Women at the Helm

In a  two-part series on why it's important for women to take the helm of sailboats just published on Women & Cruising, I talk about my journey towards taking that wheel in critical situations. I wrote the article because I struggled with the process, oddly when I could run companies but couldn't take the helm. I had given it a lot of thought and talked to so many women who were "in the same boat".   Here's the result. I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know if it speaks to you.

Click here to read the article Why it is better for women to take the helm Part 1 on Women & Cruising. 

http://www.womenandcruising.com/blog/2014/02/why-it-is-better-for-women-to-take-the-helm-part-1/

Storm toll at Bertra Strand near Westport, Co. Mayo, Ireland

We finally managed to get out for a walk in between storms today. It was blustery and cold yet we decided to visit Bertra Strand one of our favourite beaches to walk in Ireland.  It has spectacular views of Croagh Patrick and the most amazing sand dunes I've ever had the pleasure to walk. The views across Clew Bay are magnificent too, and the beach is littered with lucky weather stones and fossils. We'd heard that the Strand had been hit hard by the recent procession of storms and wanted to see for ourselves.

Plastics thrown back from the sea - the gods must be crazy!

Nature has her way of getting things done that really need doing. We, the people, have polluted the oceans for generations, and now the oceans are giving back. With the invention of plastics, things got seriously worse out there. Who can forget that line from The Graduate:

Mr. McGuire: I just want to say one word to you. Just one word.

Benjamin: Yes, sir.

Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?

Benjamin: Yes, I am.

Mr. McGuire: Plastics.

Benjamin: Exactly how do you mean?

St. Brigid and the coming of spring

In this part of the world, the beginning of February marks the coming of Spring. Now, the Americans have Punxsutawney Phil, who this week saw his shadow and predicted 6 more weeks of winter for America (3 Feb).  We, in Ireland, on the other hand have St. Brigid of Kildare (Naomh Bríd in Irish or Brigit, Bride, Bree, Bridget).   Brigid was the daughter of Dubhthach, pagan Scottish king of Leinster, and Brocca (Broicsech), a Christian Pictish slave who had been baptized by Saint Patrick.

A SEAsoned Irish Weather Station

We are wintering in the west of Ireland this year. Our boat is in Galway in the marina within the locked harbour. Thankfully we have not had to worry too much about the strong storms and tide surges we've had this winter.  Storm after strong storm, gale after gale, we've had nonstop blowing going on. And the rain - pelting, driving, and filling our rain gauge daily. Now weather has always been a subject of discussion here, and when I heard about Fifty Shades of Grey I thought it was about the Irish weather. But this year is really extraordinary. We had a wonderful summer for a change and now we are paying for it in spades.

Westerly wind combined with a super high tide created a massive storm surge.
The road at the end of our driveway is under water.

EU Directives for Recreational Craft Are Set to Change

Man has this propensity to make and change laws. It's a necessity when you have more than 7 billion people trying to occupy this little bit of land mass that is shrinking. I thought things were complicated in the United States of America. Then I moved to Ireland and started to understand what complexity is all about. Millenia of law, altered by invaders and foreign rulers, with precedent upon precedent being reversed, challenged, and rewritten, until no one can tell what's what. Makes it easy to understand how people can evolve into sidestepping behaviors.