Summer 2014 – five of us with limited to no experience of sailing together take a Sigma 33 “Obsession” from Dun Laoghaire, Ireland to Oban, Scotland. Here’s how it started.
Three ways to fold a dinghy
A damp and dreary Friday evening. After the optimism and excitement that always accompanies depositing a week’s worth of food shopping into the boat, we’re now in a car park looking morosely at the inflatable dinghy we’ve just packed into its bag. Or almost packed into its bag. It should be more symmetrical than that. After attempt two, we decide it should be smaller than that. Attempt three reaches “as good as it’s likely to get” standard. We’re ready. One more sleep.
It feels like a (short) lifetime since we started planning and preparing for this trip. Two dinghy holes patched – one that let air out and one that let water in. Sailing directions and countless charts purchased. Fuel tanks full. Spare diesel, spare petrol for the outboard, flares counted and replaced, new sleeping bag acquired. Batteries for everything. Sails and equipment checked and rechecked.
But where’s all the recent good weather gone? (It’s gone to Scotland and it’s waiting for us there)
Day one (July 5th) – Dun Laoghaire to Ardglass
The stress of preparation was giving way to the reassurance of knowing we’d done everything possible to make the boat and ourselves ready, so from the moment I arrived at the marina I just wanted the boat to be moving. After a short briefing we slipped the lines and were finally heading north. An hour later as we passed Howth the tide turned and would stay under us for the next six hours. And thanks to the two tides that meet in the north-east, we’d have only favourable tides for the whole twelve hours.
The spinnaker gets its brief airing
A sunny sky and a westerly force 4 – the universe was on our side. At least for a couple of hours, until the forecast westerlies became distinctly southerly and light. We gave the spinnaker an airing but ultimately gave in and reached for the diesel.
An hour later and the light southerly is notching up sufficient gears that we’re actually shortening sail. With a reefed main on one side and the no. 2 poled out on the other, the wind blew us at a very agreeable 6 knots all the way to Ardglass (Northern Ireland).
Ardglass is billed as the only all-weather all-tide port north of Howth and south of Bangor. The all-tide part is disputed (here!) but we had neaps and a couple of hours on our side as we approached about 9pm. We reached the staff on the mobile, who promised they’d find us a ‘corner’. The unwelcoming entrance, with a rocky face to port, a Dalek-like structure marking shallow rocks to starboard, and plenty of swell to bounce over, thankfully contrasted with the oasis of calm and warm welcome we found inside.
Cosy Ardglass marina at low tide
We had until just 6am to enjoy the hospitality, so despite the almost empty stomachs the crew were determined to visit one of the two pubs which were conveniently in opposite directions. A group of friendly locals who weighed up the pros and cons of each option for us finally concluded “you shouldn’t be asking us anyway – we’re recovering alcoholics.”
“The Lifeboat” pub was duly located and patronised, where I fell asleep during a penalty shootout between the Netherlands and Costa Rica. I still don’t know who won. Day one – complete success.