Arklow 52:47.76N 06:08.81W
2 September
An early start today to catch the tide south to Arklow and a
still, bright morning. As we pulled off the dock the wind meter stopped
working again, so after a quick discussion, we decided to try to get it fixed
for good and came back on. Before tying up fully, I rebooted the unit and
it worked! So decided to head off again. Once again, within seconds
of leaving the pontoon, it packed up again, was fixed with another reboot, and
then packed up entirely. This is looking more and more like a cabling
fault - which is a big job and one I'd rather have done back in the UK.
Added to that, we would certainly miss what still looks like a promising window
for the passage across to Wales at the weekend - and given the last 3 weeks of
successive fronts - that could be pretty stupid. So back to basics and a
stiff neck to monitor wind speed and direction.
Leaving Dun Laoghaire - the bright pat of the day
Rounding Wicklow Head and into the murk
The passage to Arklow was smooth and enjoyable as far as
Wicklow Head, when the cumulative effect of the last day of S/SW'ly winds
kicked in and everything got lumpy. Winds started light - and in the
tradition of our passage down the Irish coast, were right on the nose.
Then the wind picked up, but stayed on the nose, and it started to rain.
A great relief to turn into the peaty river at Arklow and tie up alongside
their long pontoon. I'd heard various stories about the marina and how
tight it is, and was very glad to have gone for the pontoon option when we
motored past the narrow marina entrance, and even more so when we walked round
it to pay our dues. Getting off the pontoon tomorrow may be fun, as there
are several trots of moorings tight beside it and a strong river current,
making turning interesting. Oh, and you run out of depth if you go past the
centre of the river. So probably a case of holding station against the
current and then slowly letting the boat drift backwards until there is a
little more space. At least it will be near high water.
We arrived in torrential rain, and tied up securely with a NW'ly
gale coming through this evening and tonight. One of the locals told me
that the river level was as high as he'd seen it - so may even get a bit
of flooding further up river. And there's lots of debris flowing past.
Arklow itself is not the most glamorous of towns. As well as providing a
tour of Dublin, Sharon had given us some ideas for Arklow (she's a Wexford
girl) - but they all involved getting on a train/bus and going somewhere
else! So hopefully we will head off tomorrow - but who knows?. The
wind is still howling.
