Froggie's cruise underway

[AndieMac]

Down here it should be, according to forecast.
And I will be in a small island tomorrow, so hopefully with even clearer sky, fingers crossed...

Who's going to get the best eclipse pic out of the three current cruising families?

 

[oceanfroggie]

Who's going to get the best eclipse pic out of the three current cruising families?

Hopefully Scubaman or MapisM got a clear shot where they are. Cloudy here last night so no joy. Taking a break ashore now for a few days while a series of Atlantic depressions roll in. The first in about seven weeks.

 

[MapisM]

Hopefully Scubaman or MapisM got a clear shot where they are. Cloudy here last night so no joy. Taking a break ashore now for a few days while a series of Atlantic depressions roll in. The first in about seven weeks.

It seems that the sky was covered with clouds for Scubaman, as he explained in his Lunar Eclipse thread.
I was more lucky and I could enjoy the eclipse, but as I mentioned in the same thread it would have taken a photographic equipment well beyond mine to take some decent shots, so I didn't even try...

 

[BruceK]

This has been a brilliant read. Thanks for sharing. :encouragement:

 

[oceanfroggie]

This has been a brilliant read. Thanks for sharing. :encouragement:

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it

 

[oceanfroggie]

12 hour cruise today covering 115nm, two locks, one city, two towns - wreaked. :sleeping: Photo's in due course, too tired right now.

Slipped lines at 5am in the dark at Dingle, long run around the SW to the mouth of the Shannon Estuary, up the estuary, onto the tidal Shannon, through Limerick city via sea lock, up through Ardnacrusha's impressive hydro electric 102ft lock at the dam, back on fresh water, on to mighty Lough Derg and home port Killaloe. Tied up at 5:15pm.

15 minutes into the passage damp miserable fog descended for the next hour and a half. Very fatiguing watching out for pot buoys. Vis varied from 15meters to 75meters. Thank God for Radar! Vis then improved for 2 hours but then fog returned just as I entered the mouth of the Shannon as Foynes shipping traffic was coming out with the tide. Radar lit up like a games console. Off to bed. Good Night.

 

[scubaman]

That’s a great feeling getting back to your home berth with everything and everybody in one piece. Especially after a demanding last leg such as yours. Looking foward to the pics!

 

[oceanfroggie]

That’s a great feeling getting back to your home berth with everything and everybody in one piece. Especially after a demanding last leg such as yours. Looking foward to the pics!

Final Passage - Dingle to Killaloe on Lough Derg - 115nm

Dingle the evening before departure. The med weather we've had for past six weeks has departed and grey mist and drizzle had taken over for a few days! Wind had blown up for the past 3 days so the Atlantic swell had been brewed. Hoping wave height would improve overnight as light winds returned about 22:30.

Early departure - winds light but mist and fog

Poor photo - but captures the essence of the damp start. Farewell Dingle. Photo aft while navigating the long dredged channel using the leading marks

Then this soup for two hours. Very tiring keeping eyes peeled for pot buoys. Can't afford a rope around the props despite fitting rope cutters 10 years ago to both shafts. Sea state good, wave height only 1.2m and light winds. Glued to radar.

Visibility improved eventually with sight of land which was a relief because staring at that soup for more than two hours would not have been fun.

After two hours of moderate visibility the mist and fog returned as I entered the mouth of the Shannon Estuary on the Atlantic west coast of Ireland, just as some shipping traffic was coming down stream with the tide. Met another grey monster coming down stream about 25 minute later, and passed two more at anchor waiting for pilots. I would not attempt such as passage without radar, but one always had the option to route via shallow water to avoid shipping traffic in the event radar unexpectedly packed in.

Anyway I eventually made it up through Limerick City, the sea lock, up stream to the hydro electric dam, up the 102ft lock, and then back to our home port of Killaloe on mighty Lough Derg twelve hours after we slipped lines in Dingle earlier that day. Long single handed passages are not my favourite past time but I was delighted to get Ocean Froggie home after a wonderful six weeks cruising the south coast from our summer base in Kinsale.

. . . more to follow in due course.

 

[Dino]

Great account of a super trip Noel. Unfortunately my own west coast trip came to an abrupt end but we had a fantastic week before that. I'm definitely going to do it again. I have unfinished business out there and I really want to cruise West Cork around to Kinsale.
I may be in touch to get some advise on B38's.

 

[oceanfroggie]

Great account of a super trip Noel. Unfortunately my own west coast trip came to an abrupt end but we had a fantastic week before that. I'm definitely going to do it again. I have unfinished business out there and I really want to cruise West Cork around to Kinsale.
I may be in touch to get some advise on B38's.

Hi Donie. Thanks. Was sorry to hear about the 'mishap' but was very relieved to hear you were all safe. Brought back memories of 2005 for us. But that's water under the bridge, and so glad to hear your positive attitude about getting back out there. More than happy to offer info from our experiences.

We had planned to explore the Cork coast for a month back in 2011 but then we had our unfortunate car accident on the M50 which cancelled that out, but the main thing is we both survived the rather violent RTA, and this year were fortunate to be able to spend six weeks in Cork area being based in Kinsale with a berth in Castlepark marina. We found it as convenient as Lough Derg with so many over night mooring places within only one to two hours cruise and many day spots like Sandycove and Oyster haven literally just around the corner from Kinsale. The strip between Baltimore/Sherkin to Cork harbour has so many wonderfully scenic harbours. Kinsale itself is a fabulous town with all its cutsey cafes, eateries and historic buildings. The folding bikes added a dimension to this trip that transformed it, not that we cycled very far, but it just gave us a degree of mobility for eating, shopping and exploring. When anchored or on a mooring buoy we just popped the bikes in the tender and went ashore, just as useful from pontoon berths too. Drop me a PM some time if you want any info and I can send you my mobile.
All the best
Noel

PS: We are planning to return to Kinsale next year to base there for two months.

 

[oceanfroggie]

After nearly two months of Azores highs settled over Ireland the weather broke and I had to leave the boat in Dingle while waiting for a weather window to get in through the mouth of the Shannon Estuary on the Atlantic coast. You can see from the forecast below the wind got up a bit on the Monday and Tuesday allowing the Atlantic kettle effect to generate 4m wave height, so I knew it would take a few days for that to settle down even after the wind dropped back. The decision was to cast off at 5am on Friday morning and if the sea state permitted planing I should make the mouth of the Shannon Estuary to a) have wind with tide and b) get half the flood tide up the estuary to Limerick city for the sea lock.

Tidal stream atlas confirmed that if I could maintain 15kt from Dingle that I should catch the remaining tide up the Estuary and have favourable sea state where the might Shannon exits into the Atlantic.

Could barely see the leading marks marking the dredged channel inside Dingle's large natural harbour.

The channel is well marked and well lit, but weather was rather in contrast with the photo below The narrow exit from Dingle's natural harbour to Dingle bay with its Atlantic swell hiding outside waiting for me to stick my nose out, but it was better than I had expected only about 1.2m and very gentle - but visibility was poorer than expected. As Churchill once said "Thank God for Radar"

Looked a little more pleasant 10 days earlier

Anyway, after the demanding 12 hour single handed passage got safely back to our home port marina in Killaloe to be met by my amazing wife and my little cavalier king charles spaniel who had driven down from Wicklow to spend a few days on board.

 

[AndieMac]

Hi Noel, loved the excellently detailed conclusion to this great cruising report/story, including the gorgeous little dog .
You must also had experienced a great sense of achievement after the weary arrival back at your home berth, 12 hours of solid concentration, especially transiting a foggy port entrance is taxing on anybody, let alone as a solo skipper.
Thanks again for sharing this :encouragement:

 

[shan]

Fantastic thread and amazing photos. Just taken delivery of a pilotage guide for the South & West Coasts of Ireland and it could truly have done with some of your photos and descriptions.

 

[MapisM]

Hi Noel, loved the excellently detailed conclusion to this great cruising report/story, including the gorgeous little dog .

Positively +1! :encouragement:

 

[pks1702]

Great report as ever.

Glad you got back safe and sound.

Thanks again for the images and words.

 

[Mike k]

Fantastic report,pictures and what a cruise-450nm? . Thank you for sharing all this Noel.

 

[oceanfroggie]

Hi Noel, loved the excellently detailed conclusion to this great cruising report/story, including the gorgeous little dog .
You must also had experienced a great sense of achievement after the weary arrival back at your home berth, 12 hours of solid concentration, especially transiting a foggy port entrance is taxing on anybody, let alone as a solo skipper. Thanks again for sharing this :encouragement:

Thanks guys for such kind comments. This summers trip was a wonderful blessing and very special time for our family. We were very fortunate with the weather for the first five weeks. It's a summer we shall never forget. Having "Jasper Puppy" visit on my return was an added joy. Will post the final leg photos in due course when I get some time, and a montage of brief video clips, few maps, extract of passage notes and primary log entries.

 

[oceanfroggie]

Short video clip of last 12 hour passages major highlights.

 

[scubaman]

Thanks for the vid, a great addition to this already fantastic thread! It was so nice to see the places ’in real life’. That lock is really something. How long does it take to travel it up (or down)? What is that bird at 2:45?

That’s a suitably eventful cruise back to home port to keep things interesting.

 

[MapisM]

Thanks for the vid, a great addition to this already fantastic thread!

Positively +1.
Yes, the lock is indeed impressive. What max length/width of boat can it handle? It seems that there isn't much space left...
Ref. the bird, it looks like a cormoran to me, but happy to stand corrected!