Froggies 2006 Cruise - Part 4

oceanfroggie

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Photos of Ocean Froggies 2006 Cruise from Killaloe to Dun Laoghaire
Day 7 - Kilmore Quay to Dunmore East and Waterford
Day 8 - Waterford back to Kilmore Quay

Left Kilmore Quay 1100 bound for Dunmore East, mooring buoy, went ashore for a few hours, had lunch in WHSC where we received a very warm welcome. Then cruised up the Waterford Estuary towards the beautiful Barrow and Suir rivers. Arrived in Waterford City marina at 1630. The Marina is excellent, run by the council, and about 1/2mile long. Great security, 220v, water, and fab city centre scenery. Marina shows what can be done with a will to do it. TG a developer has bought the old run down eastern wharf and is going to develop a small city over there. In years to come Waterford city will have one of the nicest waterfronts in Europe. The scenery up the Suir was fantastic. Colregs were useful today when I met a dredger, a tug, an massive bulk carrier that at great speed left its mooring and did a 360 in front of us in the narrow channel with the aid of a tug - impressive manouvering! Met an IWAI boat cruising out from behind Kings Island. Heck of a tidal stream on the city marina jetties, you have to moor bow into which every direction the tide is flowing when you are tieing up. In our case the tide was ebbing heavily when we changed berth HW+2. Wonderful access to this historic city's attractions. Went to the cinema for a break from the salt. We got diesel from a road tanker with a long hose the next morning.

This was a real trip down nostalga lane for me. Cruised past my late fathers old home on the river bank just outside the city. Reason for reverse was to collect family off wexford train in Kilmore Quay, then on to waterford by boat. Weather permitting we are hoping to go to Dun Laoghaire for a week or so, before the slow cruise back to Killaloe on Lough Derg over a number of weekends.

Heading back westwards past the Hook Head light house.
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Dunmore East - WHSC mooring buoy. Nostalgic visit to one of my child hood summer haunts. WHSC very welcoming and assisted us pick up the mooring
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Badgers Cove, Dunmore East
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Plastic or Real?
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Sailing school kids diving during lunch break
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View from WHSC balcony as we had a welcome lunch.
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Heading up the Waterford Estuary - Passage East Ferry
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Light drift nets being hauled in JUST before shipping starts upstream with the flood
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Scenic Waterford Estuary – Railway bridge and junction of Barrow and Suir rivers
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Waterford's new container port now downstream of the city.
This guy did a 360 right in front of us - Impressive Manoeuvring
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Waterford City Marina - Gate swipe cards and 220v tokens available from nearby Tower Hotel if manager is not on duty
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Waterford is world famous for it’s hand crafted crystal glass and now has a beautiful marina and pedestrianised wharf with all the attractions of a city. Waterford hosted the 2005 Tall Ships race, and is hoping to do so again in 2011
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Visiting yachts from far and wide visit the historic Viking city.
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The old commercial wharf opposite on the east bank is to be developed into a marina, park, apartments and shopping park. We spent one night in Waterford before heading back to Kilmore Quay the next evening.
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Departed Waterford 1715 on 31nm passage with the ebb heading back to Kilmore Quay. Waterford Castle hotel and golf club on Kings Island.
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A southerly F6 wind against tide awaited us once we left the serene confines of the estuary. We got bashed a bit and had to peg the speed back to 12kt to avoid slamming off the tops of the short swell. We steered well away out to sea from the seething over falls off the Hook head, but when we turned east into the beam on sea and were able to increase speed to 20kt. The Broom was fantastic in such conditions and rolled very little once we got the speed up. Relieved to arrive in a sunny Kilmore Quay around 1935.
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Kilmore Quay - The marina was packed due to the Cork week fleets were returning to the UK, France, CI and Dublin. We were rafted 5 deep out in the middle between the jetties, so my clever son suggested a simple rope ferry to get ashore using the rib rather than climbing over boats with the folding bikes.
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Day 7 – 15nm+17nm @ 15kt AET 2h15m (lunch break in WHSC)
Arrived Dumore East 1255 for lunch in WHSC, explored childhood haunts in rib, left for Waterford city at 1455 arriving in the city marina at 1610
Day 8 - 32nm @ 12kt & 20kt AET 2h15m
Bumpy ride back to Kilmore Quay in F6, but forecast for the next day looks good for our passage to Dun Laoghaire

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Thanks for taking the time to put all these up, all 4 parts have been great to see, shame about the weather some days but havent we all got to put up with that ? looks like you had some really sunny days though so it must have all belanced out /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Chris
 
Thanks Chris. The weather was fantastic except for two days (ie Kinsale-Kilmore and Kilmore-Waterford, calm but grey and very warm). The rest was calm blue sky, sun and temps in the high 20s. We were really blessed with fantastic weather for three weeks.

To follow:

Part 5 - Kilmore Quay to Dun Laoghaire
Part 6 - DL to Kilmore + RYA exam
Part 7 - Sailing in Kinsale + Super Yachts
Part 8 - The Voyage Home - Bantry Bay to Lough Derg
 
Brings back alot of memories of Dunmore East and Wexford, or was it Waterford. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

It was a long time ago. Only place to berth was already four deap, felt a bit guilty mooring along side them. Went out for tea and came back. Raft was now 16 boats deap. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Another time, we were about 23 miles away, when there was a mayday call, from a cruiser 20 miles in front of us. I said I could be there in an hour. CG said, not to bother as the life boat was only 3 miles away. So the bloke in trouble says he's solved his air lock problem. Lifeboat turns back, Then he comes on again asking for help, life boat turns round again. This happend three or four times. Cant understand why the life boat did not just carry on and rescue the guys. Well I can, as I found out later.

So, eventually we got to the spot where the boat was supposed to be. Could not see anything. Eventually he came on the radio. His engines had stopped again. He'd drifted right under the cliffs. Anyway he restarted them again and shot out, only to stop again right infront of us. We circled round him asking if he needed help. But he kept saying no.

So we kept circling, two engines that have stopped that often, are not suddenly going to mend themselves. Cant understand why the life boat could not see that.

So, in the end we towed him back to Dunmore East and it all became clear. They were having a carnival and the life boat was involved. Course, now we were in view of the spectators. The life boat comes on the radio and says. Ok we will take over now!!

So I told them to sod off, they'd had umpteen chances to rescue him, and failled misserably. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Turned out it was a home finish boat and they'd plumbed two engines into one pipe, which had failled, emptying 300 gallons into the bilge.

Never got a thanks or nowt. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Umm. Sorry to but in!!
 
Hi Hlb

Your welcome /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Interesting account, sounds like faulty towers!

Many years ago Dunmore East used to be the main bolt hole on the SE coast for visiting cruisers transiting westwards, back to UK, or up to Dublin, but not anymore. Kilmore Quay marina in Wexford had taken on that role years ago. Kilmore has all the services (ie fingers, 220v, water, etc). Diesel only by road tanker, but easy to get as they are regularly filling up fishing vessels there. I spent my summer holidays in Dunmore as a child and often dreamed of coming in their by boat. I sailed there in 1973 as a youngster on a Ketch, and dreamed of doing it again one day - 2006 Yipee! Dunmore is now a very busy commercial fishing port and the harbour is not yacht friendly. There is no marina there, but the WHSC have swinging visitor moorings and they are very hospitable. Waterford has changed beyond all belief and now has fantastic mooring facilities in the city centre, with a lot more to come when the east wharf is redeveloped.
 
Dunmore East used to be called the glue pot. Must admit we are not that fond of marinas, much preffer little harbours, or maybe a buoy. Only spoilt, by Debs hating big ladders!! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
Great stuff, OceanFroggie. I do enjoy passage stories especially with loads of pics like yours
 
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