Sea Change
Well-Known Member
Ah my memory let me down slightly, but yes that's the one.
Sailing around Ireland 2026
- Thread starter Supertramp
- Start date
Concerto
Well-Known Member
What a wonderful resource. Will definitely be using this web site. Thank you for posting.
Supertramp
Well-Known Member
Thanks, and a good pub is not a bad criteria. Depending on wind, I often anchor opposite Donaghdee on the Copeland Islands - the tide keeps it reasonably swell free and you can sneak well up into the bay but take care as there are some plonks of rock close in. Handy stop to await tides or sleep. Also Knockinelder Bay and Benderg Bay are handy passage stops saving the journey into Strangford or down to Ardglass.I’ve only sailed in the north. In glenarm, the pub is perfectly happy to order you a chinese and give you cutlery to eat it with as long as your in there buying beer, super friendly. Good pubs in Ballycastle bay, much better than the touristy pub on Rathlin itself. Ardglass is a strange wee place, felt very proddy. Friendly small marina with a tight entrance. The place feels like a throwback to a Glasgow scheme in the eighties, complete with shellsuits.
Be careful with the tides in Rathlin sound. Good pubs in Bangor. The marina in Belfast is really handy for a pubcrawl in the city, and its a great night out. I have a soft spot for Donaghadee if there’s room on the wall, the pub does greatsteaks and used to be run by the daughter of the Portpatrick harbourmaster, dunno if thats still the case.
For some reason my observations seem to be mainly about pubs
Supertramp
Well-Known Member
Thanks, added both to my list. Beginning to sense that there is a lot to see.
Supertramp
Well-Known Member
Thanks - I have used this and found it useful and accurate, though some of the anchorages can be rolly (unsurprisingly). The pictures are done well and give a good sense of the places. I dont have Starlink or similar so I sometimes rely on screen shots so I can refer to details when offline.
Sea Change
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure I'd call Tory a must-see, but it was certainly unusual! It made sense for us as our landfall after a non stop passage from Stornoway. I think we were the only non locals on the whole island.
Very dramatic scenery, useful well protected little fishing harbour which was no problem in our 27ftr, I wonder if it would seem tight with a bigger boat though.
Dino
Well-Known Member
From Cork Harbour around to Dingle are the most popular and best cruising grounds in my opinion. There is lots to do around Cork Harbour and Cork city is well worth a visit. From Kinsale around to Baltimore are fab. Definitely worth doing a night or two in Kinsale, Baltimore, Cape Clear, Schull can be a bit lumpy, but Crookhaven is a must visit. They have visitors moorings and a pub and two really good restaurants. Around the corner, Bantry Bay has a lot to offer with the beautiful Glengarriff and Bantry has a small new marina. There’s also a jetty beside the SuperValu Supermarket for getting provisions. You also have Lawrence Cove Marina on Beare Island which is well worth a visit.
Kenmare Bay is also a lovely spot but a long way up the inlet.
Knightstown on Valentia is a good stop too. The marina is free as it was never fully completed and there is no shore power. Definitely take the ferry across to O’Neills The Point for some very good seafood.
Eoceanic.com is a great resource along with Norman Keanes excellent ICC guides.
Kenmare Bay is also a lovely spot but a long way up the inlet.
Knightstown on Valentia is a good stop too. The marina is free as it was never fully completed and there is no shore power. Definitely take the ferry across to O’Neills The Point for some very good seafood.
Eoceanic.com is a great resource along with Norman Keanes excellent ICC guides.
Porthandbuoy
Well-Known Member
Get hold of a copy of Salt and Emerald by Alastair Scott, a hesitant solo voyage round Ireland.
seanav
New Member
Arrived in Dingle late on the Sunday during an Easter sailing week, one crew was assigned to sprint to the bar and order a round as we tied up."When do you close ?" he asked the barman ...... After a slight pause to think "End of October",he replied.
Supertramp
Well-Known Member
Thanks - useful info and Valencia has always appealled. I recall listening to the coastal weather station reports and being glad I wasn't there!
steve yates
Well-Known Member
This, and also Celtic Gold by Peter Marshall, a trip round Ireland on a Centaur.
Also, webby has an interesting log of their trip round in his old Albin Vega here.
lustyd
Well-Known Member
I forgot to say, take some big bin bags, and possibly a second tender to stack them in! For some reason none of the Irish ports we stopped at provided bins except Kilmore Quay. Suspect this is related to privatisation of bin collection where residents pay for bins, making public facilities difficult to provide for fear of abuse.
Bins and gas took up a surprising amount of our energy on the trip.
Bins and gas took up a surprising amount of our energy on the trip.
Gurrig
Well-Known Member
Valentia is a nice stop, with marina as mentioned above. The Royal Hotel i Knightstown is decent for food/drinks. Also mentioned above is Renard, home to O'Neill's of the Point - excellent seafood. Caherciveen and its marina is about 3 miles up the Carhan river and is the home of QC's Restuarant, again top class for seafood.
Valentia radio station is on the island and I believe can be visited, while Valentia Met Station is beside Caherciveen.
Although a small island Valentia has a good number of interesting attractions, Bray Head, Geokaun, Tetrapod footprints, Glanleam, and the slate quarries.
Another good spot to visit is Portmagee, there is a small marina mostly occupied by Skellig tourist boats and day angling boats, but on my last couple of visits we were able to tie up on the hammerhead, some other yachts anchored off. Across the road from the marina gate is The Moorings bar/restaurant which was much appreciated.
Sea Change
Well-Known Member
We couldn't get our Calor bottles filled in Ireland back in 2021, but there was a shortage generally at that time.
It prompted me to finish installing my lithium and inverter so that we could start cooking using solar power.
Kilmore Quay was our last port of call before crossing Biscay; we liked it a lot.
Gurrig
Well-Known Member
Derrynane is a very nice anchorage and benefits from having Keatings Bar beside the shore. A walk up to Caherdaniel can brig you to The Blind Piper, very popular for food and dinks and with occasional music sessions. Derrynane House nearby is of historic interest having been the home of Daniel O'Connell.
The Kenmare River is like a ria with some nice anchorages, The Oyster Bed Pier at Sneem tucked in behind Garinish Island is very sheltered and Sneem village is about 2 miles walk from here and Parknasilla Resort is nearby and visible from the anchorage.
On the South side a favourite anchorage is Kilmakillogue Harbour and if visiting here do try Helen's Pub, probably one of the best pub/restaruants in Ireland and very reasonably priced.
The Kenmare River is like a ria with some nice anchorages, The Oyster Bed Pier at Sneem tucked in behind Garinish Island is very sheltered and Sneem village is about 2 miles walk from here and Parknasilla Resort is nearby and visible from the anchorage.
On the South side a favourite anchorage is Kilmakillogue Harbour and if visiting here do try Helen's Pub, probably one of the best pub/restaruants in Ireland and very reasonably priced.
Thresher
Well-Known Member
Nobody has mentioned the weather. I did it in 2007 in what turned out to be another worst summer in living memory. I was weatherbound for long periods many times and after two weeks in stuck in Sligo (nothing wrong with Sligo) I sailed nonstop over the top to Belfast and escape the atlantic coast. Just saying, it probably won't happen to you but it put me off ever doing it again.
lustyd
Well-Known Member
Out of interest, what months did you do it in? A few of us have mentioned the weather and making use of the early season and general easterly winds. They don’t always happen, but often do.
sailorgirl
Well-Known Member
We had an expedition to Dingle from the Solent twenty years ago and my fondest memories are of anchoring in Sneem and the seafood on the menu of the bar at Bunaw. Now we live and sail in Northern Ireland we plan to cruise the west coast of Ireland again in the near future.
Supertramp
Well-Known Member
I've read of people having challenges getting diesel as well as gas. I am fortunate in carrying 2 x 6kg gas bottles and 100 gallons of diesel and 100 gallons of water. Should see me over the Atlantic.
Might explain my sedate performance.
Thresher
Well-Known Member
I arrived at Bantry Bay in June and left from Wexford in September. Anecdotally, the best weather in the west of Ireland is in Spring and Autumn, I cant say when is the best time for easterly winds.