Aleria's Adventures

Off the coast of Mayo lies a very special island, Inishturk. It has little tourism and is thus reflective of real life on the islands.  But the real allure of Inishturk is its spectacular walking trails.  There is a lovely loop walk through the middle with a side shoot to the end of the island.  Across commonage, past a lake, deep gorges and precipices, past a striking memorial to past residents and names of clans, a Napoleonic Martello tower, a kitchen midden, a GAA pitch, and just striking views in all directions. Benches along the way let visitors relax and contemplate the scenery or the marvel of life itself.  At only 5 km by 2.5 km, it is easily walkable in its entirety. It is a stunning island, but the best part is the welcoming inhabitants. There are three children in the school at the moment.  We decided that Aleria would stop there on our lay day after Clare Island. We had not been in several years. As it happened, all the other boats decided to join us, so our fleet descende

On Monday, Alex had to take his mom to Sligo for a cataract operation. So I had a whole day to myself. I've been bugging Alex to do something active for some time -- like go for a walk in the woods or on the beaches, but he's been wanting things like a burger in a pub or a bike ride. I want to stay away from people but enjoy the natural world around us. Not that I have to go far. It's right at the base of our driveway.  But Monday, I wanted to see different. I haven't been out and about for ages. Since February, I've only been to Westport, Newport and Castlebar (once). And only to the supermarkets and pharmacy. I needed a change.  So I got in Micky, my aging but fun Mini, and started down the road. Should I head over to Mulranny?  It was going to be windy and possibly a little wet. No, Mulranny might be a bit exposed to the SW. I would start with the Quay in Westport as I'd heard there were works underway. I could gauge how many people were out and decide on mor

Aleria at the new marina pontoon Aleria ready to go for a swim What has become our new annual migration between Westport and Killybegs in the West of Ireland took place in the north to south direction last week.  We launched Aleria on the high spring tide in Donegal on Wednesday evening. Having had a new shaft and prop fitted, our first dilemma was that the PSS gland was leaking too much. Back up in the sling and mechanics aboard to burp and tighten the seal. Back down again and ready out. Alex pushed the throttle and nothing happened! Back up again. Broken throttle cable. The mechanic suggested we drop in and motor slowly with him aboard to the new marina. We inch our way over in brilliant sunshine and total calm. At least there was something to be grateful for. The T end of the new pontoon is reserved for visiting yachts (€2/m/day). It had 24 feet of water at half tide. Phew!

A few of the fishing vessels in Killybegs We got underway right from the Killybegs Sailing Club mooring, having raised our mainsail and mizzen in the harbour. The wind direction made for a perfect line right out of the harbour close hauled. As we unfurled the yankee and Alex raised the staysail, she soared out the channel.

Rainbow between Clare and Achillbeg It was a strange summer that never happened, with chill winds and rain nonstop. So when the forecast was for moderate winds in the range of 15 knots out of the North, we decided to head off to the Inishkeas. It would be cool but we can handle that. But, as often happens, the forecast was not true to its word and the squalls that blew through with occasional heavy rain, arctic cold, and blasts of wind in the range of 25 knots caused us to divert to Achillbeg to see if the conditions might abate. They did not, which meant we had a lovely day at anchor off Achillbeg.

It's been a very busy month. Spring has sprung and we've been doing boat chores as quickly as we can. Fortunately, the weather has been relatively amazing here, with the Azores High reaching its tendrils up into our latitudes, and we are not complaining.  Perhaps climate change is favourable, for Ireland at least.