Better Weather and a Good Passage to Aran Island Today. Posn: 54:59.61N, 08:29.53W
Circumnavigation of Ireland
Roy Ratazzi
Tue 26 Jul 2022 18:14
After a few days of torrential rain and strong winds, leaving me in Killybegs, the forecast suggested a different day today. Ian Talbot left me to fly back to UK yesterday morning, so I am now solo on Gemini once more.
I left early this morning to make best use of tide, heading into a WSW wind, too weak to deploy the Genoa. After a cold, miserable start to the day, the wind changed direction to a Northerly F3 and 4, then died before being resurrected to give me a great sail. I have planned to sail to Church Pool, Inishkeel, Portnoo, but at the half way pint I decided to sail on to the East side of the Island of Arran. The sun appeared in the early afternoon, which raised morale.
Rather than sail round the west of the island to approach the anchorage from the NE, I took a punt on a slalom course through rocks and sandbanks, approaching from the South East of the island, assuming that the drying heights would be covered sufficiently by the incoming tide. This is where a twin or lifting keel keel yacht has advantages, some depths sailed over measuring just half a metre below the keels.
With a sigh of relief I moored up on a Visitor’s buoy, not far from the island’s ferry port in beautiful surroundings.
Northern Ireland is now within hearing distance as I am receiving weather reports from Belfast in English, which I can understand; not Irish nor Northern Irish.
Photo below shows the fishing port and small marina in Killybegs.
Looking back at the lighthouse, on leaving Killybegs
The island of Aran from the south west. I sailed through the bottom right corner of the photo
The rocky and very shallow entrance to the southern passage
A view back on the approach, from the safe mooring.
Sent from my iPad