Towards Belfast

Another misty start to the day saw Dark Tarn motoring out to sea in an almost complete flat calm.

The sea was glassy and smooth and visibility was poor.

As we approached the port of Larne the AIS alarm went off not for the first time that day!

 The ferry from Stranraer was followed shortly by the Express fast cat which produced the biggest waves of the day.

This photo shows one of Antrims first tourist attractions "the Gobbins" path, a rather alarming series of ladders and rope bridges going out to the caves that can be seen in the photo. Very popular in the early part of this century and now sadly fallen into disrepair. There is talk of resurrecting the attraction, I believe funding was found in 2013 however at the moment it requires climbing skills and swimming to complete the trip along the cliffs. We saw several pods of porpoise as we meandered along the coast of Island Magee. Lynne is getting very good at spotting them now.

Soon the Whitehead lighthouse was abeam and we were in Belfast Lough proper having come about 20 miles or so from Glenarm. We stayed on the north side of the Lough in order to leave the dredged channel clear for the many ships entering and leaving the Victoria channel. We had to turn off the AIS alarm as it was driving us daft!

 

As we approached the number 5 marker we contacted Belfast port radio to get permission to enter the channel, and continue to Abercorn Basin.

As we were now official, we had the same priority as the other traffic, and were featured on port advisories on the VHF as variously yacht Dark Tarn or pleasure vessel. At one point we had to allow a large transport ferry to pass us and then were asked to hold station while she turned around in the turning basin. All very exiting.

Soon the large yellow cranes of the Harland and Wolff yard ( Samson and Goliath ) were in sight and we passed H.M.S. Caroline and the slipways where the Titanic and Olympic were built.

  

As we turned into the Abercorn Basin made a final call to port control and looked for a vacant berth in the marina I think we were both a bit culture shocked to find ourselves in such a busy place right in the heart of a major city.

The Marina is in a splendid location in the Titanic quarter and remarkably cheap considering it is virtually in the city centre.

 

Time to explore again!