A Irish Adventure in the offiing

The winter months may curtail PicoMicroYacht somewhat, but not the planning of future voyaging, a sailor's winter entertainment.

My CASPA running friends have decided to do their next 100 K charity run along the Wild Atlantic Way on the west of Ireland.








This coast is not for the faint hearted. The wild Atlantic rolling waves, building up over thousands of miles, crash against the coast, where on a lee shore there may be no safe port for miles. Best voyaged in a well founded and seaworthy yacht.

Being cautious, instead of following them along the coast, PicoMicroyacht will be crossing Ireland east to west from Dublin to Limerick along canals and rivers and meeting up with the runners on the coast.

 If the weather is settled and calm, there could be a few voyages out into the Atlantic Ocean.

It may be possible to visit the Aran Islands, just off the Bay of Galway. These Islands can be reached by PicoMicroYacht in less than two hours.

But, as the the Irish playright, John Millingon Synge, wrote in 1898 when recuperating on the Aran islands:

'A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drownded, for he will be going on a day he shouldn't. But we do be afraid of the sea and do only be drownded now and again.'

 So only now and then, but even so one cannot be too careful.

J M Synge

Footnote: The quote from John Synge is actually the words of an old man trying to persuade him not to go to sea off Inishmore Island in an open rowing boat, a curagh. Synge ignored the advice and nonchalantly set off,  the boat hitting an angry cross sea, nearly drowning the crew.

His book, 'The Aran Islands' is now free on the Web:

 http://irishislands.info/texts/AranIslands/AranIslandsJMS.html