Inch Island

55 03.41N 007 31.35W
Have joined the Other Wynns for supper anchored off Inch Island. A & I have explored Derry & learnt lots about NI history. Camped in field.

Giant's Causeway

Yesterday Mourne Mountains (Catherine's office), today Giant's Causeway. Staying on luxury campsite with underfloor heating in showers & internet access.

Not sailing

Camping in the rain at Bushmills, on the North coast. Yesterday achieved one of Lucy's ambitions to see Newgrange passage grave, so happy now. Not much news from Moondance except for a cryptic text about nasty rocks, nice fishermen with big engines and whether there is any cement on board. Sounds rather ominous.

Delights of the Shore

A little more information than can be provided in text messages is called for. We are now in our first week 'off' and it is a great pleasure to be on land amongst trees, grass, bicycles and good food. Moondance is in the care of Peter, Francoise and family, who arrived yesterday at a windy Downings where we put the boat alongside the quay for transferring stuff. Whilst we were there, another, startlingly Moondance-like yacht came in and calmly picked up the mooring on which we had been lying, and on which we had left one of our best warps. Peter's first job was therefore to recover the warp without a diplomatic incident – something he will doubtlessly accomplish more easily than would I.

The passage up from Galway, you may have gathered, was not comfortable. At least three of MD's crew resolved to give up sailing during the passage. It should be said that it is not an unusual occurrence for sailors to vow never to set foot on a boat again. I had been a little optimistic in planning the distances covered by each trip, and this one needed to cover 240 miles in five days to keep us on schedule. Given that in ideal conditions we can only make about 50 miles to windward in 24 hours' sailing, it doesn't take much to turn an easy week into a very hard week. I have resolved that wherever possible in future we will sacrifice mile-eating for an easy life. This may make some of the Northern Isles less likely, but this voyage is supposed to be about seeing things and having time to appreciate the places we are visiting, so it should be worth it.

Although it's slightly disappointing to have rushed past the Irish coast, it has been breathtaking sailing past the awesome cliffs, particularly around Dingle and the Blasket Islands, where the land just reaches straight out of the sea to 3000 ft. On numerous occasions the gloom of slow or uncomfortable progress has been wiped out by displays from bottle-nosed dolphins who really do seem to be deliberately visiting and not just playing in a frothy bow-wave. And little compares with the sight of a squadron of gannets diving into the sea right next to the boat from a hundred feet up, before surfacing looking slightly dazed.

This week we hope to visit Newgrange, a major archaeological site near Dublin which is one of the few big sights that Lucy has yet to visit in the British Isles. We are fortunate to have Francoise's car this week, so mile-eating won't be such a problem. Seems strange to travel at 70 mph again. The rest of the week we hope to spend sight-seeing, walking and cycling around the north coast. Catherine and Julian join us next weekend (so kind of people to sail with us a second time) and hopefully we'll meander up the firth of Clyde, through the Crinan Canal and up to Oban.

Thanks for reading, do drop us a text if you get the chance, it's great to keep in touch with people.

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Orchids

Have dried out, mopped bilges, found orchids in golf dunes, cycled around peninsula. C&J left on disco bus this am. Awaiting Other Wynns & then a week off!

Tall Sheeps?

55 11.30N 007 50.42W
Sheep's Haven. Have survived near gale & 150 miles, thank God. Everything is wet & we are exhausted. Adrian declares a mint aero moment.

For sale! Half a concrete gaffer, slightly damp.

55 12.56N 008 10.23W
Beating twds sheephaven in smoother water now after a grim night of F6-7. Utterly soaked. Anyone want to buy half a boat? Buyer collects.

Butterflies in the rain

Storm bound in cleggan. Not so bad. Lie in, splashy row ashore, L climbs a hill, J&C find butterflies, A fixes bike brakes. Swap@lunch. A&L find dolmen,C&J a cashel.

Cleggan Bay

53 33.45N 010 06.50W
Strong wind warning so plan to sail all night aborted. Anchored in Cleggan Bay awaiting rain, despite local wreckers extinguishing light.

It's a long way to Tipperary

53 16.10N 009 34.50W
good start, but still 220 miles to go this week. Thanks for prayers, forecast more hopeful than previous. Catherine & Joe have joined us.

Leather

Galway - cooker mending, food shopping, rig tightening, chart buying, leather-clad Baroque concert (early music festival). Next leg looks long & windless. L

Galway Bay

53 16.21N 009 03.07W
Safe at last in Galway harbour. Noisy & stinky with no facilities so we are also stinky. Mark Lesley have left us to see Ireland properly.

Pesto - the source of all Happiness

Dolphins have come to swim in our bow wave. Cliffs of Mohar impressive in the evening sun. Progress towards Galway is better. Pasta pesto. We feel happier now.

Misery

52 54.7N 009 33.1W
Eternally beating to windward. Fed up & too despondant to blog.

Farthest West?

52 14.67N 010 37.32W
Farthest West? Beating against a fresh NE, very slow progress which could mean hard work in the days to come.

Valentia

51 55.69N 010 17.32W
Valentia harbour after a very mixed day of fast sailing, maddening calms, spectacular views and exhilarating displays by gannets & dolphins

Skellig Michael

51 46.7N 010 31.8W
Up at dawn to sail to Skellig Michael where 5th century monks built beehive huts improbably clinging to a precipitous rock in the Atlantic.

Hats

51 28.23N 009 43.48W
After 5 days in Baltimore, visiting islands & music sessions, this am motored in fog to scenic Crookhaven. Mark & Lesley aboard with hats.

Baltimore

51 29.07N 009 22.61W
Praise God safe arvl Baltimore. Rather dramatic finish hurtling through mist between rocky promont's. amazingly calm hbr after rolly xing.

Mmmm, eclairs. Yum.

51 23.97N 009 15.49W
Closing the irish coast in poor visibility & failing light. 8 miles from baltimore where my sister tess awaits with hot towels, eclairs....

Begorrah

49 55.01N 006 25.27W
At sea pointing at Ireland in a nice NE breeze. Here goes. Scilly was great. There is a risk of fog during the crossing - not relished. A

Gig-gle

49 57.38N 006 20.72W
Tresco. Have watched Bob & Mike rowing in gig races, very exciting, 110 boats. Bob is 3rd Super-Vet. Yesterday 7 burial chambers.

How Scilly

49 55.13N 006 18.75W
Scillies, Hooray! Midnight start from Penzance, lumpy, sicky, starry, shippy crossing, now thankfully moored in Hugh Town harbour.