Strangford to Dunlaoghaire

The tides in Strangford have to be seen and felt to understand them.
We left about twenty minutes before high water: the tide begins to slack and turn about half an hour before, and then hits hard. We had 5 knots through the water, and 7 and a bit over the ground. We were grateful to find that close to the turn of the tide, when we were at the final departure point of the bar, the maelstroms were almost nothing, and the surf outside the bar was just calm water. A big relief. The tide can run at 8 knots, but the marinas on each side are peaceful. Watching the ferry crab its way across is instructive.

Astonel at Portaferry in the Strangford Narrows,
waiting for the tide

In this picture of the ferry port and small harbour on the Strangford side (the other side is called Portaferry) you can see a black beacon with a red top: when the tide is running, it has a bow wave like an ocean liner. Because of the strength of the tides here, the beacon was built - but not as a beacon. It is a tidal power generator, and for around 20 hours a day, according to the leaflet, it generates up to 10 megawatts of power. Ten thousand small kettles. It gets the power using a kind of helicopter blade arrangement under the water.

We sailed to Dunlaoghaire, 71nM, in twelve hours, which is quite good going, motor assisted with variable light winds, and Astonel getting around 7.8kt over the ground at times.
Dunlaughhaire, really (note the spelling pun, please). Four calls on VHF and no reply, huge quantities of competitive yachts that didn't know port from starboard, no clear directions, some small signs showing pontoon 'ab' below large signs indicating 'AC', large numbers of double breasted blazers with brass buttons, and us touring the marina from one end to the other like lost lambs. Oh, shame, poor things, what on earth are you grumbling about?
Going to see Dublin. Off to Greystones on Tuesday, then a leap or two down the coast and across to what I keep calling Milton Keynes, but is really Milford Haven.
And we'll be on the way home, which is an appealing idea seeing as the weather has been rather crappy, and today we actually left a porthole open after yesterday's mini gale that nobody had predicted, because, this morning, it is actually warm enough not to be wearing thermals.