We spent two weeks in Dublin and mixed sightseeing with boat projects. Getting from the Isles of Scilly to Dublin was not exactly the ultimate sailing experience. What little wind we had was blowing from the wrong direction. We were heading north and the wind was blowing out of the north — on the nose yet again. We used our main sail basically to help prevent Flight from rolling side to side, but it provided little to no help in moving us in the direction that we wanted to go. After we were underway and realized that we were going to be motoring, we calculated that we needed to divert to Milford Haven to get more diesel fuel. Milford Haven’s harbor is “locked,” meaning that other than a few hours before or after high tide, boats need to go through a lock to leave or enter the harbor. We entered the harbor during the “free flow” period around high tide when the lock gates are open and vessels can enter and exit freely. The issue is that the harbor is very busy and they do not fuel boats during free flow. Between the small, busy harbor, having to wait to get fuel, the slow fuel pump and then waiting for the harbormaster to allow Flight to enter the lock to leave, our fuel stop added about six hours to the jorney. We shared the lock with a tiny fishing boat and the lockmaster advised them to stay to port as Flight was “a bit of a beast.” Our total trip from the Scillys to Dublin took about 60 hours.
We maintain a watch schedule when sailing through the night. Typically Roman has the first watch from 2000 to 2300 (8-11 pm), I take 2300 to 0200, Roman takes 0200 to 0400, then I come back on from 0400 at which time it is daybreak this far north. During the day, someone is always on watch, but the schedule is a bit less rigid. My mom asked why we sail at night. We do it because it’s a great way to cover the miles and there aren’t exactly any motels or rest stops along the way.
When we were still several hours away from Dublin, Roman saw a large ship which did not show up on our AIS (automatic identification system). It headed directly toward our stern, meanwhile launching a RIB (rigid inflatable boat) containing four persons outfitted in heavy gear and dressed in black. It turned out to be Irish Customs officials doing a routine check. Three customs officers boarded Flight and asked to see passports and talk to everyone on board. I was below and had just fallen asleep for a much needed nap when Roman popped into our cabin to wake me. Two officers talked with Roman in the cockpit while the third was below having a look at items onboard. They asked routine questions about items of interest – guns, including flare guns; large knives; alcohol; drugs; etc. – similar to those when arriving by air in a new country and we answered honestly. They could not have been nicer and even gave us pub recommendations for Dublin. Overall, we entered Ireland with a favorable impression of the people. We did not take any photos during our visit from Customs, but you can see photos from a recent news story about the brand new cutter here.
Flight is berthed in Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Done Leary) Marina which is a 20 minute train ride from the center of Dublin. We spent several days enjoying the sites, including a tour of the Guinness Brewery which culminated in a perfect pint. The exhibits were very interesting and included multimedia displays. I particularly liked the fountain.
We made several visits to museums. In the Irish Emigration Museum, we learned about the movement of Irish people to the US and beyond. Some were forced to leave due to religious persecution, famine when the potato crop failed from 1845-52, or for economic opportunity. For a country of 5 million people they have a disproportionately large number of Nobel laureates and famous musicians, authors and actors. Other museums included The National Museum of Ireland and the National Gallery of Ireland. Another highlight was a visit to the Jeannie Johnston, a replica of a “famine ship” used to transport people out of Ireland during the great famine when the potato crop failed. The Jeannie Johnston was different from most of the famine ships because it fed and cared for the passengers. It also had a physician on board who performed health checks before passengers boarded and made sure illnesses were treated to ensure the passengers stayed healthy. Consequently, no one on any of the Jeannie Johnston’s passages died which was not the case on other famine ships.
We also caught some traditional Irish music and enjoyed listening to a sibling duo playing in a pub. He played uilleann pipes which are similar to bagpipes but have a sweeter sound.
Another highlight in Dublin was a trip to Trinity College Dublin for a tour and to see The Book of Kells. The Old Library at Trinity College Dublin was definitely used as the model for the library in the Harry Potter series. I half expected the Monster Book of Monsters to jump off the shelves and start trying to bite anyone in range. The Long Room is undergoing renovation and many of the books have been removed for cleaning, and will be restored to the shelves after the leaky roof is repaired.
The Book of Kells has a fascinating history involving priests, monasteries, Vikings and ultimately a generous donation to University College Dublin, and rather than detailing it here I urge you to check out this link.
We decided to take a break away from the boat and head to Galway for a couple of days. We rented a car and made reservations at a bed and breakfast just north of Galway and an easy bus ride into town. We found an ad for a free walking tour and our guide was excellent! His name was Jerry and he has a master’s degree in history from the University of Gallway. We learned all about the history and saw some incredible sites like part of the old city wall that is now inside of a shopping mall. Who knew? Jerry was insightful, informative and funny, and we tipped him very well.
On our way back to Dublin, we stopped at the Cliffs of Moher which were featured as the Cliffs of Insanity in The Princess Bride movie. The cliffs of rise over 700 feet above the sea and were worth a detour.
Once back on Flight, we undertook some much needed boat work. Roman replaced the impeller which looks like a little rubber paddle wheel that circulates cooling water through our diesel engine. We also undertook our own oil change which involved pumping 11 liters of thick diesel oil out of the engine using a pump left to us by Flight’s previous owner that was probably purchased on Temu. We were successful, however we received a delivery of parts from a local Volvo mechanic and when he saw the apparatus he burst out laughing. Needless to say, a more effective oil pump is on our list of things to purchase. We also changed the oil in the transmission, but that was a much easier task. We replaced the wires on our starboard navigation light which involved snaking wires through some very narrow passages. Luckily, Roman is really good with electrics and that task went really smoothly.
We departed Dublin during a very favorable weather window and have had some spectacular sailing, but more about that in the next post.
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