Sept 6 Portumna to Banagher

Geoffrey: While our stay in Portumna was wonderful and relaxing, our departure was a bit of a disaster. We decided to head for the 11:00 bridge opening. Shortly after 10:00, Sarah took Andrea in for a nap. It was taking awhile, and I decided I would get underway. The engine often helps lull him to sleep. I cast off our lines, and headed out.

As it turned out, Sarah had found there was a bit of a gas smell in the bedroom from our stove. So, she had opened the window for some fresh air. When I started the engine, it filled the entire room with diesel exhaust. This led to the nap not happening, and Sarah being very upset with me. It didn't help that we arrived at the bridge with 20 minutes to spare, meaning that I could easily have waited. In case you thought life on a boat is all relaxing fun...

We pulled up to the waiting jetty by the bridge, and a woman from a hire boat whom I had helped a few days earlier, came to help with our lines. Andrea finally went down for a nap, and our nerves began to calm.

The bridge opening is announced by an alarm. Once open, the boats coming down go first. When the last boat came through, I started the engine. There were about a dozen boats heading North and I eased us into an opening in the long line.

The second obstacle on our way was Victoria Lock. As we approached, we could see that the lock was open, and boats were moving in. It already looked quite full and there were two boats right ahead of us. The hire boat with our helper was quite large, and pulled off to the side. As we came up, the lock keeper waved us in. The quay walls were already occupied, and we eased our way up the channel between the boats. With only minimal bumping we found our spot. Wedged in between other boats, we chatted with our neighbors. There was a young girl on the neighboring boat who adored our dogs. She lay down on their deck so she could pet them.

We were one of the first boats to leave the lock, and pulled away from most of the crowd right away. In less than an hour, we were in Banagher. There was no room on the harbour walls, and so we rafted up to a boat (La Vie Belle, owned by the older gentleman whom I helped on our first visit to Portumna). This wouldn't work for long, since we couldn't really get the puppies or stroller ashore. I found a spot just on the other side of the bridge that would work in a pinch. We moved back over there, and quickly took everybody out for a walk.

We met Aidan again, and he introduced us to his family who were all down for the weekend. While we were wandering around, we saw two boats preparing to leave. I left everyone and sprinted back to the boat, started the engine and cast off. Within a couple minutes I had the boat back in the harbour. Aidan appeared and helped with our lines. We owe him a pint!

We spent two nights in Banagher and enjoyed some delicious (unhealthy) take-away. 

September 2: Killaloe to Portumna

Our plan had been to visit Garykennady (yes, that's a town, not a person) after Killaloe, but the wind forecast looked ugly. There were several days with increasing winds. Wednesday would have 10-15 knot winds from the South. By Thursday, they were meant to increase to closer to 20 knots. If we stopped in Garykennady at the bottom of the lake, we were going to be waiting for several days before we could head North. So, we decided to make directly for Portumna (which would also mean nice walks, good shopping and take-away).

We set out around 11:30.  Our first challenge was getting through the bridge. It was a bit intimidating, since the water was running quite high. But now we were going against the current, which gave us much better control. There was much less adrenaline involved this time and we made it through safely.

The wind was strong from the South, and the water was quite choppy on the river (there is a specific kind of wave which forms when the wind blows against a current which is quite dramatic, and can be dangerous in some circumstances). Once we moved out onto the lake, it turned into large swells. Since we were moving North, the pushed us along, and it was a fairly smooth ride. This continued all the way to our destination.

The trip was uneventful, except for a bit of panic around a small hazard a bit North of Drumaan. There is some sort of shallows there, and the buoys there were hard to decipher. At one point I panicked and stopped us, not knowing which side of a marker we were meant to travel. Sarah figured it out quickly, and we managed to not run aground.

The whole trip only took about 3 hours, which was faster than expected (did I mention that Sarah has a lead foot??). We pulled into the harbour and had our choice of a few berths. Andrea woke from a nap shortly after arrival, and we all went for a walk in the woods.

We spent four nights there in Portumna. There was a good bit of rain, and we were glad to have the shore power so we could run the dehumidifier. During the better weather, we enjoyed some long walks in the woods, and I managed to get a run in.

Enjoying the wood(s) in Portumna

Payton takes a dip in Lough Derg

August 30: Mountshannon to Killaloe

After two comfortable nights in Mountshannon, we decided to head to Killaloe. At the southern end of Lough Derg, it would be where we turned around to head back North.

The weather was fine, and we passed numerous other boats as we made the one-hour trip down.

A calm day on the water

Sarah driving and navigating

 
Safety pups

As we approached the town, we saw there was space on the jetty on the upriver side of the bridge. Here I made a somewhat novice move. We pulled right up to the jetty and moored facing downriver. All the other boatds were moored facing into the current. While we have a canoe stern, our rudder was catching the eddies in the current, and we moved around a lot. Another lesson learned.

We took Andrea, who had napped almost the whole trip, and wandered into town. The first thing we encountered was a farmers' market. We went a bit crazy with shopping. There was a stand where we got olives, fresh mozzarella and some artisan balsamic vinegar and olive oil. For lunch, we visited a falafal stand.

In the afternoon, we took Andrea to do some shopping, and stopped at an Italian deli on the way back. It was so nice to be back in a larger town with good food!

We found that the shore power wasn't working, and thought to try the jetty on the South side of the bridge. The next morning, we decided to move over. The river was running high, and the opening to get under the bridge is fairly narrow. I tried to balance between going too fast and not having enough thrust to provide steering. I lined us up as best I could, but the current was sweeping us towards one of the pillars. So, I gave it a lot of throttle. This allowed me to gain control and overcome the strong current. It also meant that we went roaring under the bridge at about 10 mph.

We were the only boat on the jetty (rentals aren't allowed to pass the bridge), and there was access to a some nice walks through the woods. We did discover that this was the hangout spot for local teens, but they were all very polite. 

Our boat south of the bridge in Killaloe

 

Payton found a nice spot for a dip in the river.

We enjoyed dinner out the next two nights. We booked early and brought food for Andrea. We all ate together, and he did quite well. We didn't linger and were done just about the time that he needed to get home for bed.

Andrea taking us out for dinner.

On our second night there, a group of young men came down. Four or five were dressed for swimming. They took turns jumping into the water, while a crowd up on the bridge cheered them on. It seemed like some sort of hazing tradition.

August 28: Portumna to Mountshannon

We debated staying longer in Portumna, but decided that we would stop here again on the way back up. The weather forecast called for strong northerly winds, but we were heading South, so thought it might work well for us.

We set off around 11:00 when Andrea went down for his nap. The wind was really blowing, and our first stretch was heading more to the West. This mean that it was really rolling. It was just about at the point that we came around to head southerly, that Sarah passed the helm off to me. Sarah was dismayed that my driving was so much smoother, until I pointed out that I had just turned us to go with the wind (and waves). It also meant that my job was easier, as I wasn't fighting the waves all the time.

When Johnny and I were bringing the boat down from Malahide, we had been using the autopilot. When we reached the Liffey, it started acting up, and we suspected that some linkage was broken. With a couple hours ahead of us, I decided to give it a try. Sarah was driving, so I called out and told her I was turning it on. I was prepared to turn it off again, but it worked like a charm. This allowed us both to enjoy the scenery.

With a following sea (lake?), we made good time. Soon we rounded the turn at the bottom of Lough Derg, and headed west towards our destination, Mountshannon. To our port, we could see a very beautiful motor cruiser (Bo Derg) headed in the same direction. Not knowing if there would be room in the marina, I sped up a bit. That didn't help, as they were a much faster boat. We ended up following them in to the mostly-empty marina. 

 

Bo Derg in the distance

We secured a spot which afforded us a beautiful view South over the lake. Once settled, we took the dogs out for a walk. On our way through the marina, we spotted David's boat Seaway. He and Lisa were hard at work cleaning up the boat. We waved, and they came over to chat. We decided to all head up for a late lunch at the one pub that was open. It was only our third meal out since the pandemic started.

At lunch with Lisa and David

The sunset that evening was spectacular. The whole marina was bathed in a golden light, and the trees on the shore seemed to glow.

 

One of the interesting features in Mountshannon was a maze. I'd never seen anything like it. paths led between hedges, banks and walls. At several points there were paths up onto the walls, where one could get a bit of a view of the labyrinth. I wish I'd had something like this when I was a kid.

August 26: Banagher to Portumna

On Wednesday morning we planned to make the trip down to Portumna, which lies at the top of Lough Derg. There were two obstacles along the way. The first was Victoria Lock, a large lock which bypasses a weir and rapids. The second was a swing bridge just before we reached the lake. 

Being cautious, we filled our water tank before heading out. Our goal was to make the 12:30 bridge opening. We left around 10:15, and didn't know how long the trip would take. We made good time, as we were going with the current. The water level was high, and some of the fields on the side were flooded. 

On the way down from Banagher to Portumna.

Payton loves when the boat breaks the waves.

We reached Victoria Lock by 11:20. As we approached, we could see that it was closed, and going down. We just missed it! Above the lock was a long jetty, and we tied up at the far end - leaving plenty of space behind us for others. While we waited, a couple of hire boats came in behind us. The first boat hovered around in the channel. After about 10 minutes, the seemed to make up their minds to come to the jetty. They came in, and I went out to assist with a line. They approached almost head on, and when they threw me the bow line, it was tied to the far side of the boat. That meant that if I pulled them in, it would turn their boat to face the wrong way. I got them to wrap the line around the bollard on the near side, and eventually we got them tied up. It was their first time on a boat. Most years we understand that the majority of boaters on the Shannon are from Germany. This year, because of the pandemic, many Irish have opted to try boating -- often for the first time ever. 

 

Panorama at Victoria Lock

When the lock opened and the boats coming up had exited, we pulled slow in. Being a large lock, there was room for boats on both sides. The lock keeper came out and wrapped our lines around bollards. When all three boats present were in and secure, he closed the gates and down we went. While we waited, we watched a man doing his training on the jetty below the lock. 

We continued to make good time, but realized that we would miss the bridge opening by about 10 minutes. So, we decided to head into the small public marina just upstream from the bridge. We motored in, and the boat with the novice boaters followed us in. It was very tight, and we ended up just tying up to another boat. There really wasn't any more room. Those following us had a hard time turning around and getting out.

We had about two hours to wait for the next opening. We had a bit of lunch and coffee. Sarah took Andrea for a nap, and I got underway. I am always anxious to get going early, and we had ten minutes to spare. So we motored upriver a short distance and then came back down. Right at the scheduled time, there was a siren, and shortly after the bridge started to swing open. We followed another boat through, and were soon out on the lake. Now we had to pay attention to markers, or risk running aground. 

Just to the West lay Castle Harbour. We were worried that it might be full, and as we approached, we could see two boats tied up in the entrance. Did that mean everything was full? With the binoculars, we could see that there were several spots available. We squeezed between the boats blocking the entrance, and eased into a berth. Sadly the shore power was not working, so our plan to use our dehumidifier during the rain wasn't looking good.

We took a stroll into town and had a look around. We found Portumna to be charming, but quiet due to the pandemic. Back at the harbour, things began to fill up. Soon, the spaces left between boats were also being filled by new arrivals. We got a new neighbor. It was all very snug.

Watching ducks at the entrance to Portumna Harbour

 

Portumna Castle just by the harbour

The next day

In the afternoon David and Lisa came by to drop off a package I had had sent to his house. We all went to the cafe at the local castle and had coffee and a bite to eat. Sarah went off for a walk in the forest preserve with the dogs. Andrea and I joined joined David and Lisa in a grocery trip. 

We also moved the boat when a space came available. As we were moving, a man on another boat called out and asked why we were moving. He was stuck in a middle spot, and we were taking the space he was hoping for. I felt bad, so went and helped him move to our old spot. He was a pensioner who had bought the boat (his first) the day before. More novices!

August 22: Shannon Harbour to Banagher

Our time in Shannon Harbour was very comfortable, and now we were about to head out onto a big river. It was very tempting to stay longer, but we took the break in the weather on Saturday to head out. We bid Mary and Ronnie farewell, and thanked them again for their help. Mary gave me a bag of potatoes grown by a local man in the bog. We look forward to eating bog potatoes for the first time.

As we motored through the harbour, we saw Sean was out on the deck of his boat and again took pictures of us as we passed. He then drove down and met us at the lock, where Alan was already waiting. They opened the gates for us. We all chatted while the lock drained, then we said our goodbyes to Sean and headed for the last lock before the open river.

 

Motoring through Shannon Harbour on the way to lock 35

 

 Photos Sean O'Reilly                                                                        

Everyone on deck! Andrea was a bit scared by having strangers around.
 

Just as we said our goodbyes to Alan and pulled out onto the open water, it began to rain. The rain really picked up and I retreated to the inside helm for some time. As it turned out, we managed to pick the only rainstorm of the day for our travel.

It was a short fifteen-minute spin down to Banagher. There are a large private marina, and a small public harbour just upriver of a large bridge. We found a space along the quay wall in the public harbour. 

 

Our boat in the marina in Banagher.

With better weather in the afternoon, we walked across the bridge and into Co Galway. Just on the far side is a park, which marks the end of a long-defunct canal. The park also has a swimming pool in the Shannon.

 

A nice spot for a very cold swim.

 

We met a very friendly man named Aidan on his boat Aoíbhneas Arís (Joy Again), who shared his wisdom from his many years on the Shannon. He was like so many we've met along the way: quick to lend a hand and share his knowledge.

Banagher offered us our first chance to shop, run errands and most importantly for a long time to take a shower! We had take-away three out of four nights. The other night, we made reservations at Flynn's, a local pub. We booked an early table, and it was mostly empty. We enjoyed our first meal and pint out since Sallins. It was wonderful!

We also filled our fuel tank. I had been worried that we might be low on fuel, and imagined running out as we came down from Shannon Harbour. As it turned out, we had only burned 76 liters (20 gallons) coming all the way from Sallins. Having 500 liters onboard, we were nowhere near running out!

 

Andrea of the Locks

It occurred to us as we approached the last lock of the Grand Canal, that Andrea would have passed through 43 locks, but had never been on an elevator. The poor child! He is in for quite a ride being a part of this family.

 

August 17-21: Shannon Harbour

The next morning (Monday) Alan dropped by with a newspaper. We had told him that we were probably moving on to Banagher, but we decided to move down to one of the empty live-aboard spots to enjoy some shore power, since there was rain forecast for the next morning. We motored down past the long row of boats. Once parked, I went to chat with the neighbors. Mary and Ronnie were from Dublin and were very welcoming and offered to take us to town if we needed anything. We didn't do much else that day, except walk the dogs.

 

Our boat looks so tiny next to the barges in the harbour.

The weather forecast called for nice weather on Wednesday, but a big storm on Thursday and Friday. If we were going to move on, it would be before or after the storm. In any event, we were low on essentials, and we decided to take Mary up on her offer of a ride to town. I stocked up, and then she took me to the marina to get a navigation guide for the Shannon.

In the afternoon, I took the bike and rode to the nearby Clonony Castle. Then Sarah rode back into Banagher to check if the showers in the marina were open (they were!). We were very much looking forward to hot showers, so that was an incentive to leave sooner.

Clonony Castle

A farm on the way to the castle.
 

Cows coming through Shannon Harbour. This is Rural Ireland.

That evening we sat out on our back deck. On one side Mary and Ronnie were grilling on their back deck and on the other, the neighbor was playing Parisian cabaret music. It was lovely and just the sort of evening one imagines the cruising life to be.

On Wednesday, we decided the harbour was a better place to ride out the storm than on the Shannon, so we would stay until the weekend. While out on a walk, I remembered that Sean from Edenderry had a boat here, so I sent him a message. It turned out he was here, so I stopped by to talk to him for awhile.

 

We walked down to have a look at Lock 36, which brings one

onto the Shannon.

 

The storm on Thursday was impressive, but we were well sheltered where we were. When we ventured out the next morning, we found a big tree which had been broken clean off it's roots.

 

Corncrake

Shannon Harbour is a pretty boring overall. It is significant as the entryway to the Grand Canal from the Shannon River, and it has relatively recently built facilities for the boats that travel the canal, including a dock with eight or so births specified for residential use (liveaboard boats). One thing that makes it a little bit more interesting is that it is one of the few remaining areas where the corncrake thrives. The corncrake is ground dwelling bird like a rail or coot. Present day farming practices often destroy nests and drive the birds from their habitat. The neighbors we mentioned, Mary and Ronnie, said that they could hear the corncrakes earlier in the summer from their boat. The corncrakes make a continuing, loud series of cries at night, especially during the breeding season. That would have been neat to hear.