Spellbinder has covered a lot of ground in the last 10 days as she cruised down the east coast of Ireland, headed over to Wales, stopped in Lundy and then rounded Land’s End. We are currently in Penzance, from where I write.

Our passage down from Strangford Lough to Carlingford Lough was straightforward, and we arrived at dusk in a slightly rustic marina at the foot of some steep hills. The weather was forecast to be poor from the following afternoon, so we made the most of the morning, with Paul and Rosie ascending the nearest peak and Sue, who had succumbed to a cold, accompanying me on a lower level walk.

That evening we entertained old friends Charlie and Patrick – great to see you both. We had lived through some challenging moments some 20 years ago, and it was great to catch up.

We walked to Carlingford village the next day, waiting for the tide to rise enough to get out of the marina (at low tide we had been firmly ensconced in the mud).

There then followed a fairly boisterous sail across to Skerries, a small village just north of Dublin. We had a 2-3m swell, with gusts of 30 knots and more, but it was a fast beam reach. It was a challenging passage, with three reefs in both the mainsail and genoa, and we arrived in time to pick up a buoy, and get into the dinghy to go to a wonderfully-named restaurant called ‘Stoop Your Head’ which had been recommended.

The restaurant looked at us a bit oddly, as we had arrived in full foul weather gear, with muddy boots (we had had to drag the dinghy up a muddy beach) and lifejackets. They eventually coped, and the food was well worth waiting for.

We returned safely to Spellbinder despite a slightly dodgy outboard engine (since fixed) and slept very well, after a day which had given us more fresh air than we had anticipated.

Dublin called next, and we sailed down to Howth, just to its north. From there it was an easy train ride into town, where we enjoyed the sights – the Temple Bar pubs, the Guinness Experience, the Irish Emigration Museum (called EPIC) and a guided tour of Trinity College Dublin, its magnificent library and the Book of Kells. During this time we said farewell to Paul and Rosie and hello to our next crew, Neil and Clare.

We particularly enjoyed Trinity College, and were given a lively and informative tour by a current student. The library was magnificent.

Temple Bar provided some lively drinking establishments, and we ate across the River Liffey in a great restaurant called The Winding Stair.

There were two US College football teams in town, and the place was filled with American supporters. We met Neil and Claire at the Guinness brewery, and enjoyed a rather packed tour, which was really a multi-media, sensory experience which culminated with a pint of the black stuff at the 360 degree roof bar.

Dublin had been fun, but we needed to head south, and with our new crew enjoyed a long sail down the coast to Kilmore Quay, where we sheltered for a day of strong winds. It’s a big fishing port, and we enjoyed walks in gusty conditions along the local wild beach.

The seas were still a bit bouncy as we headed out the next day, but we had a fair wind and a great sail all the way to Milford Haven – 11 hours of fast sailing, coming in close by the islands of Skomer and Skokholm. We saw a fair few dolphins. With more rainy weather forecast, we headed up the Cleddau River past all the oil and LPG installations, picking up a buoy in the relative tranquility of the upper reaches. It was dusk, so we got our heads down after a long day, and motored a bit further up the river the next day, picking up another buoy at Lawrenny Yacht Station. We had a lovely local walk and in the afternoon Sue and Neil enjoyed the sculpture trail at Upton Castle Gardens.

Irish Sea dolphins

We enjoyed sheltering from the rain, and made the most of an unexpectedly beautiful river. The next day we ventured back down the river estuary at dawn, sailing to Lundy in some bumpy, but attenuating conditions. By the time we reached Lundy the sun had come out, and we enjoyed a great cruising chute run down the east side of the island.

We arrived to the sound of baby seals mewing – not a sound I had heard before. The white pups remained on the adjacent beaches, occasionally going for swimming lessons with their mothers, who left them for long periods on the beaches while off finding food to eat.

We had a great walk around Lundy – it’s the perfect size for a good afternoon walk.

We had a great dinner at the island pub (the Marisco Tavern) and descended back to the anchorage, falling asleep to more seal pub mewing. It was delightful.

Our passage the next day took us further south. Ideally we would have called into Padstow, but the tides didn’t work out so we anchored near Trevose Head, off a beach, where we fired up the BBQ. It was a slightly rolly night, and we lay to the kedge anchor as the main one had developed an electrical problem.

The trip down to Penzance was in finer weather, at last. There was no wind to sail, but we enjoyed the sun, and the company of what we think was a willow warbler, who came aboard for a while, with no fear of us, until he continued his journey south, presumably migrating to Sub-Saharan Africa for the winter.

Now in Penzance, a new crew has arrived for the final trip up the Channel to the Solent. Our recent time aboard has been characterised by strong winds, rain, swell, beautiful places and great company. Thank you Neil and Clare!

(Some photos taken by Sue, Neil and Clare)