Audio links

Some of the yarns on this site are recorded & you can play them through the following links; (You might have to copy & paste),

Stuck in the mud:
www.rte.ie/radio1/seascapes/rams/2007/4auguste.smil

Climbing the mast
www.rte.ie/radio1/seascapes/rams/2008/7january4.smil

Lifting out
www.rte.ie/radio1/seascapes/rams/2008/17march3.smil

One for Ireland
www.rte.ie/radio1/seascapes/rams/2008/4aug4.smil

Gijon, Spain
www.rte.ie/radio1/seascapes/rams/2008/1sep5.smil

Leaving France
dynamic.rte.ie/quickaxs/209-pategan-2008-10-28.smil

Some retirement

“What did you do before you retired, Pat?” Rory from “Whale Song” asked. “I'm not retired”, I shot back, “I'm a full time sailor”. He chuckled back, “Good answer”.

But I wasn't joking, at fifty two I'm not even thinking of retirement, I've got stuff to do. Aside from that, my meagre savings and pension fund were inadequate to provide for my old age before the markets went pear shaped, so retiring now is out of the question.

And yet, everyone thinks I'm retired, “living a life of leisure”, “swanning around on my yacht”. How can I blame them when even a fellow traveller like Rory makes that assumption.

Indeed my life these past few weeks would further enforce the view. I have managed to make small progress on the Winter To Do list, on top of the routine chores of cooking, cleaning and shopping. But in honesty the progress is slight, and Catherine both leads the domestic front and takes the lion's share of the work.

Still I must admit in the last twenty days, since our return from Ireland, I have taken my foot off the pedal for a much needed rest. Cruising down here, port hopping about thirty miles at a time, did fulfill our objective of cruising Brittany, the North of Spain, and Portugal. Doing it all in three months, although not exactly whistlestop, was still quite a rush. Added to that was a continual pressure to meet natural milestones as Autumn approached; to get through the North of Spain and around Finisterre before the August fogs took hold; Then get around Cape St Vincent and into the Algarve before Catherine left to catch her prebooked flight to a wedding in Boston.

My pal Erland came to crew while Catherine was away, and we took Aragorn to her winter berth in Portimao. Still, there was no time to relax. I had a week after he went home to sort out the boat, trussing it up so that I could be confident it would be secure when unattended. Half an hour's work you say, but you'd be wrong. Dinghies had to be deflated, and they and their outboards had to be stowed, no mean feat on a liveaboard, where every cubic inch of stowage has already been accounted for. All that done then Aragorn had to be cleaned top to bottom, inside and out. This in addition to the mundane stuff of keeping body and soul, shopping, cooking, laundry. Plus, a couple of train trips to Lagos and Olhao to arrange liftouts etc.

Two weeks back in Ireland, but no let up. Year end accounts had to be got in; there were a few chores to do; promises to keep; catching up with friends and family; tying up some business loose ends; preparing and delivering a talk on our experiences so far in Pool Beg; and finally catching the Irish leg of the Boston wedding before returning to Portugal.

It has all been great! We've thoroughly enjoyed it. It's been exhilerating. And it's been exhausting. So no I have no compunction about taking it easy for a few weeks. I'm doing no more than the essential, plus whatever else takes my fancy. I've earned it. Next week we have two batches of visitors, which by itself will crank up the pace of activity. After that I just might attack the To Do list with new zest, but that's definately a maybe.

It is true that we have yet to find a method to generate funds out of our enterprise, so perhaps this too suggests we are retired, but let me just say one thing; if this is retirement, then it is no place for the old!

Update 11th August 2008

First - some general stuff.
A few people have said they are having difficulty posting comments. I don't know what's causing this, but you can always email me directly - pategan@netnicity.com

We'll be home in October, for a couple of weeks, Catherine will be back late September, me early October.

10th August 08
Arrived Baiona, (or Bayona, depending on which map you read), today. We have been here in the Ria de Vigo since yesterday. This is the last, or southernmost of the Spanish Rias, and most likely our last stop before Portugal.

We anchored last night off the beach in Cangas, but the forecast is not good, so we decided to get into a marina. No room at the inn in the marina at Cangas, so we came over here. At €33 a night it is a fair bit more expensive than what we have been getting used to since leaving Algorta, (usually about €20), but anchoring is free. We will stay here until Tuesday & have another look at the forecast. It looks like it doesn't improve until Friday, so we might anchor out from Tuesday, depending on how sheltered the bay is.

Baiona has it's claim to fame as the first port of call of Columbus after returning from the new world, and they have a full size replica of the Pinta here, Catherine says that was the smallest of the three ships he had, and boy it's small. Not a lot bigger than Aragorn, made of wood, shaped more like a concrete block than a boat, and when you think that the guys who went in her had no weather forecasts, no GPS, VHF, AIS, Radar, or any of the other toys and electronic whizzkiddery that we have, they had some bottle.

So what have we been at. We left Gijon Sat 26^th July, with our engine fixed and our budget bruised, and motored Sixty miles to Ribadeo. Sixty miles is a long leg for us, but we'd been a week in Gijon, and we wanted to make up some time. We entered the small Ria into Ribadeo under its massive bridge, gave the marina a miss and anchored just beyond it in shallow water. En route the loudhailer had fallen off, so I had to go up the mast to fix it once we had the anchor down. I'm not finding going up the mast such a terrifying ordeal any more.

Anchoring is much easier than going into a marina, you just drop the anchor, make sure it's dug in, and relax. Leaving is even easier, you just haul in your anchor & go. Entering and leaving a marina is a much more strenuous and stressful affair, you have to put out your fenders and set up your ropes to tie on. Since you usually don't know which side of the boat will be at the pontoon you have to do both sides of the boat, so your work is doubled. Then there's squeezing the boat in between all the other boats, without bumping them, and then of course you are living in very close quarters with your neighbours. Getting out you have to do it all in reverse. Still, for all of that, marinas have their benefits. Aragorn's shower is a bit cramped, usually the marina has something better, there's the convenience of being able to step off your boat and walk to the shops/cafes/whatever, there's shorepower to charge the batteries, fresh water to top up the tanks.

However, I digress. Sunday morning we left Ribadeo and pressed on to Cariña, again a long hop of about 45 miles. Like Ribadeo, this was another beautiful harbour and anchorage that we had to pass on the opportunity to go ashore, it was late, we needed to eat, rest, and get going early again Monday. With luck we would make the 60 miles to La Coruña, and be back on our schedule.

There was a bit of wind as we put up the sail on the morning of Monday 28^th July, it was blowing about twenty knots (force 5) in the anchorage. After a brief discussion about whether this was just the effect of the wind being funnelled by the mountains, we decided we had yet to experience a harbour that was windier than the open sea, and we put two reefs in the main. We weren't wrong, coming up towards the headland we had to round the wind got up, 25 knots – force 6, and not long after we passed the headland it got up to 28 knots, a force 7, almost a full gale. We were glad of our reefs!

Worse, the wind was blowing from the Southwest, the very direction we wanted to go. La Coruña was clearly a non runner at this point, however we were now half way to Cedeira, an anchorage on the way, and we'd heard good things about it. So we pointed Aragorn into the wind at Cedeira and pounded through the waves and weather under engine.

Once into the protection of the bay at Cedeira, the wind virtually disappeared. As we anchored we received an enthusiastic greeting from an English boat beside us. We'd caught up on Paul and Lorraine in Moon Monkey, an English boat heading in our direction, who'd left us in Gijon a week before.

We closed the day's log reading 8,952 miles. It had been 7,950 when we left Dun Laoghaire on the 1^st June, we had travelled over 1,000 miles. Another milestone, although I later realised that the log was under-reading since La Rochelle.

The shorter journey meant we were in port early, and for the first time since leaving Gijon on Saturday morning we went ashore. We had a beer in a local bar with free Wi-Fi, to check our email.

We got up late on Tuesday morning, conscious that we now only had a thirty mile trip to La Coruña. Moon Monkey had already left when we peeped out into the cockpit. It was a fine day with only a light wind from the Southwest, but we were able to sail. However as Southwest was the direction we wanted to go, and as Aragorn is not at her best tacking into the wind, we eventually had to turn on the engine to make progress. We had spent so long trying to sail that we were quite late arriving in La Coruña, and Paul and Lorraine were beginning to worry when we finally showed up.

We spent four nights in the marina in La Coruña, partially because the weather wasn't favourable and the next part of our journey was along one of the worlds most dangerous coasts. However we had always planned a few days in this great city. One of the days we spotted an Irish flag on another boat, Khamsin-B I think she was called, it turned out to be the East Coast Garda sailing club's boat. We had a few beers with the crew.

We left La Coruña on Saturday, and headed for Camariñas, last stop before Finisterre. This coast is called locally “El Costa Muerta” - “The coast of death”, we would be travelling it for the next two legs of our journey. This is the Northwest corner of Europe, the meeting point of the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic Ocean, two super-powers of the worlds waters. It was a grey morning, but the forecast was for light winds. We motored the entire fifty miles in manageable swell without incident.

Sunday the third of August we covered another forty miles, around Cape Finisterre, one of the world's most notorious headlands. Again the weather was kind to us. We motored all the way to Finesterre. Along the way we could hear the radio chat of some of the boats about an hour ahead of us, they were sailing past Finisterre. This was a surprise, we had hardly a breath of wind. But sure enough, as we reached this famous headland, as if someone had turned on a switch, the wind got up and we were sailing.

We turned in to Ria Muros, the first of the Ria Baixas, and anchored off the beach in Esteiro. We only spent one night in this Ria, mainly because we had a detailed chart of the next one, Ria de Arousa, which is also the biggest. Here we anchored off the beach in Ribeira on Monday. Then Tuesday the 5^th, we went into the marina for diesel. I noticed something funny about the diesel pump, and when we checked, my tank had gained about thirty litres, but the pump was showing seventy. An argument and standoff ensued. I couldn't follow the Spanish being spoken on a succession of telephone calls, but I was informed the police were being called. Eventually the situation was resolved with a one litre plastic bottle registering less than half full after receiving a litre from the pump.

By the time all that was sorted, the afternoon wind had gotten up, and I bounced Aragorn of the end of a pontoon trying to get out of the tight fuel berth. A lot of stress and effort for the sake of thirty litres of diesel.

All in we spent three nights anchored off Ribeira, then on Thursday we went further up the Ria, and stopped for a night in the marina at Rianxo. There I was able to bring my laptop into the bar and access the internet. I had to buy a beer though, but at one euro a pint I wasn't complaining. Friday we had lunch in a restaurant before leaving Rianxo, then we sailed down to Ila de Arousa and anchored between the rocks and the fishing boats. We had been told that there was a mussel festival there, but it turned out that it started Saturday.

And then, Saturday morning we got here to Ria de Vigo ....

Which brings us back to doh!

What's next - 25th July 2008

So, engine fixed, we hope, certainly seems to be & money's paid, guys seem to be reasonably professional, even if they did cost the earth. We've lost a lot of time though, between the delays in la Rochelle & here in Gijon for technical reasons, not to mention my afternoon spent in the internet cafe updating the blog etc. We'll head either this evening or the morning.

We want to get to La Coruna quickly & around Finisterre before the Summer starts to weaken. Once around there I hope to take a couple weeks' holiday in the Rias before heading to the Algarve.

Hoping nothing else breaks down.

I left a lot of our most recent pics in the camera, I will add them later.

Please please please add your comments! It'd be nice to know someone's reading this stuff, or
am I just spouting into an empty internet that no one's reading.

Gijon

The City of Gijon is the capital and main port of the province of Asturia. We arrived on the morning of Friday, the 18^th July, after spending five nights on the anchor we were going to treat ourselves to a weekend in a marina. Then there was that reverse gear problem.

The marina staff were friendly and helpful, and had a mechanic down to me in the afternoon. Given that it was Friday in the height of the holiday season, I was impressed. However, having tried all the simple things it was clear that the gear box would have to come out, and that would have to wait until Monday. The news got worse on Monday, the clutch would have to be replaced, it would take until Friday for the part to arrive, and the price was one I couldn't help feeling was a tourist rate. There was nothing for it, I just hope these guys have the technical competence.

Still, like La Rochelle, Gijon is an interesting place. Our ability to explore was slightly limited by our lack of Spanish, but we spent some time listening to our Spanish tapes.

Gijon is also the capital of the Asturian cider pouring tradition. As best I understand it from my observations, you stand up and pour from the bottle, held in your right hand as high as you can stretch, into the glass in your left hand, held as low as you can stretch, all the while fixing your gaze into infinity in just about any direction except that of the bottle or glass.

You must only pour a small amount into the tumbler sized glass, about a wineglass measure, the glass must be tilted at about forty five degrees, making an even smaller target, and the practice appears to be that you flick out any dregs left in the glass before you pour. The pouring seems to be always done by the same person in a group, and while we have seen plenty of women do it proficiently, they only seem to pour when there are no men present.

We were first introduced to this process by Jorge, back in El Molina de Berange, near Algorta. Needless to say Jorge assumed the pouring role, and impressed us with his skill. He promised us that we would see much more in Gijon, he wasn't wrong.

On Saturday night, returning to the boat after a fine meal of squid, hake, langustines and cider; poured by the waiter traditional fashion, and by ourselves conventionally; we stopped in a busy Cideria near the harbour. “When in Rome ... ” I muttered as I positioned myself at the edge of the footpath, and poured half of the 70 cl bottle onto my sleeve or into the drain in the process of getting a little into our two glasses. I glanced around hoping no one had noticed, but my look was met by a young man nearby, there was no condescension or disdain in his expression, just pity!

The cider itself is much different to ciders I have tasted before. It has a bitter taste, about as much alcohol as a strong beer, and very drinkable.

Well, today, Thursday the part arrived. The mechanic will be back tomorrow to reinstall the gearbox, and with luck we'll be on our way to anchor in Puerta de San Esteban in the afternoon.

Copyright © Pat Egan, 2008, All rights reserved.

Algorta - Gijon

We left Algorta Monday 14^th July. At 8 a.m. In the morning I took the dinghy ashore to pick up Aisling and Jorge, who were accompanying us for the day. A quick safety briefing on lifejackets and essential equipment, and by 9 a.m. we were on our way. Just a short 20 mile hop to Santoña, almost a fifth of which was exiting the massive natural harbour that is navigable all the way up the river to Bilbao.

The bay at Santoña is beautiful, and from a cruiser's perspective, an excellent anchorage. It is surrounded on all sides by land, offering protection no matter which way the wind turns. The only problem being finding a spot that has deep enough water. We had lunch on board and the girls lay on deck in the sun while Jorge tried to show me how to use my fishing gear. I confess, I have yet to catch a fish.

Aisling and Jorge had a bus to catch back to Algorta, after leaving them off we stopped in a shop. “No hablo Espagnol” I explained to the lady as I pointed to the bread. We paid, and then to impress her; “Eskerigasko” the closest I could manage to the Basque for “thank you”. From the tone of her reply together with the occasional Spanish word I knew, I understood I was getting a gentle scolding along the lines of “you say you don't speak Spanish, but then you talk to me in Basque and this is not the Basque country, the Spanish word is 'gratius'”. The Basque country was behind us.

On Tuesday morning we set off for Santander, another thirty miles westward. We had no plans to visit the city, so we just got ourselves sufficiently into the natural harbour to be sheltered from the swell, and dropped the anchor in hard sand off Playa de la Magdelena. We went ashore just for a few groceries.

Wednesday we were on our way once more, destination San Vincente de la Barquera. We were about an hour underway when we received a text from David and Inger in “Luna”, an English boat that we had met in La Rochelle. They had also arrived in Santander on Tuesday, having come directly across Biscay. We had just missed them. In San Vincente we stopped in a café that had free internet access, and we took the chance to check our email. The menu of the day, a 3 course meal including wine was offered for €11, we ate. But we dallied too long, when we went back to the dinghy the tide had gone out & we had to wade through the mud to relaunch.

Thursday we anchored in the harbour mouth at the beautiful fishing village of Tazones, just 11 miles short of Gijon. If you're ever thinking about going there by boat, watch out for the lobster pots in the harbour entrance which are marked not with buoys, but with a barely visible piece of floating rope, ready to grab your propellor.

Friday we arrived in Gijon. After five nights at anchor, a marina offers a nights sleep without having to get up and check our position, plus shore side showers much more capacious than Aragorns cramped one, plus shops, bars, etc. Luxury!

Reverse gear has been playing up, and as we docked in the marina it gave up completely. Fortunately an alert Frenchman in a neighbouring boat spotted our difficulty and saved my blushes by grabbing our bow as we came in. Friday evening is not a great time to need a boat mechanic, but the marina got one for me. Still, it'll be Monday before we're going again, longer if we need parts. No harm, we'd planned on stopping here for a few days. Just so long as the repair bill doesn't break us.

Copyright © Pat Egan, 2008, All rights reserved.

Algorta & Bilbao

The Basque flag has a name : Il Coriña, so we are told by my brother's fianceé's mother, and she should know, she lives here.

We had bought both Spanish and Basque flags in la Rochelle and after a short discussion approaching Spain we decided to follow protocol and fly the Spanish above the Basque. If the reception was frosty, we could change it. However, “frosty” just didn't come into the mindset of the people we met. Our welcome was enthusiastic and warm.

Before we left Ireland Maria, my brother's fianceé, had told us that her mother lived in Algorta. But at that time hadn't decided on our strategy for crossing Biscay, nor where in Spain we would be stopping. When it came to it, we had a good two day weather forecast, and Bilbao, or Algorta at the estuary of the river Nervion, just made sense.

We arrived on the evening of Thursday 10^th July, and sent a quick email home to check we were in the right place. Friday we went exploring on our bikes, and didn't get very far before discovering the massive Puenta Bizkaia, or Bizkaia Bridge. This structure was influenced in its design by the Eiffel tower when it was built in the 1890s. It was designed to carry people across the river without obstructing the passage of tall ships up the river to Bilbao. Standing 63 metres high and spanning 160 metres, it carries several cars, motor bikes and pedestrians across the river on a kind of a giant cable car called a “gondola”. There is also a walkway across the top, we took the lift up and the views of the estuary and surrounding towns were magnificent.

On Saturday Asun, a friend from her student days in Ireland 15 years ago, made the two hour trip up from Pamplona with her husband José Louis, and young son, Adrian. It was a bit windy to take them sailing, so we contented ourselves with lunch onboard and a walk to the Bizkaia bridge. As they had never been to Algorta before, we played hosts, relaying the bridge's story we had only learned ourselves the day before.

No sooner had Asun left when Maria's daughter and son-in-law, Aisling and Jorge, and her mother Florrie, arrived. Aisling and Jorge happened to be in the area on holiday from Madrid. Pretty soon we were ensconced in a nearby tavern, and joined by an ever-growing group of In-Laws to be. You've been “Kidnapped by the Fernandez family” Aisling told us. Later she and Jorge took us to a traditional Basque restaurant, “El Molina de Berange”, and treated us to a sumptuous meal.

Sunday we took the commuter train into Bilbao to see the Guggenheim museum. A remarkable building with it's different shapes and curves, but for me it took second place to the bridge. Then in the evening Maria's friend Begoña collected us and took us to her house where again we dined like monarchs on home cooked traditional Basque fare.

We spent that last night in Algorta anchored in the harbour, our marina budget having been clobbered by our extended stay in La Rochelle. Aisling and Jorge had bravely volunteered to crew for us on the next leg to Santoña, so we picked them up off the quay first thing Monday morning, and left Algorta and a very full weekend behind us.


Copyright © Pat Egan, 2008, All rights reserved.

Biscay

It was the 9^th of July. Our fridge had been replaced, and we were keen to make progress. We cancelled our planned trip to Royan, opting instead to try and make up some lost time by heading straight for Spain.

The book says that Biscay rarely lives up to it's fearsome reputation in the Summer months, and the weather forecast was for calm. It wasn't comforting. Twenty years ago my sister and her husband were capsized and lost their mast in a Biscay storm. Aside from the natural dangers, the French military have a firing range, thirty miles out to sea for the southern half of the French coast. I hid my anxiety from Catherine as best I could

We filled up with diesel in Minimes on the way out of La Rochelle. My plan had been to deflate the dinghy and stow it, but we'd run out of time the night before, Port Rot had simply left us with too much to do. Instead I thought we could do it while we were waiting for the fuel berth to open. No such luck. We got there at 7:45, 15 minutes before opening time and there was already a queue. We attempted to bring it aboard while underway, but it's a 3.8 metre dinghy, and we just tired ourselves out.

Never mind, we've towed it this far, we can tow it to Spain. Accepting defeat I went below to make a reviving cuppa. Meanwhile a large motorboat nearby took Catherine's interest in the cockpit. She watched with some envy as a large mechanical davit craned its much more substantial dinghy, a RIB, into the water. She turned the binoculars to see the name, “D – U something” she said, then “- A – N – E - S, Duanes” she said as the RIB came straight towards us. “I think we're going to have visitors”. Cuppa was postponed.

Now anyone who imports a boat and registers it on the Irish Ships' Register is most likely going to encounter Irish Customs. As we bought Aragorn, and our first boat in the UK, we found it particularly useful to contact Customs beforehand. Ronnie Lyons, whom we dealt with was very helpful, giving us good advice about how to ensure we got all the correct paperwork for VAT etc. He also giving us information on the other, sometimes dangerous, work that the customs office perform.

With the background of this positive experience, a visit from the Duaneries was an exciting distraction and we welcomed the two men and one woman from French Customs aboard with smiles and bienvenues. I think our relaxed attitude unsettled them a little at first, but they quickly relaxed as our sincerity won through. That aside, I was a bit unnerved by the pistols they all wore on their belts and the remaining Customs man keeping careful watch over us in the RIB twenty yards off our beam. A further twenty yards out the Duane's mothership also matched our pace, I wondered what firepower they had pointing at us. Paperwork all checked and in order, they accepted our word that we had neither drugs nor guns aboard, they had a token glance in a few of Aragorn's lockers and were gone.

The rest of our trip across Biscay was a uneventful, in calm seas and light winds it took us thirty two hours to motor sail to Spain. However we had extracted a trophy from our Biscay crossing, as before Les Duanes left we got them all to sign our visitors book.

Copyright © Pat Egan, 2008, All rights reserved.

Wok Lid Technology

“What do you do for Internet access?”. It was Julian from “Electra of Plymouth” who had asked the question as we sat in the capacious cockpit of his Moody 40. It was in Concarneau, our first stop in France, and I started by explaining that Aragorn was still piled high with stuff, waiting to find room in a locker, and that I'd have to have that lot sorted before I could put my theoretical plan into action.

It was an idea I'd taken from someone's casual comment about “Matador” an English boat, currently in the Eastern Med, who were using a common kitchen colander to enhance their Internet access.

Long before we'd left Ireland Catherine had decided that there was neither room to cook with, nor to stow my wok in the galley. However, believing I had figured out what Stuart and Steph were doing with the colander, I had made room to stow the wok's lid in Aragorn's workshop. It would not be until we reached La Rochelle that I would be able to buy the remaining two components to test my plan.

The two items were an external USB WiFi antenna, and a USB extension cable, total cost €34. I then mounted the antenna in the centre of the wok lid and pointed it in different directions until I picked up an unsecured WiFi network. Hey presto! We were on-line, downloading email, weather forecasts, and chatting to the folks back home over Skype for two cents a minute. All from the comfort of our own boat in La Rochelle's Vieux Port.

The principal is the same as in your TV satellite dish, the semi-spherical shape of the wok lid reflects the radio waves towards the antenna. Of course ideally it should be parabolic in shape, like a satellite dish, rather than the semi-sphere of the wok lid, but wok lid was what I had, and it gives my signal a decent boost.

A side effect of this is the intrigue it causes amongst neighbouring boats, and the MacIvor status it earns me, at least until they know me better!

At the time of Julian'/s question, all of this still remained to be proven, nevertheless, I explained my plan. Julian listened attentively to my theory, and then asked my opinion on the device he was using. He showed me his directional WiFi antenna, basically a commercially produced version of what I'd described, except of course it had the proper shape and material. “Bought this on Ebay for a hundred quid, it's not bad”, he admitted as I expressed surprise that it was even available.

“Not bad” indeed, I have since come across the professionally made item on other boats, and they have three times the range or more of my version. A hundred quid of Aragorn's kit budget has been earmarked, but in the meantime I'll keep going with my Wok Lid technology.

To see how Stuart & Steph are getting on see their web site on www.yachtmatador.co.uk.

Copyright © Pat Egan, 2008, All rights reserved.

La Rochelle

If you ever go to La Rochelle use the first rainy day to take a tour of the aquarium. And if you ever go to La Rochelle's aquarium, make sure you bring a pack lunch, a flask of coffee, and a bottle or two of water. Take the whole day to see everything, there is just so much. But it's a pity that such a magnificent attraction offers nothing by way of sustenance to its visitors. When you're hungry and thirsty it gets hard to stay interested.

But the aquarium is just one of La Rochelle's attractions. There is the maritime museum, there are those famous towers, there is the old city itself, and while we were there they were giving tours of the Aluminium 100 plus footer, “Tara”. A sailing boat built for arctic exploration, that had been deliberately sailed into the Arctic ice, and had crossed the north pole; or within a few miles of it; on the iceflow. The same boat had previously belonged to Sir Peter Blake, on which he'd met his fate at the hands of pirates in the Amazon.

For the boating enthusiast there is more. Not a mile down the road is Minimes, whose three thousand berth marina makes it a boat slum of biblical proportions, but with that comes an abundance of chandlers, boat builders, and marine suppliers of about every ilk.

But for me, the centre piece of this beautiful French city are the towers at the entrance to the old port, or Vieux Port. Both my previous visits to La Rochelle were by road, and from the first time I saw these magnificent structures it became a life's ambition to skipper my own boat between them. And so, on Friday the 27^th June 2008 I fulfilled this ambition.

We spent our first night in the Vieux Port, right in the heart of La Rochelle's tourist area. Surrounded on three sides by the bars and cafés, with their tables sprawling out onto the footpaths. We were just far enough away for the noise for it to be only a slight intrusion. However, we were planning to stay for a few days, so when the next day Christian, the port Captain, offered us a berth in the quieter Bassin des Chalutiers Ancien, we took it. Here, just a hundred yards from the centre was a practically empty marina with berthing spaces substantially more generous than even Dun Laoghaire's. Later we found out that this ancient trawlers basin had just reopened a few days before after a marina revamp.

Chalutiers would fill up while we were there, but initially we shared it with a couple of English motor boats, a couple of unoccupied sailing boats, “Tara”, and “Kondor”, from the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire. Needless to say the Paddys weren't long getting together. I lost count of the number of crew on Kondor, but all I had to remember was the skipper's name was “Dermot” and everyone else was called “Joe”, with or without the “e” depending on gender.

With so few boats, and such large berthing spaces it was perfect to go practicing our marina manouvering, but somehow there was always something else to do, and then the place was full.

We spent longer than intended in La Rochelle on account of essential repairs, but this was no hardship, and we made full value of our time there.

On the 9^th July we left La Rochelle with bruised wallets having replaced the fridge. This was not foremost on our minds. Next stop Spain, across the Bay of Biscay, with its fearsome reputation for sudden storms and mountainous seas. It would prove an eventful trip.

Copyright © Pat Egan, 2008, All rights reserved.

Vannes & the Morbihan

The city of Vannes proclaims itself capital of the Morbihan, and dates back to Roman times. The Morbihan itself is an inland sea, about twice the size of Dublin Bay, with hundreds of Islands. A number of rivers flow into this sea, and these, combined with the narrow exit into the Bay of Biscay, lead to exciting currents of up to ten knots.

Entering we rode the incoming tide, just a few hundred yards as far as Ile Longue, and there we dropped our anchor for lunch and a lazy evening playing cards and monopoly. I was to be reminded of my inexperience the next day when we planned to go the rest of the way up to Vannes. I had been aware of the strong currents at the entrance, but for some reason it hadn't dawned on me that these went pretty much all the way up to Vannes.

So Thursday morning, we weighed anchor, and as I tidied up the bow of the boat, still snug in the anchorage, I caught sight of a sailing boat heading out of the Morbihan at what appeared to be an unnatural pace. As I watched another boat went racing by, followed by several more. They were going at at least 15 knots. Now these sailing boats just don't go that fast. The penny dropped, the current, and it was going the wrong way! We picked up a mooring buoy, played cards again until lunch, and took the afternoon tide up to Vannes.

The marina in Vannes is right in the heart of the old town. They need lock gates to ensure that there is sufficient water there to keep the boats afloat, so going in or getting out is restricted to around high tide. There is a road bridge, which is swung open to allow the boats in. When we went through, having queued with a dozen other boats, avoiding a collision was something of a challenge. The bridge operator was calling something to us : “deux cent dix-neuf” he repeated, our berth had been assigned. We were lucky, just two minutes walk from the town centre, yet far enough back down river to dull the town noises.

It was here in Vannes that we were to have our first visitors, Bill and Rita. Now Rita's boating ambitions don't go beyond drinks in the cockpit whilst firmly secured in the marina. However, these she fulfilled in some style, arriving not just with the champagne, but laden with chocolates and other gifts. The weather was perfect, we had two evenings sipping our pre-dinner champagne, sheltering from the hot continental sun under Aragorn's bimini.

Walking through Vannes' narrow streets, with the upper floors of the buildings tiered out over our heads, I found myself instinctively walking close in to the sides for fear of what might be coming from the windows above. It was amazing to wander through street after street of houses built hundreds of years ago, with the original wood still in the exterior walls.

Vannes was also Matthew's departure point. On Monday Bill and Rita took him to the airport in La Rochelle on the next leg of their own journey. Catherine and I took an evening walk down the river to reccy the lock gates and the swing bridge in our own time.

The next morning we left Vannes with the ebb tide, the massive current sent us racing through the Morbihan and flushed us into the Bay of Biscay. Without Matthew now, from here on there would be just the two of us.

Copyright © Pat Egan, 2008, All rights reserved.

Work, Work, Work!

“Your website hasn't been updated .... As you have so much time on your hands you should be able to update it more often.” Or “How is your extended holiday going .... all that lounging in the sun.” It's a common thread in the emails I have been receiving, and it's one that invokes a sense of indignation.

My reply is along the lines;

“We have had about as much time available as we had on the days immediately before our departure. The to do list goes on for 2 pages, and gets longer every day. We usually get to bed about midnight, rise about 8, and start working at 9. Recently we found a Carrefoure (big supermarket, think Cornelscourt times ten) - and spent 2 hours there, mostly noting what they have rather than buying the few bits that we got - and then had to carry everything home on our bikes. Before that I had to fix a puncture on my bike & Catherine's needed a bit of adjustment. Getting internet access is a daily challenge. I've been spending an hour or so every day trying to track down someone that can fix the fridge, or fit a new one. I am still working on fittings to attach the Dinghy to the back of the boat.

“We're enjoying it, and certainly not complaining, but "As you have so much time on your hands you should be able to update it more often" is a bit wide of the mark. And absolutely I am not looking for sympathy. If you're going to have an enforced stay somewhere, La Rochelle in June sure knocks the socks off rainy Dublin”.

We met an English couple on their boat here and they told us that they'd stopped here on their way south, but a succession of domestic issues brought them back to England repeatedly, until it was too late in the year and the weather was too bad. Three years later they're still here, and they're not complaining either. La Rochelle is the sort of place you could hang up your boots in for quite a while, but three years is not on our plan.

Then we went up the mast to change a light, and in the process managed to break 2 winches (long story), we're still waiting for the replacement parts. When I say "we" - I was up there for half an hour and came down knackered and in need of fresh underwear, it's sixty foot up a narrow pole. When I got down I realised I'd put the trilight on back to front. Catherine went up the second time, and in doing so elevated herself to Ellen MacArthur heights in the eyes of the entire marina.

The fridge is proving an interesting problem, I have been told quite emphatically that there is only one company in La Rochelle that can fix fridges, and I have found them both! One has told me that mine has to be replaced, the other is due in the morning, so we'll see. If what the first chap told me is borne out, I have a dilemna. Should we stay in La Rochelle for a third week and get the type of fridge we were going to upgrade to anyway? On the surface that seems like the right idea. But it will mean another week's marina charges plus a lift out, which between them cover the cost of the common or garden version, and then there's the further week's delay. In the meantime, the compressor is located under the floor of the cockpit locker, so I have ropes, buckets, anchors, and various other junk strewn around the deck to keep it accessible to the repairmen.

On the plus side I have, I think, sorted out my davits. As I type the dinghy is suspended from the stern. I'll see how it works when we go to sea. In addition, we have made quite a dent in the to do list, to such an extent that I am down to the things that will have to wait until the Algarve, and the chicken list.

So perhaps I will have some time on my hands to update the website after all .... Naww, I'll just spend my time lounging in the sun.

Copyright © Pat Egan 2008, all rights reserved.

One for Ireland

The Irish flag that Aragorn wears on her transom is a just bit bigger than those of our Eurpean neighbours that we have been meeting as we make our way towards the Algarve. Probably coming from a small country has something to do with it, but I think it's more to emphasize that we are not British.

Now anchorages, even crowded ones, are quiet places, with not much going on. The highlight of activity in a whole morning may be the arrival or departure of a boat. Therefore all eyes in a crowded anchorage are drawn to such an event. Whether they are or not, you certainly feel like they are when you make a mess of a things.

The technique of sailing off an anchor without resort to engine had been explained to me, and it seemed straightforward enough, but I had never done it. Basically, the anchor holds you into the wind, just perfect for hoisting your mainsail, then you simply tack up to the anchor, with the crew on the bow hauling in as you go.

We spent the night among the Glenan Islands off the coast of Brittany, not much more than a few metres above sea level at their highest points, and hardly enough land between the lot of them to make a decent farm. But they are a popular place to anchor, and even in early June there were at least twenty other boats around us.

So, amidst the seasoned mariners of Europe, this novice skipper decided to have a go. It worked a dream. Catherine, Matthew and I raised our main, took Aragorn quitely up to her anchor, hauled in, made secure, unfurled the genoa and sailed through the other boats out of the archipelago without polluting the atmosphere with an ounce of diesel fumes. Proud of our achievement, and conscious of neighbouring boats and our oversized Irish flag, I indulged out loud “that's one for Ireland”.

Picking up moorings can also be a tricky business. Invariably one member of the crew ends up hanging over the bow in an undignified position trying simultaneously to get a line on the mooring and relay steering instructions back to the helm, and to do all that without descending into panic. Fortunately for us Aragorn came equiped with a gizmo for this very purpose, and Catherine has mastered it's use.

The following evening we arrived in Sauzon, a picturesque fishing village in Belle Ile, where, once again there was a crowd of boats as we picked up a visitors' mooring. I took the wheel and Catherine went to the bow, where she calmly tapped the buoy with the gizmo and coolly retrieved the line, now looped through the buoy. We sat down to relax for the evening, and again I indulged proudly, “that's another one for Ireland”.

Overnight the wind changed, the swell got up, and it became uncomfortable. We'd learned from our time in the Scillys, so first thing in the morning we moved to an anchorage on the other side of the island. We arrived to join the one other boat that was there ahead of us in the narrow bay. Forgetting to prepare the halyard I told Matthew to drop the main, the line promply snagged, and our half raised main flapped wildly while we sorted it out. Then, deploying the anchor I made the trip line too short, making it impossible for the anchor to set. We carreened in astern towards our anxious new neighbours, before realising the mistake and regaining control.

We reset the anchor, correctly this time, and sat down to take in our new surroundings. I made no comment, then or since, about our contribution to Ireland.

Copyright © Pat Egan 2008, all rights reserved.

Concarneau

We spent six days in Concarneau. At first, the exitement of landfall in a new country, and a town with plenty for the visitor to do and see, kept us busy for a while. We also had to do some exploring; where's the nearest supermarket; where can we get internet access; where's the launderette; etc.

The detailed description of Concarneau I will leave for the tourist books, but the dominant feature is its walled Old Town, complete with moat and its own dragon. Having arrived after a two day sail from the Scillys on Saturday evening, we rose late on Sunday, had brunch al fresco in a Creperie on the harbour, and spent the day wandering about town.

I was a bit disappointed by how commercialised the old town was, however it was a fantastic place to visit, small enough to explore in an afternoon, a browse through the shops followed by a walk around the ramparts. Of course the modern town spread itself out all around the harbour, but was more functional than interesting.

After a couple of days, the state of our accommodation on the boat was getting to us. We put off further tourist attractions until we got it sorted. It took a few days, but gradually the piles of clothes, shoes, boat equipment, food, books, toys, etc., found places for themselves around Aragorn's capacious lockers.

Then there were the jobs to do. There was the domestic stuff, shopping, launderette, and clean up the boat. The foldy-up Brompton bicycles got their first outings, and were a big help with the shopping. Then there was the maintenance tasks, Mount the EPIRB, an emergency device that announces we're in trouble and gives our position; Mount the replacement fire extinguishers; Sort out the cockpit locker; Find appropriate stowage for the two dinghies, don't ask why we have two; Fix this light, that light; Repair cockpit floor; for every item we crossed off the to do list two more seemed to appear.

Speaking of dinghies, I had davits made to suspend the dinghy off Aragorn's stern, but I had to rig its lines. I thought this was a simple task, but it would take until La Rochelle and several days of trial and error to arrive at a solution that I was prepared to go to sea with.

We gave my nephew Matthew chores to do in the morning, and once completed we packed him off to talk to the natives in an attempt to improve his French for his Leaving Cert. next year. Well, he got a few swims in and made progress reading his novel aswell. But it was good to have a fit young man to help with some of the heavy lifting.

We left Concarneau the following Friday morning, and sailed the ten miles to the Glenan Islands for a night on the anchor. Our St Christopher medals were working overtime, as about half way we were met by a fishing boat with no one at the helm, I left it late to react, thinking he was about to change course, and we had a close one. The skipper replied to my protest with a half apologetic Gallic shrug.

The Glenans, which lent their name to the world wide sailing schools, are a busy spot. We went ashore for lunch, but the only restaurant was booked out, and the only bar didn't serve food. We settled for a walk and dined on Aragorn's provisions. Tomorrow, Ile de Groix.

Copyright © Pat Egan 2008, all rights reserved.

And We're Off

So, we're underway. And a fine start we got for it too. Of course, you can't have everything, the way the weather was, nice and calm, meant that we didn't get much sailing in, so thump, thump, thump we went down the Irish coast under engine. First stop the Isles of Scilly, previous ideas about going direct to La Coruna scotched, don't want to put ourselves off on the first leg.

The boat was a mess. We had our stuff piled high in the salon and the cabins, much the same way as the stuff we were leaving behind had been piled high in Catherine's mother's. There was room to sleep, room at the nav table & just about room to cook in the galley. We'll sort it in Scilly.

I set the watch to four hours on, four hours off. Catherine and I working opposite, and Matthew, my nephew, not yet experienced enough to do his own watch overlapped my last two hours and Catherine's first.

That first night underway we passed Tuskar. As we trundled ever southward I savoured it's light as it faded below the horizon, with a small lump in my throat I realised this would be my last glimpse of Ireland for some time.

I wanted to arrive in daylight, so, leaving as we did at lunchtime Saturday our choices were to make sure we arrived Sunday evening by using the engine, or to sail whenever we possibly could and arrive Monday morning, slowing down if necessary. We chose the latter, and arrived into Hughtown at 8 a.m. Monday.

I think Hughtown is the largest town in the Isles of Scilly, but it can hardly have a population of more than a few hundred. It is on St Mary's Island, and its natural harbour, like every harbour and anchorage in the Scillys is sheltered from only certain wind directions. We spent two nights on a mooring there, hoping the wind would change direction as forecast. It was impossible to do any work, sorting our stuff out with the swell rolling us about.

Showers were available ashore, for a pound a go. Glynn, the harbourmaster lamented to me that he was sure that boats were stopping overnight on his moorings and not paying the £16 a night due. I wanted to tell him that he was giving poor value, but thought better of it.

The third night we anchored off St Agnes island nearby, this time with the land between us and the wind, and got ourselves our first decent night's sleep since we left Ireland.

This was also our first opportunity to get the new Rocna anchor wet, Given that Aragorn already had three anchors when we bought her, this fourth did seem something of an extravagance. However, if the manufacturers claims hold true; and so far they have; then it was a worthwhile investment. Paddy Boyd who supplied it also went the extra mile to modify my bow roller to hold its unusual shape.

Then, Thursday morning it was up anchor and point at France. We still had our stuff piled around the boat. I doubted it would all fit in the lockers. Once in France we'd get on a nice comfy marina & we'd be sorted in no time.

The crossing was another relatively easy one for us. As we planned to make our first continental landfall in Concarneau, we had about the same distance to cover as Dublin to Scilly. The weather was benign, we put a precautionary reef in for night time sailing, which was just as well as the wind got up a bit, and though we could have sailed unreefed, the off watch might not have slept as well.

Having left after breakfast I planned to arrive in Concarneau in daylight on Saturday evening, this shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as we didn't dawdle. So the rule was simple, if we weren't getting 5 knots under sail, turn on the engine and get 6.

Like in the Scillys, it was overcast for most of the trip. As we were making our final approach into Concarneau the sun made an appearance. Even at seven in the evening, it was hot, not like a fine Irish Summer's day, but the aggressive heat of continental sunshine. We took out the suncream. Nous sommes arrivé.

Copyright © Pat Egan 2008, all rights reserved.

Going, going, gone!

Friday 9^th May – The big clear out

Rent a van day. Catherine's brother Paul is over from England, he's there to drive the Transit, but a fine strong back on him for shifting furniture. We send a full load to Catherine's mother.

Saturday 10^th May – The Even bigger clear out

And an even bigger furniture removals van to take the rest of our furniture to the auctions. It also takes a full load.

The house is pretty bare now, some furniture still left, the good stuff that is staying with the lease, and the "stuff" the auctions wouldn't take, to tide the people over until their own furniture arrives.

Tuesday 19^th, we sell the car, phew, that's our going away money. We had to drop the price big time, but, well, they were nice people and I hope that get great value from it.

We still have the '94 Peugot to get us around, it's a banger, and Catherine's afraid of being stopped in it, but it gets us there.

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More old accounts and papers keep showing up for shredding.

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Friday 23^rd May

Lunch with my Godfathner and his wife in Hartley's. They gave us St Christopher medals, one each for Catherine, myself, and Aragorn. I can assure you Tim and Blathnaid, that we have each worn our medals at all time since, and so far, he's been on the job!

Saturday 24^th May – Drinks in the club.

Ger can't come, she's put out her back and can hardly move, but would we like the loan of her car?, since she can't drive either. Yes please.

Leaving drinks in the Dun Laoghaire Motor yacht club. Scheduled departure next weekend, but people suggesting they wave us off from the end of the pier. What time they want to know. Catherine advises everyone that we don't know when exactly we'll get away. Noon on Saturday the 31^st I tell them all confidently, and train is rolling.

Thursday 29^th May - All hands on deck!

Forgive the nautical pun, but Catherine's mother & sister are recruited for final clear out & cleanup duties as that train comes at us at full speed. My brother Lorcan is dragged along too, ferrying "stuff" up to Catherine's mother's house along with Erland who moved "stuff" to the dump and the boat.

Must be out of the house today, the lease starts tomorrow, however we have negotiated that we can stay 'til 3 p.m. tomorrow to complete clean up.

But those last few bits and pieces have become a mountain. Lorcan's trailer is creaking at the seams, and hardly a dent in the mountain.

Niceties are out the window. Take it with us, store it, give it away, dump it, just decide!!!

In the midst of all the mayhem Natalie showed up to take the '94 Peugot, and even pay us money for it.

Friday 30^th May

CHOO CHOOO! Dump everything in the back lane. We've been offloading "stuff" for months, how have we still got so much "stuff". Grab it, sprint down the garden, dump it in the lane, sprint back, grab something else. Be out by 3 o'clock! That train is rocket propelled!

Did I mention the window cleaner is coming this morning?

Twenty to three, a girl from the letting agent rings for our status, it's the third time today. “Tight” I tell her, but I think it will be a while before she forgives me for the rest.

Five to three, I ring the agent, “we're out” I proclaim in exhausted and triumphant relief, but don't quite receive the accolade I feel we're entitled to.

Phew! Alas, no time to relax. Friday afternoon, and it's the June bank holiday weekend, gotta to get to the bank, the chandlers, and fix up with the marina, all before close of business. Then there's the small mountain of "stuff" in the back lane. Lorcan's going to need a bigger trailer.

Speaking of Dun Laoghaire marina, hats off to all there for looking after Aragorn and us for the year we spent there.

Five o'clock, I am ravenous. An all day breakfast for two in Dun Laoghaire shopping centre. We can't afford the time, what lunatic committed us to depart Dun Laoghaire harbour at 12 noon tomorrow!! But we haven't had a bite since 7 a.m., not even a cup of tea, the body is starting to demand its share of the spoils of today's minor victories.

There's a few calls to be made. Tom in SOLAS, among others, a detail about the new liferaft. “How's it going” he asks, I sigh and babble something about a rocket propelled steam train. “You can borrow my truck if you like” he says cheerily, I'll be out your way in an hour or so. It didn't sink in, “thanks, I might take you up on that”, I replied. 15 minutes later I ring back, “please, please, please, yes, can I borrow your truck”.

Catherine fills Ger's car with that part of the “stuff” mountain destined for the boat, I go off to collect Tom's truck, wouldn't you know, Friday evening, it's country music with T R Dallas on RTE, all I am missing is my Yorkee bar.

I return to the back lane. Marianne, my bemused neighbour, brings me in for a cuppa before she and her young son Timothy help load the truck. Catherine returns from the boat just as we're done. The truck takes the bulk of the load, the rest fits into Ger's car. Then off to Catherine's mother's in convoy.

It is not until both truck and car are unloaded that I notice the effects of the last month's transfer of “stuff” into Agnes's and Margot's home, especially the succession of car and trailer loads just dumped into any available space over the past few days. It is now 11 o'clock at night, and their house more resembles Buckley's Auction rooms than someone's home. There is room in the attic, where most of it is destined for, but there's a day's work in getting it all up there.

The triumph of reality over determination is complete, we negotiate a one day extension of our truck and car loans, we text everyone in our phones' address books to announce the postponement of our departure, and we sleep the sleep of the just.

Saturday 31^st May

So not exiting Dun Laoghaire harbour in the beautiful sunshine of this Saturday morning, but stripped to my shorts in the sauna like attic, packing away “stuff”. There was delph, china, crystal, magazines, clothes, books, but mostly it was just “stuff”, and Agnes's generous attic swallowed it all up.

By evening we were done, now it was just a case of returning borrowed vehicles, a bit of shopping and a well earned meal in La Strada, where Faycal the chef presented us with an Algerian courtesy flag for when we get that far. Courtesy indeed, the flag is bigger than some of our sails.

Sunday, 1^st June

After an early start, we filled up with diesel, and walked up to Dun Laoghaire to meet up for final farewells and coffee in “It's a Bagel”. Then back to the boat and cast our lines, just one day and a few minutes behind schedule, giving friends and family time to walk to the end of the pier to wave us off.

I had one last indulgence up my sleeve, one which I had not even told Catherine of, and as we hooted our fog horns and waved at everyone as we were exiting the harbour I bellowed out my carefully planned spontaneous rendition of “California Here I Come”.

So thank you Agnes and Margot for all your hard work cleaningour house, and letting us turn yours into a storage depot. Thank you Paul and Lorcan and Erland for moving all that “stuff”, Thank you Ger and Tom for the loans of your respective vehicles, Thank you Tim and Blathnaid for your thoughtful gift, and thanks to everyone who gave us presents, even though we told you not to!! Thank you Marianne and Timothy for the cuppa and the help loading the truck, thank you Anthony and Seamus and Brian for all the work on the boat. A special thank you to Sean and Paul D, for the mentoring and help with the boat. And thank you to all at Dun Laoghnaire Marina, and everyone else that was such a big help to us. Finally and sincerely, sorry to Frank and Angela and anyone else who's number was not in my phones' address books, who had a wasted walk down the pier on Saturday.

Copyright © Pat Egan 2008, all rights reserved.

Lifting out

Imagine if once a year you had to hire a great big crane and move your house as the only way to access and clean your basement. Imagine your home swaying on a chain as it is plucked from between your neighbours while you pray some mishap does not reduce all you own to matchwood. Then imagine that you have to work flat out for twenty four hours before the whole process is repeated to slot your pride and joy back into place.

Aragorn, our boat, and soon to be home, got it's annual below the waterline maintenance this week. The whole process would have cost a lot more and taken a lot longer had it not been for Catherine, my wife and crew, Sean, our friend and sailing mentor, and Anthony, our “shore engineer”.

Our concern about costs has increased proportionately with the imminence of our Live-aboard lifestyle. Fortunately we were able to book our lift-out in Howth Yacht Club, whose reasonable rates were matched by an equally reasonable chandlers just across the harbour.

Our plan was to sail from Dun Laoghaire on Monday night, lift out first thing Tuesday and get all the work done within the day. Then lift back on Wednesday and sail home.

I spent Monday buzzing around making sure that all the tools we'd need were aboard while Catherine ensured a suitably provisioned galley. Then, at eight o'clock, with Sean as extra crew, we slipped our lines and sailed across Dublin Bay. With twenty knots of wind out of the Southwest, under a clear Winter sky, we had a perfect sail, snug in our thermals, arriving in time to sample the Guinness in the club bar.

We slept on board, rising at a civilized 8 o'clock. With Catherine manning the camera, Nicky on the crane, told us what to do, while his mate Kevin, with his infectious smile, kept everyone on track and in good humour. With slings sunk under the boat fore and aft, the mighty crane slowly hoisted Aragorn's ten tons. Sean held a line on the stern while I held one on the bow, conscious that a sudden gust of wind might send us for a swim, or smash Aragorn to smithereens off the quay wall. Thankfully no such disasters befell, and she made a perfect landing in the waiting cradle.

Then it was all go. Examine the hull and keel for signs of wear. Check the propeller, its shaft, and anodes. The prop needed a little restoration, the anodes and cutlass bearing needed replacement, and the rope cutter required some dentistry to return it to as new chomping performance. Credit to Anthony, who beavered away despite a few inadvertent dousings as we hosed off the marine fuzz that had started to overcome last year's anti-foul.

By seven in the evening it was dark, we had covered the hull in a fresh coat of paint, and all was done bar a few last minute jobs. Second night on the boat we slept the sleep of the just.

Next morning, while the crane suspended Aragorn in the air, Anthony and I held the lines, and Catherine, armed with paintbrush instead of camera, touched up the patches that were inaccessible on the ground.

Back in the water, the shore engineer made his final engine checks, and, with her freshly cleaned hull Aragorn tore across Dublin Bay at a blistering eight and half knots to home sweet home on Dun Laoghaire marina.

One big job out of the way, all going well next time we'll be doing it in the warmth of an Algarve Spring.

Copyright © Pat Egan 2008, all rights reserved.

Planning to be Marine Itinerants

“How are the plans going?”, or “What are your plans?”, are questions we are asked a lot these days about our forthcoming move to live-aboard in warmer climes.

First I say that, although everything may sound very definite, it has to be flexible. Travelling by small boat is unpredictable. You never know when something's going to go wrong and you just have to stay and fix it. It might be that you have to wait a month for a part. Or the weather can turn sour and stay that way for weeks. Alternatively we could arrive somewhere planning to stay for a week, and then get a perfect forecast with the wind blowing out of just the right direction, and leave the next day.

Still, we need a plan to get where we want to be when the Winter comes in. For us this is the Algarve, more specifically Lagos Marina. The Algarve is strategically situated on the entrance to the Mediterranean, and just off the main sailing route from Northern Europe to the Caribbean via the Canary Islands. We're told that Lagos is a great spot for novice liveaboards, with its thriving live-aboard community, town centre location, and launching pad to either the Med or the Americas. Because Lagos is so suitable it tends to fill up quickly, so we're already booked in there from November 1st.

Another factor defining our schedule is the weather. I've been warned that the North Coast of Spain is prone to fog from late August. As we head South we expect it to improve, but, travelling down the coast of western Europe we will be ever exposed to the full might of the Atlantic, and that gets angrier and mightier the later in the year it gets.

Then there is the route we plan to take. We are taking the coastal route around the Bay of Biscay, partly because we want to cruise a little in France on the way, and also because we have little appetite for a long passage directly to Spain at this stage.

Our final consideration is domestic, because of other commitments we cannot leave before the end of May. All of this combines to create the framework of our first year of our life as marine itinerants.

All going well we leave Dun Laoghaire at the end of May. Hopefully we'll get a few days in the Scilly Islands and Cornwall before moving on to Concarneau in Brittany. From there gently make our way down the French coast to La Rochelle, visiting the cities, towns, villages and remote anchorages along the way. In some we will only stop overnight, in others we may stay for a week, longer if the weather turns nasty & we have to wait it out. We will probably stay in France until after Bastille day, 14th July, just to join the celebrations. Then we'll wait for a good forecast to cut across Biscay to Bilbao.

We will loll our way westward along the North of Spain over the next few weeks. Remembering the fog, we will press to get around the northwest corner of Spain and on past Cape Finisterre by late August. I have heard a lot about the Rias of Northwest Spain, we'll spend some weeks exploring them. Along the West coast of Portugal we will at least stop in Porto and Cais Cais.

We want to be around Cape St Vincent on the Southwest corner of Portugal by the 1st October, and into the relative shelter of the Algarve. We'll cruise the Algarve for the month, before snuggling down in Lagos until February.

Then it's lift out for some routine maintenance and by March '09 we'll be poking our nose into the Mediterranean, but that's next year's plan.

Copyright © Pat Egan 2008, all rights reserved.

Decision made.

Yes! Our minds are made up! We're going!

Come 31^st May, or as soon after as weather permits, it's "all aboard" for Catherine and me on our 40 foot sailing boat, "Aragorn", out of Dun Laoghaire harbour, hang a right at Dalkey Island, and see what happens.

In truth, our minds were well made up long before now, but we had to stay shtum for business reasons. No more! It's the nomadic life for us, and we're shouting it from the rooftops.

And OK, we have a specific destination. We're going to hunker down in the Algarve from November through February, before heading East into the Med for Summer 2009. After all, we want to be where the weather's warm come Winter. The downside being this imposes a schedule; we can't simply dawdle our way down, or we might end up in a French or Spanish Winter, not much better than our own. And that's another thing that's going to hurry us up : weather. I'm told it gets foggy along the North of Spain in the latter part of August, so we want to be South of Finisterre by September 1^st, and around Cape St Vincent on the Southwest corner of Portugal in early October.

Gosh, we'll barely have had a couple of pints in the Scilly Isles but we'll be upping anchor & heading for France. A few days cruising the Glenan Islands, perhaps a week on the Morbihan inland sea. But making our entrance between the towers into La Rochelle's old harbour is a moment to savour for ever.

The Spanish coast beckons, but wouldn't it be a shame to be in France at that time of year and not wait to join in on Bastille Day on the 14^th of July?

Little over a month to whistle stop through Bilbao, Gijon, La Coruna, and the Rias of Northwest Spain. A visit to Santiago de Compostello is a must, but I don't think we'll walk! What a happy dilemma that in order to visit the next beautiful place we must leave the one we are in.

As for funding this, well, you know, it doesn't cost much to drop the anchor in a sheltered bay and hook a couple of fish for dinner. Hoisting the sails in a fair wind not only means free transport for us, but for our home and contents too! Ye can keep yer Estate Agents' commissions, yer Solicitors' fees, and yer removal vans ye land lubbers!

Of course we'll have to pay to stop in ports and marinas to shelter when the weather's bad, or just for a rest. When the wind doesn't oblige we may have to use the engine, and that's three expensive litres of diesel an hour. We will offload more cash stocking up on land produce, on the odd "bouteille du vin", or on visiting local hostelries. And of course there'll be ongoing maintenance and repairs to Aragorn. But continental prices are favourable and with renting the house and our savings, a little budget planning should keep us indefinately.

When are we coming back? Wrong question! Not when, if! If we get ill, or go broke, or get fed up with warm weather or challenging seas, or maybe we'll just wait 'til we're too old for adventure.

We might even decide we don't like the lifestyle and just return quietly in August after an interesting French cruise!

Hmm, I don't think so!

Copyright © Pat Egan 2008, all rights reserved.