Saturday
Slept in today, 0730 wake up call from harbour noise and bright sunshine through the hatch. Tea brewed up, and a batch of K’s biscuits in the oven just gone 0800.
Showed our neighbour in the Degero (called Tom Bombadil (the boat, not the person)) how to turn his new bow thruster on and off; work had been done at Malahide, but they hadn’t shown him how it worked. Can’t say I like the Vetus control system’s power up/down approach; relies on button presses in a certain time frame, and the only indication that it’s doing things is to listen to a set of beeps.
Then off to Mace for groceries, and Kehoe’s for some replacement fishing traces. Alas they didn’t have the pin I needed to replace the bent one on Blue Opal’s stemhead gear, so I’ll have to find one elsewhere, or see if I can bend the existing one back to “straight enough”.
Lunch @Cocoa’s 
K @ Forlorn Point 
Just a plant 
Looking NW from Forlorn Point 
A dog that was visiting Forlorn Point 
The RNLB coming back from a shout 30+ NM offshore
And afternoon out of the sun, spent reading and dozing, and then off for a walk out to Forlorn Point before dinner (pan fried haddock in sun dried tomato and herb butter, with chips). Closed out the day with the second half of Hunt for Red October.
Monday is looking like the day to start the trek north, and we’d have company in the form of Mary Kate as she makes her way back to Skerries.
Sunday
A slower start today, with fresh-made pancakes for breakfast, and trying to track down why the locker under the stove had sea water in it. Still no wiser on that score.
Moved our neighbour in Tom Bombadil on to the hammerhead directly, making it possible for me to tank up on diesel. 100 EUR later, and I’m tanked and have some spare in the yellow can; I’ll decant that in Arklow tomorrow.
Had a chat with Colm on Mary Kate, to see what his passage plan was; seemed sensible, so we will use it too – depart at 0730, aiming to be at Carnaore at 0940, and away north on the tide inside the banks. We’ve 50 miles to make in 10 hours, and should have the tide with us for 6. Rusk Channel will be a decision point as to whether to take it, or to go inside all the banks for hopefully protected water. Then to the bottom of Glassgorman, outside, and across the bank at Arklow.
Sandwiches at Cocoa’s for lunch again, followed by a walk out to St. Patrick’s bridge. When we got back, we found the harbour master and Colm in deep discussion about some rejigging of boats that’s needed. Tom Bombadil needs to be moved, but isn’t around, and his boat can’t be moved without the skipper present.
Random crab, well disguised 
Looking to the harbour and Saltees 
Didn’t know a tomato plant could grow on a beach!
We tanked up on potable water, and put the kettle on, expecting this act to summon the harbour master back with a decision, but no luck so far. However, we have a nice cup of tea and a nice breeze to sit in (and the noise of a big fishing boat that hasn’t shut off their engines since we got here).
A third boat has arrived on our raft (Aquarius of Howth), and it looks like all three of us are going north tomorrow. Aquarius will be leaving before Mary Kate and us, and so are tied to shore with a slip line, and to Blue Opal. We’ve move the raft of 3 boats down a bit, and pulled Tom Bombadil down as well (as the owner has shown up) to make room for another boat that may be showing up, and the old lifeboat that’s coming in is going to be put alongside a fishing boat. All is well, and we can prep for early departure tomorrow.
One last fish and chips before we go…