Day 55
26th July
After breakfast we showered and sorted ourselves for the trip to Glenarm. Before leaving we topped up with diesel. The weather was exactly as forecast, giving a SE3/4. At 11.00 we set off and as soon as we were out of the harbour we cut the engine and set the chute, then the main, getting an encouraging 5+kt. 45 minutes later a fog bank descended, reducing visibility to about 400m. The wind increased, so chute down, and over 4kt on the main. By now the tide was working in our favour. By 13.00 the fog cleared to bright sunshine. The ferries coming out of Lough Larne were not difficult to see, and they did not come nearer than a mile. The wind was now S4/5 but the sea remained slight. Lucy was not feeling too good, so it was just as well that we came into Glenarm and tied up at 15.20. This is a very good little harbour with first-rate pontoons and a very friendly and helpful berthing master.
The village is suffering economically. The harbour was built to serve the quarries, but now they are closed and nothing has taken their place. The council refurbished the harbour and established the little marina, and that is fine, but it is saddening to walk through the village with its boarded-up shops and pubs. Even the Post Office has gone. There is nowhere in the place that serves food, but there is one well-stocked general store. We shall therefore eat on board. Pork and leek sausages with all the trimmings.
Day 56
27th June
There was no point in leaving early tod
ay, and so we got up and breakfasted, then walked over to the castle entrance, a few hundred metres. Here we found to our disappointment that the gardens would not open before midday, too late for us. So back to the marina we went. At the office the harbourmaster, Billy McCauley, had just brought in his super model lifeboats. Pictures were taken.
Eventually we said goodbye to Billy, the Black Guillemots, and Glenarm at about 11.00. The wind was as yesterday, southerly and force three. As the tide was still foul we stayed inshore for a while, and after about an hour the breeze stabilized and we made progress, getting better as the tide began to change in our favour. The looming hills of the Mull of Kintyre grew closer and as we turned west towards Ballycastle we could clearly make out Islay, some 25nm to the north. Approaching Rathlin Island the tide was pushing us along at a fair speed. An approaching shower and squall led me to roll in the genoa and start the engine in order to outrun the wet. It worked. A ground speed which touched 10kt at times allowed us to round the headland and reach the quieter waters of Ballycastle Bay without being rained on. The harbourmaster answered his phone and allocated us a berth. In no time we were in. The harbour is slightly larger than Glenarm and is just as well appointed. There are no resident BG. The harbourmaster was in his office with his wife and three little daughters. We were made to feel very welcome. Formalities over, we had a late lunch of fish and chips. There is no Wifi, and G3 is so slow it cannot even load web pages. Perhaps later we can seek Wifi coverage in a pub. We tried, but no go.
Day 57
28th June
A warm morning. After breakfast we walked to the main part of the town about a half mile from the beach. Some shopping was achieved before we came back to the boat. We did not wish to leave before 12.15 because of the tide, so we went to the little café overlooking the marina and had a coffee and bacon bap. At 12.15 on the dot we left Ballycastle and headed north into the Sound. The wind promised a good ride, and immediately we could reach north on the genoa at 5kt. As ever, it did not last, and soon we had the main up as well, but could maintain 4kt without engine. This lasted only for another hour, after which the “iron topsail” came into play. There were some slight overfalls as we passed the tip of Rathlin Island, but as the day progressed the seas became smoother and we had no difficulty maintaining 5+kt. At times the tide was adding another 2kt. The visibility, which had been good when we set off gradually deteriorated as a front moved in, and by the time we were approaching Port Ellen it was down to under a mile, with drizzle starting. Even so, the trip took exactly five hours for nearly thirty miles. At Port Ellen we could motor straight into a berth facing to windward. Chicken stew for tea. Then Lucy washed up whilst I cogitated and wrote up the log. No Wifi and no G3, but there is a Cybercafe in the town. Later in the evening we went into the Ardview Inn and enjoyed the local ale and the company of one or two local characters.
Day 58
29th June
A dull start to the day, and cool. Some of the houses had smoke coming from their chimneys. A foray to the shops revealed a very good hardware shop in an old chapel. The weather began to improve, and it was decided to hire a car and drive round the island. Before long we were booling along towards the Kildalton Cross dating back to around 8ooAD. On the way back we stopped for coffee at the Ardbeg Distillery restaurant. The island roads are good, and of course the traffic is very light. Parking spaces are plentiful and free. On our way through the Oa we saw a pair of eagles, but they did not stay to be photographed, much to Lucy's chagrin. A short stop at the Machrie golf links was followed by a visit to Bowmore, the island capital. Youngsters were swimming round the pier head, but wetsuits were the preferred garb. Leaving Bowmore we pressed on to Port Charlotte where all the houses are identical in size and plan, having been built by a philanthropic clergyman. He must have been a wealthy vicar! Then on to Portna
haven and back. We stopped to visit the ancient burial place of the Clan Donald, and then to admire a small herd of Alpaca near Bruichladdich, and by Black Rock found the memorial to the crew of a Sunderland flying boat who crashed there in 1943. During the day the weather got better and better and by mid-afternoon you could see across to the Paps of Jura in the north. Coming back to Port Ellen we took the high road, which follows an almost straight course from Bridgend. Back in town we decided to go Indian, followed by a quick one in the Ardview Inn. Then back to Pepsand to do our homework!
Day 59
30th June
Strong easterly winds forecast, so sailing not an option along a ro
cky lee shore. It was still possible to keep the hire car for another day, so we did. Lucy had been studying Haswell-Smith's excellent guide to the Scottish Islands, and discovered interesting places for us to visit. First we went north to Port Askaig and were able to see the fearsome tide rip in the Sound of Jura. From there we went as far as the distillery at Bunnahabhain, from where we drove to the visitor centre at Finlaggan, the ancient administrative base of the Lords of the Isles. Then back south to Bridgend, where we bought sandwiches at the Spar shop
, consuming them at a place overlooking Loch Indal. The RSPB reserve at Gruindal came next. Here we saw a hen harrier, a deer, several bored herons, swans, ducks various, then on to a very ancient stone cross by the ruined church at Kilnave. The wind had been increasing all day, and on the way back the surface of Loch Indal was extremely frothy. It was going to be a noisy, if safe night on the pontoon at Port Ellen.
And it was. A deep depression over the western Atlantic is sending a series of fronts across the UK. Winds here are from force 4 up to force 8 (full gale) for the next day or two, so although Lucy will no doubt be able to fly to Glasgow and on to Birmingham I will be staying here for some time. It will be an opportunity to do some serious cleaning around the boat and organise things for when the others arrive.
26th July
After breakfast we showered and sorted ourselves for the trip to Glenarm. Before leaving we topped up with diesel. The weather was exactly as forecast, giving a SE3/4. At 11.00 we set off and as soon as we were out of the harbour we cut the engine and set the chute, then the main, getting an encouraging 5+kt. 45 minutes later a fog bank descended, reducing visibility to about 400m. The wind increased, so chute down, and over 4kt on the main. By now the tide was working in our favour. By 13.00 the fog cleared to bright sunshine. The ferries coming out of Lough Larne were not difficult to see, and they did not come nearer than a mile. The wind was now S4/5 but the sea remained slight. Lucy was not feeling too good, so it was just as well that we came into Glenarm and tied up at 15.20. This is a very good little harbour with first-rate pontoons and a very friendly and helpful berthing master.
The village is suffering economically. The harbour was built to serve the quarries, but now they are closed and nothing has taken their place. The council refurbished the harbour and established the little marina, and that is fine, but it is saddening to walk through the village with its boarded-up shops and pubs. Even the Post Office has gone. There is nowhere in the place that serves food, but there is one well-stocked general store. We shall therefore eat on board. Pork and leek sausages with all the trimmings.
Day 56
27th June
There was no point in leaving early tod
ay, and so we got up and breakfasted, then walked over to the castle entrance, a few hundred metres. Here we found to our disappointment that the gardens would not open before midday, too late for us. So back to the marina we went. At the office the harbourmaster, Billy McCauley, had just brought in his super model lifeboats. Pictures were taken.Eventually we said goodbye to Billy, the Black Guillemots, and Glenarm at about 11.00. The wind was as yesterday, southerly and force three. As the tide was still foul we stayed inshore for a while, and after about an hour the breeze stabilized and we made progress, getting better as the tide began to change in our favour. The looming hills of the Mull of Kintyre grew closer and as we turned west towards Ballycastle we could clearly make out Islay, some 25nm to the north. Approaching Rathlin Island the tide was pushing us along at a fair speed. An approaching shower and squall led me to roll in the genoa and start the engine in order to outrun the wet. It worked. A ground speed which touched 10kt at times allowed us to round the headland and reach the quieter waters of Ballycastle Bay without being rained on. The harbourmaster answered his phone and allocated us a berth. In no time we were in. The harbour is slightly larger than Glenarm and is just as well appointed. There are no resident BG. The harbourmaster was in his office with his wife and three little daughters. We were made to feel very welcome. Formalities over, we had a late lunch of fish and chips. There is no Wifi, and G3 is so slow it cannot even load web pages. Perhaps later we can seek Wifi coverage in a pub. We tried, but no go.
Day 57
28th June
A warm morning. After breakfast we walked to the main part of the town about a half mile from the beach. Some shopping was achieved before we came back to the boat. We did not wish to leave before 12.15 because of the tide, so we went to the little café overlooking the marina and had a coffee and bacon bap. At 12.15 on the dot we left Ballycastle and headed north into the Sound. The wind promised a good ride, and immediately we could reach north on the genoa at 5kt. As ever, it did not last, and soon we had the main up as well, but could maintain 4kt without engine. This lasted only for another hour, after which the “iron topsail” came into play. There were some slight overfalls as we passed the tip of Rathlin Island, but as the day progressed the seas became smoother and we had no difficulty maintaining 5+kt. At times the tide was adding another 2kt. The visibility, which had been good when we set off gradually deteriorated as a front moved in, and by the time we were approaching Port Ellen it was down to under a mile, with drizzle starting. Even so, the trip took exactly five hours for nearly thirty miles. At Port Ellen we could motor straight into a berth facing to windward. Chicken stew for tea. Then Lucy washed up whilst I cogitated and wrote up the log. No Wifi and no G3, but there is a Cybercafe in the town. Later in the evening we went into the Ardview Inn and enjoyed the local ale and the company of one or two local characters.
Day 58
29th June
A dull start to the day, and cool. Some of the houses had smoke coming from their chimneys. A foray to the shops revealed a very good hardware shop in an old chapel. The weather began to improve, and it was decided to hire a car and drive round the island. Before long we were booling along towards the Kildalton Cross dating back to around 8ooAD. On the way back we stopped for coffee at the Ardbeg Distillery restaurant. The island roads are good, and of course the traffic is very light. Parking spaces are plentiful and free. On our way through the Oa we saw a pair of eagles, but they did not stay to be photographed, much to Lucy's chagrin. A short stop at the Machrie golf links was followed by a visit to Bowmore, the island capital. Youngsters were swimming round the pier head, but wetsuits were the preferred garb. Leaving Bowmore we pressed on to Port Charlotte where all the houses are identical in size and plan, having been built by a philanthropic clergyman. He must have been a wealthy vicar! Then on to Portna
haven and back. We stopped to visit the ancient burial place of the Clan Donald, and then to admire a small herd of Alpaca near Bruichladdich, and by Black Rock found the memorial to the crew of a Sunderland flying boat who crashed there in 1943. During the day the weather got better and better and by mid-afternoon you could see across to the Paps of Jura in the north. Coming back to Port Ellen we took the high road, which follows an almost straight course from Bridgend. Back in town we decided to go Indian, followed by a quick one in the Ardview Inn. Then back to Pepsand to do our homework!Day 59
30th June
Strong easterly winds forecast, so sailing not an option along a ro
cky lee shore. It was still possible to keep the hire car for another day, so we did. Lucy had been studying Haswell-Smith's excellent guide to the Scottish Islands, and discovered interesting places for us to visit. First we went north to Port Askaig and were able to see the fearsome tide rip in the Sound of Jura. From there we went as far as the distillery at Bunnahabhain, from where we drove to the visitor centre at Finlaggan, the ancient administrative base of the Lords of the Isles. Then back south to Bridgend, where we bought sandwiches at the Spar shop
, consuming them at a place overlooking Loch Indal. The RSPB reserve at Gruindal came next. Here we saw a hen harrier, a deer, several bored herons, swans, ducks various, then on to a very ancient stone cross by the ruined church at Kilnave. The wind had been increasing all day, and on the way back the surface of Loch Indal was extremely frothy. It was going to be a noisy, if safe night on the pontoon at Port Ellen.And it was. A deep depression over the western Atlantic is sending a series of fronts across the UK. Winds here are from force 4 up to force 8 (full gale) for the next day or two, so although Lucy will no doubt be able to fly to Glasgow and on to Birmingham I will be staying here for some time. It will be an opportunity to do some serious cleaning around the boat and organise things for when the others arrive.
Day 60
1st July
With Pepsand rocking around by the pontoon and the wind humming in the rigging there was little point in getting up early
, so we lay abed till gone nine. After breakfast I wrote up the log. When Lucy went for a shower she met Scott, the hire car man, and gave him the key back. He had been patiently waiting on the quay. But folk here are not in a great hurry. When the ferry docks, usually twice a day, the place livens up a bit for a while, then the tranquil pace reasserts itself. The ones rushing around are tourists like us. There are two French yachts here at present. On the road we met Dutch,and German cars, and in the pub were a couple from Finland.
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