8. Leaving Smerwick, aground in Kilrush!

Leaving Smerwick on Monday was not to be.  Winds of force six for most of the day so we decided to stay put.  At least the sun shone and the sky was blue.  We were joined in the morning by a cruise ship, ‘National Geographic Explorer’, and later by a warship whose name and number we couldn’t see.  Debbie did some catching up with her Forever business and cooked a mega sausage casserole, enough for 3 meals! David did some reading and the odd snooze!  
The forecast for Tuesday did not include any small craft warnings.  A SE force 4 to 5 would give us a perfect reach up to the Shannon estuary and into Kilrush harbour.  We left Smerwick with the wind exactly as forecast.  The wind became very flukey outside the harbour in the lee of Brandon mountain, at 949m high and close to the coast the lee extends a long way out!  

Escaping from the lee of the mountain we expected the breeze to steady at its former strength but it actually faded away so we had to motor.  It kept teasing us with short increases in strength but after 5 or 10 minutes would die away and the engine would be back on again.  It was not until we were in the Shannon  estuary that it came back, and then with a vengeance. Gusting to 26 knots had us rushing to get some reefs in.  The strength stayed until we took the sails down to enter the approach channel to Kilrush marina.  
The marina has a lock at the entry which is supposed to be available 24 hours.  As we approached it all looked deserted and we thought the gates were shut.  Getting closer we saw that a boat was coming out and we could go in.  Although there is lock control building the gates are actually operated remotely from the marina office half a mile or so into the harbour.  Calling the phone number on the side of the lock initially had no response but in a few minutes Simon, the marina manager, called us back and operated the gates to get us in. His assistant, George, was on the pontoon waiting to take our lines and all was fine.  

The marina has good pontoons with power and water and the shower block was modern and very good.

We needed to catch up on domestics, especially some washing, and we hoped to get to a pub with Irish music so we opted for 2 nights in Kilrush.  The washing took forever with a domestic size machine with long programmes but it was done and dried by late afternoon.  

The Irish music was not to be, mid week live music does not start until June, but it was steak night at Crotty’s bar.  We ate in Mrs Crotty’s kitchen, 2 excellent steaks for 30 euros.

Our leaving plans went a bit pear shaped.  We were focussed on getting far enough on Thursday to allow us to get to the Aran Islands by Friday evening.  As Reeds says that Kilrush is accessible 24 hours we didn’t take much notice of the tides.  We locked out at 0930 and promptly ran aground in the entrance channel.  

With 3/4 of an hour to go to low water and again for the tide to rise we were stuck until 11.15, which limited how far we were going to get to.  

We opted for Carrigaholt Bay, a mere 11 miles.  Anchored off the New Quay we took the dinghy ashore and explored Carrigaholt Castle.

In Carrigaholt village we met Patrick, the postmaster, his post office lined with second hand books, all free to his customers (we put a donation in his charity box).  

We also gained a 4 legged furry friend who followed us around the village and fell asleep while we had a good cup of tea at the Long Dock pub.

Back on board for dinner and an early start for the Aran Islands in the morning and hopefully before the wind goes round to the North.