Two Scotsmen, an Englishman and an Irishman: Day 7 - Boarded by Irish Customs and Excise

Due to the poor weather forecast we have had to change our itinerary. A storm front with winds gusting to force 7 is coming in late Sunday evening and is set to hammer Ireland through Monday and maybe Tuesday. We have decided to sail to Bere Island some 48 miles round to the West. The marina there is well protected from Southerly winds and we should get shore power as we have been assured there is room on the marina. At worst a raft mooring.

The trip itself took 8 hours with a number of highlights of the trip so far. Firstly we passed close to the Fastnet rock and lighthouse, a first for us all and a picture opportunity.

The second highlight of the day came with the arrival of an Irish Customs fast boat that appeared out of nowhere and ran abreast of us. From the rear appeared a fast rib with 3 officers onboard. It seemed we were about to be boarded.

The 2 custom officers were very friendly and professional, duly checked our papers had a chat and then made to leave. Paul asked them if we could film their departure, they said yes and Paul cheekily told them not to fall in the water…or something like that! Video below….nearly had a You’ve Been Framed moment.

We had a decent sail over to Bere Island in 8 hrs 20 mins, but as we arrived the rain and very poor visibility came down. A sign of things to come but by then we were tied up in our shelter.