Exploring Dingle Bay

Friday 27th August, 2021, Brandon Bay to Ventry Bay

The west coast of Ireland is certainly fickle and changeable! The previous day had been a cloudless blue sky and warm sunshine. Today we woke up to thick pea soup fog. We literally couldn’t see the nearest boat anchored 50 metres away. On days like this, nothing else to do than break out the cards and stare out the window in to the gloom, hoping it will lift. Ailsa beat me at Skipbo twice in a row! Unheard of. By 3 30 that afternoon we were getting bored of waiting for the fog to lift. It was a little better, so we pulled up the anchor, and headed out under engine pretty much relying on the instruments and radar. There was thick fog all the way around the headland, a real shame as we didn’t get to see any of the Blasket Islands that are supposed to be spectacular. They were just shapes in the fog.

Once we were in Dingle Bay, we watched the fishing fleet leaving Dingle to head out in to the Atlantic and as we arrived in Ventry Bay miraculously the fog finally lifted, so we anchored off the pier and a huge sand beach.

Saturday 28th August, 2021, Ventry Bay to Valencia Island

That morning we rowed the dinghy in to the pier where the kids were jumping in the sea (they do that alot along the west coast and seem to be impervious to the cold water!). Then we took a long walk down the beach and people watched.

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We finally arrived at the little village at lunchtime. What do you know the pub was shut?! Seemed to be a theme for us! Thankfully the local post office store provided the means to make some sarnies which we ate on bench in the glorious hot sunshine.

We traced our steps back to Azimuth. Back on board, the heat must have played tricks with my mind. I had the urge to get rid of the beard I had been cultivating since the beginning of the trip! It was too bushy even for the trimmers, so Ailsa did the honours on deck with a pair of scissors, and the beard was consigned to the Atlantic Ocean! And before you ask, there was no taming of the head hair!

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Feeling somewhat cooler (in the temperature sense), we pulled the anchor and sailed out of the bay in the late afternoon. We had a fantastic sail across Dingle bay over to Valencia Island, doing 7 knots on flat seas on a beam reach. We were accompanied by a large pod of dolphins for at least 30 minutes and enjoyed the scenery of the approach to Valencia.

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We got to Valencia, where there is a partially built marina (just the outer pontoon) and we hoped to moor up for free for the night. However, everyone else had the same idea, and there was no room for Azimuth. The next alternative was the town anchorage. Yet again, the Irish had completely filled that with mooring buoys (with none occupied) and there was no space to actually anchor out of the tide! So we headed back to Glanleam Bay near the entrance to the protected Harbour. This proved to be a great choice. A really beautiful sheltered anchorage, out of the tide off a sandy beach.

We took the dinghy to the beach and walked to Knightstown on the Island. The Island is very green and luscious and has a tropical feel to it. We had a meal at the Valencia Royal Hotel and wandered around the town.

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Sunday 29th August, 2021, Valencia Island to Darrynane Bay

Another fantastic day, so we decided to go and explore some more of Valencia Island. The previous evening we had seen a signpost to “The tetrapod dinosaur footprints”? So a quick search on the internet showed they were within walking distance of the anchorage. It turned out to be quite a hike up and over the mountain in the centre of the island and a walk all the way out to the Valentia coastguard station. Still it was a glorious day and the views were well worth the effort. The dinosaur prints were interesting too, discovered 20 years ago by a geology student who was wandering along the shoreline and noticed them. The picture below probably doesn’t do them justice!

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We sailed out from Valencia Island at two that afternoon with the promise of wind. Just a few miles out, and the wind died! Oh and the fog descended! Really annoying as the coast here is spectacular, and the we were looking forward to views of the Skelligs (of Star Wars fame). Instead we ghosted along in the fog, with occasional glimpses of other boats and as we pulled in Darrynane bay for the night, the fog lifted again.

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Darrynane Bay turned out to be a spectacular anchorage with a gorgeous sunset, crystal clear green water and flat calm seas. The view was a white sand beach and an old ruined abbey. A great place to rest up for the night.