A major part of our sailing “style “ is the ability to get the boat to self steer. It enables us to do long passages without getting tired (we can take it in turns to sleep) and it means that in inclement weather we don’t have to be out in the open all the time. […]
With high pressure sitting just to the W of Ireland , we were faced with the prospect of a week with no wind , perfect weather for pottering, but far from ideal if you want to make any distance. Ideally we wanted to be back near mainland Britain , and close perusal of the weather […]
As you sail North from the Arran islands the scenery just gets grander and grander. In the background the mountains of Connemara gather the clouds and somehow the coast and islands to the west escape the rain for which Ireland is infamous. We called in at the island of Inishboffin for a days walking and […]
The trip along the SW coast of Ireland passes one of my absolute favourite stretches of water anywhere in the world. Skellig Michael is a craggy mountain peak sticking out of the water some 5 miles offshore. Since the birth of Christianity hardy souls have marooned themselves here and eked out a monastic existence , […]
It is 3 years since we last visited the Scillies and in that time the encroachment of “visitors moorings” into traditional anchorages has gathered apace , with the current charges of £20 a night coming as an unpleasant shock. At neaps it is possible to anchor outside the mooring field ( albeit no longer in […]