REDBAY 8.4m Expedition RIB. Delivery from Northern Ireland to France.
Below are some details on one of the more unusual deliveries we have carried out and so, worthy of a mention on the website!
MCL Marine were contacted late last year by a very excited boat owner who had just taken delivery of a brand new REDBAY 8.4m Expedition RIB.
The initial enquiry was for some own boat tuition with the view of then accompanying the owner on the delivery to a small island in southern Brittany.
We agreed some dates for the own boat tuition and decided the best course of action would be to discuss the delivery during the first weekend. On this cold, dark and windy December day the thought of taking a small RIB that distance in April seemed slightly mad!
After experiencing first hand the sea keeping abilities of REDBAY and seeing the quality of build we set an initial departure date of late April. What had originally looked liked a miserable, uncomfortable and potentially very slow delivery had now turned into a great adventure!
On the 30th April we left Cushendall slipway on route to Ardglass on the first leg. After losing a day to bad weather and final preparations we were keen to depart and begin the adventure! The weather was very reasonable but we soon got a taste of what the Irish Sea can offer when the wind picks up. The last part of the journey saw MRO3 surfing down some pretty reasonable sized waves all the way into the harbour.
Pleased to have completed the first leg of the trip, we hurried off to find our B&B and have a well-earned beer!
On waking the next day the wind was still howling but having only a short trip to Dublin we decided to push on.
As we edged our way down the Irish Coast the swell steadily increased in size and visibility dropped to a mile or so.
We finally made it into Dublin after a bit of a slog in fairly lively conditions and headed straight for the City moorings in the heart of the city.
On review of the weather forecast and to let the owner recover from his first real experience of heavy weather in a small boat, we decided to stay for a day in Dublin and enjoy the city and let the worst of the weather pass through.
Well rested and ready to push on we left Dublin on a sunny and warm morning on route to Kilmore Quay. The wind had dropped considerable and sat in the comfort of the cabin we stormed on hardly noticing the remaining swell.
We made good time and arrived in the small fishing harbour only to find that there was no fuel available, as the fuel truck had just left! After a brief discussion with the harbour master, he hurried off to make some phone calls while we cleaned the boat.
After a short time he returned to tell us that he was unable to get a fuel truck down until the following day but promised he would find us some fuel if we met him later that evening at the marina. 
Sure enough, just after 8pm he appeared with the fuel.
With one of the longest legs of the trip to do the next day it was comforting to have full tanks and some in reserve.
The next morning we departed for the Scilly Isles, a distance of 145 nm. The wind had gone and the sea was calm with just a lazy ocean swell, which meant we were able to set a fast but economical speed.
Roughly half way at about 1300 we decided to stop for a coffee break, It is very rare to see conditions this calm and we certainly made the most of it!
Continuing onwards towards St Mary’s in the Scilly’s, the visibility started to deteriorate and the approach into the harbour was eerie in the glassy conditions and mist.
On entering the harbour we found the fuel berth occupied by the ferry so picked up a mooring buoy to await her departure.
After a long leg we were looking forward to a good run ashore and St Mary’s certainly looked lively.
After speaking with the Harbour Master we found out why the harbour was so busy, we had arrived during the busiest weekend of the year. The world pilot gig championships! After lots of phone calls and asking around it was clear that were not going to be able to find any accommodation or space to tie up for the night.
So after topping up the tanks we set off once more for the short run across to the mainland and the small harbour of Newlyn.
Arriving in the bay just over an hour later, we saw what we thought was a dolphin in the distance.
We headed towards it at slow speed only to find out that it was in fact a whale!
Even though it jumped out of the water twice for our benefit, this was the best picture we managed to get!
After a good nights sleep we set of early for the channel crossing to France.
Again the conditions were calm with moderate to poor visibility.
In the good conditions we pushed on knowing that the weather was about to change for the worse.
As we made our approach to Brest the wind started to freshen and the clouds began to form.
We were happy to tie up that night in Brest marina knowing that we had completed the longest two legs of the trip.
The next day we left Brest in the rain and with a fresh onshore breeze blowing for the hop down the coast to Benedot and we were glad of the protection provided by the cabin!
We made a night entry into the river and found our marina. The next morning we were pleasantly surprised by the picturesque river and spent the remainder of the day exploring the length of the river, which runs all the way up to Quimper and is well worth the trip.
The following day we left the river behind bound for Belle Ile (meaning beautiful island), with the wind still blowing and the rain coming down. 
As we edged further away from the coast we started to pick up the swell, which had been rolling across the Atlantic for the last few days.
Combined with the strong Westerly wind this made for some pretty exciting conditions.
Unsurprisingly we didn’t see many other boats out there that day!
As we made our way down the bay of Biscay the swell kept increasing in size, although it was travelling at a fair pace and occasionally breaking, we were able to make good progress and after a few hours we made it to Port De Palais on Belle Ile.
After being escorted to a mooring in the outer harbour and sweet talking the lovely berthing assistant to give us a ride ashore we decided to head straight to the nearest bar to wash away the salt!
We managed to grab a lift back to the boat the next morning and set about preparing to leave for our final destination, Noirmouitier.
Expecting similar conditions to the day before we were pleasantly surprised to see that although the swell was still there, it was only half the size and nowhere near as steep and even the sun made a brief appearance.
Just over three hours later, Noirmoutier was in sight and an emotional and proud owner took the helm to guide her into her new home.
A final day was spent with the owner in the harbour carry out lots of slow speed practice before it was finally time for us to pack our bags and head for home.
The RIB had performed effortlessly for the whole trip in some very challenging conditions and is a credit to the boys at Redbay Boats. We did not suffer from any mechanical problems other than some dirty fuel picked up on route.
Fuel consumption and reliability on the Yamaha diesel engine was nothing short of impressive. On average for the whole trip it managed to return 4.8 Gallons per hour, which is remarkable considering the conditions we were running in.
Where is the owner now? Like every Redbay owner he is using his boat as often as possible, knowing what the RIB is capable of and that a bit of bad weather is not going to stop him from enjoying the boat!
Below is an extract from an email I received from the owner just one week later.
Hi Matt,
Thank you very much for this incredible experience!
I'm in France. Yesterday I have been (with my sons) for the first time in
Ille de Yeu (25 miles from here) Since many years I was dreaming to go there
by boat...and yesterday it happened. I moored smoothly in the unknown
harbour, I make my passage plan, I have been handling safely the boat on the
rough water on the trip back. Thank you professor, you will be proud of me.
All the best
Marcin
If your looking for a seriously capable offshore cruising RIB you could do a lot worse than visit the boys at www.redbayboats.com.
Would we do it again? Yes is the answer, in fact the owner has already contacted us to discuss a cruise to Portugal next year. 
To get our next REDBAY fix we are leaving on the 9th June
for Cushendall to bring their flagship 11m model to the
Seawork exhibition. Come down and have a look at this impressive boat, but be warned, you will want one!
Seawork 2007 is being held in Southampton 12th - 14th June. For more details please see www.seawork.com