Worn out shackles and snapped backstays...

Yesterday Butch, the owner of Tiger Moon, the boat we were moored up, on asked us to move onto a vacant finger berth so he could take Tiger Moon over to the slip way to dry out and get her keel pressure washed early the next morning. We moved happily, being pulled the short distance into the new berth on ropes.  We were left bow facing out, making for an easy get away today.

We prepared Robinetta and Worm to go, then rushed off to the Farmer's Market that starts at half nine every Wednesday. By ten we were back aboard and casting off.

Charles Fort, Kinsale

We got the sails up in Kinsale Bay and were sailing as soon as we got past the Spit Buoy. We put on the no 2 jib as the wind was forecast to increase in the afternoon. As we cleared Bulman Rock and turned on to course we put the preventer on for another day of nearly dead running with light swell from behind.

We had an hour and a half of pleasant sailing before the wind failed us and went too light to use. The engine went on and we soon lowered the main and tied it off to stop it flogging in the swell.

A few minutes later I heard a bang, and looked round to see that the forward port shroud had come loose from its chain plate. This is the shroud that carries the wiring for the radio aerial, so securing it was urgent even thought there was no load on the mast. Julian went forward immediately, and much to his surprise found that the shackle and its pin were both still on board. He reattached the shroud, but decided he should replace the shackle anyway. The pin was half worn through, but even more alarming the thread was so worn that screwing it in did not hold the pin in place. There could have been real problems if the shackle pin had worked loose while under load in the swell.

As we rounded the headland west of Cork Harbour we really started to notice the swell building. There was a large ship anchored almost exactly on our route and every now and then the swell would swing Robinetta's bow round so she was aiming at the side of the ship, which was also yawing round by 90° on its anchor.

Once we were west of Cork Harbour the wind began to build again, so we raised the main and turned the engine off. We also had the tide with us and were making 5.5 knots over the ground. Then the swell began to get up too.

After a while Robinetta was making over 6 knots and the steering was getting rather heavy. It was time to reef so I lowered the throat and peak halyards before putting the engine on to  turn us ehad to wind. Scandalising the sails did nothing to de-power them on this point of sail, so Robinetta turned quickly into the waves and Julian pulled in the reefing line. I wanted two reefs in

Capel Head

Facing into the waves made it obvious how big they were for a small boat.

Robinetta's bowsprit went into one as she turned, but after that she rose to them easily. Going back onto course took longer, and 2 waves rolled Robinetta well over before I could get her stern on to them again.

Robinetta was much easier to hold on course with the reef in, but that course was almost a dead run. By the time we reached Capel Island at the headland to the west of Youghal Bay we were half a nautical mile further out to sea than planned, since I was making sure we would not gybe. Half a mile before I expected to turn I steered slightly too far to port, and accidentally gybed.

The boom bounced off the working backstay with such force that the backstay rope broke. Luckily that slowed the boom down enough that nothing else got damaged, not even the sail! I quickly made off the previously lazy backstay and we stayed on that tack. Our distance south of our route, plus the knot of tide helping us along the coast helped us make a good course to clear Capel Island.
Meanwhile Julian ducked below and fetched Robinetta's old topsail halyard from the spare rope locker. It was the perfect rope to bring the starboard backstay back into commission.

Moll Goggins Corner at Youghal

After the drama of turning towards Youghal we had a pleasant sail across the bay towards the river Blackwater. The swell disappeared as soon as we were round the headland and our new point of sail contained no threat of a gybe. We got the sails down just before cutting across the west bank. We were only an hour before high water so their was plenty beneath our keel. Julian saw gannets diving, so got out the mackerel line to fish, but we had no luck.

As we came onto the river entrance we saw 3 GP14 dinghies racing, accompanied by a safety boat. This came over to Robinetta, and told us there were 6 new mooring buoys, laid only last week. We went on one, despite the Pilot Book's warning that they would be subject to swell. After dinner on board I rowed us over to the landing stage in Worm, and we had a look round Youghal.

The tide runs quickly past the moorings and made for an interesting return to Robinetta on the way back!