to the pier. Talk about service! Geoff and I then brought Pepsand across and tied up alongside Quadriga. There ensued a peaceful night. Though we could hear the wind and surf, not a ripple disturbed the peace of the inner harbour, and we all three enjoyed a good night's sleep.

Day 39
10th June
Still blowing hard, so Dublin must wait. Up late, leisurely breakfast, eventual wander into town to coffee shop, where the waitress was one of the formation swimmers of last night. Over coffee we agreed to take the bus to Ashford, just a few miles away, and visit Mt. Usher Gardens, which had featured on Monty Don's BBC television programme recently. The bus dropped us a few yards from the gate. By this time it was nearly one o'clock, so we had a light lunch of soup and roll before going round. The gardens are informal and feature permanent plantings rather than formal beds. We saw many exotic plants and venerable trees. The garden lies astride the little River Varty, in which we saw tiny trout, and at one stage I was lucky enough to see a kingfisher. Finishing by the tea room we went in for tea and scones, though Betty was seduced by a fruit concoction that looked delicious.
The bus came on time, and soon we were back aboard. Geoff called me at about six to invite me over, and pointed out a seal that was swimming slowly by. I managed to grab my camera and get one shot before it dived. Later Betty provided a tasty supper on Quadriga. We decided to go for an early start to take advantage of the considerable tide on the flood going north. So early to bed. Another very good day.
Day 40
11th June
Woke before the alarm, had breakfast and readied the boat. Dipped the fuel tank as a precaution. Still five gallons, plus one jerrycan: more than enough to get to Dublin several times. As expected, the current was still gently flowing downriver, which enabled us to swing the boat on a stern line, greatly easing my departure at 06.30. Quadriga followed immediately, and it was a bright sunny and calm start to the day. Aeolus decreed otherwise, however, and less than an hour later we were punching into a force 5 northerly, right on the nose. In this situation all you can do is find a compromise between speed and comfort. At about 1800rpm the boat stays dry, but speed is lost. The following tide was a boost, but it also brought about the dreaded “wind over tide” situation and a nasty short chop which had the boat pitching about with speed fluctuating. But visibility was very good, and we had literally all day to get there, so no sweat. Had the wind been a few degrees further west or east and we could have sailed with more comfort, but it was not to be . The nearer we came to Dublin, the kinder became the conditions. The last part, coming into the river Liffey, was perfectly peaceful. Use of the mobile phone alerted the Poolbeg Marina, where we tied up and immediately refuelled both boats. The marina is in fact a club, and staffed by a rota of club members on a voluntary basis. The duty member could not have been more helpful, though he had some difficulty finding tokens for the showers. Eventually we were all three showered and feeling human again.
Soon we made our way into Dublin by means of the new tram system, which works very well indeed. Like all big cities in summer, Dublin was somewhat full of foreign tourists, and we joined the merry throng for a while, until the need for sustenance demanded to be dealt with. In a typical Irish ambience, not entirely improved by the screening of the opening World Cup match in South Africa, we made short work of a fine lunch of Irish bacon, cabbage and mash, washed down with a suitable beverage. Replete, we wandered down O'Connell Street to the river, crossed the bridge and went into the park-like campus of Trinity College, a quieter atmosphere than the hubbub of the traffic. It was not long before we found ourselves in Finn McCool's Café in the Tourist Information Centre, resting and enjoying a welcome cup of tea. At this point I think all three of us could have easily dozed off. Then back to the tram and the marina, and a rest.

http://www.rnli.org.uk/