Crookhaven to Lawrence Cove, Bere Island 26 May 2023
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| Crookhaven lighthouse |
Very relaxed start to the day. Shane bird watched, Gordon did a bit of maintenance, Susie exercised her painful arm and Mary talked to family at home. Susie and Gordon then had a short (romantic?) walk ashore, before we were ready to slip the mooring at 12.00.
Today’s journey is only about 2.5 hours to Lawrence Cove - a small marina on the north side of Bere Island. Weather conditions are perfect - calm and sunny, and warm from the start.
We quickly came to Mizen Head, the most southwesterly point of Ireland - dramatic and beautiful. We find it hard to believe that we are seeing it from this angle - we feel very lucky.
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| Mizen Head from the south (bottom) and from the west (top). |
The views across Bantry Bay were outstanding - mountains all the way round except for the Atlantic bit - and I’m sure if we had tried we could have seen the Statue of Liberty, the weather was so clear and sunny and calm and lovely. No cetaceans - rather disappointingly.
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| Bantry Bay |
Lovely entrance to Berehaven the channel between Bere Island and the mainland:
However, the channel itself proved to be bit of a nightmare. It was all good until we passed the entrance to Castletown-Bearhaven harbour and then it all went tits-up. The first obstacle was the appearance of the small Bere Island car ferry, which wasn’t going to take any prisoners, so we slowed right down to let it pass. Then immediately we had to sus-out a barge anchored in the middle of the channel with ropes and buoys out on either side of it - one thick yellow rope stretched well away on the north side just below the surface. It was a commercial diver training platform, currently unmanned, and was a real obstacle to avoid. We eased past on its south side with not a lot of room between us and the shore.
Next in the channel was a network of at least 100 buoys that we had to motor through, and avoid. Not difficult, but we ended up with a very weavy route. Next to annoy us was the wreck of the Bardini, a cargo ship, which sank in 1982 after a fire aboard. It is a significant obstacle with masts and a funnel above the surface, with a Cardinal buoy at its north end but nothing at its south - where we were. To help with making the route more difficult, there are a plethora of fish and mussel farms along the sides of the channel.
Anyway, with care and going slowly, we made it into Lawrence Cove on Bere Island (with a final need to dodge another outward bound Bere Island ferry), 15 minutes later than planned. This is a lovely, small marina, with brand new pontoons.
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| Tied up at Lawrence Cove marina - the pontoons were put in just a week ago. |
Bere Island is a hot spot for Martello towers - it has six of them. Worried about a French invasion, the British built 6 Martello Towers, completing them by 1805, making them some of the earliest to be built in Ireland (Berehaven was a deep and strategic harbour).
A wee lesson on what a Martello Tower is - a round or oval defensive structure with very thick walls. The original entrance is always approximately 10 feet from the ground - this could only be entered by ladder which was easily hauled up if the enemy appeared. The entrance was also protected by a ‘machicolation’ - a floor opening through which stones, boiling water or tar could be dropped on attackers. The ground floor was used as a master-gunner’s store for barrels of gunpowder and cannonballs. The walls and floor of the powder room were lined with wood held in place with wooden pegs rather than iron nails - so that the nails in soldiers boots couldn’t create a spark and blow the lot up. A well within the tower allowed the soldiers to survive under siege.
The grocery store, and post office, in the village beside Lawrence Cove is a revelation - or a throwback - it has made the trip to the island all worthwhile.
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| Bere Island store and post office. A sign says it was opened in 1908 - the shop fittings are probably the original. What a treat! |
The boat bird list for today has 32 species.
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