Bangor Marina (Near Belfast)

[Kyle]It poured all night, of course. The next morning, we made the short trip over from Ballyholme Bay to Bangor Marina to check in for a few days. The marina is very nice and the staff is friendly. When we asked about wifi, we were told that it was available. This means it’s not included but is provided by a third party. Eventually, we signed onto BT Openzone for 26 pounds for 5 days. Ouch! Well, at least we have it.

We had a quick tidy of the boat before Maryanne’s sister, Sarah arrived for a few days. Most of the rest of the day was spent catching up with her and doing various chores. Afterwards, she took us out for a nice dinner at a nearby pub.

Kyle hoists the new UK courtesy flag once we've officially cleared in
[Maryanne]Once we arrived at Bangor Marina we officially cleared customs; this process involved a phone call to a disinterested official. Legally we are obliged to report our arrival in EACH EU country since Kyle is a US Citizen and the Boat is US Registered (It is not required for EU citizens/boats). We will continue to follow the letter of the law, but it is both amusing and frustrating to find us in our 2nd EU country and nobody seems to care, nor do we have any official paperwork to prove our arrival/departure dates. Once cleared, I left Kyle to tidy the boat, and went to meet with my Sister at the local rail station - it was great to see her again (it had been over a year since our last visit).