Lazaway Life

  Mew Lighthouse.  Like most lighthouses these days this is automatic with an LED light  in place of the old Fresnel lens.  The lens from this light is now on display at the Titanic Slipway in Belfast.  I remember it well from when it was at the top of the tower. At 16.30 we set sail for an early evening cruise to the Copelands and beyond.  We don’t need much of an excuse to take the boat out, but our flimsy reasoning this evening was to take Gordon’s sister Anne, and husband Peter, out for their first trip on Lazaway.  Ardent followers of the Lazaway Life blog this was their first chance to actually sample the bucolic life at sea.  Immediately on leaving Bangor, Gordon took us round the US Naval Ship Maury, which was unmoving, but not anchored, just outside the harbour.   It remained stationary for at least 24 hours, and by coincidence (?) turns up at the same time a a US Super Hercules flies into Belfast. Conspiracy theorists get to work! Anne, Peter, Mary and Susie having coffee and

  The Crew:  Bob, Katie, Joanne, Katie, Ben and Jove This was an opportunity to take a few of Katie’s friends for a short wildlife watching trip to the Gobbins and the Copeland Islands.  At 18.30 on a wonderfully calm and sunny Thursday evening we left Bangor and headed north. A bird list was started. As we crossed the Belfast Lough the Gannets gave a dramatic display of soaring, searching and plunging after their fishy food.  They’re reinforced skulls being tested to the limit. As we passed first Whitehead and then Blackhead the number of auks began to increase until we reached the busy metropolis of the Gobbins - Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Fulmars filled the cliffs and sky and water with their beating wings and energetic calls.  It was dramatic and thrilling to see and hear.  We got close, but not close enough to get a whiff of their aroma (that might have been a sensory stimulation too far). The Gobbins at early evening  We lingered only briefly before turning s

  Rathlin Harbour at night It was with some excitement that we set off this morning at 08.30 - this was to be the completion of the circle.  Our time of leaving Rathlin was based on our wish to catch the tide flooding into the Irish Sea - and as usual Gordon got the timing perfect.  We picked up the tide within minutes of leaving the harbour, and as we passed Fair Head and Tor Head we got up to 7 knots of tide - we were flying along.  After Tor Head the speed of the tide reduced, but we kept some of its help all the way to Bangor, thus making it back in just 4 hours.  Brilliant. Rue Point at the south end of Rathlin - the point closest to Fair Head and the mainland. At this point the sea was boiling and fizzing with tidal current.   The autopilot had to work very hard to keep the boat on the right track. Views of Fair Head One of Northern Ireland’s most iconic landmarks, Fair Head with Ballycastle off to the right (not visible) and Murlough Bay to the left, was looking spectacular. Soo

  Our day started with an unsuccessful rescue mission. This small yacht was being taken over to the other pier at high tide this morning when it got stuck on a small sand bar.  We joined four others in an effort to pull it off as the tide was starting to drop.  Initially there was no community cohesion, and one of the helpers was told in no uncertain terms by the woman on the boat to STOP HELPING! He stormed off effing and blinding, not a happy bunny.  Despite our strenuous exertions the boat was stuck fast, and we gave up. The owner will have to wait for the next tide. We needed to go for a wee lie down! After a rest and a bacon butty we all set off for the walk to the West Light to see the sea stacks and seabird colonies.  4.5 miles each way, but a beautiful walk.  And the spectacle at the end is fantastic and well worth the walk (there are two small buses running backwards and forwards to the West Light, and they were full on every run today).  These stack are covered in breeding se

  As we left Gola at 06.00 this morning  As we start the day, the weather could not be better.  Almost dead calm, sun coming up, no rain and cool but not cold.  Of course, what’s important on today’s trip is the sea state.  Rounding the west and north coasts of Donegal has always been one of our main challenges - it can be pretty rough up here.  However, as we start the day it couldn’t be calmer.  Fantastic.  The forecast is for the wind to pick up, but we hope we can get round Malin Head before it does. In the meantime, we’ve just passed Bloody Foreland on our right with Errigal just a bit inland, and we have Tory Island on our left.  We’re also passing a wee group of islands: (another) Inishbofin, Inishdooey and Inish Beg. Wonderful. Tory Island looking very close  08.00 Horn Head on our right looking splendid in the morning sun, with Dunfanaghy tucked in behind it.  Lots of Puffins. It’s got a bit colder (I suppose we are in the north now) with a gentle easterly breeze and a swell f

  Lighthouse at western tip of Arranmore (Aran Island) Left Killybegs at 06.00 in order to get to Gola (Island) before the forecast afternoon winds picked up real strength.  The run west from Killybegs was calm, sunny and extremely scenic - passing close to Slieve League.  All beautiful and something of a novelty for Susie and Mary to be up at that time.  At Rathlin O’Birne Island we passed through the sound between it and the mainland and immediately started to pick up an Atlantic swell.  Within 10 minutes both engines started to lose power.  We reduced speed but they continued to slow on their own accord.  We could not continue. Fortunately experience is a great thing.  We immediately recognised the symptoms of clogged fuel filters - the big Dennison filters we had first had problems with on the way into Campbeltown last year.  We changed them then, and again just before this round Ireland trip.  However it would appear that the very rough weather we encountered coming up from Inishb

  Killybegs harbour with the nicest boat in the marina near far right  Another stunning day, hot and sunny and calm.  However an hour to the west just beyond the headland there is stiff enough northerly breeze blowing. We decided to do a couple more jobs on the boat and take it easy today.  We also organised a fuel tanker to come onto the Town Pier to give us a top up - we took 781ltrs of diesel and so will start tomorrow with full tanks. Donegal Oil man providing us with very long hose and dose of diesel  We have had to give up on one of our jobs - the hand operated bilge pump stopped working during our rough crossing and it won’t be persuaded to come back to life.  We’ll have to sort out a more robust one when we get home - and can survive perfectly well in the meantime. We’re still walking around Killybegs amazed at the amount of money that has been invested here in the relatively recent past.  We keep thinking of the man in Kinsale (or was it Dingle?) who said to us “We just keep s

  We have not moved on today.  Repairs, recovery, and recreation have been the order of the day. It started, as every good day should, with a full Irish breakfast at the Ahoy Cafe.  Right by the marina, extremely popular with the port workers, and excellent food.  Really good start.  We then had some repairs to sort out.  The fresh water pump had got an airlock in it, which meant we couldn’t get water from the taps - so no showers, washing dishes (what’s the problem, I hear you say), washing hands - nathin! So Gordon spent a good part of the day working on this problem - and after many tries eventually got it sorted.  Shane worked on a serious seawater leak into the front cabin that left the mattresses and bedding wet.  We’re pretty sure this has been a long running problem that we just hadn’t recognised previously.  A number of likely sources of water ingress have been sorted - all are associated with heavy weather that brings water over the bows - and yesterday meant that we brought