Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2

Day 21 - Saturday, 19th July, 2014
Windguru weather forecast for Bolus Head for week beginning Saturday, 19th July. What dream conditions for our impending passage to Bantry Bay! Love the low winds...love the low wave (swell) height. And love the temperature. And despite the fact that wind and wave direction are opposites the low nature of the wind will mean that the opposing directions of wind and wave will not matter too much.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Welcome to Windfinder... another favourite weather app that I use regularly. So why Windfinder if Windguru is my preferred website? Simple, Windguru does not offer as detailed info for Bantry Bay as it does for many other locations. In particular it does NOT provide data re wave height and direction whereas Windfinder does!

Different layout to Windguru but essentially the same data. Just takes a little time to get used to switching from one to the other! And as can be seen from the Windfinder forecast above the sea state looks to be super for Bantry Bay today. And those wind/gust speeds are in knots and NOT Beaufort... :-) Love to see lots of purple (dark blue is also welcome) on a Windfinder forecast!

Our departure time is circa high Water in Dingle Harbour and, if my calculations are correct, we will meet the last hour of an ebb tide as we round Dursey Head and enter Bantry Bay. And we will have the benefit of the Tidal Streams flowing with us for most of the passage to Bantry Bay. Well, that's the theory right...hope the reality tuns out okay!
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Mary returns from a shopping expedition in downtown Dingle in preparation for our trip to Lawrence Cove Marina. Lawrence Cove is a gorgeous location but the local village offers limited resources in terms of food and other essentials. Nearby Castletownbere can be accessed via a ferry service but that involves time. So we usually stock up before departing Dingle.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Circa 10.30... Arthur commences a passage to Lawrence Cove on Bere Island, Bantry Bay. Passage time will be circa 7-8 hours. And no, we will not be eating out when we get there!
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Sea state is soooo calm even though we are still inside Dingle Harbour! Wonder what it will be like when we get out onto Dingle Bay and in particular as we head round Valentia Island and Bolus Head.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Departing Dingle Marina. And hardly a ripple in sight!
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Leaving Dingle Marina behind us.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
The entrance to Dingle Harbour...or should that be 'the exit from Dingle Harbour'!
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
circa 13.00 ... and we have rounded Valentia Island. Entrance to Portmagee channel on right of photo. Sea state not quite as calm as forecast but well within our comfort zone nonetheless.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
13.40... Faire, a Customs vessel, speeds past us towards Valentia...
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
RCC Faire, Revenue's 23.6metre Custom Cutter with a speed capability of +25 knots.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
She generates some wake and spray! And we did think that she slowed down a little as she approached us. But there was still some wake to deal with. We tend to cruise at circa 6-10kts. We picked up a communication between Faire and a UK yacht which was travelling a bit behind us. We were not intercepted. Attention from the Customs Service seems to focus on non-local vessels.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Circa 14.30...Dursey Head to left of picture. And from the right...The Bull, The Cow and The Calf (zoom needed to see this one!).
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A close-up of The Bull...one of the trio of rocks called The Bull, The Cow and The Calf which lie just off Dursey Head at the mouth of Bantry Bay.
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Another close-up of The Bull. Note the helipad on left-hand side of the rock.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Circa 15.05...Always intriguing how the different angles show a different picture of The Bull as one approaches it and then passes it.
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The Bull...with lighthouse and helipad clearly visible.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Circa 15.15...Dursey Head...on the Bantry Bay side. We are entering Bantry Bay.
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Circa 16:15...Cruising up Bantry Bay. Black Ball Head with the old watch tower atop is visible to left of photo.
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16:45...the West entrance to Berehaven ahead! Ardnakinna Lighthouse just about visible in distance directly in front of bow.
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Ardnakinna Lighthouse at the entrance to Berehaven.
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Approaching the entrance to Berehaven.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Circa 17.05. Entering Berehaven. Castletownbere in the distance. We will be turning to starboard to head for Lawrence Cove.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
On Berehaven. Bere Island on the right. Roancarrigmore, with old lighthouse, at Eastern entrance to Berehaven, is in centre of photo in the distance. That is the route we will take if we head to Glengarriff or Bantry Harbour.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
The wreck of the Bardini Reefer.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Lawrence Cove to right of photo. Roancarrigmore, directly in front of bow, in the distance.
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P. 23 ... L.E. Aisling of the Irish Naval Service anchored just off Lawrence Cave.
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L.E. Aisling.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
17.45...Approaching Lawrence Cove. And it's just over 7 hours since we departed Dingle Marina. A nice leisurely passage in good conditions, both on water and above it!
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Berthed in Lawrence Cove Marina. Another smooth passage under the belt! Difficult to think that this photo was taken circa 20:00 hrs!
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
DAY 22 - Sunday, 20th July, 2014
In Rerrin Village, about a 10 min walk from the marina... Mary trying to get a mobile signal! Murphys, run by Mary Murphy, is a Post Office cum shop where you can buy newspapers and groceries.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Mary relaxing on Arthur after a walk to Rerrin village.
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Paul, recovering after the twenty minute round-trip walk to Rerrin village!
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Mary on the main jetty at Lawrence Cove Marina with Hungry Hill in the background.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Mary on the main jetty at Lawrence Cove Marina with Hungry Hill in the background.
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DAY 23 - Monday, 21st July, 2014
Hungry Hill covered in fog...
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DAY 24 - Tuesday, 22nd July, 2014
Des Lawlor and family about to set sail from Lawrence Cove. Fog not as bad as yesterday.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Challenger XII, a Nelson 38, crewed by Len and Pauline arrives in Lawrence Cove Marina. They have sailed from Holyhead and are enjoying a first visit to Lawrence Cove and the coastal waters of south-west coast of Ireland.
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Len and Pauline
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Pauline receiving a warm welcome from Rachel Harrington of Lawrence Cove Marina.
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DAY 25 - Wednesday, 23rd July, 2014
Circa 09.30...Ria and Mary of Ellida prepare to depart Lawrence Cove Marina. We first met them in Lawrence Cove last year...and hope that we will meet them again in 2015!

It is wonderful how many nice people one meets when out on a cruise.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
The main jetty at Lawrence Cove Marina
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Len with his mooring hook which he used in Glengarriff!
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Phil Harrington (right) with daughter-in-law Rachel. Rachel, together with husband Patrick, now runs the marina and Phil looks after the craft shop.
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From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Arthur on an inside berth at Lawrence Cove. This is an ideal position to benefit from the wi-fi service that operates from the office. Particularly good at high-water!
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The service block at Lawrence Cove Marina.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Arthur in her inside berth at Lawrence Cove Marina.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2
Len and Pauline with Anthony of 'Seagulls & Salt', a 32ft Jeanneau Prestige which he and Catherine sail each year from Crosshaven to Lawrence Cove.
From 2014-07-19 Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2014 - Part 2