Ireland, Here I Come

June 19, 2025

Oh to be in a modest climate . . . the work that can get done.

This is the first time I have spent more than four days in the UK, and I am now almost at two weeks. A few things stand out, and the first one is the climate. Having come from the Caribbean where it is a lucky day to have moderate temperatures, the temperatures in the Southern UK border on cold. The good news from that is that it means I am significantly more productive. Working on the boat, cycling, just enjoying a walk are all far easier here than they were in the Caribbean. Daytime highs in the low 20’s and night time lows that are typically around 10-12C make everything more comfortable.

Another important aspect of this is just how far North I am. Everyone thinks of Canada as being North, but this is way, way, way North of that, and I am in the Southern UK. Currently I am anchored pretty far south in the UK (near Polzeath, and further afield is Padstow and Plymouth). My current latitude is 50 degrees 35 minutes North. Where would that be in Ontario? It’s James Bay. The only way we can get to James Bay is on an airplane or a train (I think). I went there once as a teenager, and it was a 4 or 5 hour train ride from Timmins If you were in Saskatchewan that would be Regina or in Calgary or Vancouver. Perhaps equating it to Vancouver is easiest because of the water impact.

Another unexpected item is a huge change from the Caribbean regarding sunsets. Due to the curvature of the earth, when the sun goes down in the Caribbean, it goes down hard and fast and it goes from beautifully sunny to dark in minutes (twilight in Panama is about 35 minutes in June and the daylength is about 14 hours), but here, the sun goes down much later and the sky stays light for much, much longer. This is great for boating. Here the twilight is about an hour long and the daylength is about 16 hours. Up at 4:00, and asleep by 23:00 and boat as much as you can in between.

While in Southampton I got my rudder bearing replaced finally, and early on Tuesday I was able to depart with a brand spanking new bearing. There is no change to how the boat works, the old one just needed to be replaced before there was a problem. Now it works and it’s pretty. Chris Mew (Signature Marine) and his techs did the work and it was all arranged by Nordhavn Europe (Neil and Phil).

More work could be done on Home Free, but apparently getting things done during cruising season is difficult so I will see the world now and have work done when I put the boat up for the winter (which may or may not happen, but that is the plan).

When I left Southampton, I did so at 5am in what can only be described as perfect weather. The sea was pancake flat, the tides/current were in my favour and it was a warm, calm, sunny day. Bliss.

Because of that long day length, I was able to go much further than I thought I would be able to, at least in daylight, and ended up at Brixham (Torbay) for the night. It seemed quaint and maybe I will visit on my return. For this trip, I wanted one thing, and that is fuel in the morning. The Brixham Marina had a fuel dock that opened at 9am so I slowed down enough to put enough fuel into the tanks to make sure I made it to Ireland without riding on fumes.

Having added fuel, I left in a hurry, worried about my daylight and it was wise to worry. I ended up in Mullion Cove near Lizard Point. I was planning to stay at Housel Bay, but there was still some light left in the sky and I mistakenly thought that things around the corner might give me more protection from the wind. Oops. Once I rounded Lizard Point, the seas went from dead calm flat to just one foot, but a rolling wave that was clearly a remnant of open ocean. It took me a while to get settled at Mullion Cove, but I did so and slept well.

This morning I was up early again, and this time I planned for a much shorter day. The calm seas have now gone (I am in the Bristol Channel). The waves are only 1-2 feet, but the wind was roaring as high as 30 knots this morning so the boat is all salty now, again.

I have found a nice little spot to anchor near Polzeath and have stopped very early to relax, do some housekeeping and not be too aggressive on my travel itinerary.

There is no one else in this spot (it’s not a great bay for anchoring) but it is quite pretty with soaring cliffs full of birds and is mostly protected from big waves.

I have three days left until I make it to a Marina near Dublin and I hope to stay there for a few weeks and ride my bike to see the wonders of Ireland.

The boat is running well, and moving me along comfortably. To end, there are a couple of pictures of lighthouses, because who doesn’t love lighthouses.