A rambling circuit of random places Raparee’s unplanned, partly (65%) solo, circuit of Britain and Ireland, with a bit of island exploration. (From 2016 log and blog extracts, with all most of the non-Radio 4 blue and rude bits removed). Leg 1: Solent to Northern Ireland – with crew (sometimes) Sea Area Wight - Coastal Waters Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis Wednesday 1st June 2016 Cowes to Portland After the usual last-minute faffing, and a spot of grandchild tickling, the never- ready Raparee and her indecisive skipper dragged themselves away from Cowes for a slow solo sail westward. There was a plan of some kind….well sort of. Sail to Ireland, from somewhere in the south west, possibly on Sunday or early in the week. Maybe head for Crookhaven in West Cork, and carry on further south and up the west coast…..or Kinsale as my first point, before carrying on west. If I do get up the Irish West coast, I’d like to see the Aran Islands and Dun Aengus, that huge mysterious iron-age fort there. I could hang about at other places (like Bantry, Bearhaven, Dingle, etc). All very fluid. My sit-on kayak on deck is great for exploring places. After that, I’ll take the top route out across to the Scottish Islands. No crew yet but would be happy to have anybody along who wants to do short hops. It's over 2000 mile around, and I need to complete it before the summer is out.....in fact I want to be home sometime in August. A pleasant enough first day, but by the time I got to the Kingdom of Jurassia, I was too late to struggle against Portland Bill so I made a last minute decision to harden up and fight into Portland harbour for an overnighter at the RNSA buoy. Always fun finding it, and picking it up solo, in the dark, in a good breeze! Fig 1: RAPAREE Sea Area Portland - Coastal Waters Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis & Lyme Regis to Land’s End Thursday 2nd June. Portland to Salcombe Oh-crack-sparrow-fart start and out and around Portland …….wasn’t too sure to where…see how far I got, I suppose. A long day across Lyme Bay with wind up and down. Everything from reefed to becalmed and engine. Plenty of Dolphins around. I like sitting on the bow and singing to them, but they roll their eyes, groan, and bugger off when they hear me. Start Pt abeam 1830. Do I do a full solo overnighter?…..or….well… or perhaps not, as the wind had all but disappeared…it was a lovely evening for an early zig zag up into Salcombe to find the elusive RNSA buoy. Strong ebb tide, so experimented with 6 different types of boat hook, lasso, bowline, and a prongy/hooky thing on a stick (PHTS). The PHTS did it in the end but as the stick is only 2 feet long I had to do some limbo-ing. Amusing for onlookers and appetite whetting for a G&T. Toasted Cosmonaut Tim as he whizzed by overhead. Sea Area Plymouth - Coastal Waters Lyme Regis to Land’s End Fri 3rd June. Salcombe to Falmouth Another early start for refuelling at the friendly barge in the river, before the long leg across to Cornwall. Had to overcome the temptation to stop at the Yealm and play with my friends there, but know I must push on. If you want to get somewhere, just go straight there… put off the holiday stops until the return leg. Eddystone abeam at noon so I decide to make it across to Falmouth in a oner. I know the harbour and the creeks there well, and there’s a good RNSA buoy over in St Mawes. Despite falling winds got in in time for supper. The buoy had a good pick-up thingy attached so didn’t need the PHTS this time! Saturday 4th. At Falmouth Saturday shore leave was granted, so dinghy up and away for water and huge pasties. Fig 2: Fal Working Boat Lots of working boat Gaffers racing in the harbour. Very pretty sight. Fond memories as I was an Old Gaffer myself once, don’t you know! Met up with friends (and fellow CA Members) Graham & Sheena Gibson and was invited ‘up homers’ for a meal ashore. Graham announced he’d like to come across to Ireland for a few days as well. Sheena says OK. So good. That’s serendipity. Sunday 5th June. Falmouth to Scillies. Away from Falmouth at 0840 for a long slow drift/sail to the Scillies. Thick fog to start with but burnt off by mid-afternoon. At the Scillies, as we weren’t staying long, we decided on mooring ‘round the back’, at Porth Cressa. Nice and quiet evening lying to one of half a dozen private buoys. Sea Area –Lundy/Fastnet Coastal Waters Carnsore Pt to Mizen Hd Monday 6th June. Scillies to Kinsale Ireland Early this morning a Dory came alongside with the sweet and helpful buoy lady (lady-buoy?). She is so pleasant, skipper thinks about changing plans and staying here longer and has to concentrate on the task in hand. Time to head out to sea now……… Out between the misty rocks on a NW course for a bloody bloody long long droning drifting fluky rolly frustrating 26 hours of motor sailing. Wind and visibility up and down. Very humid and warm. Mr Beta working hard. A lot of not very interesting watch-keeping. Tuesday PM 7 June. At sea to Kinsale. Passed through the ghostly Kinsale oil fields in the early dawn and finally brought up the harbour heads at 0900. Up harbour past the town to Castlepark Marina, which has a good fuel pontoon, then back down to the Town Marina and the hospitable sailing club. Raparee & I know this place well as bits of the family live hereabouts and we use it a lot as a crew change base. It’s a great spot for pubs and restaurants and not too far from Cork airport. Beautiful warm weather today. Family visits and shopping. Joined all day onboard by a friendly Pidgeon who pooed on the Nav Plan, the one we need tomorrow for the south coast towards west Cork and possibly Schull and Baltimore. Simon, my youngest brother is coming along as well, and may get off later on at Bantry or Dingle. Aim is to get towards Dingle area towards end of next week, as a jumping off place towards Galway bay and the Aran Islands. Galway City is possible before or after the Arans. Perhaps my old school friend David McAvinchey, an Irish speaker, will act as interpreter and guide in the Gaeltacht areas? Thereafter northwards towards Achill and NW Ireland and then over to north Scotland, in the Fig 3: Kinsale guest pigeon first weeks of July. Wednesday 8 June. Kinsale to Baltimore. At Kinsale. Warm enough for brekkers in cockpit. Slip westward 0950. Skipper Mike, crew Simon and Graham. Compulsory MOB evolutions in harbour. Lovely motor sail along South Cork coast. 1650 enter Baltimore. Explore harbour. Berth 1755 alongside 55ft training yacht on short visitor pontoons on the town (stbd) side. Friendly shore staff. Basic facilities. Good pubs. Interesting place with much history. The village was sacked by Moorish pirates in the 17th C, and most of the population carried off into slavery. There was resentment for centuries afterwards against the local colonial authorities, who totally failed to come to the aid of their people. Thurs 9 June. Baltimore to Schull Depart Baltimore 0925, towing the dinghy, after decent showers ashore and a breakfast of local black and white pudding. Tricky navigation and by Graham and Simon through various passes, sounds, and the islands of Roaringwater Bay. Around Sherkin Is and through Gascanane Sound. Important to study tidal streams carefully here to avoid rocks and shallows. Arr Schull on the Mizen peninsula at 1120 and find the visitors moorings tucked across the far side of the town bay. Nowadays Schull is a popular fishing, holiday, and boating area, but a medieval seat of learning here gave the town its name (from Scoil, Gaelic for school). Ashore to drop Graham off to catch the noon bus for Cork so he can fly home next morning. Ashore again PM to meet my other brother Ken from his bus at 1800 and to the pub for Guinness and fish & chips on the town quay. Dinghy back for whisky and late night nav planning. Sea Area – Shannon. Coastal waters Mizen Hd to Loop Hd Friday 10 June. Schull to Derrynane At Schull. Depart Northwest 0920. All 3 Buggy brothers on board! Figure 4: Simon & Graham. Kinsale Old Head Compulsory MOB evolutions (Everyone takes part. Always done after crew change). Horrible heavy rain, and windless, until 1500. Bring up the great jutting finger of Mizen Head, the most SW point of Ireland, in the mist just after noon. Its dramatic cliff scenery was, for many seafarers, the first (or last) sight of Europe, A museum in the old signal station displays the site's significance for transatlantic shipping and communications, including the work of Marconi. In drizzling stillness we motor across the great fjord like bays of Dunmanus and Bantry. Ireland has five great SW peninsulas – Dingle, Iveragh, Beara, Sheep's Head, and Mizen. Whole seasons could be spent cruising these wonderful headlands bays but for us I’m afraid it’s ever onward. We head in towards the tip of the Beara Peninsula, to find Dursey Island, separated from the mainland by Dursey Sound.