Northern Ireland is only a long daysail from Scotland, past the misty and famous (for their whiskey distilleries) islands of Islay and Jura, around the misty and infamous (for its strong currents and confused seas) Mull of Kintyre, and then across the North Channel.
What is a loch in Scotland is a lough in Northern Ireland – different spelling but more or less the same pronunciation (as far as we can tell, at least). Strangford Lough is a huge body of saltwater that is only connected to the sea through a narrow channel, and the changing of the tide means that enough water to fill or drain the lough gets sucked in or pushed out of the entrance channel. The resulting currents are strong (peaking at about as fast as Oso can move), just like other places we’ve been with similar geography. In fact, the name Strangford comes from old Norse, translating to “fjord of the strong current”.
With good timing, we arrive near slack water and only have 3-4 knots of current to contend with. Once inside, the sporty conditions caused by the wind blowing across the current abate, and the only way to tell that we’re not on an inland lake are the salty decks.
Strangford is a lovely place to anchor, dotted with small islands in the water and winding trails on shore.
