Arthur's Coastal Cruise 2017 - Part 4

12:13....When a boat departed from the long pontoon "Arthur" re-located to the inner, and somewhat protected, berth. It certainly minimised the impact of the wake from the approaching/passing boats.

circa 14:00...Mary getting in some R&R...and catching up on reading of newspapers.

14:10...Mary, catching up on newspapers. And that's a healthy looking herb garden at her right elbow!

A clear view of the barge which forms the centrepiece of the Sherkin Island Marina.

14:13...Taking a break from the sun!

17:06...The ferry which operates between Sherkin Island and the mainland.

17:08... We pay another visit to the local hostelry!. Main entrance to the 'Islander's Rest'.

View of the Sherkin Island Marina. "Arthur" now re-located on the inside rather than on the hammerhead which was hugely susceptible to wake from boats, particularly RIBs and powerboats, either arriving at the marina or passing by!

Baltimore in background on left of photo.

Gangway to the pontoon.

Sherkin Island Marina.

DAY 30 - Tuesday, 25th July, 2017

We're on the move again. And if we don't move today it looks like we might be staying at Sherkin Island for a couple of days! Heavy weather coming on Wednesday and Thursday and as always it will take a coupe of days thereafter for things to settle down. And apart from which today looks sublime. No wind and little wave or swell.

Our plan is to cruise down towards the Fastnet Rock for a photo-call and then head to Lawrence Cove via Mizen Head and Bantry Bay. Windfinder forecast for Mizen Head is shown in next photo.

Passage to Lawrence Cove is circa 31NM which should take us approx. 4-5hrs allowing for the detour via Fastnet Rock.

Windfinder forecast for Mizen Head issued at 05:41. Almost perfect with really low winds/gusts coupled with low wave/swell. And once again the tides are in our favour. We will be departing Sherkin Island on an ebb tide and will be arriving at Lawrence Cove on a rising tide! A great combination.

2017MizenHeadWindfiner

09:25...We prepare to depart Sherkin Island bound for Lawrence Cove Marina via the Fastnet Rock & Lighthouse. Looks like a little morning haze...or so we thought!

09:36...The boating community is quite unique...strangers always there with a helping hand ...or two. This was the scene as we departed Sherkin Island. Our engines had probably alerted the respective skippers of 'Maggie' and 'Christine' and both came out to see us off and help with "Arthur's" ropes. In this case neither knew the other. More friendships made!

Paschal Ryan (on right) we had previously met during our stay in Kinsale. In fact we were rafted to his boat 'Christine' for the majority of our time in Kinsale.

Liam, on left we had only met at Sherkin Island the previous day but as luck would have it we would renew our acquaintance with the crew of 'Maggie' later in Lawrence Cove!

09:40...we make our approach to the mouth of Baltimore Harbour. But visibility is not good! Mary points towards the buoy that marks Loo Rock at the mouth of the harbour.

09:44...Looking astern as we exit Baltimore Harbour.

09:44...Lot's Wife beacon... clouded in fog!

10:34...Cape Clear Island shrouded in fog! Little did we realise that this would be our last sight of coastline for the next three hours!

10:41...We approach Fastnet Rock which looks like it has been decapitated by the fog!

10:47...As we get closer to Fastnet Rock the fog seems to lift...

10:47...As we get closer to Fastnet Rock the fog seems to lift...

10:50...We hover around the Fastnet Rock for a while so that we can shoot the requisite photos! The sea is still so calm that it makes it relatively easy to capture the photos that we want.

10:51...Mary takes yet another photo of yours truly!

10:51...and the fog seems to have lifted, certainly sufficiently enough that we can capture some reasonably good photos. I like this shot...the network of steps carved out of the rock is clearly visible (view in enlarged size for better clarity).

10:52...My turn to snap Mary. Umm...nice shot of Mary but the Fastnet Rock is not so clear!

10:52...And another shot of "Arthur's" mate.

10:52...

10:55...

10:56...

10:56...

10:59...

11:04...This is one of the last photos that we took at the Fastnet Rock. And that was when the 'fun' started although 'fun' is perhaps not the most apt of words to describe what ensued.

The above photo was the last sight of land that we would see for over three hours. It would be easy to say that what followed was a smooth and comfortable passage from The Fastnet Rock to Lawrence Cove but that would be untruthful.

Having finished the 'photo-call' we turned "Arthur" around to begin the passage to Lawrence Cove. What lay in front of us give us a shock. See next photo.

For a short while we were temporarily disorientated. Suddenly, It's as if you are blind and cannot see the way. You're just staring into a dark alley with no visibility of anything other than the darkness.

Being caught in fog at sea is not a pleasant experience. All kinds of possibilities present themselves to a fertile mind, and some of these possibilities are frightening!

Sometimes, when travelling in a plane, I find myself thinking of the thousands of feet between the plane and the ground/water. If you dwell on it you can become unsettled. In a similar way I have occasionally found myself thinking of the huge almost bottomless pit of water that lies beneath "Arthur" as we cruise on the coast. To dwell on it is not a good idea! I often wonder if others get the same feelings from these scenarios.

Anyway, here, the issue was not the amount of water beneath "Arthur" but rather a case of 'where are we' and 'how do we proceed'?

It's easy when you can see a shoreline/coastline. But as of this moment we couldn't see anything. Yes, Fastnet Rock was visible but we had to move and after a short while Fastnet Rock would no longer be visible! Nothing would be visible except the fog that enveloped us on all sides!

The doubts and concerns started to rise within me. And I knew that Mary was also concerned.

I need to re-assert myself, regain my confidence and instil the same in Mary.

So, we took a little timeout and re-assessed the situation.

This is what faced us as we turned "Arthur" around from the Fastnet Rock. Visibility is almost non-existent.

"Arthur" and her crew have experienced a handful (and it is literally just a few) of uncomfortable moments over the ten years that we have been engaged in coastal cruising. Each of these situations has seen us cope at the time and learn from the experience. And we had experienced heavy fog on a couple of passages heretofore, including our passage through the Blasket Sound earlier in this trip. And there was also the time we experienced heavy fog a couple of years ago when passaging from Dingle to Kilrush. That particular experience prompted me to purchase the Garmin Radar which is currently installed on "Arthur".

BUT, without any shadow of doubt this was our worst experience. The sense of disorientation is very powerful. As the following photos illustrate it is like being wrapped in cotton wool. Or perhaps it is similar to being in a large room, one with which you are unfamiliar, and where the room is suddenly plunged into total darkness!

We couldn't see anything other than the sea immediately around us and the fog that had engulfed us.

So, you start your engines and begin to move but your mind begins to play tricks on you... Which way are you headed...what if your chart-plotter is faulty?

You need to get a grip. You need to re-assert control. And in truth, for a few minutes my mind did wander down those black avenues. And then I did a couple of things that gave me re-assurance...I checked the Navionics app on my HTC U11 smartphone; I referenced the Navionics UK&Ireland chart on my Samsung Tablet. And all three (including our on-board Garmin Chartplotter) showed the same location. So, we started to move using the Gamin chart-plotter with the currently installed route and occasionally I cross-referenced it against the apps on my HTC U11 and Samsung Tablet.

Confidence returned to the crew of "Arthur" and we then re-commenced our passage to Berehaven.

But it was a tense time. We reduced speed, of course, and regularly sounded our horn. And we studied the radar with a vengeance. And on a couple of occasions it alerted us to fishing vessels and leisure craft close by.

In a subsequent conversation with Bryan Mourning, a US based member of the IWAI Cruising Club and a commercial pilot, I recounted our experience and he likened it to similar experiences that pilots regularly encounter. His primary comment was simple: 'You must trust your instruments'.

Most of the photos that follow which show "Arthur" making her way in the fog simply carry a time reference.

12:02

12:13...Note the fishing vessel (view photo in its original size) which is almost dead centre in the above photo. Fortunately our radar was functioning and we could see (on the radar) several vessels that were close to us at various times as we made our way to Berehaven. The radar really was our eyes and ears.