Day 13 Ireland Bangor
Today we have a short sail to Bangor, we need a short trip to restore our sanity. The trip is about 33 nautical miles so should only take about six hours. We left just after seven AM so the tide was slightly higher than when we came in.
As we emerged from the harbour the fog hung n the still air and we were yet again forced to motor as there was no wind at all. It has been a sad trip in some ways, we had good winds on the South Coast of England and a great sail to Milford Haven but since then we had five days of unrelenting strong winds from the North followed by fog and no wind.
The trip was largely uneventful, I saw a seal as we left the harbour but no dolphins. As we approached Bangor Harbour I saw a start line on the shore and next to it was a big white sign which read RUYC. I looked at Graham and said please phone the Royal Ulster Yacht Club and see if we can book a table for dinner that evening. Graham, introduced himself(Last years commodore of the Royal Southern Yacht Club) and was told that we would be very welcome. This was such a relief to know that we were going to get some good food in the evening but we had no idea what a treat we were in for.
Soon after we were tied up I ran to the shops to get some fresh rolls for lunch and something to eat in the journey tomorrow. I had to go to ASDA which was at the top of the high street so it took longer than I was expecting. However it was worth the wait. It was nice to be tied up by lunchtime it meant that for once we were able to relax and potter about, for tomorrow was our penultimate day so we needed to start making preparations to leave the boat clean and tidy.
At about 6:45pm we left the boat and walked top the RUYC and upon arrival we were greeted by their Vice Commodore, it is strange arrangement but at the RUYC the highest position a member chan achieve is Vice Commodore because Commodore is used as a courtesy title for the Duke of Gloucester so the VC is in effect equivalent to the commodore of other clubs. The RUTC owns a very imposing victorian mansion of gothic like appearance, it is an amazing display of wealth and history. The VC gave us a tour of the building and it is very reminiscent of the Squadron. Its walls are covered with magnificent paintings, drawings and hull forms it is outstanding. We were then invited to have a drink in the lounge before dinner but the excellent front of house manager and after we ordered them we were told that they were the gift of the sailing secretary which was very generous. Soon were were presented with the evening menu, at this point I was ready to stay for a week! I could not resist the langoustines, how could I? Graham who really wanted them decided not to order then as they were cooked in garlic and though desecration was the order of the day, he was soon to regret that error! We enjoyed our drink in the stunning lounge and were soon invited to take our seats in the restaurant where we found that we had been allocated on of the best table in the house with fantastic views out to sea.
After the meal, which frankly puts my own club to shame we retired back to the lounge for a cognac in my case and were immediatly invited to join a group of members in the members lounge. We left our luxurious seats to join the members in what for the first time was part of the club that actually resembled our own, for the member bar at the Southern despite being a popular bar with some members is a uniquely uncomfortable place to have a drink. The evening went very well, we were given lots of advice about places to visit and anchorages we should visit and I wish I had a voice recorder as all the places were unknown to me and being of Gallic names are completely forgettable tongue twisters.
What a night iI felt sorry that Alastair had left the boat at this stage because the RUYC was the highlight of the delivery trip.
As we emerged from the harbour the fog hung n the still air and we were yet again forced to motor as there was no wind at all. It has been a sad trip in some ways, we had good winds on the South Coast of England and a great sail to Milford Haven but since then we had five days of unrelenting strong winds from the North followed by fog and no wind.
The trip was largely uneventful, I saw a seal as we left the harbour but no dolphins. As we approached Bangor Harbour I saw a start line on the shore and next to it was a big white sign which read RUYC. I looked at Graham and said please phone the Royal Ulster Yacht Club and see if we can book a table for dinner that evening. Graham, introduced himself(Last years commodore of the Royal Southern Yacht Club) and was told that we would be very welcome. This was such a relief to know that we were going to get some good food in the evening but we had no idea what a treat we were in for.
Soon after we were tied up I ran to the shops to get some fresh rolls for lunch and something to eat in the journey tomorrow. I had to go to ASDA which was at the top of the high street so it took longer than I was expecting. However it was worth the wait. It was nice to be tied up by lunchtime it meant that for once we were able to relax and potter about, for tomorrow was our penultimate day so we needed to start making preparations to leave the boat clean and tidy.
At about 6:45pm we left the boat and walked top the RUYC and upon arrival we were greeted by their Vice Commodore, it is strange arrangement but at the RUYC the highest position a member chan achieve is Vice Commodore because Commodore is used as a courtesy title for the Duke of Gloucester so the VC is in effect equivalent to the commodore of other clubs. The RUTC owns a very imposing victorian mansion of gothic like appearance, it is an amazing display of wealth and history. The VC gave us a tour of the building and it is very reminiscent of the Squadron. Its walls are covered with magnificent paintings, drawings and hull forms it is outstanding. We were then invited to have a drink in the lounge before dinner but the excellent front of house manager and after we ordered them we were told that they were the gift of the sailing secretary which was very generous. Soon were were presented with the evening menu, at this point I was ready to stay for a week! I could not resist the langoustines, how could I? Graham who really wanted them decided not to order then as they were cooked in garlic and though desecration was the order of the day, he was soon to regret that error! We enjoyed our drink in the stunning lounge and were soon invited to take our seats in the restaurant where we found that we had been allocated on of the best table in the house with fantastic views out to sea.
After the meal, which frankly puts my own club to shame we retired back to the lounge for a cognac in my case and were immediatly invited to join a group of members in the members lounge. We left our luxurious seats to join the members in what for the first time was part of the club that actually resembled our own, for the member bar at the Southern despite being a popular bar with some members is a uniquely uncomfortable place to have a drink. The evening went very well, we were given lots of advice about places to visit and anchorages we should visit and I wish I had a voice recorder as all the places were unknown to me and being of Gallic names are completely forgettable tongue twisters.
What a night iI felt sorry that Alastair had left the boat at this stage because the RUYC was the highlight of the delivery trip.