The Azores to Ireland - the beginning of 'the end'....
10 to 21 July 2012
Leaving the Azores...still smiling at this point
I sit on board Kadoona in Schull, a small village on the West coast of Ireland, two weeks after our magnificent arrival into the Emerald Isle and find it a tad difficult to reflect on our final passage. Some of this is due to the almost empty glass of wine by my side (a 'real' glass this time folks - one with an actual stem, borrowed from a pub, but that's a whole 'nother story), but mostly it's because the last trip was not my time to shine. I had rather hoped that the last leg of our adventure would be beautiful sailing, sunny skies and kind seas (like the last two passages we had from Barbuda to Bermuda, and then on to the Azores - finally I'd begun to see how beautiful sailing could be). Instead we had extremely variable winds (in direction and strength - from 0 knots with slamming sails to 30 knots and reefing down), roll uncomfortable seas, engine on and off (not so anxious about using fuel on this ocean, we just wanted to get there) and by far the worst of it all….cold cold cold air and grey grey grey skies and rain rain rain….time to layer on the thermals again folks (I'll refer you back to our first big passage from NZ to Raivaivai for that info, except now the oilskins leak!). Perhaps some of the complaint was also due to the trip of a lifetime being just about over?
In all this doom and gloom was one of those 'you just had to be there' moments. I first spotted what looked like smoke on the horizon, on the only clear sunny day, as Ian was handing over watch to me. 'Strange looking cloud' I thought as it dissipated. Until I spotted another and another….WHALES! We were motoring (not a breath of wind) through an enormous pod of Fin whales. One poor old fella, maybe 70 or 80 feet?, was missing his fin. Ironiy is: a Fin whale with NO fin? Hmmmm….imagine trying to explain that to a child? We spent the entire afternoon with these incredible creatures just metres from the boat (yes, also a little disconcerting). Luckily I guess the engine noise kept them aware of our existence, since a couple of days before I'd had one duck under the bow just in time as we sailed silently over it's back. Phew! I'm not sure who was more frightened that time. Another magical moment for me was enjoying the show the dolphins put on in the phosphorescence in the middle of the night, surfing along our bow wave, zipping out at a right angle and zooming up alongside us again. So while the more traumatic memories eventually turn into 'elaborate pub stories' or fade away, these magical-goose-bump-and-bring-a-tear-to-the-eye moments (of which there have been many out in the open ocean), are the ones that we will hold closest to our hearts. They are the ones that will keep us warm, fuzzy and misty eyed, and the ones we will repeat time and time again, to anyone who listen. So be warned, if you ask us which was our favourite place or our favourite experience, you could be in for a long night.
In all this doom and gloom was one of those 'you just had to be there' moments. I first spotted what looked like smoke on the horizon, on the only clear sunny day, as Ian was handing over watch to me. 'Strange looking cloud' I thought as it dissipated. Until I spotted another and another….WHALES! We were motoring (not a breath of wind) through an enormous pod of Fin whales. One poor old fella, maybe 70 or 80 feet?, was missing his fin. Ironiy is: a Fin whale with NO fin? Hmmmm….imagine trying to explain that to a child? We spent the entire afternoon with these incredible creatures just metres from the boat (yes, also a little disconcerting). Luckily I guess the engine noise kept them aware of our existence, since a couple of days before I'd had one duck under the bow just in time as we sailed silently over it's back. Phew! I'm not sure who was more frightened that time. Another magical moment for me was enjoying the show the dolphins put on in the phosphorescence in the middle of the night, surfing along our bow wave, zipping out at a right angle and zooming up alongside us again. So while the more traumatic memories eventually turn into 'elaborate pub stories' or fade away, these magical-goose-bump-and-bring-a-tear-to-the-eye moments (of which there have been many out in the open ocean), are the ones that we will hold closest to our hearts. They are the ones that will keep us warm, fuzzy and misty eyed, and the ones we will repeat time and time again, to anyone who listen. So be warned, if you ask us which was our favourite place or our favourite experience, you could be in for a long night.
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Our arrival...'a Hero's welcome' & one helluva party
looking remarkably calm pre arrival
We spent a night up the coast on the sly tidying up the boat and getting our land legs back for our arrival. The last thing we needed was another dramatic arrival (Bermuda style) in front of our well-wishers, and Kadoona always needs a good scrub above and below decks after a passage, particularly after a bad one. The day dawned a rare summer beauty, blue skies from the start and very little wind, not great for a speedy sail, but certainly great for a slow and calm arrival. The wind was so light we crawled in towards Roches Point (for our pre-organised arrival time of 3pm) with our cruising chute up, every flag of the countries we visited (starting with Australia and ending with Ireland of course) and the sea around us pure glass. We were both pretty nervous - our stomachs full of butterflies and unable to eat lunch, even though we knew that was the most sensible option. Anticipation hung in the warm air around us: we were thrilled that our next adventure was about to begin, but also deeply saddened and very nostalgic about the one that was ending.
Then we were descended upon…..initially by a couple of RIB's who came alongside giving us drinks, had a quick jump on board for a look down below, then jump off and scrub the side of the hull where their fenders had left their black marks. Okay…didn't expect that but it was fun! Then another yacht appeared…and a couple of motor boats…..and a few more RIBS…a few more yachts…and a lone kayaker (well done Mark for keeping up with the flotilla)….Time pretty much lost it's meaning then as we waved and chatted to people around us and gybed our way towards the harbour. The amount of people there to greet us was completely unexpected and very overwhelming. This day, being the most perfect day of the summer, just may have had a little to do with it too!. Speaking for myself, I'd remained unusually dry-eyed until I saw the lovely old wooden sailing trawler (Ian's dad, Ray's pride and glory) Naomh Brighid filled to the brim with Heffernans and their spouses and kiddies. That was when the waterworks kicked in, followed closely by the arrival of an esky filled with bubbles, cheese and raspberries (for me), and Murphy's, Percy Pigs and Tayto (for Ian). Yummmm….
In all I think there were 30 or so boats of one type or another sailing, zipping or paddling about. As we rounded Roches Point a big 'WELCOME HOME' banner with Aussie and Irish flags was hoisted above Fort Camden, and the same over Point House (Ian's childhood home, and still where his Mum and Dad live). The flag theme continued around the bend at Crosshaven Boatyard (Ray's workplace) and the Royal Cork Yacht Club. Even flares were let off by Veetsy's Marina, more on RIB's in the water and guns fired up above the R.C.Y.C!!!. The whole welcoming was like a carefully executed military operation - very professional and timed to perfection (these guys should coordinate the next Olympics!). We were nudged into our berth by the RNLI and with loads of people around to throw the lines to their were no embarrassing swan dives into the icy river for me. The RCYC greeted us with a lovely bottle of champagne and Naomh Brighid with all the Heffernans on board tied up alongside us, with countless hugs and the odd tear of happiness to follow. We had so many visitors and well wishers come on board Kadoona I lost count after the first dozen or so (may have been due to the bubbles though) and it was all very chaotic and fun, you couldn't keep the smiles from our faces. Then it was time to lock up the boat (yes, I am still head of security) and head up to the club to continue the party. Wow! Friends, relies, friends from Galway, babies and kids we'd never met, relies I've never met, drinks flowing, great food and moving speeches - it was like being at someones wedding?! There was even a bouncy castle, but alas, it was taken down after the kids went to bed, and before the adults could have their fun with it. Ray and Ian made lovely speeches (Ian dobbed me in for one but most of you know I am no speech maker, and only managed to utter a few underwhelming words of thanks). I was presented with a gorgeous bouquet by little Kate (Baby Kate, who our beloved dinghy is named after) and Clare had gone to great pains to copy/paste and print our entire blog into a book and had it bound - it was fantastic! So much thought and planning had gone into our arrival - a massive thank you to Susanne (eldest sister/ chief co-ordinator) and everybody involved - there were so many of you we know, it was incredible. Needless to say the celebrations continued well in to the morning. The yacht club bar eventually stopped serving in the wee hours so we invited the few of our die hard 'welcomers' that were still standing/swaying (those either with no kids, or those that had babysitters) back to "Club Kadoona" to continue the debauchery. I believe these final festivities ended after I rather gracelessly jumped into bed and announced I was DONE (I wonder who I got that from, Dad?). For those of you that couldn't make the festivities I'm sorry, you really missed a fantastic party, but at least you can be sure we had an amazing time and were well looked after!
I guess I should really let the pictures speak for themselves…….
Then we were descended upon…..initially by a couple of RIB's who came alongside giving us drinks, had a quick jump on board for a look down below, then jump off and scrub the side of the hull where their fenders had left their black marks. Okay…didn't expect that but it was fun! Then another yacht appeared…and a couple of motor boats…..and a few more RIBS…a few more yachts…and a lone kayaker (well done Mark for keeping up with the flotilla)….Time pretty much lost it's meaning then as we waved and chatted to people around us and gybed our way towards the harbour. The amount of people there to greet us was completely unexpected and very overwhelming. This day, being the most perfect day of the summer, just may have had a little to do with it too!. Speaking for myself, I'd remained unusually dry-eyed until I saw the lovely old wooden sailing trawler (Ian's dad, Ray's pride and glory) Naomh Brighid filled to the brim with Heffernans and their spouses and kiddies. That was when the waterworks kicked in, followed closely by the arrival of an esky filled with bubbles, cheese and raspberries (for me), and Murphy's, Percy Pigs and Tayto (for Ian). Yummmm….
In all I think there were 30 or so boats of one type or another sailing, zipping or paddling about. As we rounded Roches Point a big 'WELCOME HOME' banner with Aussie and Irish flags was hoisted above Fort Camden, and the same over Point House (Ian's childhood home, and still where his Mum and Dad live). The flag theme continued around the bend at Crosshaven Boatyard (Ray's workplace) and the Royal Cork Yacht Club. Even flares were let off by Veetsy's Marina, more on RIB's in the water and guns fired up above the R.C.Y.C!!!. The whole welcoming was like a carefully executed military operation - very professional and timed to perfection (these guys should coordinate the next Olympics!). We were nudged into our berth by the RNLI and with loads of people around to throw the lines to their were no embarrassing swan dives into the icy river for me. The RCYC greeted us with a lovely bottle of champagne and Naomh Brighid with all the Heffernans on board tied up alongside us, with countless hugs and the odd tear of happiness to follow. We had so many visitors and well wishers come on board Kadoona I lost count after the first dozen or so (may have been due to the bubbles though) and it was all very chaotic and fun, you couldn't keep the smiles from our faces. Then it was time to lock up the boat (yes, I am still head of security) and head up to the club to continue the party. Wow! Friends, relies, friends from Galway, babies and kids we'd never met, relies I've never met, drinks flowing, great food and moving speeches - it was like being at someones wedding?! There was even a bouncy castle, but alas, it was taken down after the kids went to bed, and before the adults could have their fun with it. Ray and Ian made lovely speeches (Ian dobbed me in for one but most of you know I am no speech maker, and only managed to utter a few underwhelming words of thanks). I was presented with a gorgeous bouquet by little Kate (Baby Kate, who our beloved dinghy is named after) and Clare had gone to great pains to copy/paste and print our entire blog into a book and had it bound - it was fantastic! So much thought and planning had gone into our arrival - a massive thank you to Susanne (eldest sister/ chief co-ordinator) and everybody involved - there were so many of you we know, it was incredible. Needless to say the celebrations continued well in to the morning. The yacht club bar eventually stopped serving in the wee hours so we invited the few of our die hard 'welcomers' that were still standing/swaying (those either with no kids, or those that had babysitters) back to "Club Kadoona" to continue the debauchery. I believe these final festivities ended after I rather gracelessly jumped into bed and announced I was DONE (I wonder who I got that from, Dad?). For those of you that couldn't make the festivities I'm sorry, you really missed a fantastic party, but at least you can be sure we had an amazing time and were well looked after!
I guess I should really let the pictures speak for themselves…….
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....There seems to be a severe lack of photographs from the time we arrived (about 4pm) until the wee hours of the following morning.....if anyone has any - send them to me, I'd love to fill in the "blanks" (quite literally!)....
"Reality" kicks in...
August 2012
Unfortunately the next day did not dawn as pleasant as the previous one. Grey skies, rain and very, very, very ill. While the hangover's didn't necessarily improve, our moods did with a great dinner with the Heffernans. I got to open my 'care package' from my wonderful family in Oz too. The Vegemite (vitamin B) as essential in fighting my hangover as the music, smells and gorgeous paintings my nieces made. It's so nice to have a piece of home. The weeks following our arrival were fairly hectic, but not necessarily for the most enjoyable reasons. We had many more lovely dinners, lunches, drinks and early A.M Club Kadoona sessions, but we also tried to knuckle down to the 'real life' stuff we had been putting off. Banks, taxes, resumes, corresponding with immigration took days of relentless work….even getting mobile phones took the best part of a day. The fact we didn't have internet access for 95% of our journey (and when we did have it, it was either very expensive or crap) meant we only did essential things: dealing with bureaucracy/ clearances involved in clearing the boat and ourselves in and out of countries, banking etc. Somehow it doesn't seem quite as much like 'work' when you are sitting in some lovely sunny anchorage in your bikini and at any time can dive over for a swim, or stop for a g& t and watch the sunset though. I'm sure people wonder what we are doing with our time now, thinking we are sleeping in a watching dvd's perhaps? What they don't realise is the enormous backlog of 'stuff' to deal with. This is not me complaining by the way. It was SO SO SO worth it.
We escaped for a gorgeous week to Schull in order to pretend we were still cruising, Ian racing for Calves week and loving it; me walking the gorgeous back-country roads/ hills/ muddy tracks of West Cork and loving it. Very social and great weather too. Ian had intended on tripping me down his childhood memory lane of anchorages around Schull and Cape Clear for a week. But he had no problem getting a job (we all knew that would be the case didn't we?) and we had to race back to Crosshaven (sadly, no welcoming committee this time) to secure the Kadoona, and I, so he could head away to w-w-work. There, I said it. The 'w' word we had been avoiding so long. I am avoiding the 'w' word a little longer, since I will be heading home for a much needed and long overdue visit with my beautiful family and friends. We plan to continue living on Kadoona through the winter. After all, we have done for the last 2 years and we love her. Winter should be interesting though, since I've already had our heater going and it is still "summer".
What now for our blog you ask? How ever will you fill that empty void if we are no longer writing about our adventures and misadventures? We're not sure, we still feel we have so much to say: tips, advice, things we would do differently and things we would do exactly the same. Perhaps we will get around to writing some more one day (or heading off again????). I'm not sure people will want to hear the realities of our lives now though, as they will be the same realities they are living? Perhaps I'll start a new blog about an Aussie sun loving girl's adventures in Ireland? Kidding! So, thanks to all of our friends and families support and encouragement over the past couple of years. Some of you have said you 'lived through our blog', but it was your enthusiasm for our stories and adventures that made them worth writing about and sharing.
Lots of love from a 'Hero' and his faithful sidekick
xxx
We escaped for a gorgeous week to Schull in order to pretend we were still cruising, Ian racing for Calves week and loving it; me walking the gorgeous back-country roads/ hills/ muddy tracks of West Cork and loving it. Very social and great weather too. Ian had intended on tripping me down his childhood memory lane of anchorages around Schull and Cape Clear for a week. But he had no problem getting a job (we all knew that would be the case didn't we?) and we had to race back to Crosshaven (sadly, no welcoming committee this time) to secure the Kadoona, and I, so he could head away to w-w-work. There, I said it. The 'w' word we had been avoiding so long. I am avoiding the 'w' word a little longer, since I will be heading home for a much needed and long overdue visit with my beautiful family and friends. We plan to continue living on Kadoona through the winter. After all, we have done for the last 2 years and we love her. Winter should be interesting though, since I've already had our heater going and it is still "summer".
What now for our blog you ask? How ever will you fill that empty void if we are no longer writing about our adventures and misadventures? We're not sure, we still feel we have so much to say: tips, advice, things we would do differently and things we would do exactly the same. Perhaps we will get around to writing some more one day (or heading off again????). I'm not sure people will want to hear the realities of our lives now though, as they will be the same realities they are living? Perhaps I'll start a new blog about an Aussie sun loving girl's adventures in Ireland? Kidding! So, thanks to all of our friends and families support and encouragement over the past couple of years. Some of you have said you 'lived through our blog', but it was your enthusiasm for our stories and adventures that made them worth writing about and sharing.
Lots of love from a 'Hero' and his faithful sidekick
xxx