We left Brist for La Coruna and straight over the dreaded Bay of Biscay… Which lived up to it’s name. The last leg of the journey was particularly exciting. We got caught in a 30 knt blast of stormy stuff. That’s what we get for not reefing early. After the excitement we moored safely in La Caruna at around 11pm and headed for the nearest pub to celebrate our continued existance, where Barry interviewed prospective crew members as only he can. We would have loved to have stayed as we were struck with the beauty of the city, but alas one night only was the theme as we had places to be. Onward!

We sailen onward to Brest, making good time. We enjoyed a couple of days of socialising and sampling the (mostly irish it seemed) pubs. We enjoyed a translation and reading of our horoscopes by some willing locals; The ritual now becoming a staple of our adventures and prepared for our onward journey with a newfound sense of urgency as we were fast running out of time to make our rendezvous in Gran Canaria for the ARC crossing to Paradise.

Finally we got underway and made for Penzance, the sail was blissfully uneventful and we made good time to Newlyn. We spent a day provisioning and replacing another lost fender… Really need to work on our fender tying-on skills. The Marina was… rather shabby… anyone who remembers the toilet scene from train spotting would feel very much at home here. However, undeterred we enjoyed a day of sight seeing and sampling the delights of the oldest Cornish Pasty bakery in town and some delicious local ice cream. But our stop was to be short as for once the weather was in our favour and we were soon on our way again!

We enjoyed a pleasant sail from Peel to Dun Laoghare and skipped leisurely down the beautiful Irish coast to Arklow whilst reuniting our discerning palettes with the familiar taste of a ‘proper’ Guinness. Our last leg of our Irish adventure was to prove somewhat more challenging. We headed for Kilmore with a storm on our heels and were, despite our best efforts, caught in it’s clutches as we neared our destination. However our spirits were high and we were almost in safe harbour… when Barry appeared above deck with a bucket of water in hand… I thought nothing of it until his second trip past me ejecting a watery liquid overboard. I of course enquired as to his purpose and was met with a nonchalant smile. Steven then arrived and curtly announced that “There is no more effective bilge pump than a frightened man with a bucket”. Agreeing wholeheartedly I disappeared below to find a bucket. Luckily, as Barry deduced by having a quick taste the offending water was from our own 600 litre supply and not from outwith the boat. Cheered by this happy thought we commenced bailing as the storm raged above and Kilmore reared its head. After some soggy bailing in the high seas we approached Kilmore to find that the harbour entrance was not for the faint hearted and “should not be attempted at night or in foul weather” so in the dead of night in the foulest weather we entered the harbour. Luckily with some deft, last minute maneuvering by our captain we made safe harbour to the great relief of all. After mooring and heaving a joint sigh of relief, we did the only thing we could given the circumstances. We went to the pub for a Guinness. The locals were very friendly and sympathetic “you got the shit kicked out of you out there” and “You’ll not be going anywhere til christmas” were just a couple of the comments heard across the quaint(and only) bar in the village. When we announced confidently that we’d be on our way the next day we were met by sniggers and a suggestion that we may have been under the influence of something other than alcohol. However we remained confident and undeterred and presently(after a week of hanging around in the pub, making repairs and of course, Guinness) we were on our merry way once more!

We made good time and sailed into Peel harbour on the Isle of Man in fine spirits ready for adventures new. After the traditional anchor dram dictated by sea fairing etiquette we ventured onward to the Creek inn, our nearest public house, a charming example of a traditional pub with decor inspired by naval and scandinavian traditions and enamoured by the banter of the friendly locals. We spent the rest of our time in the Isle of Man sightseeing and were particularly taken by the fabulous House of Manannan museum. Barry was particularly keen on the dressing up part of the experience and riotous sword wielding banter ensued. We soon made new friends in the coffee shop and before long had secured the loan of a car to explore the island where we were happy to find amongst other treasures the worlds largest working water wheel. Lucky us. We decided not to take advantage of the one way mine trip and were a bit unlucky not to be able to experience the TT museum due to it’s unfortunate seasonal opening times. However, that evening we were joined by our new friends Carla and Aston for drinks in Douglas where they expressed a desire to join Rose-Marie on her adventures. Time will tell if we see them aboard.