14-15 June 2009 Fishguard to Arklow
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19 June - Wicklow
14-15 June 2009 Fishguard to Arklow
Across to Ireland
Finally some good steady wind arrived and it was time to leave the car park outside the RNLI station which had been our home for a week. Since we had the experts on hand we consulted the coxswain, the mechanic and just about every other member of the lifeboat crew we could lay our hands on
"Good people in Arklow... the RNLI guys can hold their drink!"
"Yes", we asked, "but what about the entrance to the harbour and the passage?"
"Oh, no idea, but they are great guys"
Really useful... thanks guys!
More seriously, they were mildly more useful than that, confirming that our plan was a sound one.
We set sail from Fishguard and it was only after we'd raised the sails that Huw and I realised that
A) the "boat" on my C80 was going sideways and
B) the electronic compass heading wasn't changing. Normally I carry a compass my Mum gave me after I sailed the channel, but I'd managed to leave that back in Kent. However, not all was lost! Most importantly SUB had two working compasses, one manual and one electronic. I also had a nice steady south westerly breeze, the sun and later on the stars. I also had, crucially, information on where I had been, which at least told me whether I was heading in the right direction.
Without a compass there was no autopilot, which meant a long night of sipping and puffing especially as we were aiming to head north. It's easy to set arty up to sail upwind, but downwind sailing needs more input from me. It was a very long night and at 1 AM I did wonder whether I would be able to stay awake. Despite lying on the bed for several hours before we left I had failed to sleep. By the time dawn hit however I was once again wide-awake. It barely gets dark at this time of year, even in the middle of the Irish sea. Apparently it's still "blinking cold" (according to my support team!)
We arrived in Arklow several hours early, catching folks on the hop. We still had the most amazing welcome from the RNLI (Paul, had you picked up the phone? :-)), the sailing club and the Lions Club. We were piped ashore, which is a huge honour.
Everyone in Arklow looked after us incredibly well. I was put up in "The Bay Hotel", who had a bath I could use. I think I spent more time in it than in the bed! The rest of the team had an apartment, which was upstairs. Both were organised by the sailing club through a lady called Peir. I was proud to be made a member of Arklow Sailing Club, somewhere I will be very happy to revisit.
The Lions and Sailing Club raised £1,100 for the dream trust. It's a truly staggering amount of money. Thank you to everyone who gave anything from one cent to their time and energy organising things. Particular thanks has to go to the kids involved with the club who I suspect twisted a fair number of arms!
Page last updated on 24 June 2009 at 15:58