Richards SB3, Followed by Tethra and Wardance heading for the Mermaid mark.
Richard Staffords SB3
Wardance, Sean Hawkshaw's new Sigma 33. A gorgeous boat.
Tethra underway.
Monday, June 21, 2010
MSC Race 19th June
Richards SB3, Followed by Tethra and Wardance heading for the Mermaid mark.
Richard Staffords SB3
Wardance, Sean Hawkshaw's new Sigma 33. A gorgeous boat.
Tethra underway.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Killybegs Fish N Chip Run
Mullaghmore Sailing Clubs fish N Chip run was great fun sailing from Mullaghmore to Killybegs in 15 knots of glorious breeze and sunshine on june 6th 2010. We all departed at our leisure at times from 10 to 11am and all arrived within 20 minutes of each other. After a nice fish n chip meal in mellys we departed back to Mullaghmore on a Beat to st. Johns Point and a reach back to mullaghmore. Everyone was back by 5:30.
Tethra crossing Donegal bay
Friday, June 04, 2010
Richard's new SB3 first sail.
Sailing Richards Laser SB3 Mullaghmore Last Weekend. I had the spinny sheet the wrong way through the block for the first run but still it was great fun. we got 2 better runs in after as wind was building but the camera power died unfortunately.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Record Number of Baskin Sharks
Irish Times reports a record number of baskin Sharks in Donegal Bay.Here we have Paul Swimming with one.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Tethra goes to Swilly
At 11am Thursday the 30th of July the sky was bright and sunny with showers never too far away. I was standing on Tethra with Fionnuala Carter, Warner Wilders, Willie Tindal and John Breslin as we finished putting our gear away below and got the kettle boiled up for a hot cuppa to get us on our way. Half an hour beforehand the sky was Grey and dark and a downpour had us trapped in Paddy’s shop sipping coffee looking out the door (at that point I was thinking about how good my new jacket from Dunnes was?!?!)
We hoisted the sails and headed off out across Donegal bay on port tack almost directly at Rathlin O Beirne Island. Over the few hours we drank tea and coffee, devoured some pot noodles and cheaper brand noodles discussing whether pot noodle is better than the other brands. Finally the Noodle conversation was brought to an end when John leaned over the cockpit and on his way back caught the pull cord for his lifejacket on something. Whosh!! John stood there laughing with the big yellow lifejacket inflated around him and we all burst out laughing.
We Passed through the Rathlin O Beirne Sound and beared off onto a reach north to Aranmore. At this stage the sun was shining brilliantly and it was hard to believe that according to the Forecast we would have a Gale from the south within the next 12 hours. The Scenery of Malin More Head, Glen Head and Dawros Head on a sunny afternoon from the sea are absolutely spectacular. As we sailed up the west side of Aranmore, we studied the cliffs to try and see where the cliff had slid into the sea in June causing some lobstermen fishing nearby a near heart-attack!
We came to rest on a mooring in Aranroads which was very sheltered in all directions and which was also the nearest the shore. Warner got some extra lines onto the mooring and we had our own anchor set up on the deck in case the mooring broke. After a Bully feed of Tuna Bolognese I went ashore with John and Fionnuala and we had a couple of quiet beers were we bumped into MSC member Joe Kavanagh who was working on the island for a couple of days. As we returned to the boat the wind was beginning to build and we went below where we contented ourselves with a hot whiskey while listening to the wind building outside. A small Scottish boat had also come in during the evening and was sitting on the mooring next to us.
It was a restless night roaring up to force 9 at times with deafening noise reverberating around the boat and that was just the snoring inside the boat. Outside wasn’t much better as the waves were short and snappy as they built up in the short distance from the shore which lead me to imagine the mooring lines breaking but every time I inspected them and the others inspected them they were fine and we were holding perfectly. I then found that the fore cabin had a leak which caused my bunk cushion to be saturated so I retreated into the main saloon where I bedded down with me feet in Warner’s nose, not a nice surprise for him in the morning ;-)
The next Morning I showered in a good heavy rain shower which was actually colder than going for a swim which is what the others did. We then went ashore for Lunch and a walk out to the lighthouse on the other side of the island which was very nice as the rain stayed away and scenery was fantastic. We headed back to the boat around sixish in a lull in the wind and settled down to a prawn curry and a couple of hot ports. That night nature threw her toys out of the pram again but we were nice and snug in the boat and not really paying much attention to her tantrum. We had decided to poke the bow out to sea the next morning for a look as the forecast was for the wind to go down and we would have the shelter of the land all the way to Lough Swilly. Part of this was because we were getting a bit of cabin fever and partly because we would be missing the first day of the Swilly regatta already and really wanted to get there for the rest of the weekend.
The Next Morning we Sailed out of Aranroads heading north in flat sea on a reefed main and reefed Jib at around 10am, we were making 5.5 knots while we were still in the shelter of the island, but as we came outside the three sisters and into the swell heading towards Tory the wind speed grew and Tethra was well able for it and lifted her skirts, nicely balanced on a scrap of jib and a double reefed main we started to see 8 knots, 9 knots and our gps shows the highest speed of the trip was 10.9 which is damn good for a 37 year old boat. We sailed across the top of Ireland well to the north to avoid any inshore obstacles and came back on a course for the limeburner buoy. Tethra passed the limeburner buoy like a train and the mood on the boat was fantastic and everyone realized how fast this trip was turning out to be. We Turned South into Lough Swilly and at 6 O Clock we had Cliona and Brian O’Kelly come along side us just shy of Rathmullan and pass us a couple of beers. They went ashore to get lines ready for us and as I came up from below I remarked that Cliona must have taken the dingy with them. Everybody looked back and said no, but I knew it was there a few minutes before, then Willie Spotted it drifting back north up the Swilly. We came around and went after it catching up with it after about 20 minutes. Then we grabbed it and headed back to Rathmullan again… the dingy had cost us 2 hours altogether.
Sunday the 2nd of August turned out to be a beautiful day and I got a lift to the committee boat where I registered with the OD. The Atmosphere in the Air was relaxed and fun and we watched as the fleet came out from the Marina in Fahan. That day we had 2 races and on the first beat a boat that just tacked away kindly told us to tack as the tide would wash us up to the mark so we did tack and sure enough we landed right on the mark. As we sailed under spinnaker to the next mark we got to talk to some of the big white sail boats which shared the same course and start as the class two fleet we were in. We passed them under spinnaker and at the last mark we were just slightly ahead of everyone else, We hardened up and beat our way back to the finish where we came in on starboard to a big Beneteau 411 which we just pipped on the line! What a great start. Unfortunately we did not really feature in the next race but we still really enjoyed the day. That Night Cliona’s friends had prepared us a big BarB’Cue dinner which went down a treat and was really appreciated. After Hot showers and a huge meal we all went into Rathmullan and we partied in the rain at the Rathmullan Festival to the band Gael Force beating out music from a truck. Only in Ireland will you see a couple of hundred people dancing in the rain and wind and having a good time doing it!
Monday the 3rd was not quite as nice as Sunday being one of those days that you could not really decide whether to take you coat off or to leave it on. The sky was dull but the wind was nice and steady. We had a good start in the first race and the second race and the best moment for me was sailing alongside another boat with both our spinnakers up in flat sea and steady 18 knots wind. Looking over there were two men on-board with big grins on their faces, that’s what sailing is about!
After the Race John left us to get back to the real world and work and some such stuff, as he was leaving I think he was sorry not to be doing the trip back to Mullaghmore. That Night our party had diminished to Willie, Warner, Fionnuala and Myself, so we treated ourselves to a meal in Rathmullan House, which I would highly recommend! We were then joined by Sarah McDaid who told us that we had won our class in the regatta that day! Then Franck Homburger who was taking his boat from Malahide to Mullaghmore showed up. He had been holed up in Lough Foyle for the last few days and was now going to cruise back to Mullaghmore in company with Tethra.
The Next day at midday Tethra and Shona set of sailing north up the swilly. Tehtra was under spinnaker and pulled ahead but once we rounded fanad head and came onto a reach Franck started to gain on us. The Destination was Sheephaven Bay where we went into Dunfanaghy pier. It was a gorgeous sunny evening and we all had a swim in the harbour. I stood on the back of the boat looking around when I heard a man on the pier call down “Mullaghmore Calling”, looking up in the sun at a man in a swim cap and wetsuit I could not fathom how he knew we were from mullaghmore, as it turned out it was Kevin Hennessy who has a house up there.
The following morning we headed out to sea but as we looked back we could not see Shona following us so we slowed down and waited but still no sign. As it turned out they had hit a rock while leaving the harbour and had damaged the rudder fitting. Franck got in touch with us to come back as we had tools on board and as we motored back into the waves I got a phonecall from Micheal Dalton “is that your boat coming into dunfanaghy??”, “yeah were are you?”, “On the main road”, “ have you got tools?”, “yes”, “get down to the harbour!”. As it turned out we would not be needed as a very kind local took away the fitting and welded it and it was refitted to the boat within 2 hours. We set off again this time with Shona right behind us.
I had never heard of Magheroarty but we would spend that night there. After we tied up I was cooking dinner and chatting with Jane over on Shona while the others went body surfing behind the pier. As we were talking a number of surfers ran down the harbour and jumped into the sea and paddled out around the pier. One of them looked up and recognized Jane so as it turned out while the others were body surfing outside, A gang of people from strandhill and rosses point were on the way out to the waves, so I believe the conversation out there was something like, “Warner!! Where did you come from?” Later that night we had a quiet pint with them and I met Welsh Pete for the first time. A week later he was sailing with us on Tethra.
Thursday morning was here and the trip was coming to an end. I went for a jog that morning and looked out at Tory from the sand dunes. We had a good breeze with the wind to go down over the day so we wanted to get going. As it turned out we would not get to Teelin until the next morning as the wind died and so did my engine so Tethra sailed serenely under slieve league by moonlight. During that day Fionnuala introduced me to toasted Cheese and apple sandwiches and chocolate sandwiches. Jane helmed the boat for the three or four hours and zeph the dog gobbled up any food that was dropped or offered. Overall, a very happy little boat. We arrived in Teelin just after first light and settled down for some sleep.
At 10am we arose to another gorgeous day and sailed for Mullaghmore. I went below to sleep some more and fionnuala slept on deck while Warner steered the boat along just behind Shona. The wind died again but as we approached Mullaghmore the wind rose again and Both Tethra a
nd Shona sailed side by side at speed past Rodney Lomax who was waving from his fishing boat “Celtic Dawn” and through the moorings past Michael Dalton who was moored on “Sjohnton” waving at us also. A very nice welcome home from a great trip.
We hoisted the sails and headed off out across Donegal bay on port tack almost directly at Rathlin O Beirne Island. Over the few hours we drank tea and coffee, devoured some pot noodles and cheaper brand noodles discussing whether pot noodle is better than the other brands. Finally the Noodle conversation was brought to an end when John leaned over the cockpit and on his way back caught the pull cord for his lifejacket on something. Whosh!! John stood there laughing with the big yellow lifejacket inflated around him and we all burst out laughing.
We Passed through the Rathlin O Beirne Sound and beared off onto a reach north to Aranmore. At this stage the sun was shining brilliantly and it was hard to believe that according to the Forecast we would have a Gale from the south within the next 12 hours. The Scenery of Malin More Head, Glen Head and Dawros Head on a sunny afternoon from the sea are absolutely spectacular. As we sailed up the west side of Aranmore, we studied the cliffs to try and see where the cliff had slid into the sea in June causing some lobstermen fishing nearby a near heart-attack!
We came to rest on a mooring in Aranroads which was very sheltered in all directions and which was also the nearest the shore. Warner got some extra lines onto the mooring and we had our own anchor set up on the deck in case the mooring broke. After a Bully feed of Tuna Bolognese I went ashore with John and Fionnuala and we had a couple of quiet beers were we bumped into MSC member Joe Kavanagh who was working on the island for a couple of days. As we returned to the boat the wind was beginning to build and we went below where we contented ourselves with a hot whiskey while listening to the wind building outside. A small Scottish boat had also come in during the evening and was sitting on the mooring next to us.
It was a restless night roaring up to force 9 at times with deafening noise reverberating around the boat and that was just the snoring inside the boat. Outside wasn’t much better as the waves were short and snappy as they built up in the short distance from the shore which lead me to imagine the mooring lines breaking but every time I inspected them and the others inspected them they were fine and we were holding perfectly. I then found that the fore cabin had a leak which caused my bunk cushion to be saturated so I retreated into the main saloon where I bedded down with me feet in Warner’s nose, not a nice surprise for him in the morning ;-)
The next Morning I showered in a good heavy rain shower which was actually colder than going for a swim which is what the others did. We then went ashore for Lunch and a walk out to the lighthouse on the other side of the island which was very nice as the rain stayed away and scenery was fantastic. We headed back to the boat around sixish in a lull in the wind and settled down to a prawn curry and a couple of hot ports. That night nature threw her toys out of the pram again but we were nice and snug in the boat and not really paying much attention to her tantrum. We had decided to poke the bow out to sea the next morning for a look as the forecast was for the wind to go down and we would have the shelter of the land all the way to Lough Swilly. Part of this was because we were getting a bit of cabin fever and partly because we would be missing the first day of the Swilly regatta already and really wanted to get there for the rest of the weekend.
The Next Morning we Sailed out of Aranroads heading north in flat sea on a reefed main and reefed Jib at around 10am, we were making 5.5 knots while we were still in the shelter of the island, but as we came outside the three sisters and into the swell heading towards Tory the wind speed grew and Tethra was well able for it and lifted her skirts, nicely balanced on a scrap of jib and a double reefed main we started to see 8 knots, 9 knots and our gps shows the highest speed of the trip was 10.9 which is damn good for a 37 year old boat. We sailed across the top of Ireland well to the north to avoid any inshore obstacles and came back on a course for the limeburner buoy. Tethra passed the limeburner buoy like a train and the mood on the boat was fantastic and everyone realized how fast this trip was turning out to be. We Turned South into Lough Swilly and at 6 O Clock we had Cliona and Brian O’Kelly come along side us just shy of Rathmullan and pass us a couple of beers. They went ashore to get lines ready for us and as I came up from below I remarked that Cliona must have taken the dingy with them. Everybody looked back and said no, but I knew it was there a few minutes before, then Willie Spotted it drifting back north up the Swilly. We came around and went after it catching up with it after about 20 minutes. Then we grabbed it and headed back to Rathmullan again… the dingy had cost us 2 hours altogether.
Sunday the 2nd of August turned out to be a beautiful day and I got a lift to the committee boat where I registered with the OD. The Atmosphere in the Air was relaxed and fun and we watched as the fleet came out from the Marina in Fahan. That day we had 2 races and on the first beat a boat that just tacked away kindly told us to tack as the tide would wash us up to the mark so we did tack and sure enough we landed right on the mark. As we sailed under spinnaker to the next mark we got to talk to some of the big white sail boats which shared the same course and start as the class two fleet we were in. We passed them under spinnaker and at the last mark we were just slightly ahead of everyone else, We hardened up and beat our way back to the finish where we came in on starboard to a big Beneteau 411 which we just pipped on the line! What a great start. Unfortunately we did not really feature in the next race but we still really enjoyed the day. That Night Cliona’s friends had prepared us a big BarB’Cue dinner which went down a treat and was really appreciated. After Hot showers and a huge meal we all went into Rathmullan and we partied in the rain at the Rathmullan Festival to the band Gael Force beating out music from a truck. Only in Ireland will you see a couple of hundred people dancing in the rain and wind and having a good time doing it!
Monday the 3rd was not quite as nice as Sunday being one of those days that you could not really decide whether to take you coat off or to leave it on. The sky was dull but the wind was nice and steady. We had a good start in the first race and the second race and the best moment for me was sailing alongside another boat with both our spinnakers up in flat sea and steady 18 knots wind. Looking over there were two men on-board with big grins on their faces, that’s what sailing is about!
After the Race John left us to get back to the real world and work and some such stuff, as he was leaving I think he was sorry not to be doing the trip back to Mullaghmore. That Night our party had diminished to Willie, Warner, Fionnuala and Myself, so we treated ourselves to a meal in Rathmullan House, which I would highly recommend! We were then joined by Sarah McDaid who told us that we had won our class in the regatta that day! Then Franck Homburger who was taking his boat from Malahide to Mullaghmore showed up. He had been holed up in Lough Foyle for the last few days and was now going to cruise back to Mullaghmore in company with Tethra.
The Next day at midday Tethra and Shona set of sailing north up the swilly. Tehtra was under spinnaker and pulled ahead but once we rounded fanad head and came onto a reach Franck started to gain on us. The Destination was Sheephaven Bay where we went into Dunfanaghy pier. It was a gorgeous sunny evening and we all had a swim in the harbour. I stood on the back of the boat looking around when I heard a man on the pier call down “Mullaghmore Calling”, looking up in the sun at a man in a swim cap and wetsuit I could not fathom how he knew we were from mullaghmore, as it turned out it was Kevin Hennessy who has a house up there.
The following morning we headed out to sea but as we looked back we could not see Shona following us so we slowed down and waited but still no sign. As it turned out they had hit a rock while leaving the harbour and had damaged the rudder fitting. Franck got in touch with us to come back as we had tools on board and as we motored back into the waves I got a phonecall from Micheal Dalton “is that your boat coming into dunfanaghy??”, “yeah were are you?”, “On the main road”, “ have you got tools?”, “yes”, “get down to the harbour!”. As it turned out we would not be needed as a very kind local took away the fitting and welded it and it was refitted to the boat within 2 hours. We set off again this time with Shona right behind us.
I had never heard of Magheroarty but we would spend that night there. After we tied up I was cooking dinner and chatting with Jane over on Shona while the others went body surfing behind the pier. As we were talking a number of surfers ran down the harbour and jumped into the sea and paddled out around the pier. One of them looked up and recognized Jane so as it turned out while the others were body surfing outside, A gang of people from strandhill and rosses point were on the way out to the waves, so I believe the conversation out there was something like, “Warner!! Where did you come from?” Later that night we had a quiet pint with them and I met Welsh Pete for the first time. A week later he was sailing with us on Tethra.
Thursday morning was here and the trip was coming to an end. I went for a jog that morning and looked out at Tory from the sand dunes. We had a good breeze with the wind to go down over the day so we wanted to get going. As it turned out we would not get to Teelin until the next morning as the wind died and so did my engine so Tethra sailed serenely under slieve league by moonlight. During that day Fionnuala introduced me to toasted Cheese and apple sandwiches and chocolate sandwiches. Jane helmed the boat for the three or four hours and zeph the dog gobbled up any food that was dropped or offered. Overall, a very happy little boat. We arrived in Teelin just after first light and settled down for some sleep.
At 10am we arose to another gorgeous day and sailed for Mullaghmore. I went below to sleep some more and fionnuala slept on deck while Warner steered the boat along just behind Shona. The wind died again but as we approached Mullaghmore the wind rose again and Both Tethra a
nd Shona sailed side by side at speed past Rodney Lomax who was waving from his fishing boat “Celtic Dawn” and through the moorings past Michael Dalton who was moored on “Sjohnton” waving at us also. A very nice welcome home from a great trip.
