Saturday 7 June 2014 – Portaferry and Strangford

Heavy rain until well after lunch.  Caught up with the blog. Eventually we went across the narrows on the ferry to Strangford

Portaferry marina from the shore

The marina from the ferry

Back in to Portaferry. The lifeboat house is the pointy building at the head of the pier

Friday 6 June 2014 – Belfast to Portaferry

Slow sail out of Belfast – took all morning to get out of Belfast Lough. Through Donaghadee Sound where we at last picked up good following tide which lasted all the way to Strangford. A very neap tide, so we were disappointed to find our maximum speed was only 11.37 knots through the narrows

It’s a bit stressful getting in to the narrows

Another thing to hit! The Seagen experimental tide power machine is fixed in the middle of the fastest tide. It had its propellors lifted for adjustment or something, so took even more room than usual.

Thursday 5 June 2014 – Belfast

Visit to Belfast City Hall.  When Belfast was made a city by Queen Victoria, they decided to upgrade to a proper City Hall. This was built of the best Portland stone, with huge amounts of various types of imported marble lining the interior and was eventually finished in 1906.  The money required (about £300,000) was found by using 2 years profits from the gas works. It makes you wonder how they managed to make such huge profits and what they did with the profits from all the other years!

Entrance hall. Marble in all directions.

Above the entrance hall. More marble and a 1 ton chandelier

In the council chamber

Pam as Lord Mayor

The ballroom

Belfast city crest on the ballroom carpet

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Visit to Stormont in the afternoon

Our guide gave us a very good run-down on the 20th century history of Ireland and explained how Stormont was established and how it has since changed. Too much to repeat here.

The drive is 1 mile long – very imposing and a bit of a struggle as we were running late for the tour

The main lobby

Lobby ceiling is beautifully decorated. The chandelier was an unwanted gift from the Kaiser of Germany to the Royal Family. When Stormont Buildings were built they were glad to donate it.

The main debating chamber.  All the internal panelling and furniture was rebuilt after a fire caused by an electrical fault which occurred when Stormont was suspended during the troubles

The Reconciliation statue in the gardens

Wednesday 4 June 2014 – Belfast

Visited the Titanic exhibition, very well presented in the special building shown earlier. Spent all morning there. No pics from that visit. Then moved on to the pump house and graving dock (dry dock)

Nomadic. This was the tender used at Boulogne to take the first and second class passengers to Titanic. Presumably the third class passengers went in some lesser craft.

The dry dock which held Titanic whilst propellors and other stuff were fitted

The keel rested on these iron and wood blocks

It’s quite a long way to the bottom of the dock

The pump house had 3 steam pumps, later converted to electric, which could empty the dock in only 100 minutes.

Statue beside the river in Belfast

More drinking, in the same well-appointed pub.

Tuesday 3 June 2014 – Glenarm to Belfast

Passing The Maidens

Approaching the docks at Belfast

HMS Caroline, a light cruiser which is the last warship afloat which took part in the battle of Jutland in 1916. It was (possibly still is) the second oldest ship in commission in the navy (after the Victory).

Titanic museum. The slipways on which Olympic and Titanic were built are marked by the poles

Marina in Abercorn Basin. Titanic exhibition behind.

Belfast City Hall

Crown Liquor Saloon, a pub owned by the National Trust. Unfortunately members don’t get free drinks

Inside one of the lavishly decorated snugs.

Monday 2 June 2014 – Rathlin to Glenarm

Leaving Rathlin. South lighthouse in the centre. Fair Head to the R

Approaching Glenarm

Marina at Glenarm

Statue on the forest walk

Glenarm

Sunday 1 June 2014 – Rathlin

We stayed at Rathlin for the rest of the Maritime Festival

Rathlin’s Drondheim is completed at last. They could not find good timber for the oars in the short time available and so one broke during its first outing.  The name is a corruption of Trondheim in Norway, from where such boats used to be imported as flat packs – a bit like the boats in Shetland.