sogood
Petty Officer 1st Class
- Joined
- May 11, 2016
- Messages
- 361
I thought I'd share with you, what boating in Ireland is like. For starters, we have very little, if any, real regulation governing this particular activity. I'm not saying that's a good thing. It makes boating a lot easier, with less bureaucratic interfering. Having said that, it means that anybody with the money, can buy any sort of boat, with little or no experience and take to the water. You wouldn't allow a 17 year old to buy a 6.0 litre car and take to the roads without any experience. As a professional coach driver with many years experience, my view is that driving cars etc. is a lot easier than controlling a boat. Cars don't have wind, tides, wakes and the lack of brakes to contend with.
My own personal experience is that I bought a small 16' cabin cruiser which I refurbed and familiarised myself with boating on a relatively small scale. I live in a town called Kenmare, in the south west corner of Ireland in County Kerry. The town is situated on part of what's known as The Ring of Kerry, right at the end of Kenmare Bay. The river Sheen flows into the bay, which then extends for almost 30 miles, before flowing into the Atlantic and is 12 miles wide at it's mouth. So, it's a "relatively" safe and sheltered environment.
I familiarised myself somewhat with boating on the bay, always knowing that my Microplus cabin cruiser was a stepping stone. It was a bit cramped for fishing and lacked some creature comforts, although I had installed a porta potti and a small two ring gas cooker. I also fitted it with a VHF radio, bilge pump, navigation lights, etc.
Then I sold it and progressed to my current boat/project. A 1990 Wellcraft Sportsman 250, powered by a 5.7 Mercruiser. Lots more room, also fully fitted with all safety considerations, with the added luxuries of an enclosed electric head, sink/cooker combo, depth sounder and chartplotter, for going further afield.
Going further afield is a definite option as there are numerous harbours and islands dotted all along the south west corner of Ireland, with plenty of good fishing along the way. Actually circumnavigating the whole country is a possibility, as Ireland is small enough to fit inside the state of Maine.
Downsides would be the lack of fuelling facilities, especially when it comes to petrol/gasoline. Less so with diesel, which is more readily available. Keeping a couple of 20 litre containers onboard would be a must if you intend going very far, so you can at least get gas from a station located near enough to where you might berth. Another downside is the actual cost of fuel here in Ireland, which equates to about $7.00 per gallon. But we're here for a good time, not a long time.
Among the big plusses would be the fact that we don't have hurricanes, tornadoes and the like. We have had some bad winters over the years, but we have a temperate climate, hugely influenced by the Gulf Stream, which keeps things quite mild for the most part. Here in Kenmare, the vast majority of boaters leave their boats in the harbour, all year round, with no winterising issues. This is useful as we have many wonderful mild, clear days through the winter, when boating is perfectly do-able. Summer time daylight extends to about 10.45 pm, so plenty of opportunities to catch the tides, which can easily vary by about 12 feet from low to high. In the harbour, there are no mooring fees and all you need is the right spot, with consideration given to other moorings etc. and organise your own mooring. I did this via a professional company that provides all sorts of marine services, moorings, marker buoys etc. on behalf of the local council and the department of the marine. You pay for the installation of your mooring and you're good to go.
Being a small island, we do have a very good coastguard network, dotted all around the coast, along with a very active and hardworking rescue service, called the RNLI, or Royal National Lifeboat Institute, run by volunteers!
My Wellcraft refurb is nearing completion and she will be getting wet soon. The fact that winter is approaching isn't really a consideration. I'm sure most of you will never have the pleasure of boating in Ireland, but if you do ever come over this way, let me know and I'll take you fishing!
Just thought you'd be interested in how things work over here on this side of the pond.
My own personal experience is that I bought a small 16' cabin cruiser which I refurbed and familiarised myself with boating on a relatively small scale. I live in a town called Kenmare, in the south west corner of Ireland in County Kerry. The town is situated on part of what's known as The Ring of Kerry, right at the end of Kenmare Bay. The river Sheen flows into the bay, which then extends for almost 30 miles, before flowing into the Atlantic and is 12 miles wide at it's mouth. So, it's a "relatively" safe and sheltered environment.
I familiarised myself somewhat with boating on the bay, always knowing that my Microplus cabin cruiser was a stepping stone. It was a bit cramped for fishing and lacked some creature comforts, although I had installed a porta potti and a small two ring gas cooker. I also fitted it with a VHF radio, bilge pump, navigation lights, etc.
Then I sold it and progressed to my current boat/project. A 1990 Wellcraft Sportsman 250, powered by a 5.7 Mercruiser. Lots more room, also fully fitted with all safety considerations, with the added luxuries of an enclosed electric head, sink/cooker combo, depth sounder and chartplotter, for going further afield.
Going further afield is a definite option as there are numerous harbours and islands dotted all along the south west corner of Ireland, with plenty of good fishing along the way. Actually circumnavigating the whole country is a possibility, as Ireland is small enough to fit inside the state of Maine.
Downsides would be the lack of fuelling facilities, especially when it comes to petrol/gasoline. Less so with diesel, which is more readily available. Keeping a couple of 20 litre containers onboard would be a must if you intend going very far, so you can at least get gas from a station located near enough to where you might berth. Another downside is the actual cost of fuel here in Ireland, which equates to about $7.00 per gallon. But we're here for a good time, not a long time.
Among the big plusses would be the fact that we don't have hurricanes, tornadoes and the like. We have had some bad winters over the years, but we have a temperate climate, hugely influenced by the Gulf Stream, which keeps things quite mild for the most part. Here in Kenmare, the vast majority of boaters leave their boats in the harbour, all year round, with no winterising issues. This is useful as we have many wonderful mild, clear days through the winter, when boating is perfectly do-able. Summer time daylight extends to about 10.45 pm, so plenty of opportunities to catch the tides, which can easily vary by about 12 feet from low to high. In the harbour, there are no mooring fees and all you need is the right spot, with consideration given to other moorings etc. and organise your own mooring. I did this via a professional company that provides all sorts of marine services, moorings, marker buoys etc. on behalf of the local council and the department of the marine. You pay for the installation of your mooring and you're good to go.
Being a small island, we do have a very good coastguard network, dotted all around the coast, along with a very active and hardworking rescue service, called the RNLI, or Royal National Lifeboat Institute, run by volunteers!
My Wellcraft refurb is nearing completion and she will be getting wet soon. The fact that winter is approaching isn't really a consideration. I'm sure most of you will never have the pleasure of boating in Ireland, but if you do ever come over this way, let me know and I'll take you fishing!
Just thought you'd be interested in how things work over here on this side of the pond.