In the late summer of 2024 we sailed Archie, our Weatherly Ruffian 28 ft from Howth Marina to Baltimore, West Cork.
We had decided we would then leave Archie in Baltimore for a few days and return to Howth to collect our youngest son and his cousin, before returning to Baltimore to meet with co-owner, Peter O’Kelly. We would then spend a week in the area, day sailing when the weather permitted, and staying ashore at Inisbeg Island. Peter would lead on the return leg.
Archie was built c1978 in Portaferry by the Brown brothers and is the bigger sister of the popular 23ft one design. This was the second and longest voyage we would be taking her on. She can sleep 5/6 theoretically, but 3 is comfortable. She has a head but no shower, a gas cooker and a pantry, but no fridge. We have VHF, an old Satnav and a basic anemometer.
We had prepped her all spring, replaced the windlass, added an auto tiller and even replaced the tired 46 year old 13.5 HP Volva engine with a new 20HP Beta marine one.
Guy and Gill Molyneux and son Daniel sailed her on the outward leg, and co-owner Peter O’Kelly, sailed her back in two stages, with the assistance of Willem Harting, later joined by Vincent O’Sullivan and Guy again.
Navigation was planned using paper charts, the south coast sailing directions book and we used the Garmin Boating nav app on an android tablet with its local tide data during the passage. Weather forecast was from Met Eireann and specific wind data on the Windguru app.
The round trip totalled 415 NM (not including local sailing around Baltimore).
Day 1: Howth to Cahore Point (53NM)
Leaving Howth
The skipper’s plan had been to leave Howth before 6am to sail south on the ebbing tide but the crew were adamant that such early starts were no way to start a holiday!
And so the log recorded a late start at 11.42 on the 27th July. Photos of the departing party were taken by our well-travelled marina neighbours Trish and Joe Phelan, and we waved at Simon, Rima and Cillian as we sailed past the Howth 17 fleet towards the Nose, and into a mildly flooding tide and a light SW wind.
The shiny new Beta engine was used in earnest for the first time, and we made 5.5 knts SoG comfortably across the shipping lanes in Dublin Bay, before following the Wicklow coast about 2Nm offshore, keeping a watchful eye on the pots. Not watchful enough, however, as we snagged a pair of semi-submerged pots shortly after. Fortunately we killed the engine quickly, and after inspection we suspected that rope had slipped over the keel and past the saildrive and had only snagged the rudder.
We considered our options, and just as Guy was about to hop in with a divers’ knife and a lifeline, we hit upon the idea of using the boathook to pull the line up to the transom and cut it. It was unfortunate for the fisherman, but we would argue that they should put small flags on the buoys like their Celtic sea counterparts do. A quick test of the engine indicated that all was well, and we carried on with a permanent look-out on the bow!
We decided that a tiller extension should be the next addition to the boat, as this would allow a superior position for the helm to scan the waters ahead.
Gill on pot watch
We motor-sailed past Wicklow and Arklow, ending up at Cahore point. The anchorage, which is only 200m off the beach and small pier, only works in light westerly winds as it is quite exposed. Fortunately, the wind had shifted westerly before dying completely. We had considered other options in case the southerly persisted including Arklow or, as a last resort, Courtown.
The anchor held well on the sandy bottom, and we settled down to a delicious meal cooked by Gill (who incidentally had won the Cruising club RNLI charity 'Cook for the Crew' competition for HYC earlier this year!!).
Day 2 Cahore Point to Dunmore East (51NM)
An early start was required to troubleshoot and consequently re-wire the power supply to the auto tiller, as frustratingly the device would not work on Day 1. This was successful, and after breakfast, we weighed anchor at 0830 and headed along a beautiful blue sea under a warm sun. Avoiding the Rusk, Blackwater and Lucifer banks we made progress under engine into the flooding current and light southerly breeze. We rounded the turbines at Carnsore point and were able to hoist the mainsail. The genoa didn’t add much speed so for the main part we motor-sailed again. Although we would have sacrificed the warm weather and sunshine for some wind from the beam, we did enjoy the rare sensation of sun on our skin!
There was some excitement around midday when a search for a missing kayaker was relayed on Channel 16. We scanned the water as we heard the throb of the coastguard helicopter which had scrambled. All was well fortunately, and the missing kayaker was found safe and well relaxing on a beach!
As we approached Hook Head, the wind veered and increased sufficiently to make progress under sail alone, and we tacked past the Head within hailing distance, before sailing fast on a beam reach across the entrance to Waterford Harbour, arriving at Dunmore East before sunset. We had contacted the Dunmore East sailing club who were extremely hospitable and arranged a swinging mooring right in front of the club. The bay was a bustle of healthy activity with kids and adults swimming, sailing, paddleboarding etc.
We put the outboard on the tender (a precarious job, with Archie having a sugar scoop stern, eased by tying painters to both ends of the tender to prevent swinging, and attaching a lanyard from the pushpit to the outboard), and made our way to the club for a welcome shower and an informal dinner of pizza and pints.
Day 3 Dunmore East to Ballycotton. (43NM)
We awoke to a beautiful calm sunny morning. The bay at Dunmore East is extremely pretty with red sandstone cliffs and much greenery. First job of the day was to find someone to sell us some diesel, as we had used much of it due to the unfavourable winds.
Neither the harbour master nor the club sell diesel. Having spoken to nearby trawler men in the harbour, we tried phoning local diesel merchants but they were uninterested in selling us the 80 litres needed (40 for the tank and two 20 litre jerry cans). Eventually a very kind fellow in the Sailing Club sold us some straight from the club’s committee boat supply. He also delivered it to Archie.
Once refuelled (a messy job as the tank access cap is in the rather small cockpit), we decided we would enjoy the area rather than set out immediately and we went for a swim (Guy) and a paddleboard (Gill) to Lawlor’s Beach. We were in good company as there were loads of kids having a ball on paddle boards and Toppers. We all agreed that it really was a fantastic holiday location. We had a light lunch at the Strand Bar overlooking the bay, before somewhat reluctantly casting off and heading towards Cork. We knew that we would arrive in to Cork quite late, so we considered the options of Youghal and Ballycotton.
Although we were tempted to try mooring on the town quay in Youghal, the detour would have added a couple of hours on to the trip, so we continued to Ballycotton, where we arrived just after sunset. The visitor swinging mooring buoys are free and just outside the harbour, and are well protected by Ballycotton Island. We had dinner on board, followed by a “sneaky” black rum and coke and a game of cards, and settled in for a lovely calm night on the mooring.
A peaceful Ballycotton Bay
Day 4 Ballycotton to Dunworley Bay (35NM)
The next morning we took the tender into the rather congested Ballycotton harbour, full of small day boats in various stages of repair. Of note there is no shop for provisions in Ballycotton village. The main attraction is “The Mary Stanford” lifeboat which has been renovated and stands on the cliff overlooking the Celtic sea. Famous for the daring rescue of the crew of the “Daunt Rock” lightship in 1936. We had lunch al fresco, at a small hotel overlooking the bay and “Archie”, before casting off and heading in the direction of Cork.
At anchor
We had a good idea of the options from the pilotage book and decided that, as the wind was light, Dunworley Bay, near Clonakilty Bay was the best bet.
We mainly motor-sailed in calm conditions across Cork Harbour entrance, keeping a close eye on traffic, before passing the Sovereigns, rounding the Old Head and the Seven Heads before pulling into Dunworley Bay. This is a calm bay protected from all but southerly winds and waves, and we had a blissful evening and calm night at anchor in isolation, with a very clear sky and the Milky Way in all its glory above. The level on the rum bottle lowered further.
Day 5 Dunworley Bay to Baltimore (30NM)
Off early the next morning and the crew were allowed a lie in, as we snuck quietly past some wet-suited swimmers out to sea again. Final destination: Baltimore. Seas were light but wind did increase a little from the SW to allow motor sailing and some pure sailing. We passed inside the Stags but outside Kedge Island. Again beautiful weather for relaxing! The water was clear and we saw plenty of jellyfish of Common and Compass species. Finally we approached Lott’s wife on the eastern promontory of Baltimore Harbour, where we alerted the Harbourmaster of our arrival. He came out in his RIB and showed us to our swinging mooring, returning when we were ready to disembark. Very kindly, he not only took us to the jetty but speedily took us back when we realised we had left our car keys on board! We made the bus from Baltimore to Skibbereen just in time before transferring to the Cork Bus, then on to the train to Dublin, followed by the LUAS and Dart to Howth, where we had left the car!
We returned by car two days later and checked into the InishBeg resort.
During our stay on InishBeg we sailed out towards Cape Clear, to gorgeous Sherkin Island (NB Eat before you go there or bring a picnic, as there is very little in the way of hospitality, and the staff in the only pub were not locals and were fairly grumpy, and the menu was limited). We walked to the beaches on the other side of the island, taking in the stunning and untouched scenery, noting the artists' retreats along the way.
Another popular trip we did and recommend was a sail to Lough Hyne, where we had a fantastic time swimming the rapids and paddleboarding around the very beautiful anchorage.
Sherkin Pier
We visited Mizen head and went to Barleycove Beach twice for surfing. We also enjoyed wandering around Skibbereen on a quiet wet afternoon.
The weather did turn though, so we were glad we had the use of the swimming pool in the Inishbeg resort.
Mizen Head
Return Leg Day 1 Baltimore to Kinsale (44NM)
Peter had arrived down with his wife, Lorraine and we all had a lovely dinner in The Algiers (named after the Algerian pirate raid on Baltimore in 1631 where slaves were taken, most never to be seen again), and the following morning, we paid our mooring fees, which were reasonable at ~80 euro for the week, refuelled, provisioned and set off for the return leg.
Peter and Guy set sail in a F3-5 WSW wind and had an exhilarating sail with a following sea, particularly as we approached the Old Head of Kinsale. We had arranged a mooring on the marina with the Kinsale Yacht Club and repaired for dinner in the club. It was much more convenient to use the marina than the alternative of a swinging mooring for an overnight stay.
Return Leg Day 2 Kinsale to Dunmore East (66NM)
We cast off early as we intended to put in a 12 hour sail. The SW wind gradually picked up enough to sail without the motor and we traded a knot of speed for the pureness of sail power. This was a day of champagne sailing. We used the autotiller extensively and took turns relaxing on the bow, leaning back on the tender (stowed inflated on the foredeck), a cool drink in one’s hand and glancing at a book but being far more captivated by the sparkling sea. It was the only time that I can honestly say I have sailed and sunbathed in Irish waters without feeling a chill.
Tough at the pointy end!
As we approached Dunmore East we kept an eye on the headland where Gill and the family were waiting to greet us, having driven from Baltimore that day.
We entered the harbour and moored alongside.
Again we had the challenge of refuelling, and we used the car to drive to the nearest petrol station a 26km round trip! This refuelling problem needs to be solved to encourage yachts to call in to Dunmore East. The alternative on such a trip is to get to Kilmore Quay.
Will had arrived down from Dublin to help Peter sail Archie back up the Irish Sea.
Return leg Day 3 (52 NM)
Peter and Will sailed the following morning east to Carnsore point and up the Irish sea to Arklow. The wind was a little flukey and with the conditions set to deteriorate they decided to err on the side of caution and leave Archie moored on the pontoon of Arklow Sailing club, and return to Dublin by train.
Return Leg Day 4: Arklow to Howth (44NM)
Peter and Vincent on the return leg
A couple of days later Peter, Guy and Vincent all hopped on the bus to Arklow and sailed Archie back on a lovely sunny afternoon. A F4 Westerly sped her along the coast and, taking turns to see who could get the fastest speed, we noted that with the flooding tide, 9 knots SoG was reached, a new boat record we decided! We hit the Dublin port TSS as the sky darkened and there was quite a lot of traffic, so we radioed the Harbourmaster to communicate our intentions to cross. We were required to allow 5 large ships boats to go past, which took over an hour, before we could turn downwind and speed across to the Bailey. We arrived in to Howth harbour tired, slightly disappointed to have missed last orders, but ecstatic about our adventure and safe return!!
Overall we were really pleased with how the trip went. We had planned it for many months and we had no major issues. We were particularly happy that we had replaced the engine. We (well maybe just I) had considered doing the trip with the old engine despite it overheating at times. That would have added stress and possibly an element of danger had we needed to get to port quickly. We reflected on what we had learned. We were happy we had accommodation ashore in Baltimore. With the lashing rain we would have been miserable without it. A working autotiller is essential on long trips. We would bring more 20l jerry cans -we had 2. Finally we learned that our SW coast is stunning and peaceful, and the locals are very hospitable!
The Bailey
At the top: Archie at Ballycotton
