Bank Holiday Weekend

We had a late arrival on the Friday night. We had been to the Jools Holland concert in the grounds of Carrickfergus Castle and drove to Fermanagh after it was over. So we were boarding Bee-Jay at about quarter to one in the early hours of Saturday morning. Holly and Beth had dozed in the car and went straight to bed.

As we had unpacked the car we noticed from the water sitting in the slip that the water levels had risen even further than last weekend.

In the morning, there was no movement until twenty to ten – and that included Holly. We were planning to meet friends (John, Lix and Joel) at Crom. They had booked their motorhome in the camping area there. As we knew Crom had a fixed jetty, I called the office at Crom to make sure it was OK – considering the water levels. The man as really helpful. He told me that the jetty had been underwater the day before and he went and had a look and confirmed it was even further underwater today.

I phoned John to let him know about out problem. We decided to head North towards the Lower Louh as there are more floating jetties in that direction. We agreed with John to meet at the Ardhowen Theatre. He then had the opton of staying there (with no facilities) or going on to Crom and meeting up another weekend. It turned out that there was nothing on at the theatre and the lady at the booking office wasn’t able to give a definitive answer as to whether they could syat for the night or not. So since the answer wasn’t a straight “no”, they decided to go for it.

Liz and I spent the early afternoon enjoyin some retail therapy. Beth and Joel enjoyed the dinghy and kayak. Joel mastered the outboard well. Beth also had a go on Mr Alligator. Joel wasn’t so keen on actually getting into the water.

In true Fermanagh fashion, time had been forgotten and we found ourselves having lunch at 3:30.

The weather was still hinting at rain but it did appear to be clearing a bit.

We decided to barbecue at the picnic table beside the motorhome. John put up the gazebo and this gave us shelter from falling dew. Captain Bob lit the barbeque and we had traditional barbecue fayre – chicken kebabs, hot dogs, burgers, followed by toasted marshmallows ad chocolate digestives.

We were glad of the gazebo. When cooking was done, Captain Bob found some sticks and put these on the barbecue to create our own open fire. Round the fire we played the alphabet game – “I went to the boat and I saw…” There were a few suspect items including emus and jugglers but we managed to get through to z.

We reconvened at the boat where we had a game of Monopoly Deal which Joel won. By this stage everyone was flagging and we all headed to bed.

We woke on Sunday morning to mizzly rain. Captain Bob took Holly out at about 8:30 and then after a cup of tea we got up, washed and put the kettle on again. I took a 5 minute walk to Dolan’s petrol station for teh Sunday paper. When I got back, Captain Bob had the batter made and was ready to cok pancakes. After reakfast John and Joel appeared. Joel didn’t need to be asked twice if he wanted to go out in the dinght. Beth went out in the kayak first and then joined Joel in the dinghy. They motored about in the rain keeping out of the way of the passing boat traffic.

It was now almost 1 o’clcok and time for John, Liz and Joel to head home.

The tempo of the day slowed and after a leisurely lunch we all settled to do our own thing.

Mid-afternoon, Captain Bob and I went to the Erne Centre for some retail therapy. Beth and Holly stayed behind to mind the boat.

On returning I took Holly for a walk to the view point above the Ardhowen Theatre where I took some scenic shots for inclusion in the blog.

The jetty at Ardhowen Theatre is a great location for a number of reasons
– It is a lovely scenic spot for boat watching – all boats passing between Enniskillen and the Upper Lough have to pass through here.
– There is a coffee shop at the theatre and the bar is open in the evening if there is a performance on.
– Castle Coole, the National Trust Property, is just across the road.
– The centre of Enniskillen with it’s shops and restaurants is only a 10 minute walk away.
– The Killyhevlin Hotel with it’s bar and restaurant is a 5 minute walk away. (There is also a jetty at this hotel).

Dinner was a red thai chicken crry and rice. Then we had a game of Trivial Pursuit Bitesize and a game of Monopoly Deal.

After this it was time to settle with book – except Holly who just kept watch and dozed.

Monday started slowly. It was quite wet so the morning was spent drinking tea, eating pancakes and generally chilling out.

Captain Bob needed to take his socks and shoes off to take the outboard off the dinghy. The petrol tank in the dinghy was a lot lighter than when we had arrived due to the activity of Joel and the dinghy. He really seemed to enjoy it.

Mr Alligator was stowed on top of the dinght and the kayak was loosely folded to try and get it dried off a bit.

Off we headed towards Carrybridge. We were sailing against the flow of the water. It was impacting us by about three quarters of a knot. We decided that kayaking in this woudl be hard going – but would be OK if you were going with the flow.

A lot of the fishing pontoons just passed Bellenaleck looked like they were sitting on top of the water due to the water levels being so high.

When we came to Carrybridge, we wanted to sue the pump out. Getting moored up needed some care as ther was only about 4 to 6 inches of jetty to tie up to. Captain Bob did it brilliantly. Another good mooring in our home berth and that was us ready to hiave lunch and tidy up.

The final bonus of the weekend is that the Wild Duck Diner looks like it’s back in business so that’s next weeks dinner on Friday night sorted!

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Weekend of R and R

This weekend we were planning some time of rest and relaxation.

We left Carrickfergus at 17.30 and started our journey west. By the time we got to Ballygawley we started to discuss where we would get dinner and where we would head for the weekend. Dinner is more difficult now that the Wild Duck Diner is no more and to find a chippy we need to go to Carrybridge via Lisnaskea.

Capatain Bob had a different suggestion – what about Bellenaleck? This seemed to tick all the boxes – not too far for a Friday night journey and a chippy close by. So we quickly unloaded the car and were soon underway. In about three quarters of an hour we were mooring up. Captain Bob volunteered to do the chippy run. Off he set on the bike. On his return he said that the hill up to the chippy was quite steep but it meant the journey back was very easy. Dinner was delicious. This used to be our local chippy when our home base was The Moorings at Bellenaleck. We had forgotten how good it was.

After dinner was settled out the back where we chatted and had a game of Monopoly.

We awoke on Saturday morning to lovely sunshine. It was a slow start and after taking Holly out, I settled on the swimming platform with a book and a cup of tea while everyone had a lie in and some relaxation.

We had a late breakfast and then a family outing to the shop in the village for a few papers and magazines. Beth took the bike and we walked ( it is advertised as 500m and that seems right).

When we came back there was a bit more activity on the river and in the marina next door. So I settled on the swimming platform with my newspaper while Captain Bob got the kayak inflated. He wasn’t the only kayaker. There were also two ladies from the marina in a double kayak. They had some problem coordinating strokes at first but were soon heading off in sync.

Captain Bob headed off in the direction of The Moorings where he had a wander round before heading back.

After a bowl of soup we walked back up to the shop so Beth could get an ice lolly. Captain Bob rode the bike back.

Captain Bob headed off again in the kayak. The rain came on and he called to say he was sheltered below a tree and not to worry. He kayaked as far as the viaduct before heading back.

Beth and I spent the time watching a DVD – Yours Mine and Ours starring Denis Quaid and Rene Russo. Very enjoyable.

Dinner was home cooked beef and bird with pepper sauce, spuds boiled in their skins and sweetcorn. It was scrumptious.

The rest of the evening was a typical boat night with cards, monopoly and chat.

What a difference when we woke on Sunday morning. Rain everywhere. There was a small break when we got Holly out to the toilet but after that the heavens opened again.

Captain Bob made gorgeous pancakes and we had a relaxing start to the day.

Captain Bob and I decided to go for a walk up to the village. The rain had eased a little and we were keeping dry under a large umbrella. We got about a third of a way up the lane when it became more like a river and was definitely impassible in our footwear – wellies would have been a requirements – or barefoot for a paddle. So we went for a walk down to the marina. Beth didn’t believe us when we said that we couldn’t get to the shop. She went with her Dad to the park for a swing and went to see the flooding which was getting even worse.

The dinghy was well filled with water. Captain Bob took out the bung and raised the head of the dinghy onto the jetty before we got it back stowed on the back of Bee-Jay.

Captain Bob estimated that the water level had risen about 5 inches since yesterday afternoon.

We had a peaceful cruise back to Carrybridge and moored without incident.

Another enjoyable weekend on the boat was over.

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Reports of Alligators at Tirraroe

Beth and Sophie on the minicat

Mr Alligator skimming over the bay at Tirraroe

The inaugural launch of Mr Alligator

We missed last weekend as the weather reports were so bad as to put even us off. So we were really excited about getting back to Bee-Jay.

Beth’s friend Sophie was joining us for the weekend.

We arrived around 7pm in Lisbellaw to see that our local chippy had closed. Disaster! So we delivered everybody to Crawford’s Marina and I headed to Lisnaskea to chippy and supermarket. Soon we were underway. We warned Sophie that we were taking her to somewhere where there was nothing. Of course this is untrue. We were taking her to a beautiful spot where we make our own entertainment.

We drove from the flybridge and it was a cool but dry evening.

Tirraroe is only about an hour from Carrybridge. When we got there, there were a couple of other boats but plenty of space to moor. Of course Connie was there – I have mentioned Connie before. She is a dog that lives on a local farm and spends the time on the jetty welcoming boats and the people on them.

The next morning, everyone was up early and the girls couldn’t wait to get in the water. Mr Alligator – the new water toy was first to get pumped out and set in the water for it’s inaugural launch. The girls had a great time being towed around the bay by Captain Bob in the dinghy. It took them a few runs to get their balance and then they were getting towed out and jumping off. After the initial shock of the water, they seemed to get quite used to it. When the girls, Captain Bob and Mr Alligator needed a rest, everyone came in and had a bite of lunch. After lunch, we all worked at putting together the minicat. The girls took this out with Captain Bob on hand in the dinghy if they needed assistance. On returning, Captain Bob went for a sail.

By now the jetty was getting busier with some boats coming and going, a motor home arriving for the night and canoeists arrived and set up camp in a tent on the nice green area.

The girls decided to get geared up again and have fun jumping into the water. They had a lot of fun.

There was a bit of excitement later in the day when a couple of hire boats arrived. For both of them, this was the first time they moored on their own and they needed a little helping hand. By the end of the week they will be experts – perhaps!

Dinner was a babrbecue on the jetty – very tasty.

The evening ended with a game of cards.

There was no doubt that everyone would sleep well after an active day.

Everyone was up early on Sunday morning and after breakfast, the girls were ready for some more trips on Mr Alligator and time in the water. Some thought them mad and others you could tell were quite envious. Captain Bob also got a good sail before we had to start the task of putting all of the “toys” away.

By early afternoon we had all packed up and a drizzle of rain had started. We headed off towards Knockninney to pump out but it was very busy – possibly due to the advertising on the lough of their bar and restaurant. So on we went to Carrybridge where we pumped out and got moored up.

A good weekend had by all.

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