10-20 June 2025
After getting the boat sorted and paying for our berth, Elise and I headed off to explore Kinsale. It turned out to be a wonderfully charming little harbour town. We managed to do a bit of Christmas shopping at the local craft market, and picked up a few other things as well, including a bottle of Kinsale Gin, which is absolutely delicious. Our gin collection is definitely growing!
After a few wonderful days of good food and some work on the boat, we set off north towards Dublin. We had been advised not to berth right in the city, so we chose to sail to Greystones, about 30 km south of Dublin and less than an hour away by train.
Although Greystones isn’t quite as charming as Kinsale, it has plenty of good restaurants. There’s a great pub down by the harbour, while the rest are within easy walking distance in the town centre, which is located a little way inland rather than by the waterfront.
We took the train into Dublin to explore the city. At first, I wasn’t particularly impressed, but Elise and I decided to give it another try two days later before her evening flight back to Gothenburg. We left her suitcase in storage at a kiosk next to the bus station and hopped on a hop-on hop-off bus. This time, the city became much more interesting, and we made several stops along the way.
One of our first stops was Trinity College, where Elise wanted to visit the famous library. Unfortunately, we hadn’t booked tickets in advance, so it was fully booked. Our next stop was St Patrick’s Cathedral, an absolutely magnificent building.
We had been recommended a cosy place for lunch, and there was also supposed to be a yarn shop nearby. Unfortunately, the shop was closed for stocktaking. The pizza was delicious, though, and the atmosphere was wonderfully cosy.
After lunch, I waved goodbye to Elise as she caught the airport bus, while I took the train back to Greystones.
We sailed the final leg to Oban on our own. The journey took two days, and we got a welcome boost from the tidal current through the Sound of Jura. We arrived in Oban late in the morning and moored at Kerrera, the island just across the bay from Oban. A ferry runs back and forth several times a day, making it easy to get into town.
We took the opportunity to get rid of the last of the ants that had invaded our ice cream cupboard. We also made a trip into town to stock up on provisions and to find an electric heater, as the boat’s heating had broken down and it was starting to get rather chilly on board.
After that, we did the laundry and changed the bedding in preparation for our guests, Anders and Karin, who were coming to help us through the Caledonian Canal.
Before leaving, we put up our Swedish Ocean Sailing Club flag with Saphir’s name and the years we have visited Kerrera: 2015, 2022, and 2025.
Hugs Eva
Sailing with Saphir 