Ireland

 

We launched at Inishnee, opposite Roundstone, which is about an hours drive from Galway. There was a regatta for the local fleet of Galway Hookers here and is where we met up with some local Drascombes before heading out to the Aran Islands.

 

http://www.aranislands.ie/

 

 

 

On the way to the Aran's we stopped at St. Macdara's Island to look at an ancient chapel. St. Macdara is the patron saint for the Galway Hookers and the boats dip their sails as they pass the island.

 

The pontoons in Kilronan harbour on Inishmore had been installed for an offshore yacht race and made for easy mooring. While on the island we visited Dún Aonghasa, which is a Bronze Age fort built on the cliff edge.

 

 

 

We returned to the mainland and stayed at Galway Bay Sailing Club, tied against wall we had to manage at tidal range of over 4 metres, which meant the boats dried out at low tide. With the weather forecast looking unsettled, we launched the boats on Loch Ree and headed down the River Shannon to Loch Derg.

 

 

It is possible to buy a Navigational Guide for 12 Euros, which proved invaluable. Along the way we met several other Drascombe sailors, including the lock keeper at Athlone, who kept a Lugger on Loch Ree.

 

 

One evening we stayed next to the monastery at Clonmacnoise, which was founded in 544 and finally destroyed by British soldiers in 1552.

 

http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/midlands-eastcoast/clonmacnoise/

 

All the harbours we visited we in excellent condition, as well as being free, most also had a slipway. We finally took the boats out at Mountshannon.

Coniston Rally 2017

 

 

 

An enjoyable weekend, with seventeen boats and a 30/50 celebration cake. A little breezy on the Saturday and then some light rain for the BBQ. However, Sunday turned out to be a perfect day.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Halyard Cleats

When we changed the sails to the High Peak design, the original halyard cleats were replaced with Barton K Cam Cleats. Recently I noticed the halyards were slipping at times and closer inspection revealed that the corner of the cam had worn. This is partly due to the halyard running through the cleat at a slight angle.

These are manufactured from a composite Kevlar/Zytal material. Barton claim ...  "This advanced material offers performance advantages over carbon fibre and conventional glass-reinforced resins; 'K' cams are very strong, lightweight and have excellent wear-resistance."

http://www.bartonmarine.com/products-k-cam-cleats.asp

I looked for other options from Allen and Harken. It was interesting to read the information about the Allen range, which is available in two materials. The Allen cleats are available in either Alloy or Allenite.

"Allenite is a proprietary material developed by Allen specifically for high wear resistance, low weight and good heat dissipation. This carbon composite material is ideal for cam cleats"

 

But Allen admit ... "for ultra-hardwearing applications you can't beat the alloy series cam cleat for strength and durability without shredding your line".

Therefore replacements are the alloy version and I'll watch for any wear. However, without realising this difference, the cleat I used for the centreplate is made from "Allenite", so this will need careful monitoring and will need to be replaced if any wear does occur. The line for the centreplate does run through the centre of the cleat and also this line is not pulled through at the same speed/distance of the halyards.

 

 

 http://www.allenbrothers.co.uk/item.asp?prod_id=56&cat_id=2

 

New Cooker Box and Perfect Weather

 

This is the original GRP cooker box. It took up a lot space with minimal storage. Looking at other people's boats, there was plenty of ideas to be influenced by.

 

The final design slides in/out and also gives space for an additional box underneath.

Scottish West Coast

The weather never totally cooperated, we experienced days of blue sky and others of rain, with the wind ranging from nothing to "quite lumpy". However, we did sail everyday during the week, if a little frustrating at times as the wind seemed to drop when we just about to "arrive". We also managed to launch the boat on Friday evening, which made for a good start to the week.

The first two days were based at Craobh Haven, before we headed north to Lismore. The marina at Craobh were welcoming and helpful. There was a "special rally" discount, thanks to both the rally organisers and marina for this.

 http://www.craobhmarina.co.uk/

It is interesting to read that not all marina's are as welcoming. http://daisyii.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/end-of-may-cruise.html

We also stayed at Oban Marina on Kerrera, which is under new management and it seemed in a far better state than last year. All the pontoons have been mended, the bar/restaurant was open, the water supply is safe to drink and there is a free ferry over to Oban every two hours (book this in the marina office, as the ferry can only take 12). For a Coaster the cost was £16 and £1 for a shower, which is the same as last year.

http://www.obanmarina.com/