Toucando returns

You might want some more details about Toucando's passage from Holyhead to Howth. It was a pleasant day, after more gales over the weekend, things had settled down. We got up at six and left the pontoon just after seven. We did a couple of circles in the harbour to "swing" the compass which had been misreading a little, then we got the mainsail up. It was about low tide when we set off. The tide sucked us north west out of the harbour. We maintained a heading of due west on the basis that the tide would take us first to the north, then back south in the approximate 12 hours it would take to cross the Irish Sea. The forecast was for variable winds of force three or four, rising to five or six at an u specified time. We unfurled the jib and staysail and were sailing at last.


The wind was certainly variable, often insufficient to sail at a reasonable speed, so the engine was required some of the time.
The weather was good and we sailed in company with Annabel J much of the time.


Everything went to plan. Colin rustled up some dinner which we enjoyed before taking down the sails ready to enter the harbour at Howth.


I washed mine down with ginger beer.
We made the most of the rest of the sail as we approached the Irish coast, the islands of Lambay and Ireland's Eye and the Brn of Howth.


It was good to see the Howth 17s racing: they are a 100 year old class of small gaffers. We arranged our berth either the authorities. Unfortunately the place we were allocated turned out to be occupied by some triangular sailed riff raff, so we asked for an alternative. It was low tide and there was not a lot of navigable water. Due to a misunderstanding of the whereabouts of pontoon N we navigated round the back of the marina, which was pretty difficult but not as difficult as reversing out. However Toucando did it without getting stuck.
She was warmly greeted by old friends shouting, "welcome back Toucando". It transpired that we were supposed to go between two pontoons without a lot of room to spare. It challenged the sideways sailing ability of the skipper to its limits, but eventually we were in our place: a prime position.


We enjoyed some Guinness in the bar, meeting up with other members of the gaffer fleet, before returning to Toucando for a late night sandwich.
I went for a walk round the peninsula and did some grocery shopping. Toucando had a stream of visitors. Barry, one of Toucando's builders, called by with Elizabeth: an assiduous reader of this blog. It was good to see them and to talk about Toucando's early history.


Here they are, Barry suitably equipped with a drill.
As it is National Fish and Chips Day our plans for the evening are made.


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Location:Harbour Road,,Ireland