We are in Ireland

...in Killough bay, heading to Dublin tomorrow.

  

Sailing in UK has forced us to take seriously something they teach in all sailing courses (mostly because all sailing theory is Brttish) namely tidal currents and passage planing. That means that we have to know which date it is, and which time it its (something we are not used to have anything to do with in connection with sailing, more the opposite). With help of tidal charts, we decide (the day before(!))  time of departure (!) in order to have the tidal current in favorable, or at least, not in disastrous direction for the following days voyage.

We have strong tidal currents in Tromsø too, but except of a few famous narrows, a lay-sailor, would not think about them much. Here everybody is "playing the tide", drifting from harbor to next with current. For a given harbor, all boats heading south would leave at same time of the day and the boats heading north, would typically leave six hours later, when the current turns. Another aspect in the game is trying to avoid situation with current and wind from opposite directions (causes steep and unpleasant waves). We haven't figured out yet, how do you travel South West following these principles...