Sailing the waterways for that true Irish feel

Cruise boats by Jane Archer

Sailing the waterways for that true Irish feel

TYPICAL man, I thought, when my partner decided he would be captain as we drove the 100 miles from Dublin ferry port to Carrick on the Shannon river, to pick up our boat for a holiday cruising on Ireland’s waterways.

But first sight of the boat, a Kilkenny cruiser that would be our home for the next seven days, knocked some of the gung-ho spirit out of him.

The Kilkenny is a big craft that sleeps up to six people and, having never handled a boat before, he was suddenly daunted by the thought of being in charge.

Our boat came from Carrick Craft, which has two bases along the Shannon in Ireland and one on Upper Lough Erne in Northern Ireland. That meant we could do a one-way rental from Carrick to Knockninny, in the north, cruising on the Shannon, along the Shannon-Erne Waterway and into Upper Lough Erne.

Before setting off, you get a half-hour classroom session to learn the rules of the water and another half-hour to get to know the boat.

As we cruised up the tiny Boyle River, a tributary of the Shannon, to Lough Key we came to a lock and had to moor while it opened.

There are 16 locks along the Shannon-Erne Waterway. On the Shannon, the locks are manned by lock-keepers. and it costs about £1 to go through. On the waterway, they are automatic and you are on your own, using a card to open and close them.

Carrick Craft issues everyone with a captain’s handbook, which has the navigation charts and also shows places to stop, wash and shower.

There are not many moorings along the waterway – we stopped at the three main towns of Leitrim, Ballinamore and Ballyconnell to eat, sleep and stock up on provisions. But once in Lough Erne, there are places to tie up on the islands for lunch or a walk. Enniskillen, in Northern Ireland, was a good overnight mooring.

&#42 Irish Ferries offers one week on a Mayo class cruise boat, a six berth vessel like the Kilkenny. It will cost from £299 per person for the first two adults in 2001, with a £15 supplement for each additional adult. Children are free. Price includes return crossing on a traditional ferry from Holyhead to Dublin.

Comfortable: the Kilkenny cruiser sleeps up to six people