We decided not to push for the long leg all the way to Scotland because we risked ending up with a head wind and tide against us in a gruellimg 14 hour trip. So the alarms were set for 0530 for a trip farther north up the Irish coast. However Lesley's night's sleep was destroyed by the motor cruiser next door playing high energy dance music from 3am. She got dressed and stormed out to knock on the window. A blonde 19 year old poked her head out of the cruiser companionway and sniggered at the complaints.
As we left Bangor, we tried to make as much noise as possible, using the bowthruster engine to cut through the drunken sleep of our neighbours. Once out in Belfast Lough where the giant tankers and cruiseliners go, It occurred to us that it was a bit misty. The fog gradually thickened and soon we were hemmed in. We decided to keep going using our chart plotter and the AIS function which shows big ships, their direction, names and speed. It was eerie and cold and calm, with no wind and no swell. We had no sail up. We took it in turns to helm; both of us stayed on deck watching, listening and sounding our foghorn every 2 minutes.
Every now and then it seemed it would lift and then, the damned fog closed in again. Only flights of guillemots broke the whiteness and gave some context to the scene. Four and a half hours after leaving Bangor we saw high hills looming which confirmed we were just outside our destination, Glenarm, a tiny village with a marina attached. Time to rest and relax, and vow not to go out sailing if poor visibility was forecast. 
Later we walked out to the Glenarm Castle Walled garden, which was rich in amazing tulips and a marked change from the yachting life.
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