Springtime here in Strangford Lough

We flew back to the boat in Northern Ireland at the end of Feb which was definitely way too early. First hint was the snow flurries at Heathrow Airport and then a few days later finding ourselves rowing out our bags and groceries in snow. The boat was freezing and it took three days for the heater to work it's magic, but it's been warm and toasty ever since. Thank goodness, as the weather has continued to be cold and grey. Hence, we are still swinging on the mooring in Strangford Lough five weeks later. The daffadils have been flowering for a month, there are lambs in the fields and the birds are courting and building nests so they must think it's Spring

Phil has crossed a few jobs off the list. He built a new spreader for the mizzen which broke on the Atlantic crossing last year.

We dried out aginst a dock for 24 hours and he waterblasted the hull which just had a coating of slime but put off antifouling until later in the year.

The plus of staying put for this long is that we have gotten to know quite a few of the locals, and like everywhere in Ireland, they are super friendly. We did leave the mooring for four days to visit Sam on another small island in the lough. He has done a lot of sea miles and we had some good long conversations and debates sitting around his fire, eating and drinking well into the night. He feeds the birds and badgers so there was always action just outside the window.

There is a lot of history in this area. Saint Patrick came here to spread the Word amongst the heathens and is buried at near the logh entrance so there are plenty of very old sacred sites. Just in rowing distance from the mooring we visited a 7th centuary monastery with an interesting round tower and sundial. Note the sunny clear sky. We get about one a week if we are lucky so always make the most of it.

Plenty of castle ruins too. 

Easter Monday we had another wild day as most of the UK got hit once again with a blast of cold weather. Friends drove us south, then across on the ferry to the eastern side of the lough. Driving north we got to see the waves crashing over the sea walls at every small town along the coast. It was great to see it on such a rough day. We see a lot of the coastline from the boat but it is always nice to see it from the land for a change.

However nice it is here in the lough,it is finally time to make a move so hopefully we will drop the mooring line for the last time tomorrow or the next day, spend a day or two with Sam and the badgers, then head over to the Isle of Man before we hit the bright lights of Belfast. Fingers crossed the weather will come right.