CLIFDEN SEA SPORTS CENTRE -"ROUND IRELAND CHALLENGE"

Main Sponsors; YAMAHA and STATOIL
Boat "Enterprise 2 " Driver "Damian Ward" 10th July 1999

THE LEAD-UP: All the week before, as I watched the weather develop, as it was predicted, into a possible weather window for the "Round Ireland", I felt a little alone. It was just me and my boat spending a lot of time together, getting ourselves ready. I made the final checks on the gear, all seemed to be well. I was still unsure as to whether I was doing a solo run or bringing my crew. I wasn't telling anyone about the possibility for this weekend because all last Summer and this Summer, every week or so, I would see a possibility of a window in the weather but by the time it arrived it would have changed, so everyone seemed to be tired of me talking about it.

When the day came (Friday 9/7/99), I took the boat for a final test drive fully loaded with fuel, and to see what condition the seas were in. Since the planned depart time was much later that night (2am), I still had time to decide - to go, or not to go. The seas hadn't settled enough yet but they would probably calm down more over the evening.
My plan now was to have a good meal and go to bed for a few hours. I had my dinner and as I sat outside my house, looking at the weather and still wondering will I or won't I, a friend offered to drive me up the sky road (a great local view point), and yes the seas seemed to have settled down alot more. The decision was made and I was committed to it. When I got home I rang the rest of the team and told them I was going to bed for three hours, getting up at midnight, and then to meet me at my house to go over the plans one last time and notify the IMES (Irish Marine Emergency Services) and the VHF coast stations. Then meet at the beach at 1am, launch and my solo depart at 2am.
The planned three hours of sleep turned out to be three hours of lying in bed awake, I couldn't sleep but, as I had made my days leading up to this as stress free as possible, I felt ready anyway. It was about 1.30am by the time we got to the beach and then a 2.15am launch and depart at 2.23am (Saturday 10/7/99).

THE RUN: I had my GPS (Global Positioning System) "Route Activated" and off I set at high speed in the dark. Then, as I checked my GPS for direction, I realised it was still on the "Inverted Route" I had used to get back from my "Sea Trials" earlier in the day, ooops! Only a few hundred yards and I had my first situation to deal with, but at least it was only a minor one. Once I had left Clifden Bay and got out into the open I encountered another problem, I seemed to have trouble keeping a straight line. Every time I looked at the GPS I had wandered off line, and the harder I tried, the harder it seemed to get. I couldn't figure it out, this was by no means my first night navigation. Then, whatever direction the sea-swell was comming from (which I was unsure of anymore), the boat felt like it was listing over to port-side and it just seemed to keep on listing. Once again, I didn't know what to think, I first thought maybe by some unlucky chance in a million I had ripped all the tubes on the port-side and was sinking, but I visually checked them and then physically checked them - pressure was good - that wasn't the problem. I stopped the boat, checked everything again, all was well. I checked my bearings on land (as much as I could in the dark) and I was where I should have been, and GPS agreed. My guess is that, due to the waves, the swell of the Atlantic, the constant motion of the boat and driving virtually blind in the dark, I got totally disorientated for a short while and that was making my mind play tricks with me. I settled myself down, got over it, and on with the show again. It was about 2.45am and motoring well and even only 25 minutes after starting, my thoughts were only "when is it going to get bright", just another one and a half hours should see the signs of dawn.
Then I could push everything a little harder, because when you can see the swell and the waves you can anticipate their effect on the ride of the boat and counter-act against it. 2.56am I checked in with Clifden Radio (VHF Coast Station) and told them I would be checking in with every hour on the hour or at my nearest Wpt (Waypoint) to it. I had already faxed all the Coast Stations a list of my wpts and my planned route, so they would know where I should be at any time and keep track of my voyage. 3.52am Apart from startling a few flocks of sea birds, all is well as I check in with Belmullet Radio passing Wpt No. 7 (Achill Island). Getting bright now as dawn approaches, just before I tackled the longest leg of the journey. I checked in with Belmullet Radio at 4.26am passing Wpt No.8 (Erris Head, Belmullet) starting the 100 mile passage offshore in the big swell from Erris Head (N/W Mayo) to Tory Island (N/W Donegal). I was now able to keep my speeds above the minimum neccessary for the record, 40mph, and increasing all the time as the fuel load becomes less. Before I left the swell of the Atlantic it took it's toll and the slamming of the waves was too much for one of my VHF aerials. This was the aerial for the internal communication system built into my helmut. From now on, I had to listen carefully to the dash-mounted VHF, no problem when going slow but flat out the "Great Roar" of the Yamaha 250 Vx outboard and the severe wind noise at that speed made it difficult to hear while still wearing my helmut to protect my head and face from the elements. Still - "on with the show". Between Wpt 8 and 9 over the 100 miles I made comms. check with Belmullet and Glen Head Radios at 6am and 7am and eventually reaching Wpt 10 "Tor Rocks" (off Malin Head) at about 8.15am and comms check with Malin Head Radio there.
The seas settled very nicely from here and the wind was nice and calm, as forecast, so I was able to maintain an average speed of 50mph plus and still increasing as the fuel load still becomes less. Less fuel...less weight...more speed!!!
Visibility was not good alot of the way, very misty with some bad showers every now and then, but I still managed to check in with Belfast Coast Guard just after 9am, as I rounded Wpt 11, Rathlin Island. Down the North East coast was uneventfull and, as they say, "Plain Sailing". Passing Wpt 12 (off Larne) at about 10am, Wpt 13, 14 + 15 (all off Strangford Lough) by 11am, and all points checked in with Belfast Coast Guard.
The next long offshore leg, to Wpt 16 (Strangford Lough to Lambay Island), almost 70 miles went well also. 12 midday, now in range of Dublin Radio, I checked in way off Drogheda. Then Rounding Lambay Island with no problems, staright in to Malahide Marina, Wpts 17 + 18 were the channell marks I followed into Malahide, for my refuel stop at 12.45pm. In the "Practise Run" refuelling was timed at 20 minutes, but this time it was 45 minutes before I was on my way again. I had reached the halfway mark in under ten and a half hours, I'm happy with that because on my last attempt (Sept '98) it took twelve hours.
Depart Malahide Marina at 1.30pm, and on with the second half of the voyage. After refuelling both petrol and oil, I headed out to sea again. The first wave I crossed leaving the marina put a splash towards me. I thought nothing of it at first, even though I didn't have my helmet on yet. I soon realised it was'nt water, it was petrol from the port-side tank, and it had got into my eyes, and it stung like hell. I stopped the boat, rinsed my face with sea water first, then reached into my personal kit bag for one of my bottles of drinking water and poured it over my eyes, while trying to look up to the skies. My vision didn't recover for many hours, but it was good enough to go on. It seems during refuelling someone forgot to replace one of the fuel caps, but ultimately it was my own fault for not checking the boat thoroughly before going to sea again, like all good skippers do. Soon after leaving Dublin and getting over that incidence, I glanced around to check the boat and gear, give it the once over, to realise my second VHF aerial had broken. I called IMES-Dublin Radio on my mobile phone to inform them of the situation and that I now would only be able to check in wherever the mobile signal permitted. I also told them that I still had a handheld VHF but, as the batteries don't last forever, I was saving it for emergencies. On and on I went, passing Wpt 19 (Howth), 20 (off Dublin Bay), 21 (off Greystones), 22 (off Wicklow Head), 23 (off Cahore Point), to Wpt 24 "Tuskar Rock" (off Rosslare), another 112 miles clocked without incidence. I checked in, by mobile phone, to Valentia Radio when I reached Wpt 25 "Connigbeg Light" (off Saltee Islands) at 4pm approximatley. I reached Wpt 26 "The Old Head of Kinsale" at 6pm approx. checked in again, by phone, with Valentia Radio. I told them that, without VHF comms, I wouldn't be checking in again untill I was at Wpt 33 "The Blaskets" (off Dingle) and I should be there in two and a half hours to three hours.
At the rate I had covered ground, or water, around the rest of the country this seemed very possible. I made it to Wpt27 "The Stags" (off Toe Head) fairly handy and on schedule, even though the wind had picked up to a Force 5. As I rounded Wpt 28 "The Fastnet" (off Cape Clear) and headed for Wpt 29 "The Mizen" (Mizen Head) the sea swell had built up, and both the boat and I were taking a hammering. I kept on going and as I passed Wpt 30 "The Bull" (off Dursey Head), and turned more directly into the wind and swell, both boat and I were taking a more severe hammering. At this stage my speed had been reduced to 15-20mph max due to the weather conditions and at this rate it would still take me another two hours to get to Wpt 33 "The Blaskets", that would make it about 10.30pm and getting dark. Halfway between Wpt 30 and 31 "The Skelligs", Valentia Radio called me on the VHF. I responded by VHF even though, by transmitting on a VHF without an aerial, I ran a risk of blowing the entire unit altogether.
It turns out it was my Dad (Jackie Ward) making a "Link Call" from home to check on my location at that time, 8.30pm, as I was to check in, off Dingle, between 8pm and 9pm. Dad was surprised to hear how much time I was loosing, compared to the times
I had clocked over the rest of the country. I told him I had just made a "Safety Decision".

THE DECISION Considering the Force 5 wind and the big swells, which I would be heading straight into for the rest of the journey, and darkness falling soon, just as I would be starting the second longest leg (94 miles), the furthest offshore and not just offshore but off into the Atlantic - I decided to stop somewhere nearby, let the night hours pass and continue the next day when I can see the waves and swells, and be able to drive the boat, in these conditions, to it's safest and best potential. By doing so, "The Record" was gone, but I saw no point in continueing through the night in these conditions regardless of how close I was to breaking the record.
THE RECORDS If conditions stayed good as they were when I started in the Atlantic, or stayed better as they were the rest of the day, my time would potentially have been 21 and a half hours, enough to beat the all time "Fastest Circum-Navigation" record of 21 hours 54 minutes set by "The Rescue Services Team", August'98. Or even considering the speeds I was now reduced to, struggling to keep an average of 20mph, my time would potentialy have been 26 hours, enough to beat the last "Solo Circum-Navigation" record of 31 hours 50 minutes set by Mike Carroll, May '95. But because I made a "Safety Decision", because I decide to pull in for the night hours, rather than push a bad situation through the night, I lost my shot at the record. My choice, I accept that. I may get another chance another day. All these thoughts were going through my head , at great speeds, over and over again, but I decided to go ashore.
THE HELP AFTER THE DECISION The next problem I had was the fact that I was unfamiliar with that corner of the country. I didn't know the coastline, the townlands or anyone living there to help me when I got ashore. I got out my sea chart, that I had onboard, and I still couldn't decide where was the best place to pull in. I got Dad on the phone, and he suggested "Ballinskelligs Bay" for shelter. He also said he would do some checking on his end and call me back with any information he could get on the area. I altered my course and navigated my way to "Ballinskelligs Bay" according to my sea charts and GPS - no problem. Dad (DLA of Clifden RNLI) rang back, and said his contact at Valentia RNLI, the late Paddy Gallagher, would be ringing me soon with some advise....Good! Paddy rang and told me to pull in at "Ballinskelligs Pier", and a friend of his, Michael Barry, would meet me there to sort out moorings and accommodation....Better!! When I got to the pier I was met by Michael and another gentleman, Brendan Walsh. Michael offered me a mooring for the night, and a tender ashore, but I told him I was Happy enough tied up at the pier, and thanks anyway.

When I got out of the boat, happy she was secured for the night, we had a little chat at the top of the pier, and here's something a little ironic. Just around the corner of the pier from my boat was the "Lencraft Challenger", the last "Solo Circum-Navigation" boat - driven then by Mike Carroll, but owned now by one of the locals there.....yes...as I said....Ironic!!! Next Brendan drove me to a B+B, "Island View Farm House", for the night, dropping off Michael at his house on the way. Brendan insisted on bringing me to the local pub, for a pint after my long journey, and an oppertunity for me to tell the tales. I had a quick shower and change, then off to the local for a sociable drink. Drinks were had (I wasn't allowed pay for any) and stories were swapped.
The next morning, Paying for the B+B was a problem too, they wouldn't accept money from me, the proprietors Jackie and Mary Sugrue were insistant on me accepting their hospitality, I did and many thanks to them. Then when I mentioned that I would need a little extra fuel (since I had now put extra miles on my journey), Brendan organised fuel cans and brought me to the petrol station "Nicholas Brown's Farm Store" and Nicholas offered to sponsor half my fuel expenses. I must take this opportunity to thank the village of "Ballinskelligs" for their hospitality, above and beyond the call of duty, and in particular (in order as I met them), Brendan Walsh, Michael Barry, Jackie and Mary Sugrue, Nicholas Browne and thanks to Paddy Gallagher of Valentia RNLI for pointing me the right way. I've definitly put "Ballinskelligs" on my list of "places to go", to visit the great people of the community.


THE RUN CONTINUED 3.30pm the next day (Sunday 11/7/99), after alot of waiting and hoping the wind and seas would calm down, I departed Ballinskelligs. I checked in with Dublin IMES and Valentia Radio to continue my TR (Track Route). 4pm I'm at Wpy 31 "The Skelligs", struggling once again with the same Force 5 and big seas, and just about maintaining an average of 20mph. 6pm I'm at Wpt 33 "The Blaskets" (off Dingle), at this point I had almost decided to call it quits for another day because the conditions were still too severe. I thought it might be nice to stop for the night at "Tralee Sailing Club" in Fenit, where the big "IORA" yacht race was just finishing up, and I have some good, fellow sailor, friends there. But with the forecast on the VHF for the wind to ease up later, I decided to continue and hope for the best. Well I continued but the best didn't happen. The conditions stayed bad all the way, still struggling to maintain an average of 20mph. All I wanted to do now was complete the "Circum Navigation". 8pm Half way between Dingle and Slyne Head, off Loop Head, I checked in with Shannon Radio.
Many hours after loosing sight of land and many more before I would see it again, I began to question my sanity. There I was in the middle of the Atlantic, battling the elements, alone, 2 VHFs working on very reduced power (due to no aerials left), no mobile phone signal, and now it looked like I wouldn't get home before dark. But on I battled, determined more than ever to keep pushing as hard as I could, to get to Wpt 34 "Slyne Head" before dark.
Then, just when it looked like I might make it past Slyne Head and the last 11 miles all the way home before dark, I heard a banging noise that I hadn't heard before. After inspecting the boat visually again, I tracked down the noise, things were getting worse. The "A-Frame", at the back of the boat (the back bone of all Nav. gear), built of 2" stainless steel tube, had just snapped the two uprights on the port side (up high on the frame) and one of the uprights on the starboard side was cracked at the foot-plate and about to break there too. If this went, all Nav. gear was gone, including nav lights and what was left of the aerials (not to mention the cost of replacing everything). So I limped the boat the last 13 miles to Slyne Head at a max speed of 15mph, hoping it would all hold together long enough, and luckily enough it did. Once I rounded Slyne Head the water was flat (well relatively) in the shelter of our local islands. I brought my speed up to 30mph. Even though I probably could have reached 60mph, I just didn't see the point for the last 11 miles. I contacted Clifden Radio, now that I was back in (reduced) VHF range, and I asked them to inform Clifden Boat Club and my parents that I was on my way home. They called me back and said there was no reply from The Boat Club, but my parents were on their way to the beach from their house. It seems no one expected me home yet, because the last coms I had with them was when I was planning on stopping at Dingle, so everyone, EVERYONE, had gone home. Such an anti-climax to my voyage, such a dissapointment, but all my own fault. When I got to the beach, all I wanted to do was drive the boat straight onto it's trailer and end it all.
There was a spring tide and it was all the way out, this meant there was no water at the slip to recover the boat. Leave the boat on a mooring...yes I could do that but I have no tender and don't feel like swimming. But the same spring tide that prevented me from recovering the boat to trailer meant one of my moorings was only in three foot of water. So I tied her up there, said goodnight and walked ashore. Then my Dad and Brother (Barry) both arrived down to the beach to welcome me home...it was very nice to see them both again. Well...journey over for now!!! All I have to do is recover the boat and inspect any damage properly. This I did the next afternoon on the high tide. We recovered the boat without incidence and on further inspection everything else seemed OK.
THE TIMES From when I started the voyage at 2.23am Saturday morning, to when I returned 11.15pm Sunday night took 44hrs52mins. No record there. But take away my stopped time of 19hrs and you get an Actual Time of 25hrs52mins. Now I'm happy with that for a "Solo Circum-Navigation" of Ireland, especially considering the weather conditions I had to deal with all along the west coast.

THE AFTER-EFFECTS The very next morning (Monday), the sun was shining, this means the "Water Sports" business was very good...so...no rest for the wicked..and off to work I go for the day...no problem, just feeling a little tired, as would be expected. On the way to work, while driving my jeep, I noticed I was getting repeated nerve-pains from my right wrist down through my arm. This was unsettling but passed, eventually, after about a week. It was, apparently, a side effect from hanging off the steering wheel of the boat for so long. Tuesday back to work again, but only after a night of sweating in bed and having strange repeated dreams about the two-stroke oil pumping system we developed for the run. Strange...yes, but not a concern. All day at work my body seemed to be developing more and more aches and pains. Wednesday, after another night of sweating and the sheets sticking to me, I went to my Doctor.
The Doc. told me I had a fever (103 degrees) and due to total exhaustion and over working of all my muscles, my body had become prone to any bugs and they were having a field day with my system. He confined me to bed rest for 48 hours and gave me a heavy dose of antibiotics and pain-killers. Friday morning, after still sweating all night, I felt like I was back up to about 90% of normal, but by afternoon it seemed more like 60%. I still had to take it easy for the weekend, but it did give me a chance to go over all the events and write this story. Now on the 8th day, I've just had a productive day at work and I feel fine.....finally!!!
WHAT NEXT ??? Well I have to get the boat and gear back to scratch, then myself (now fully recovered) and the YAMAHA 250 Vx are ready to challenge the "Waterford to Swansea" speed record comming soon, and up for grabs there is the "John Kavanagh Challenge Trophy" MY COMPLIMENTS The YAMAHA 250 Vx is the only thing that just wants to keep on roaring through anything, and everything......a great piece of machinery.....My compliments to YAMAHA.....and STATOIL for supplying the petrol to keep it going.
THE TEAM Team "Clifden Sea Sports", that night, consisted of Carmel Conneely, Jackie Ward, Bernie Ward, Barry Ward, Valerie Marcus and myself.

SPONSORS None of this would be possible without the help of my sponsors and advertisers. MAIN SPONSORS; Yamaha and Statoil. ADVERTISERS; Killen Marine, Jackie and Bernie Ward, GMT Ireland, Sweeney oil, Brian Lynch Solicitors.

OTHER SPONSERS; Lencraft, A1 Signs, Parnell Trailers, Cyberink, AIB Clifden, Alcock and Brown Hotel, River Deep Mountain High Limerick. Connemara Golf Club, Mrs. Col. Morris, Clifden Supply Centre, Eamonn McLoughlin, Derryclare Restaurant, Mitsubishi Electric, Beaumark Ltd. Clifden Boat Club, Bank of Ireland, Matt O'Sullivan, Brian Hehir, Humpty's Bar, Celtic Shop, Noreen Casey, Acton Construction, Abbeyglen Hotel, EDI Ltd. An Triantan, Donal O'Scannaill, Pete Vine, Moran's Pharmacy, Mannion's Bar, Costello and Gibbons Electrical, O'Sullivan Hannesbury & Kenny, Peter Murphy Electrical, Michael Keane Electrical, Quay House, Service Call.

Back to Top