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!