Norman Kean turns his bows south to explore the waters between Ireland, Cornwall and Ushant.
Ireland and Scotland may be beautiful, but they are not warm. For the past 10 years our sailing has been almost entirely confined to those two countries for the work of editing the Irish Cruising Club’s Sailing Directions. We had never sailed Atlantic Spain, or the Biscay coast south of Les Sables d’Olonne, though we had a long-held ambition to spend time in those warmer waters. One volume of Sailing Directions being hot off the presses, and the other just two years old, 2016 offered us the opportunity for a change of scene.
While Geraldine and I have made many night passages, ocean voyaging is not to her taste. We chose instead to go by the scenic route – through the Celtic Sea. Between Ireland and Cornwall, the Celtic Sea is a surprisingly relaxing stretch of water and worthy of a trip in itself. While it is fully exposed to the Atlantic and can be rough, it has the benefit that what you see is what you get. No sudden swells or tide-races reach up to bite the unwary. Tidal streams are slight, traffic is sparse and dolphins abound. It’s at least 135 miles across, and when night falls, the lights of unseen fishing boats twinkle around the horizon. We were looking forward to this almost as much as our arrival further south.
Our Warrior 40 Coire Uisge had been treated to new sails, and we had also replaced her ageing Volvo engine with a new Nannidiesel 4.50, sail drive and folding propeller. We were nearly ready for our extended cruise, but we had some serious sea miles ahead of us.
Esta historia es de la edición April 2017 de Yachting Monthly.
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Esta historia es de la edición April 2017 de Yachting Monthly.
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How to rig preventers and boom brakes
Rigging a preventer or using a boom brake is just good seamanship when sailing downwind, but doing so badly is asking for trouble, says Rachael Sprot
Don't let Thames sewage kill off this lovely boat
Samuel Pepys mentions oysters in his diaries 68 times, but that was when they were as common as winkles along the banks of the Thames and when they were a source of cheap protein for the masses.
I finally found the magic of the sea
I won’t be in theatres with a notebook as much as usual this month – time for some wider, wetter horizons – but may be musing, as I often do, on how rare it is for theatre to express a convincing reality about the oceans and the trade or pursuit of seafaring.
TECHNICAL GOLDEN OLDIES
Ken Endean looks back on the boats he has owned over 50 years and explains why the hull lines of older yachts continue to offer first-class handling
HOW IT WORKS MARKING
Many cruising yacht skippers mark very little on board their boats.
TECHNICAL INSTALLING A NEW ENGINE
When a mysterious loss of coolant jeopardised his sailing, Andy Du Port knew the time had tome to replace his yacht’s:veteran Volvo Penta
NEW GEAR
Dennis O’Neill rounds up the latest marine innovations, including developments in women’s sailing jackets
MARIE TABARLY HONOURING HER FATHER
Marie Tabarly took line honours in the Ocean Globe Race, surpassing her father’s record while racing aboard his famous 73ft ketch Pen Duick VI
HEATHER THOMAS SMASHING RECORDS
In leading her all-female crew to victory in the OGR, Heather Thomas has broken records and taken women's sailing into the stratosphere
MAIDEN MAKES HISTORY AGAIN
Being the first all-female crew to win a round-the-world race is seismic in itself, but the diverse nationalities of the crew are just as significant for the future of sailing