TUESDAY 29^TH JULY, 2008. Happy Birthday Emily.

Sal Darago has made good time coming down from the Isle of Man on engine mostly against a very polite, easy, head wind. We left Port St Mary on Friday afternoon and anchored for four hours north of Lambay Island, near Howth. The seagull colonies were up early all shouting “mine” in unison. At 0810 we left Lambay to take the last of the tide to an anchorage south of Dublin called Dalkey Island. We were to sleep through the very warm afternoon. This time we realised the world and his wife and their children come from Dublin to Dalkey Island on warm July afternoons.

At 1700 we upped the anchor and set off south again with the tide. Just before nightfall we approached Mizen Head (No, not that Mizen Hd, the one just north of Arklow{€33 per night}). The wind was SE and the “anchorage” was exposed so we carried on to Arklow, sneaking into the old fishing harbour.

There was a young lady from BUTE

Whom we found was exceptionally cute,

Our ropes she did take

And fast did us make

That wonderful lady from Bute.

Kathy and I crashed out but the alarms rang at 0550. At 0600 we left Arklow; no young lady to help in the morning. There were beautiful blue skies interspersed with dense fog patches so the radar was on and off all day. As we were going to Kilmore Quay, Kathy and I decided to be decadent and have a shower each. The tanks quickly emptied. As we approached St Patrick’s Bridge, Kathy said she did not mind going on to Dunmore East about another three hours. Arriving at Dunmore East at 1824, a man on “Peionie” pointed out a mooring we could use overnight. After another delicious meal, Kathy and I went ashore and bought a very few supplies from Londis, open at 2145.

After a delectable lie in until 0630 and a leisurely breakfast, we set off with a strong wind behind us. Once away from Hook Head, the wind eased, the genoa had to be furled and the main held centrally to stop Sal Darago slopping about, while the Vetus pushed us along at 5 knots. This time we continued past our intended destination of Youghal (Yawl), because Dublin, Rosslaire, Minehead and Cork Coastguard Radio kept forewarning of strengthening SE/SW winds and heavy rain TOMORROW. The pilot book said that there were no customs in Kinsale and thus we decided to head for the Solent of Ireland – Crosshaven, Cork. We passed all the expensive boats in the marinas, including the Royal Cork Yacht Club (did Eire have Monarchs?) and wound our way to Drake’s Pool up the wooded Owenboy River, where we spent a delightfully quiet night on the only yellow mooring on the river.

Today it has poured all day – west coast of Scotland style- and Kathy and I have been snug in Sal Darago except when we ventured out for water from a nearby tap. Moral – never have a shower on board unless attached to a tap already.