July 30: At Lock 18

When we got up in the morning at Lock 18, the water level was up about 5 inches. We felt it would be good to wait for it to come up a bit more before venturing out. It was a quiet spot, so we stayed when David and Lisa headed out.

We went for a nice long walk back to get a closer look at the Fairy Tree by Lock 17. Heading out, we waved to a father and sons sitting at the lock eating lunch before heading out to fish.

Lunch Before Fishing

We walked the mile back to Lock 17 and crossed over at the bridge to avoid traffic. The Fairy Tree was just beyond, and turned out to be a beautiful, huge beech tree.

The dogs couldn't resist the water when they found a place to swim.

A Good Day For a Swim

By the afternoon the level had only come up an inch or so, and I decided to call the next lock keeper to find out what the news was. He asked if the water was going over the lock gate yet, and I said no. He said it still had a ways to come up, so we decided to stay another night.

In the evening a group of teenagers came to swim at the lock. We listened to their hip-hop music punctuated by the splashes as they leapt into the lock. When they left, I went to make sure the sluice gates were where they ought to be. While I was doing that, the lock keeper from the day before came up and we chatted. He said that the water looked as good as it was going to get at this time of year, and that we should have gone before the water started going down again. I spent the rest of the night worrying that we would have problems.

Mink

While at lock 18, we had the pleasure one morning of watching two mink play along the bank of the canal. One was brownish black and the other albino. They were playful and agile, both in and out of the water, reminding me of otters. After a bit of research, I discovered that these were American mink, which populated Ireland after escaping fur farms back in the 50s. The American mink are known for being fairly adaptive and aggressive. They have taken to the canal system in Ireland, which provides all their habitat and dietary needs. They are known as somewhat of a pest, but are quite fun to watch.

July 29: Sallins to Lock 18

We were waiting for David and Lisa to return before we headed out. There was rain coming, and we wanted to try to get some ways before it really started. They messaged us that they had missed their train, and wouldn't be in until 1:00. So, we decided to go ahead to the first lock.

We set out and things ran smoothly. We motored slowly past the long row of live-aboards. Derek and his girlfriend Jess came out on their deck to wave goodbye to us.

The first feature along the way was the Leinster Aquaduct. This is a bridge that carries the canal over the river Liffey, which we last saw in Dublin. Sarah had been talking about pulling the boat for days, so when we reached the aquaduct, she grabbed the bow line and hopped onto the shore. I put the boat in neutral, and she pulled us all the way to the far side.

We made quick progress and were at lock 16 within an hour. We pulled up at the jetty before the lock to have some lunch and coffee while we waited for David and Lisa to catch up. Sarah mixed up a lovely salad and we had that and baguette on the back deck. The pups got out to stretch their legs a bit.

The Dogs on the Ramp at Lock 16

We had just finished our coffee, when David and Lisa came into view. Sarah walked up to start work on the lock and I pulled the boat under the bridge and into the lock.

Digby Bridge 1794 at Lock 16

The Fairy Tree by Lock 17

It wasn't long before we had two locks behind us and were headed up to lock 18. This is the final climbing lock along the canal. Ahead lay the summit stretch, and with lock 19 we would start our descent to the Shannon, still some 50 miles away.

As we approached the lock, we realized that two WI people were there to help us. It turns out they had spotted us at the last lock and drove ahead to prepare this one. So, we were able to simply glide into the lock. While he was there, the lock keeper told us that we had best tie up here for the night. The water level on the summit here was quite low (by about 9 inches). During the summer, the summit supply is used to fill the canal to the West. He had called ahead to ask them to turn down that supply, so the summit would fill back up.

Dagny Enjoying the Grass at Lock 18

David and Lisa tied up behind us and we got hard to work relaxing. Before turning in, they invited us to have some brandy hot chocolate. I joined them aboard their boat for a short while, and the brought some home to Sarah. Thanks guys!

July 24-29: Sallins

After four rather intense days, we needed a break. Sallins was the perfect place for it. There was a Lidl just next to where we moored. There were lovely walks in both directions along the canal and we walked all the way out to the Leinster Aquaduct, where the canal crosses above the river Liffey. I ran errands to do laundry and visit a local Chandlery, and did some maintenance on the boat.

Dagny Relaxes After a Walk

On Sunday night, Johnny and Anne came up and we took them out to dinner at a wonderful brew pub, oddly named Lock 13 (odd, because Sallins sits between locks 15 & 16).

Before Dinner in Sallins

In Front of Lock 13 Pub

With Johnny and Anne After Dinner

Some of the people we met:

We ran into Derek, who helped us move the boat the first day, on several occasions. He is one of those very genuine people who always wants to help. Every community needs a Derek.

I met Dave, who recently bought a new boat delivered as an insulated shell to Sallins. He was working on the interior and living in the construction site.

I met Karen, who was selling her narrow boat River Dancer. I was out walking the dogs, and saw her stop to look at the boat. I said, "that would be a project!" Not knowing it was actually her boat. I was a bit embarrassed. She was kind and took no offense. We chatted, and she shared some wisdom of the waterways. I find that I am gathering different stories and using them to triangulate the best course of action.

On our second to last day, we motored back under the bridge to a water point to fill our tanks. While we were tied up there, several people stopped to chat. Two older men who told us about working on the canal in their youth. They talked about their fathers hauling Guinness along the canal, dropping off thousands of gallons at each stop to re-supply the local depot.

July 24: Lock 13 to Sallins, Co. Kildare

Having stopped below the lock, we were now faced with 3 locks to get to to our next destination, the town of Sallins. Also, the first lock was a double. The cafe at the Lyons Estate opened at 9:30, so we planned an 8:00 start so we could get through the lock before going to breakfast. We roped the boats into the first chamber and began filling it. This was our first lock on our own, and we took it easy, letting it fill slowly.

Video: David Hoctor                                                        

Flyover of our boats

The dogs were out and running around while we worked. Dagny kept crossing the walkways to the other side of the canal, mostly because it sent Payton into fits of barking. I kept retrieving her, and she kept straying. Then, while we were filling the second lock, there was a splash, and we saw Dagny in the water above the lock! The surface was covered with weeds that had been recently mowed, and she was struggling to swim. Payton immediately jumped in to help her, and just as quickly realized that it was a mistake. I fished him out and finally managed to get Dagny out as well. I ended up soaked, but at least Dagny stuck closer after that.

By 9:30 we were above the lock and ready for a bite to eat. Andrea was napping, so I stayed aboard while Sarah joined David and Lisa at the cafe. When the baby woke, I bundled him up and joined the others. I found them eating and drinking mimosas. Not a bad reward for the morning's work. After a walk around the lovely grounds and a game of chess on an oversized board, we headed out around 12:30.

There were fewer problems with overheating on this leg of the journey. We did stop fairly often to clear the water intake, but it wasn't bad. The two remaining locks turned out to be pretty easy to negotiate.

A Bridge On the Way to Sallins

The Former Lock-Keeper's Cottage at Lock 14

Payton Relaxes on Deck as We Cruise

When we arrived in Sallins it was pouring rain. The canal is parked up on both sides in the town, and we were pressed for a space to tie up. Since we are a bit deeper than typical canal boats, we were worried about getting close enough to a soft bank. We decided to tie up in the turn around area until the rain eased. Shortly afterward a nice young man named Derek stopped by to let us know that we were in the turning circle. He offered to help me move the boat, so in the pouring rain, he grabbed the bow line and climbed onto the boat in front of us. Together we walked the boat up to a free spot on the soft bank.

July 23: Lock 12 to Lock 13

Our plan on day 3 was to get through lock 13 and stay the night on the far side. This would leave us 2 locks to Sallins, where we planned to spend a few days to recover. The lock was only a couple miles away, so it seemed like it would be an easy day.

We arranged with David and Lisa to head out in the early afternoon. We finally headed out shortly after 2:00. We went ahead, and they were meant to follow close behind.

The Canal From Above

Low Bridge, Everybody Down

Along the way to Lock 13, was Hazelhatch, where we had originally hoped to stop for the night. There is a little pub there on the canalside which we visited previously as we scouted out the canal. Sadly, Covid meant that the pub was closed. As you can see here, there are many (illegal) live-aboards moored in Hazelhatch. The engine was still running hot, and required regular clearing. One of our breaks came right after the bridge, and we sat in the middle of the canal for about 20 minutes. We had a nice chat with a couple men who had a large barge there.

Coming into Hazelhatch

A Heron on a Narrowboat

Despite needing to constantly monitor the temperature, we made good time, and arrived shortly after 5:00. We pulled up to the jetty and moored behind what appeared to be the WI weed-mowing vessel. Next to the lock was an amazing estate, which also boasted a wedding venue. Michelin-star restaurant, cafe and shop. Sarah scouted it out and then sent me up to procure our dinner at the little bistro.

A Glimpse of the Lyons Demesne Over the Wall

David and Lisa weren't so lucky. Their keel and rudder were horribly fouled by weeds, and David ended up having to take a swim to clear them. He also pulled up the rudder to just below the water line, leaving him with very little control. When we caught sight of them, I took the bicycle and rode back to offer words of encouragement. It was around 7:00 when they finally pulled up and rafted onto us. We decided that with the late hour. we would go through the lock the next day.

They headed up to the restaurant to have a pint out in the garden, and Sarah encouraged me to join them. It was my first time out in over five months!  We sat and chatted until around 9 and then headed back to get some rest.

Sunset on the Patio at Lyons

Evening at Lock 13

July 22: Portobello to Lock 12

The second day of our journey started early as we needed to meet the people from WI at 8:00 at lock 1. We got up at 6:30, drank a coffee to give us the emotional fortitude for the day, and headed out. Johnny arranged for help, and we met them at the jetty before the lock at 7:45.

Our amazing crew included Irene, who was with us on the first leg of our journey. Joining us for day two, Johnny had recruited Ronnie and her teenage son Eoin. They were a cheerful, interesting and motivated group. We wouldn't have made it through the day without them.

Day two challenged us from the very start. Lock 1 was a double lock and much deeper than any of the locks from day 1. Water cascaded over our fore deck when the sluice gates were opened. Sadly, I had a porthole open up front, and the baby's books got a good bath. At least the decks were clean.

Eoin Hard at Work

Irene Holds the Line

A Moment's Rest

Climbing the Hill out of Dublin

On this day, we traveled 12 locks, three double, and gained more than 45 meters (around 150 feet) of elevation. While this is nothing quite like the Caen Hill locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal in England, where 29 locks in a row rise up 72 meters (236 feet) in a rather short distance, it was quite the climb. A long, straight stretch of the canal allowed us to look back on the progress we had made. One thinks of Dublin as fairly flat save for the mountains to the south, but on this day we definitely noticed the change in elevation as we traveled west out of the city.

We began to encounter problems around lock 7. The engine was running hotter, and we were slowing down. We got through lock 9 before things got really bad. I began to fear the worst. We had been warned numerous times that we needed to get through this part of Dublin quickly, as there were lots of hooligans who loved to throw rocks at boats. Now I imagined the engine being ruined, and having to abandon the boat in this area.

The water intake for the cooling on our engine has a little basket. We checked it and it wasn't really clogged. So, we tried blowing out the intake line. Still the engine was running hotter and hotter. We were crawling along. Johnny worried that the impeller, which pumps the water into the cooling system had been damaged by running dry. So, he opened it up to look. When we determined it was fine, I decided I needed to look at the prop.

So, I quickly changed into my swimsuit and clambered down the ladder at the stern of the boat. The water was cold! After I stopped hyperventilating, I dove down and had a look at the prop. It was basically a large ball of detritus. Over the course of 20 minutes, I pulled plastic, cloth wire and weeds off the prop. I climbed aboard and we set off. We now had thrust and were moving much more quickly. However, the engine was still running much too hot.

Returning from one of my swims

After numerous stops to let the engine cool and try to clear the intake, I decided it was time for another swim. Over the side I went and dove down to find the water intake. Indeed it was clogged with grass, which I cleared over the course of 4 or 5 dives. Now we were running much cooler, and we made good time. I ended up making one more dive to clear both prop and intake, but we actually made it to lock 12 by around 4 in the afternoon.

July 21: Grand Canal Dock to Portobello

Sarah and I walked down from our house in East Wall to Grand Canal Dock on Monday afternoon in preparation for our Tuesday departure. We did a few frantic chores around the boat and picked up some tapas-style dishes from a local shop. We then enjoyed dinner and wine in the sunshine on our back deck.

Leaving Home

The Boat at Grand Canal Dock

Sarah and Andrea in the Evening

In the morning, we set off at 9:30 to meet the folks from Waterways Ireland (WI) At 10:00 at the first lock. Our first obstacle was the railroad bridge leading out of the GCD basin. At 8'4" it is supposedly the lowest point on the canal. Worrying about getting our boat under her had given me many a sleepless night. When we bought our boat, she was advertised as having a 2.65m air draft. That would be too high to get under this bridge. However, our rough measurements of her height said we should have enough room.

On Saturday, when Johnny and I brought the boat down from Malahide, I mentioned to Mark the lock keeper there that I was worried. He said this was a lesson for me, that if I was ever unsure about something, to ask. He told me that with advance warning, he can actually lower the level of the basin by a few inches to give me clearance. He also told us to go give it a try that day, which we did. Plenty of space.

We didn't have a single scrape going through that bridge. We made up for that later.

A Note about the Canal Systems in Ireland

For anyone interested in traveling the Irish canals, we might offer a modest warning about the canal infrastructure and upkeep. While Waterways Ireland may aim for the canals to be a draw for leisure boating, this ideal has not quite yet been realized. We have struggled with trash, weeds and water levels inhibiting our passage as well as our ability to pull up alongside designated moorings. We also found the forced flight through Dublin (19 locks (some double) in two days!) to be rather overwhelming. Plus, it was a bit damaging to our boat, as filling the locks as fast as possible caused us to knock around in the lock much more than if taken a bit more slowly. One other issue is that trash/recycling and sanitation are not very well addressed. We have had very good experiences with the lock keepers along the way, however, who have been helpful, friendly and proactive.

We arrived at the first lock before the people from WI, and Johnny wasted no time in opening the lock and getting things started. As it turned out, our passage would be together with another boat: a 22 ft sailboat crewed by two friends, David and Lisa. David was bringing his boat from Graystones to Lough Derg. With a bit of work, we managed to both squeeze into the lock, and the pair from WI got to work with the lock.

At The First Lock

Johnny brought a friend, Irene as additional crew. We all manned lines, as Johnny guided us in how to run the lines in a rising lock.

We had 7 locks to negotiate, running in an arc around the south side of Dublin, they are named C1-7 (for circular). They pass through some lovely parts of the city. At lock 6, we passed the Barge, a pub which fosters a lot of canal-side drinking.

Luck was on our side, and Andrea slept through the first few locks as we were working our way through Dublin. It seems the engine has a soporific effect on him. By 2:00 we were through lock C-7 and pulled up to the jetty on the far side. It was a hot, sunny day, and there was a crowd of people sitting and drinking on the jetty, A few groups kindly cleared out for us to dock.

Tea Break After Arrival

We spent the afternoon there, before heading out to our mooring spot along the canal by a local college. There we were meant to moor up to a soft bank in an woody section. There we discoverd that the water was too shallow to allow our boat up the the bank. So, David and Lisa kindly offered to take the shore and allow us to raft up to them. This entailed me and the dogs clambering over their boat to get ashore for a brief pit stop.

Here is a time-lapse video of the journey. Note the tree branch which re-adjusts the camera. Oh, look, there I am driving the boat!

July 18: Malahide to Grand Canal Dock, Dublin

The first leg of our adventure required moving our boat from her home of the last two years in Malahide, down to the Grand Canal Dock in Dublin. This involved entering Dublin port and the well-trafficked Liffey. We also had to make it past the Eastlink Bridge, one of the main traffic connections between North and South Dublin. To schedule a lift, I called the port and they scheduled us for an 11:00 lift. This put us on a schedule.

I arrived at the boat early in the afternoon on Friday. I was meeting Seamus,  the mechanic who has worked on our engine. We wanted a quick once over. When I arrived, he delivered the bad news, that the starter batteries were dead. After a quick call to the amazing Colin Coady, there were replacement batteries waiting for me at a store down towards Dublin. I quickly rented a car, and dashed off to pick them up. Within two hours, the new batteries were installed. That just left fueling up, which only took a few minutes. Now I was ready to go.

Modi in Malahide

Our friend Johnny kindly volunteered to help me make the trip. He estimated that it would take three hours, so he suggested we leave at 7:30. I woke up early to calm drizzly weather and staggered up to Tesco (the only shop open in town) for a coffee.

I met Johnny at the main gate on my way back to the boat. I got the engine started while he got the lines ready. It wasn't long and we were under way. The boat was happy to be moving, and we made close to 6 knots all the way around Howth Head and down towards the mouth of the Liffey. 

We had been using the autopilot all the way down from Malahide. As we motored up the river we passed an old fueling depot. Just at this point, the autopilot suddenly decided to steer us hard to port -- right for the fuel dock. I quickly turned it off, and scrambled to get us back on course. Johnny suggested that the coupling with the tiller might have come loose. I would have to check it out, but it would be a long time until we needed it again.

Sea route from Malahide to Grand Canal Docks, Dublin

Our rather clipping pace meant that we arrived early and slowed down as we motored up the river. Johnny radioed the port and found out that there was a lift at 10:30 for a local ferry. We hovered close to the bridge as the ferry quickly approached. Once she passed us, I moved as fast as I could to follow her. We could see cars and bicycles watching us from the bridge as we passed.

Safely past the Eastlink Bridge

Sarah had been planning on coming down to watch the bridge lift at 11:00. I called to tell her that we would be going through at 10:30. She ran all the way down to the river with the dogs and Andrea in the stroller. She missed our going through, but we were still waiting outside the lock when she arrived. We motored back across the river to say hi.

We ended up waiting for another boat which came through at the 11:00 lift before we entered the lock. By noon we were at our berth in the basin and went to grab a bit to eat and a strong coffee.

Mission accomplished!