Departed sat 10th from Cumbrae pontoon on a passage to Ballycastle which we made in 12hrs exactly, good weather all the way though a bit more wind in the right direction would have been better.
It was our intentions to continue west to loch Foyle Moville or Greencastle and down to Derry but the NWs on sun and mon saw us staying put in Bcastle and taking public transport to Carrick-A-Rede to cross the rope bridge then another bus to the Giants Causeway, both interesting places.
We left Bcastle on tue and crossed to Rathlin ploughing straight through Slough Na More as it was at its most restful stage.
Rathlin is a place I could visit often and not tire of its peacefulness.
I walked to and from Rue point light on the tue afternoon before indulging in some cider and joining in song with two beautiful looking and sounding singing girls who had just sailed with their dads from the Clyde and were on their way home to NI, we renamed the song "The Rattling Bug" to Rathlin Bug.
Wed morn and shoulders adourned with a bursting head I went in search of a cure and found it in the form of a bicycle which I part peddled and part pushed all the way to the West light and the nesting bird colony's. Hangover well gone by now and nostrils stinging from the smell of guanno I managed to talk or roll (cigerettes) my way into a tour of the (not open to public) west light house which was the Highlight (pardon the pun) or that could be the Lowlight of my day, depends which angle one looks at it from.
Two new pontoons had been officially opened in Rathlin on the sat or sunday before we arrived increasing berthing to 20-30 medium size yachts, but it is very exposed to the west and was very uncomfortable during the night as the whole pontoons were wallowing with the swell, certainly wouldent like to be there in anything more than a F5 Wy.
We departed on thur morning and made it to loch Ranza by aprox 1900 having to use the boom tent all the way from south end of Arran due to heavy rain from astern. Spotted two Minki whales on the homeward passage.
Fri we headed back to Millport, me staying at the Cumbrae pontoon for the night and enduring the worst weather/sea conditions of the trip between the pontoon and Fairlie bay during a right nasty squall.
A few pics from the dozens taken.
C_W
