Wednesday 3 May
Unfortunately there was some wind and tide during the night, so it turned out to be less restful than had been hoped, and needed, so my crew decided to trust the harbour office representative’s opinion that Warrenpoint, on the North shore, was “glassy calm”. They discovered only later that she was looking at CCTV pictures, as the office is the other side of the port from the leisure craft and visitors’ moorings. We found the suggested pontoon too short, and tied up port side to a dirty pontoon with neither water nor power, behind a majestic mussel-fishing vessel, Wings of the Morning.
A security guard was waiting to take our mooring fee almost before I was tied up, and generously agreed to leave the facilities open for my crew. They soon discovered these were as ramshackle as the pontoon, and opted to shower onboard in far more salubrious surroundings. Another imminent revelation was the unpleasant jiggy snatch caused by waves sweeping around the end of the breakwater into the harbour, especially at high water when there was any wind around.
Having been ‘off grid’ for a few days, my water tanks were in desperate need of refilling, and the incredibly generous skipper of Wings laid his water hose from the tap down the gangplank for Skipper to attach ours and take on water. In addition, he offered his wifi access code for our use. Mate rustled up a batch of chocolate brownie as a thank you.
My crew stretched their legs in a brief wander around town in breezy sunshine.