Harbour Master Sailing Challenge March 2019 to September 2023

Westport - a very special place!

Westport has no Harbour Master, however I want to include it in my story, as it is probably my favourite harbour in the whole of Ireland.

Why? Not just because it is totally free to stay there, but for these reasons:

- Very few other yachts ever sail there, making it feel "unexplored".
- To arrive you have to sail deep into Clew Bay which is like no other approach I have ever done. On the chart and the map you can see the multitude of islands which are glacial drumlins. The "scrapings" left by a glacier after it melted. They have left a landscape that is beautiful, intriging and almost mystical. I described it as like we were sailing on the moon.
- On the approach from the north you pass Achill Island which is a famous film location due to it's beauty. Think "The Banshees of Inisherin", "The Daisy Chain", "My Sailor My Love" and many more.
- As you approach the first of the many islands, and identify the passage in, you are blown away by the extraordinary and unique shape of each one.
- All the while, to the south, Croagh Patrick mountain, the 2,500ft site of pilgramage oversees your progress.
- Once you navigate up the narrow, but well marked channel to Westport quay, you feel you are tucked away and well protected from the sea.
- Finally the town itself welcomes you and your crew with a choice of 50 pubs and live music playing in most of them - you won't want to leave.

The last few photos are Keem Beach, with the mock up of the cottage used in the "Banshees" film (you need to have seen it to undersand why I am holding up my fingerless hand!) and then the drying quay in Achill Sound.

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