Peel Two Ways - From Northern Ireland to the Isle of Man in RS200s
by Simon McIlwaine 25 Jun 2015 20:32 BST
13-14 June 2015
A nautical adventure to raise money for those in need and hopefully have some fun along the way
Nobody said it would be easy: however nobody said it was stupid, reckless or just downright dangerous, although deep down inside many may have been thinking it, and if things did go pear-shaped and we got media coverage for all the wrong reasons, we would probably have to re-brand the club, dye our hair, and change our names.
The Isle of Man sits quietly snuggled away in the middle of Irish Sea somewhere between Northern Ireland's County Down coastline and Wales. A common destination for holiday makers, the two primary and most established modes of transport tend to follow the traditional form of ferry or plane.
Undertaking the trip, in both directions, in two RS200's and an RS400 dinghy, is probably not the easiest way to get to your destination but when Clive suggested that it was to be linked to a noble and worthwhile cause, we were "on a mission". A team of feisty maritime adventurers was assembled and with ages ranging from eleven and a half to "fifty and a few bits" a cunning plan was hatched consisting of heading due east one day and west the next – easy to remember.
Maybe if we were lucky we would be accompanied by a school of dolphins or a pod of killer whales. Who knew what would be in store for us. Of course, 3 dinghies bobbling around alone in the Irish Sea with the potential for gear failure would have been a little bit too challenging, so 3 support RIBs were brought in, along with a cruiser, that would (in theory) liaise with us at various points along the way.
The biggest challenge, however, was that only one date was available during the summer where it was logistically possible to run the event and as the weekend of the great adventure dawned, a prolonged and intense period of weather watching ensued. All of the favourite weather sites were constantly scanned in the hope of finding an acceptable and stable wind pattern, but with the wind predominantly from the north, nothing but a bag of weasels was on offer.
Saturday morning and a 7.00am gathering at Newcastle Yacht Club saw a group of somewhat apprehensive sailors doing the "harbour shuffle", walking up and down nervously in the repetitive manner that usually precedes the decision to go club sailing on those marginal days. With a wind speed approaching 'brave and adventurous' coming straight into the harbour, it was going to be a somewhat testing start, but with blue sky and 12.5% of our 16 man team saying that everything would be fine (although the nervously twitching eyes indicated otherwise), it was decided to 'test' the water.
With Go-Pros attached to every extremity, the initial plan was to head across the relatively "safe" haven of Dundrum Bay and on to St John's Point, the last place where we could grasp some Irish soil before heading out into the Irish Sea in earnest.
However, once on the water, a growing sense of reality fortunately kicked in and it soon became obvious that the chances of the larger and more powerful RS400 making the journey event to St John's Point did not look promising. After a couple of early duckings to test the water temperature, a hasty retreat for shore was made and the crew returned to the fleet out in the bay, courtesy of a friendly RIB.
As the 'fleet', now comprising two RS200's, headed out past St Johns point, the conditions settled and any thoughts of capsizes and impending doom were put to rest... for a while. The remainder of the day was relatively uneventful, with a cold north-easterly wind blowing at a constant 20knots. Crews swapped in and out of the dinghies at regular intervals and after five hours, the gloom that enveloped the island ahead started to lift and the end was in sight.
With Peel coming into view, conditions once again became more testing as the swell started to increase and a rollercoaster effect came into play. Thoughts of a capsize had to be suppressed as the dinghies surfed twisting, rolling waves at high speed down into the harbour, and a very welcome dry land. The sun came out and everyone was happy knowing that tomorrow would be better.
Sunday morning. Overcast, cold and gloomy, and the chattering halyards slapping incessantly against the masts in the harbour were an early indication that the weather was not as predicted – what a surprise! Lessons learned from the previous day meant that all available items of clothing were adorned and after the obligatory group photo, the team of happy mariners set off on the homeward leg of the journey. The snarly conditions at the entrance of the harbour had not abated overnight and so the first part of the journey started in a similar manner to the previous day's finish – wet, cold, and thoroughly unpleasant.
However, after an hour or so, the weather settled, the sun appeared and conditions were suitable for flying spinnakers for long periods. The clear day meant that both coastlines could be seen when on the water – seems simple, but a very reassuring sight when at sea in a dinghy. With about 15 miles to go, the dinghies split from one another, one heading south and the other taking a more northerly tack as the father and son 'first home' competitive streak set in.
Unfortunately, the wind, on this last stretch, with land so nearly in our grasp, became a whisper and with that, speed and enthusiasm began to wane -one sailor was even spotted falling asleep against the mast. However, it was still a determined lot that made it into Newcastle Harbour, nine hours after leaving Peel Harbour that morning and with fresh clothes, chips and champagne there was time for quiet contemplation whilst the water lapped gently in the soft summer sunset. There had been no sightings of dolphins or killer whales but it had been a fantastic adventure covering 80 nautical miles in harsh conditions but in aid of a worthy cause.
A big thank you to all of those who made this possible. To John, Tony and Newcastle Yacht Club for the use of their RIBs; to Clive, Liam and Marc for the RS200's and 400; to Anne for the use of her cruiser; to the Peel Harbour Authority and Peel Yacht Club for their help and support and to the local B&B lady who kindly opened up her guesthouse in the late hours to give some rogue Irish sailors a bed.
Thank you to all the helms, crew and RIB support helpers without whom this adventure would not have been possible.
To all of you who donated to the charities a big heartfelt thanks, and to those of you who did not, the funds are still open and people are still in need!
Finally, a big thanks to Clive Coffey for having the vision to undertake such a hair-brained adventure.
The charities
Two charities were supported during this adventure. The first was a demonstration farming project in rural South Sudan teaching the local population about sustainable method of farming so that they may ultimately become self-sufficient.
The second was the more widely publicised Community Action Nepal Earthquake Appeal where the effects of the recent devastating earthquake still need a massive amount of help and support. Both funds are still open and you can donate online via CMS Ireland for South Sudan or CAN for Nepal.
mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/dinghysailtoisleofman
or www.justgiving.com/sailtoisleofman