A very enjoyable trip was had by all that took part in the recent trip to Arklow on the Ruffian. This is the furthest South for the SID Ruffian, previous trips south had gone as far as Wicklow. Michael McEntee (Wed Ruffian captain) was the instigator of the trip and it proved very popular and unfortunately it was not possible to accommodate everyone. Paal did the homework for the passage, which went very smoothly.

Michael McEntee, Paal Janson, Mark Collins, Susan King, Martina Michels and Damien Byrne met up in the Coal Harbour on Saturday the 18th. at 8am. After a few minor repairs such as the D ring (back from extensive re-shaping from Lufthansa Airmotive!) we left DL harbour at 8:45. The winds look as they would be very light at first but it turned out to be very favourable NW to W F2 to F3 and at times Ruffin’it made 9 knots through the water. Wicklow head was reached at a favourable time to take advantage of the strong tidal current to bring us into Arklow Harbour for 3pm. Lots of helm changes were done at Wicklow head to get historic pictures of Ruffin'it venturing further south that ever before! There were a number of yacht race taking place outside Arklow Harbour which help mark its entrance. Once the sails were down we motored into the harbour to be met by a large welcoming committee (a thousand sea gulls!) on the Harbour wall..

The port of Arklow is unremarkable and holds no other attraction besides a safe haven. We tied up to the river pontoon as the marina is extremely tight and even the little ruffian would be hard placed to manoeuvre onto a convenient berth. Toilets and showers can be had behind the marina office, just ring the phone number on the notice board for the code. We stayed in Pinebrook B&B (http://www.pinebrook.net/) which was an extremely welcoming bed for the night. Full marks to Michael for choosing this place. They even provided ample sandwiches for the return leg to Dun Laoghaire. The town of Arklow doesn’t have the reputation of being the restaurant capital of Ireland but that doesn’t seem to stop them charging exorbitant prices for an evening meals. We tramped around the town until finally settling for an Indian. This was a first class meal and we got up from the table a couple of hours later singing the praise of the chef. A couple of nightcaps before going back to the B&B for a well deserved sleep.

After a generous breakfast the next morning, the boys took a quick stroll down to the boat while the B&B owner drove down the ladies. Then it was bags and sandwiches onboard, lifejackets and engine on, let go all ropes and prepare the boat for sea. The weather was sublime for a passage to Dublin. However, not a breath of wind was to be found either inshore or offshore. We busied ourselves with the sails and steering but soon gave up and various crewmembers decided to catch up on sleep or read the Sunday newspapers in the cockpit. Once clear of Wicklow Head, the tide turned and we seemed to spend an eternity motor sailing up the coast with gale warnings broadcast from the coast guard stations! We were joined on several occasions by porpoises but the outboard seemed to keep them at a respectable distance. Every few hours the outboard would die as petrol ran out and a serene silence would again descend over Ruffin'it. But as we started to slide southwards with the flowing tide the engine was kicked into life again and off we went.

By the time we reached Dalkey Sound, the coastline looked distinctly Adriatic. We joined the throngs of day trippers enjoying the end of a golden summer evening and we finally swung, in a unique fashion, onto our mooring. Ruffin It had sailed over 70 nautical miles in two days and had done so with ease and grace. Next summer more distant shores are certainly calling.

For pictures visit our Picture Gallery