Wicklow to Dublin

[Kyle]The forecast was for very light winds so we (I) got up very early for the trip to Dublin in order make the best use of the current. We left the harbour in a clear, starry sky and made decent speed north in the light winds. By the time we started seeing the first hint of twilight, a gray, featureless cloud mass was approaching from over the horizon. Over the next couple of hours, the wind died down and the clouds descended. A drizzle started that gradually turned into real rain. Yup, we were still in Ireland, all right. It was only short lived and after we passed Dublin Harbour, the rain stopped and the visibility was improving slightly. The area to the north of Dublin Harbour is very pretty. Several islands are scattered about maybe a couple of miles apart, some with pretty houses, and some only with nesting birds. Malahide, where we were staying, was entered through a shallow cut in a sand dune. We had come here partly because it was convenient to transportation but mostly to meet the owners of the only other Gemini in Ireland, John and Dorothy of Gadabout.

The marina is one of those enormous developments that takes up most of the real estate in the area and includes a posh restaurant, a chandlery and a large condominium complex. John tells me U2s guitarist, The Edge, owns one of the condos and uses it for guests. (Edge grew up in Malahide). We were assigned a dock just over the horizon from the marina office that was within sight of Gadabout but because of the marina layout, was a good 20 minute walk away. We got settled in and were distressed to find that there was no wifi. How can that be? The marina practically has its own train stop. Nope, no wifi. If you want wifi, you have to go to Fourbucks, or as it’s known in Ireland Fourteenbucks. Yaargh! (On the train, we saw a newspaper headline about how Ireland had moved down to the second most expensive place in Europe. I don’t know what the first is now, but with our luck, it will probably be Scotland or Norway)

John and Dorothy came down and we spent a little time on Footprint before making the trek to Gadabout for snacks. They had other plans for the evening and since Maryanne and I got up early, we decided to make an early night of it.