 | 31 st of July to 1 st of August 2016 - Bantry Bay |
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| Crew : | Andy and Helen | |
| Destinations : | Lawrence Cove. | |
| Distance : | 31 miles |
We have been getting fed up of all these lies in so decided to set the alarm for 6am today. This was also useful to ensure a favourable tide around Mizen Head. We had left the harbour, which was unusually quiet and serene, by 7.15am. As usual the wind was on our nose as we passed along the cliffs of Sherkin Island and Cape Clear Island. The need to motor, however, didn't detract from the stunning scenery and we never tire of the birds, dolphins and porpoise. We also got quite close to the Fastnet Rock with it's iconic lighthouse as we made for our next headland.
Our first major headland after Cape Clear was Mizen Head. We had been their before by land and walked across the bridge and this time, we were able to get quite close and see it from the sea.
Once we were safely pass the rocks, we were able to change our heading to the north west, to make Bear Island in Bantry Bay. We had a relaxing sail passing the entrance to Dunmanus Bay and Sheep's Head. I tried my best to get some mackerel for supper without any luck. Whilst Andy had better luck trimming the sails. After getting the weather forecast we decided we would be better moored on the north side of Bear Island which would give us some protection from the predicted south easterly and south westerly winds, so made for Lawrence Bay at the eastern end of Bear Island. There is a small family run marina there. However, we picked up one off the mooring buoys on the edge of the cove. We had a beautiful view across Bearhaven to the mountains on the Beara Peninsula from the boat.
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| HUNGRY HILL IN THE EVENING | HUNGRY HILL THE FOLLOWING MORNING |
We went ashore, walking along the road to the marina, as the footpath was very overgrown. When we eventually got to the marina, we were told the buoys were nothing to do with them and we didn't need to pay after all. As the permanent staff weren't there, we headed back to the boat, as it was a bit late for the cafe. We thought we might go for a walk the following day and visit the cafe. Unfortunately the weather was dreadful and it rained heavily all day so we stayed aboard. The weather forecast was saying we would be expecting south westerly Force 7s on Tuesday, so we planned another sail to take this into account and give us a bit of exercise.
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