PART SIX A SMALL BOAT ROUND BRITAIN

So far our mission to circumnavigate Britain in my 27ft Rhea 850 Start Me Up in aid of charity has gone remarkably smoothly. We have made it all the way up the east coast, round the top of Scotland and back down to Bangor Marina in Northern Ireland. However, a spell of bad weather forced us to leave the boat there for a few days while we headed back home to Sussex for a spot of R&R.

Feeling much refreshed and with the weather perking up too, we fly back to Belfast and are back on Start Me Up by 13:00. The weather and sea forecasts look so good that we decide to set off immediately rather than wait for the following morning. We are heading for Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club on the River Liffey in Dublin, a 109-mile leg that we hope to complete before 20:00 to enjoy an evening in Ireland’s fair city.

We beat our own estimate and arrive in Dublin Bay by 19:00 after an incident-free passage over smooth to slight seas. We seek and gain permission from the port authorities to cross the main (big ship) channel and enter the busy harbour through the small boat channel, keeping out of the way of the various ferries, cruise