#6 Southern Ireland past Fastnet Rock 2017

Southern Ireland is definitely a great destination for us sailors! The coast of Southern Ireland is known for its breathtaking beauty and rich maritime history. There are many safe harbors and anchorages along the coast that can be used by sailors.

Some of the most popular sailing areas in Southern Ireland include the River Shannon, the Irish Sea, the Cork coast, and the southwest coast of Kerry. There are also many remote bays and islands for sailors to explore.

The best time for sailing in Southern Ireland is from May to September, when the weather is generally mild and there is enough wind to make sailing easy. However, the weather can change quickly, and sailors should always be alert and prepared for all possible weather conditions.

So much for the introduction to our 2017 sailing trip in the south of Ireland.

We sailed in this exciting region from August 27th to September 1st. Our departure port was Kinsale. Since flying was out of the question for us, we packed up Wilfried's infamous VW bus again. At this point, it might be appropriate to talk about the VW bus. Wilfried is a retired master painter, and his VW bus is his everything. Not only has he used it for many business trips, but it's also his preferred means of transportation to get to and from a sailboat. The two have already covered many thousands of kilometers together this way.

But back to our journey. So we packed the van, squeezed the crew between the luggage and provisions, and off we went. First to Calais in France. By train to England. Across England. By ferry to Ireland and one more drive in the van, even changing the flat tire in between.

Finally arriving, we take over the boat and discover that the Irish are real party animals in the evenings. We immediately dive into the nightlife, hoping to still be able to set sail in time for the next morning's high tide.

Take off!

We set off the next morning, a little hungover. It's raining and the wind is blowing in our faces. Ireland lives up to its reputation as the rainy island. But soon, our spirits dramatically improve. The first dolphins appear, leaping alongside our boat with their gray bodies.

There are hardly any jetties in the area. Most evenings, we moor at buoys and take the dinghy to our landings. The landscape is fascinating: jagged, gray cliffs jut out of the water, covered with low, green, and sometimes colorful vegetation. The historic buildings, constructed of gray, roughly hewn stone, are picturesquely embedded in this landscape. They complete the typical Irish postcard image.

During our shore excursions, we don't just explore the landscape and historic buildings. Of course, we also want to immerse ourselves in the culture. And this especially includes "pub culture." In every small village, we find these quaint pubs. They're usually very comfortably furnished. Sometimes they're just a bar. Sometimes, the bartender even appears from his living room to pour us a delicious Kilkenny .

The tide isn't a problem in this area. The bays are generally deep enough to provide ample water under the keel. This didn't play a role in our daily planning. For navigation, we rely primarily on the white-painted lighthouses that can be seen at virtually every entrance. The stops on our trip, in order:

1. Kinsale

2. Glandore

Fastnet Rock

The Fastnet Rock lighthouse stands alone in the Atlantic and is the last thing the Irish emigrants saw of their homeland on their way to the New World. The Fastnet Rock holds great significance for sailors, especially regatta sailors. It marks the western end of the Fastnet Race course, one of the most famous ocean regattas in the world. It takes place every two years and runs from Cowes on the Isle of Wight to Plymouth, then around the Fastnet Rock and back to Plymouth. The race is considered one of the most challenging in the world due to the difficult weather conditions and potentially dangerous waters.

Fastnet Rock is also an important reference point for sailors sailing along the Irish coast. Due to its exposed position and visibility from afar, it can serve as a navigational landmark. However, sailors must be careful when navigating near Fastnet Rock, as the area is subject to strong currents and dangerous cliffs.

3. Lawrence Cove

4. Castletownsend

The weather at the end of our week at sea is once again beautiful. The sun is shining and the Atlantic is as smooth as glass. Just the right conditions for flipper watching. A school of dolphins is nearby, rounding up a school of fish. They provide a feast for the gulls and other seabirds. From a height of a good 20 meters, they dive into the water, dive down, and reappear with their catch in their beaks. In between, the dolphins repeatedly leap out of the water. What a spectacle to end the week.

This wasn't our last encounter with the local wildlife, however. On the morning of our departure, we were bid farewell by a seal that had been searching for food in the harbor basin, completely undisturbed.