Thursday 7th & Friday 8th

Full Irish breakfast and shower at Mike McLaughlin’s excellent B&B, Desmond House. Farewells to David and his lovely McAvinchey family. Miraculously, David survived the skipper and boat for an astonishing 42 days!. Must be a record. Time for a brief crew-free day of work onboard and to get to know Noel on his boat next door, Brian the duty marina manager, and the staff and good folk at the busy and welcoming KYC.

In the marina I find the Swan 40 Quid Non? with skipper Nigel Philpott and crew Des Crampton, both of whom I knew from the AZAB (AZORES) race 5 years ago. They were in the Plymouth to Newport RI USA 2 handed race but had to drop into Kinsale due to engine problems. They are finally ready to go next day so I present them with some of Raparee’s store of whiskey and fruitcake to help them celebrate their (future) half way point.

Sun 10th Joined for the day by new crew Ken Buggy. Wife Kay, and brother Simon came along for the day to see us off. We walk the river bank and across the Bandon River bridge to the Dock Pub to see if Robby the retired jockey is still in charge and if the Guinness is just as good. It is. After a meal ashore Ken &Simon stay onboard overnight.

Marina full of semi-tame herons. Herons fighting seagulls. Noisy fishing boats. Grain loading and dust and trucks.  A brave Seal lives in the harbour and competes with the trawlers and oil spills.

Monday 11th is spent in familiarisation training for Ken and refuelling up-harbour at Castlepark Marina. PM 3rd crewmember Bill Lewis is kindly picked up at the airport by Mike McLaughlin, whom we join for a pleasant and talkative evening ashore.

12th June

0700 Slip and proceed into a windless grey and cold dawn. Sails up in the beautiful harbour entrance and set course 138M through the gasfield rigs directly for Lands End and the Longships Light. A very long day of motorsailing and slow goosewinging and gybing as the cold fickle wind goes up and down and dances around the clock. The lack of a beam wind means we roll unsteadily and poor Ken succumbs to Mal de Mer and gains a new best mate, the big black bucket. Soon back into our 3 hour watchkeeping routine, our rolling, plodding, progress continues for another tiresome 30 hours.

Early AM on the 13th saw us skirting around the traffic zone north of the Scillies, and trying to avoid wayward trawlers and tankers. By 1130, Longships is abeam with the tourist tat excresced Lands End ahead. Plod on across all those lovely bays and headlands and past the Manacles and by 2000 we down sails by Black Rock in Falmouth harbour entrance. Falmouth berths are crowded with weary waiting travellers like us because big dirty winds are expected and space is at a premium.  The Visitor’s Yacht Haven is the place of choice for proper cruising folk, the nicely wierd and wacky, and the less posh such as ourselves  Its tight but we squeeze backwards into a raft of bateaux and, that’s it folks, we’re back in the UKKK.

Plan A was to leave on the morrow for a welcome gathering on ther Yealm 40 miles away, but that big metrological spiral andromeda galaxy is on the way so I guess we’re in for a long wait in our raft. The Haven is toppers with gaffers and baggywrinkle, bowsprits and bumpkins, and blokes with dreadlocks. The Chainlocker is as busy as ever but the Doom Bar and Betty Stoggs are well worth the wait. Mmmm warm beer! Thats wierd!

Anyway the wind whirlygig arrived, and boy did it blow, and rain, so plan A, and our onward progression to the Solent has to be delayed a few days.  At least there are plenty of diversions in Falmouth....its the Shanty Festival (get your finger in your ear) and also the spectacular J-class boats are gathering for a week of racing.