28th July 2013 - Dun Laoghaire to Bangor

Today was a beautiful morning - still and sunny - it boded well. 
I had a little bit of a ribbing (sorry for the pun) during the skippers meeting this morning.
Apparently the rear seat in my Rib is now known as the naughty seat. No one wants to sit there. As I had turned up in my dry suit from the hotel in the morning, I was also asked if I had slept in it...well you never know when there is going to be a flood do you?

I had a bit of catch up to do as I got in late last night and hadn't fuelled, but we all got away and it turned out to be quite lumpy from Howth all the way up.
I inadvertently seemed to be creeping ahead of the pack all the time, but the sweet spot on the engine is 4000 rpm and that gives me about 23 or 24 knots, and optimum fuel consumption, I was also trying to find a speed where the boat felt comfortable. Must have seemed very anti social of me to stay 400 yards ahead all the time, but I kept turning around to make everyone in the small boats floatilla was still moving. 
Paul Glaetzal tells me it takes a day to get used to staying together as a pack.
Its extremely comforting to have Top Hat - the safety boat - there with a lot of experience at the helm. You dont feel so vulnerable.
The two Highfield ribs seem to handle the chop well, I like their shape with the slightly upturned bow. They seem like a soft ride.
We pulled into Strangford Lough intending to raft up and eat lunch but the tide was rushing in, so we sort of drifted around a bit and ate lunch, then cracked on. Ran through a thunderstorm on the approach to Bangor, and it washed a ton of salt off the tubes and instruments. Was quite refreshing. I headed the small boats in just in time to find the fuel berth freeing up so made straight for it.

On the leg from Dun Laoghaire to Bangor, the small boats are pulled together for a photocall

Thoughts so far on other pieces of my kit. Love the Garmin 750, wish its direct sunlight performance was a tad better but on the whole its been really good to use. The Gecko Helmet is absolutely brilliant. Just the fatigue reducing factor through windblast is such a plus. I wish I had the VHF hooked up to the ears in it, as I miss quite a lot of radio traffic with wind noise and the helmet being on, but its been a big hit with me on this trip.
The Tohatsu 90C has so far been great. It rumbles along - quite raspy, and sits happily at 4000 revs doing around 22 to 24 knots. Fuel consumption is OK at that speed, but push into 5000 rpm and around 29/30 knots and you can watch the gauge go down.

Moored up in Bangor Marina, Merlin seems very small next to all the other craft. 

After checking into the B and B, I take the opportunity to catch up on some laundry (under my dry suit I wear a fleece onesie which keeps me very warm, but after a few days .... well ... you get the picture) and wander around the town a little.

Tomorrow is an early start - 6.00 am - would be good to get some decent weather, and calmer seas, driving in chop is ok in a 10 metre rib but just lumpy and uncomfortable in Merlin.