Whimbrel - Ireland Dublin to Rathlin

Ali looking and feeling cold with Dublin bay in the background

After returning from Laura and Andrew’s delightful wedding at the weekend, Tuesday 31 May gave us a layday in Dun Loaghaire where we did domestics - washing and shopping and some cooking too. Planned our trip to Ardglass and filled up with fuel and water. We left at 0600 on Wednesday 1 June to catch the favourable tide to Ardglass. Weather was a bit dull to begin with and as we crossed the bay we were hailed on Channel 11 by Dublin VTS “Yacht Whimbrel – what are your intentions?” Thankfully we heard them and as requested we headed for the channel entrance buoy to allow a tanker to precede us out of the harbour. Given the all-clear we headed out of Dublin bay, past Howth YC and on up the coast towards Ardglass. The earlier promising wind died and despite trying to sail we reverted to the motor and arrived about 1500.

We had a visitor in the form of a Kittiwake who provided us with great flying skills whilst it perfected its landing and takeoffs from our outboard.

Ardglass has been a fishing port for more than two thousand years and developed as such to its location on the east coast of Lecale and its siting by a natural inlet. It has one of the few harbours which is accessible at all states of the tide and today has two fishing piers the North Pier and South Pier and a number of fish processing plants. While the port is not as busy now as in its heyday, 150 years ago, up to £5 million passes through the fish trade here every year. The port specialises in herrings, prawns and whitefish. There is also a early bathing changing house on the beach which suggests that Belfast Ladies would come here for sea air and spa waters. (too cold for me!)

Ardglass is also famous for its beautiful golf club and we found later that we would have been welcome there as visitors, however it was Nicks birthday on 2nd June so instead we went for a lovely walk and after homemade birthday cake – sorry no candles – had a super meal out at the Mediterranean shack opposite the old fishing harbour. A delightful fusion of Turkish and fresh med flavours were enjoyed and of course a bottle of red.

An unexpected plus was a visit from another KYC yacht – Distant Dream sailed by Bob Darley – who was on a Round Britain Trip. We waved him off on Friday as he headed South towards Arklow and after waiting 2 days of the Jubilee weekend for some post to arrive we eventually set off for Bangor. A windy and very heavy swell greeted us out of Ardglass and with a reef in the main and headsail we headed out past Gun Island and toward Black Rock. We had wanted to visit Strangford Lough but some sailors who had arrived from Strangford that morning said it was quite unpleasant in the Lough due to a heavy swell caused by the Easterly winds again. We would also have been caught there for a few days and we wanted to press on North. As the tide turned and the wind eased a little we had a very pleasant sail to Bangor, arriving at 2010. It was a great marina with hot showers and a bath! Although we didn’t use the bath we felt very welcome at the marina and met a few more yachts from the Irish Cruising Club who were on a rally to the west Coast of Ireland. It is such fun to hear stories from folk who are parked near you in a marina. Sometimes it feels like we are playing tag along the coasts of UK!

before the wind

low tide

Ladies Bathing chamber

Birthday cake baked on board

Antrim Coast

Keyhaven Sailors

Distant Dream

We left Bangor on Tuesday 7 June and headed for Glenarm, a lovely little harbour with a big welcome for yachtsmen. They have added a long pontoon for visitors so it’s a great little stopping place when transiting north. A lovely walk along the Glen in the afternoon, one of 9 in the region and a G&T topside, and a little planning for the next stage soon rounded off a great overnight stop there.

Whitehead North of Belfast Lough

Gobbins Cliff path

Gobbins

Gobbins Cliff Path

Guillemots

Glenarm

Glenarm Forest Walk

Rathlin

One of our must see places and we made it on Wednesday 8 June! It’s the only inhabited island in Northern Ireland and is fairly close to Scotland too, so there is a delightful mixture of accents and a very warm welcome from everyone here. People have lived on Rathlin for over 7000 years, and its fortunes and population have varied over the years. It now mainly relies on tourism and farming but the ferries and Bird sanctuary, lighthouses and pubs along with some local shops provide employment for those who wish to live and work here. The daily ferries take the older children to school across in Ballycastle, whilst the younger ones can attend the local integrated primary school. It is now a very special place with much of the island designated as Areas of Special Scientific Interest, and it is included on the Antrim Coast and Glens Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It has a sense of tranquillity and permanence to it and despite the 5 days of high winds that kept us moored in the harbour we had an amazing trip.

Spring and early summer collide on this island and the hillsides were covered in early purple and heath spotted orchids, bluebells, wild fuchsia, many grasses and montbretia.

A walk the next day brought us to the East Lighthouse on Altacarry Head, built in 1856. Interestingly, Guglielmo Marconi and his assistants, Kemp and Glanville, set up the world’s first commercial radio transmission across the water from Rathlin to Ballycastle in 1898. It was commissioned by Lloyds in London to report the safe arrival of shipping from the Atlantic, and it marked the beginning of the entire vast communications network we rely on today. On the way back we saw a rare Rathlin Golden Hare.

We visited the RSPB centre at WestLight on Thursday and saw the immense construction effort needed to build the cliff-hanging upside down lighthouse. It is also home to colonies of breeding puffins, razorbills, guillemots, Fulmars and kittiwakes. What an amazing treat they offered as they soared and dived around the headland. The cliffs and outlying rocks were covered in them and we now know that this grouping of birds come together at the breeding season sensing safety in numbers from their natural predators.

A final walk out to the Rue Point Lighthouse in heavy clouds and strong winds brought us a final treat of watching the seals swimming in the bay just before the light house. Their young were around so we took only photos and also spied some young Eider, too. Not sure if the seals eat them or not but their parents were very protective of the youngsters in the same bay. We also terrified ourselves looking at the standing waves, Macdonnell race and huge overfalls that we would need to sail through to reach Scotland. We really need the wind to calm down and a weather window for this next part of our trip North.

Scotland awaits, and we think the wind will calm enough for us to leave Rathlin on 13 June and sail to Gigha in the Sound of Jura.

Distance travelled to date 767 miles.