Round GB 2021, Day 64. Dundalk Bay to Sorrento Bay.

I was away at 06:30 to get the tide for what was at times a busy trip with the wind changing frequently. It started off northerly so I was under sail straight after getting the anchor up and I was reaching in light to moderate winds making good progress. After a while the wind lightened somewhat and started to veer so up went the cruising chute.

Under the cruising chute just before 09:00 with the Rockabill
light, east of the Skerries, on the horizon.

The cruising chute flying from the spinnaker pole, after the wind

shifted again, the big symmetrical spinnaker would have been

better but I was making good progress so didn't bother. To be

most effective the pole should be horizontal but with the small

asymmetrical it makes little difference.

The last couple of miles up to and then past the Skerries was a slow process against the tide which was also pushing me onto them so it was necessary to gybe several times to get out to sea, I cheated here and just gybed the mainsail, it surprises many people how long you can sail like that with the spinnaker still working, a couple of these legs lasted up to half an hour.

A poorly marked lobster pot buoy an all to common problem, run
over one and you can be in big trouble with a fouled propeller and
no engine or simply anchored by the keel or skeg / rudder. I know
of several people who have had to be rescued by the RNLI after
catching one that has been poorly marked. In the back ground, 
Patric's Island, outermost of the Skerries Island if you ignore the
Rockabill light on its Islet.

Dundalk Bay to The Skerries.

Just as I got the spinnaker up and the cruising chute packed the
wind changed again and I had to gybe.

Lambay Island

North of Lambay Island the wind failed so on went the engine, it came back later but on the nose and by then I was in Dublin Bay needing to keep clear of quite a lot of shipping so I motored on the Sorrento bay, a decent anchorage just south of Dublin bay and sheltered from the Northerly winds expected to be quite strong overnight.

Baily light marking the northern NE corner and entrance to
Dublin Bay.

Passing Dalkey Island, one the SE corner of Dublin Bay and south
of Sorrento Bay. A Martello on the left and to its right an old castle.

Skerries to Sorrento Bay. the kink in the track entering Dublin
Bat was me avoiding a ferry and crossing the shipping channel
at right angles.

40.6 nautical miles over the ground in eleven and a half hours.

Slide show all of my pictures from Ardglass to Sorrento Bay. Page through by clicking the arrows or click in the centre of the pic to view from Flickr in a new window or full screen:

Click here for the leg to Milford Haven.