Deprived from sailing on Belisama for the 2021 season because of needed maintenance, I joined Fañch & Valérie on Cybèle 17, en route from Ireland to Iceland, through the Faroe Islands. A 2200 nautical miles ride!
I flew from Croatia to Dublin, then commuted to Galway where Cybèle 17 picked me up.
Cybèle 17 approaching Galway harbour
Galway harbour is surprisingly small with very few cat-ways for visiting boats. But it is a nice stop-over for provisioning and refueling. Note that there is no fueling pump in the harbour and that one need to go with jerricans to the closest gas station or order gasoil delivery if in need of larger quantities e.g. 200 litres, which we did. The harbour is locked by a gate opening only for two the hours before the time of the high tide.
Visitors pier
As for the typical Irish pubs, they re-opened past Monday and only for food or drinks on terraces. No need to say that they were stormed by locals with long discouraging waiting lines.
Encounter with a Galway hooker on the way to Kinvarra Bay for the night
On 24, we sailed to Inishmore in the Aran Islands. A 20 nautical miles gennaker sunny ride under running downwind.
Cybèle 17, under gennaker
Fañch...
and Valérie.
The Straw lighthouse on Hooker's rock, at the entrance of Killeany bay. See the poodle dog?
The welcoming seals
We are being watched on Cybèle...
The harbour of Kilronan on Inishmore
We anchor in Killeany bay, an anchorage very well protected from most winds but northerly. Inishmore is famous for its dry stone walls all around the countryside. On Sunday, the first Sunday after Covid Freedom Day, there was a non-stop load of visitors disembarking from ferries and the island was incredibly crowded!
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Sonse, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
From there, we cruised to Portmurvy for lunch and bath. The water was only 18°C, but we went with great pleasure!
Continuing further, we encounter one of the raised beaches of the South-Western coast of Ireland characterised by stacks of rock and gravel layers. The amplitude of the rise has nothing to compare with what we have seen in Scandinavia, but it was interesting for us to identify it and then verify it! You can refer to my Lövgrund post from 2019 in Northern Sweden for further examples of raised beaches.
Raised beaches of West Ireland
Another improbable small sailing boat
Approaching Roundstone
We finish the ride in the small harbour of Roundstone where we cannot moor because it gets dry on low tide.
Roundstone village
The 68 nautical mile ride from Galway to Roundstone.
thanks for the wonderful pictures!
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