Down the West Coast & Irish Sea

awol

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I don't know why people are bothering to offer this advice.
For a start off - he's already done the trip the other way round and secondly he won't heed your advice
Finally - Wee Jamesie is clearly bored to bits and thought he'd dig up this rather ancient plan - 10/- says he'll post something similar next year when he still hasn't got round to doing it.
It is possible that as the years roll on he is becoming dighted and the space/time continuum has lost its linearity. I feel you could be a little kinder and more supportive.
 

claymore

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It is possible that as the years roll on he is becoming dighted and the space/time continuum has lost its linearity. I feel you could be a little kinder and more supportive.
I've been like a Faither tae the wee beggar fer decades now - 'kindness itself' as Parahandy noted - but you know yourself that sometimes one has to be cruel to be kind. Believe me - I wept buckets as I was clicking on the 'send' button but my hope is that wee Jamesie - who has not had life easy all these years - (His Mother wanted a Boy, d'ye know?) - that wee Jamesie might think to himself - "Yes by God - this year I will get up to the West Coast and buy Claymore some of the vast amount of beer and Uisge that I owe him...
No breath being held here
 

jimi

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I've been like a Faither tae the wee beggar fer decades now - 'kindness itself' as Parahandy noted - but you know yourself that sometimes one has to be cruel to be kind. Believe me - I wept buckets as I was clicking on the 'send' button but my hope is that wee Jamesie - who has not had life easy all these years - (His Mother wanted a Boy, d'ye know?) - that wee Jamesie might think to himself - "Yes by God - this year I will get up to the West Coast and buy Claymore some of the vast amount of beer and Uisge that I owe him...
No breath being held here
Ye can repay some of my kindness by crewing fae Ipswich tae Inverness, if you ask nicely we can go via Denmark , last time I set off on this trip I ended up in Ijmuiden , just seemed a lot easier in F6 northerlies ?
 

jimi

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The boat is a fin keeler and draws 2m, drying out is not an option and easy shore access for the dogs is desirable at the stops. I'm planning to do Ipswich to Inverness as a delivery trip and I'm familiar with the area Scillies to Ipswich. The area I think will be most troublesome in these respects, if I'm not mistaken would be the welsh coast and that's really where I was looking for advice / ideas on.
 

claymore

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Ye can repay some of my kindness by crewing fae Ipswich tae Inverness, if you ask nicely we can go via Denmark , last time I set off on this trip I ended up in Ijmuiden , just seemed a lot easier in F6 northerlies ?
I spent an afternoon waiting for the Newcastle ferry in Ijmuiden - got a tiny bit pished from what I remember.
I've never been to Ipswich - is it in England?
 

TSB240

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The boat is a fin keeler and draws 2m, drying out is not an option and easy shore access for the dogs is desirable at the stops. I'm planning to do Ipswich to Inverness as a delivery trip and I'm familiar with the area Scillies to Ipswich. The area I think will be most troublesome in these respects, if I'm not mistaken would be the welsh coast and that's really where I was looking for advice / ideas on.
There are no longer any all tide access marinas in North Wales should you be expecting walk ashore facilities.
HOLYHEAD does still have a small fuel dock and waiting pontoon. It is sometimes available for overnighting.
Beamaris has a very exposed all tide pontoon on the end of the Pier that can be used after the trip/ribride boats have finished for the day in fine weather.

Menai Bridge has a similar pontoon and Pier with more shelter but is usually occupied by Bangor University survey ship Prince Madog.Take climbing equipment if you fancy rafting up to her.

Your draft will restrict access to all other non drying ports (Conwy, Port Dinorwic, Caernarfon, Pwllheli and Aberystwth) to within 2.5 to 3 hours of high tide.
After them the nearest all tide easy access marina is Neyland in Milford Haven. Dale does have an offshore pontoon.

For doggies sake I hope you have a good dinghy and dog harness in which case the previosly recommended anchorages are dog friendly and easily accessed in offshore winds.

An additional anchorage for a shorter passage and doggie stop over from either IOM or Eire is Moelfre on the NE Coast of Anglesey. It also has good pub on the beach.
 

Kelpie

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We did a fairly rapid trip down the Irish Sea last year.
Ardglass- a bit squeaky bum getting in or out at LW. Funny little place. They have a Wall of Fame which features celebrities such as Timmy Mallet. Feels rather off the beaten track.
Arklow- we couldn't get berthed on the pontoon so spent the night rolling at anchor off the beach. I dinghied ashore and tied the Avon to a ladder on the breakwater. When I returned 20 minutes later the coastguard were investigating it. Clearly some curtain twitching going on.

Other than than, we anchored off near Dunlaghaire (and got a bollocking from Dublin VTS for not telling them we were entering the harbour, even though we weren't). Kilmore Quay was wonderful. Belfast great, and very good value. Have previously stopped at Glenarm and liked it, but there's not much to be had in the way of provisioning.
 

steve yates

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We did a fairly rapid trip down the Irish Sea last year.
Ardglass- a bit squeaky bum getting in or out at LW. Funny little place. They have a Wall of Fame which features celebrities such as Timmy Mallet. Feels rather off the beaten track.
Arklow- we couldn't get berthed on the pontoon so spent the night rolling at anchor off the beach. I dinghied ashore and tied the Avon to a ladder on the breakwater. When I returned 20 minutes later the coastguard were investigating it. Clearly some curtain twitching going on.

Other than than, we anchored off near Dunlaghaire (and got a bollocking from Dublin VTS for not telling them we were entering the harbour, even though we weren't). Kilmore Quay was wonderful. Belfast great, and very good value. Have previously stopped at Glenarm and liked it, but there's not much to be had in the way of provisioning.
Ardglass, the town the eighties never let go off. They even still have shellsuits
 

jimi

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A good few years ago, a guy we used to see around most summers had gone into the wrong pub there and been threatened with a knee capping if he didn't leave the next day.
We called in there a few years ago when we were going clockwise and met up with and had a meal with a couple of friends who worked with the security services. They were very much on their guard as it was apparently a republican stronghold. Dont wear green, orange, blue , don't discuss religion, don't say which team you support , avoid politics etc etc NI is still a fairly edgy place.
 

lustyd

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Penzance makes a surprisingly good anchorage. Padstow is a fine harbour but an absolute pain on passage unless you really want to go there. It just sucks hours waiting for tides. Avoid Dublin, don't miss Arklow, especially the friendly sailing club. Personally I'd go Peel over Douglas but both are very nice. Loch Ryan is a smashing place to wake up, but again it'll take it's toll on your time
 

jimi

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I'm considering going round via the Orkneys rather than the Cally if the weather is helpful. If I headed to Lochinver (picked up wife and dogs) and then to Stornoway I'd be grateful for suggested itineraries from there to Rathlin .. bearing in mind the need of my wife for shortish hops and needs of Springer Spaniels for onshore poos and walks ;-) Wife will drive up , I'll put bike on boat and attempt to hop the car down as well at suitable places via train and bike ...
 

savageseadog

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There are no longer any all tide access marinas in North Wales should you be expecting walk ashore facilities.
HOLYHEAD does still have a small fuel dock and waiting pontoon. It is sometimes available for overnighting.
Beamaris has a very exposed all tide pontoon on the end of the Pier that can be used after the trip/ribride boats have finished for the day in fine weather.

Menai Bridge has a similar pontoon and Pier with more shelter but is usually occupied by Bangor University survey ship Prince Madog.Take climbing equipment if you fancy rafting up to her.

Your draft will restrict access to all other non drying ports (Conwy, Port Dinorwic, Caernarfon, Pwllheli and Aberystwth) to within 2.5 to 3 hours of high tide.
After them the nearest all tide easy access marina is Neyland in Milford Haven. Dale does have an offshore pontoon.

For doggies sake I hope you have a good dinghy and dog harness in which case the previosly recommended anchorages are dog friendly and easily accessed in offshore winds.

An additional anchorage for a shorter passage and doggie stop over from either IOM or Eire is Moelfre on the NE Coast of Anglesey. It also has good pub on the beach.
There's Amlwch, Anglesey North coast. A very unusual harbour, don't forget your banjo.
 
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