Mark Sweetnam's Voyage from Kilrush to Tromso Revealed in Dublin Bay Old Gaffer Talk

11th February 2025

WM Nixon

North of north....Don Carlos berthed where the Svartisen glacier - the second largest in Europe - fades into the sea

Dublin Bay Old Gaffers' enthusiast Mark Sweetnam is into traditional wooden gaff-rigged boats, and where better to see the best of them than along the coast of Norway? There, some of the finest are into active retirement, beautifully maintained and sailed when possible.

But Mark is a realist about the demands of maintaining a traditional wooden boat in the Irish climate. So for his own sailing and voyaging he has the easily-handled, fast and able 1992-built Najad 420 Don Carlos. And just how fast and able she is was demonstrated with friends and family in a 2024 voyage from Kilrush on the Shannon Estuary to Tromso on the Norwegian coast well north of the Arctic Circle, where the boat was laid up for the winter.

It was and is a very detailed and fascinating venture, best understood by getting along to the DBOGA meeting in Poolbeg Y&BC in nine days' time on Thursday February 20th, when all will be told.

Dublin Bay Old Gaffers' enthusiast Mark Sweetnam

Published in Dublin Bay Old Gaffers, Cruising, Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club

Published in Dublin Bay Old Gaffers

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Dublin Bay Old Gaffers

About The Author

WM Nixon

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William M Nixon has been writing about sailing in Ireland for many years in print and online, and his work has appeared internationally in magazines and books. His own experience ranges from club sailing to international offshore events, and he has cruised extensively under sail, often in his own boats which have ranged in size from an 11ft dinghy to a 35ft cruiser-racer. He has also been involved in the administration of several sailing organisations.

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