July 2006 - Canada, Atlantic Crossing, Ireland
Dingle, Ireland | Entrance to Dingle BayStartFragment
July 30, 2006
Hi all, Happy Sunday. We woke up to another "soft morning" (gentle rain, quiet bay). We're still in Glandore, the unexpected is sometimes the greatest adventure. We had a marvelous day. The wind is still howling and we thank God we are still at anchor. We blew up the dingy after breakfast and went to shore in Glandore. What a pretty little Irish village. We heard the church bells ringing at 1000 but we were unable to get to shore in a timely enough fashion to even think of sneaking into the back. But we did visit two churches today. Does that count?
We walked up out of town and enjoyed a beautiful walk along the lane into the countryside.
We were headed for Dorberg Circle Stones. (17 stones set vertically, similar to Stonehenge) We walked about 4 km past a castle and finally asked a young dad where the stones were. He began to give us directions and then decided to drive us there. Well it was at least a 5 minute car ride away. Up and down hills and around many a bend we drove. We walked back a different route which was not quite as far. We visited the Catholic church along the way. I took pictures of one stain glass window in particular. St. Brigid, yes dear sister Brigid, it was spelled the correct way.
We stopped at the Glandore Inn for lunch. The guys had crab sandwiches and onion soup.
I ordered a smoked salmon sandwich. Oooo.. It was very sushi style. Not exactly what I was expecting.
But I made due especially after the waitress brought we a nice piece of brown Irish soda bread to eat it with. We walked to see the other castle in town and the Glendore Anglican church next. Both castles are privately owned so you can't get too close. The church (most churches don't publicize their names. I guess they expect everyone to know what it is called) was quaint. This church's entry was tunneled through the rock in the hillside. It was small but quite lovely.
We decided to walk toward Unionhall another village we could see across the bay we are anchored in to pick up so me more provisions. About half way there Mike went back to get
the dingy and drive it over to Unionhall to carry our groceries home. Al and I had a neat walk over two one way bridges (cars had to wait on each side until the bridge was clear) and down roads with trees making a tunnel to walk through. I finally got smart and asked the grocer if he had any frozen meat for sale. We have a freezer on board but the fresh meat on the top never freezes and we had some go bad before we could eat it. We made it back to the boat before the evening showers began. In all we walked about 15 km today...that should hold us until we get to Spain.
Right now the cockpit is uninhabitable. Mike tried feeding the sea gulls some cod fish that has traveled with us from St. John's, Newfoundland. Now we know why fishing boats smell so bad. The smell lingers on and on. The sea gulls dived for the fish but flew off squawking and squawking giving us what for...how long can the smell last? We're hoping to leave tomorrow but we'll wait and see what the weather has in store for us.
Love Sally, Al, and Mike
July 29, 2006
Hi all, Twas a very rainy morning the likes of which we have not seen in Ireland. The Coast Guard was calling for gale force winds all day. So we slept in late. Mike made a lovely scrambled egg brunch for us. Since it's a major chore to reinflate the dingy, but in the boards etc. we chose not to go ashore. We read books and laid low all day. I finished book 4, HP and the Goblet of Fire and started book 5 HP and the Order of the Phoenix of the Harry Potter series.
The sun came out despite the howling wind and we enjoyed the late afternoon in the cockpit. Another cloud burst about 1800 rewarded us with a beautiful, full, Irish rainbow. The colors were very deep. I hope our pictures do it justice. We hope the low passes tonight and we can leave in the morning. We went from 1013 barometer last night to 999 this afternoon. The barometer is back up to 1004 tonight. If the weather isn't what we want I do believe we will inflate the dingy and explore Glandore tomorrow. Thanks again for your emails. Sorry we don't always answer or write a short response. But some nights it takes a while to write the log while cooking and answering some emails. Somebody send me Daddy's email, we still don't have it.
Love Sally, Al, and Mike
July 28, 2006
Hi all, We refueled, took on water, put dingy on deck and left Kinsale at 1100. We started out with a fine mist that turned into a sunny, nice day again. We had great sailing down to Glandore Harbor. We pulled in at 1600 and anchored for the night. The weather forecast called for 20-25 kts of wind right on the nose tonight so we decided to wait another day before heading for Spain. Why start out our trip pounding into the seas? This is a pretty little town but we have no way to get to shore since our dingy is deflated on deck. We did go into the pubs for a pint and some music last night. The White House had wonderful traditional music with a wee bit of Bob Dylan thrown in. We stopped at another pub and met a young couple from Dublin and had a nice "chat". I put the email addresses onto the new lap top today so I hope I put them all in all right. We're planning to head out in the morning.
Love Al and Sally
July 27, 2006
Hi all, We were busy today preparing to leave Kinsale tomorrow after we take on water and refuel. We visited Colleen and Jim off of "Jacobite" a new Nordhaven 47 (first Nordhaven delivered to the UK, same factory as the Mason). They've cruised extensively in the Med and Western Europe for the past 20 years. They gave us some destination ideas and pulled up the weather on their computer. The weather is the weather... There is a big low out there that may give us 30 kts of wind out of the west on Sunday but we've decided to head out anyhow. We're planning to keep off the continental shelf to avoid steeper seas with the higher winds we expect. If we keep out around 10 degrees Longitude we will avoid frequent ship travel going to Liverpool and down along the coast. Our landfall after crossing the Bay of Biscay will be La Coruna or Bayona, Spain. Bayona is 60 miles further but a quieter, nicer port. We expect this crossing to take about 5-6 days. love and God Bless,
Love Al and Sally
July 26, 2006
Hi all, Al and I spent the morning taking care of business while Mike worked his way back from Shannon. We talked to the Harbor Master Phil and paid 14 Euro's of dues to anchor for one week in Kinsale. He pulled up some weather information which we will look at more closely tomorrow. We need a good five day forecast before we leave. No hurry we are loving Ireland. We made plans to refuel and take on water tomorrow before the weekend crowd arrives. The Trident Hotel has wireless internet and let us sit in their lobby and browse the internet. We were able to check our accounts and send some business emails. We thought finding wireless would be easier. Evidently wireless is just now taking hold in Ireland so things will improve in the future.
Thank you to everyone who has signed our guest book. We had great fun reading your messages. It's fun to get the feedback and to get an idea who's out there following our adventure. We also read the emails that were sent to apribyl@artemis-pribyl. com. When Mike got in we took him to the Trident so he could read the entries too. Al and I had lunch, fish & chips, while we waited for Mike's bus to arrive. We collected our laundry, 15 Euro's. We definitely need to start washing some things by hand. We went back to meet Mike at the bus stop and we found him walking down the street. He had caught an earlier bus and probably walked right by us as we ate lunch. It's interesting to sit at anchor when the tide comes and the wind blows. We were dancing around in circles against the wind and the tide.
Love Sally, Al, Mike and Judy
July 25, 2006
Hi all, Al and I went to the big city today, Cork. We rode the bus with Mike and Judy as they made a connection to Shannon. They plan to stay in a hotel and go out to dinner belatedly for their 25th anniversary. Judy flies home tomorrow and Mike will rejoin us in Kinsdale. Cork... What shall I say about Cork. I'm not one who cares much for big cities. They overwhelm me and make me wonder where to turn next. We had lunch at a cafe on the street and sat outside. Lots of shops even a McDonalds and Burger King Yuk! We walked down to the harbor area to find a Chandlery and marine electrician. We got some phone numbers to call tomorrow. We still haven't figured out the windlass problems. Meanwhile we have it jerry rigged so we don't have to pull up all that slimy chain by hand.
We took a double decker bus tour of Cork and out to Blarney Castle. The tour of Cork gave us a great overview perspective of Cork. Our first impression of Blarney was commercialism and a rip off. Wrong!! The ground s are absolutely gorgeous, the walking trails are magnificent and the castle itself is awesome. We traveled into the woodlands in search of fairies and druids. I walked backwards, eyes closed down the Wishing Steps, so my wish had better come true. I'll let you know if it worked. I think we did find the Keebler Elves home. The trees are gnarly and very old. We climbed halfway up the castle before the walls began to close in on Al so we backed off and enjoyed the grounds and Blarney mansion instead of kissing the infamous Blarney stone.
We are enjoying a quiet night, alone on Artemis. We heard from Larry and Judy. They will fly to Rochester, NY on July 27 and visit an old friend. They'll drive to my Dad's farm in Montezuma, NY to pick up their car on Friday. So someone let Daddy know company's coming. I'm sure they'll have lots of tales to tell him.
Love Sally, Al, Mike and Judy [top]
July 24, 2006
Hi all, Ireland is having a "sunshine wave" as opposed to a "heat wave". Another absolutely gorgeous day. The views we've been able to video or photograph are a rarity in Ireland on most days. We've been told very often you can't see a half a mile. Today we walked through town again and then took the Round Compass Hill walk above Winter Hill. We had a panoramic view of Kinsale, the harbors, and the forts. The gardens are absolutely magnificent, especially up on the hill in the more exclusive areas. Rarely you go by any dwelling that doesn't have flowers growing or shrubs flowering. We had an ice cream cone and then headed out to Charles Fort and took a guided tour. Our guide Clare, a college student, was very animated and informed. It is a 17th Century Star Fort (star shaped, 2 enormous bastions facing the sea and three looking inland). It was started in 1678 and was still in use until 1921. We picked up a few supplies and went back to grill on the boat. Al picked up a liter of 2 cy cle oil 6.90 Euros for 1 liter. Things are not cheap in this fast growing country of Ireland. We haven't much luck finding wireless internet connections. So we haven't been able to keep up with emails sent to artemis-pribyl.com. We read some tonight when we found a connection in the anchorage but then got bumped off and couldn't reconnect.
Love Sally, Al, Mike and Judy [top]
July 23, 2006
Hi all, We had a beautiful sail down to Kinsale. We left Castletownshend at 0900 and anchored in Kinsale at 1600. We had a nice down wind sail 15 kts of wind. Artemis was sailing about 6 kts the whole way. The seas were about 2.0 meters so a bit rollie. We had a little trouble setting our anchor at first because of a 3 kts current and 20 kts of wind. We took a mooring for a while but found out they are private. So once the wind/current died down we successfully dropped anchor. We dingied into town after dinner and did the "cooks tour" (just a quick look around) We plan to spend a few days here and take bus trips. Judy flies out of Shannon Airport on July 26 so she and Mike will leave on July 25 by bus. Mike will rejoin us after she leaves. We even have a castle and a fort to visit here in Kinsale and Cork is only 16 km. Love and God Bless
Love Sally, Al, Mike and Judy [top]
July 22, 2006
Hi all, We had a sleepy morning, rain pattering on the decks is very conducive to sleeping in. We all took showers after breakfast. We moved to a mooring ball because we were in the path of the regatta that is happening tomorrow and they were setting up the course. After lunch we went ashore to explore this pretty, little village, Castletownshend (evidently Castle Haven is the name of the harbor). That's why our stop before Glengarriff, Castletown was the harbor, the town was called Castletownbere. This is a little confusing but we're picking it up as we go. We visited an old castle that is being sold off as condo's and an old Anglican Church. Both are along the shore. Then we walked up, and I mean straight up the main street to the top of the hill. (1.5 miles) It is quite a climb. About halfway up they have a stone circle in the middle of the street with two trees growing in it. (these replaced two trees planted in 1810 that had died. I think... they were planted to stop any runaway vehicles going down that steep slope straight into the ocean. The O'Donovan gas station near by consisted of a single pump coming out of the sidewalk right on the street. It also had a tiny, old fashion grocery store. We bought some homemade Irish Soda bread to have with dinner.
We walked out of town toward Skibbereen. We met a nice gent from Dublin working on his gate of his summer cottage. He told us where to find the Catholic Church outside of town. "Castle Haven is mostly Anglican"(British influence) but "still nice people", he said. He also told us about an old circle fort we could find up through a cow pasture, "but mind you be careful of the bull. You'll see those Budweiser horses (Clydesdales) in the field and it's up above." We found an unmarked gate along the road and another family that was going to see the fort. Way cool... in this lane above the cow pasture we found a beautiful winding stone staircase leading us up the hill to the circle fort ruins. What an insp iring, grand view, all the way to Kinsale in one direction and the beautiful Irish countryside in the other. Al and I, farm kids, crawled under the electric fence and walked through the cow pasture to the road. Mike and Judy not too sure the bull wasn't hiding and wary of the electric fence chose to walk back the way we came to the road. We visited the Catholic Church then headed back to town. I wonder if this is typical Irish weather. We have rain early then by noon it turns into an absolutely gorgeous day! We plan to have dinner and then go back ashore this evening to enjoy the festivities. It's Castletownshend Maritime Festival Week. Love and God Bless,
Love Sally, Al, Mike and Judy [top]
July 21, 2006
Hi all, We are on the move again today. It's a wee bit rainy but that's fine since we will be sailing most of the day. We visited the Maple Leaf Pub last night for music and a pint. We had a nice visit with Phil and Frances from Vancouver off "Tulameen". The music wasn't as lively as Dingle but enjoyable. They played more Clancey Brothers type ballads, familiar but somehow it didn't feel so authentic. Perhaps because they are so well known they feel more Americanized? We had trouble with the dingy engine again so Phil towed us back to Artemis.
We left Glengarriff a little after nine this morning. I treated the crew to a full breakfast: eggs, ham/sausage, hash browns, melon, toast and juice. I feel more like cooking when there is nothing else to do. I prefer to be out and about enjoying what's about to happen than standing in the galley. Well it turned into a beautiful, sunny day again. We motor sailed most of the way because of light winds and big, sloppy seas. We had quite a "washin g machine" off of Mizzen Head (very confused and strong currents, that took the white caps off of the waves). We sailed by the renowned Fastnet Rock. It's a famous lighthouse off the south coast of Ireland. It's the turning point back to England in the Fastnet Race. We sailed by a "John Deere" sailboat, green hull and yellow sails.
We arrived at Castle Haven and dropped anchor at 1830. It's a lovely spot with several boats on moorings. Al says, "It's way cool!" We've noted a church and castle so far that beckons us to come and explore. But for now it is beer thirty and I'm getting steaks ready to grill, potatoes, and asparagus. Mom, Dad, swan and 4 baby cygnets came to visit after dinner. Al dutifully fed them a pancake from yesterday's breakfast. We took a dingy ride up the river and then back into town. It's their annual festival and we caught the reinactment of battle 1601. Kids were dressed in costume and a parade. It is a very interesting town. All the walls along the street look like castle walls. Can't wait to explore tomorrow.
Love Sally, Al, Mike and Judy [top]
July 20, 2006
Hi all, We had a wee bit of rain in the night. Enough to wash down the decks and the rigging. Mike made us sausages and "fluffy" pancakes for breakfast. Al decided to tackle the 15 min solenoid job on the windlass. An hour and a half later with half the boat ripped apart, he said, "Oh 'tah h... with it we'll do this later. Maybe I'll open the old one up and see what's inside later." We took the dingy up to a beautiful little stream and discovered we could tie off and walk through a park right into town. Now we know the quick way to find the pubs tonight. Judy bought some gifts. "No I'm not giving away who are the lucky ones." Al, Mike and I visited the tourist office and found out about walking trails. Glengarriff has a beautiful Nature Reserve with several options for walking. We had ice cream cones and then walked them off. We went up to Lady Bantry Lookout 1.5 km but a steep climb. We had a lovely view of the harbor and could just see Artemis peeking out behind some trees. Then we did a hike along the River trail. We went through ancient forests. Unfortunately we didn't know the trees and plants we were looking at but it was a gorgeous sight to behold. I did recognize the holly and the ivy. It's everywhere. When we got back to the stream the tide was out and our dingy was high and dry. We met a couple from Vancouver Island Phil and Francis. They came through the Panama Canal to Puerto Rico and crossed to La Coruna, Spain. This is their sixth year out. Al took the solenoid apart and discovered the part that was sent to him from Nilsson was actually a smaller part inside the solenoid he removed. So hopefully this install will occur much quicker and with more success than the last try. Phil came over with some charts for us of St. Mary's Island where we plan to take off from to cross Bay of Biscay to La Coruna, Spain. Grilled chicken, rice and salad for dinner. It's fun to be able to grill again and enjoy the scenery as our meal prepares.
Love Sally, Al, Mike and Judy [top]
July 19, 2006
Hi all, This is becoming a difficult task. How does one keep a log interesting without repeating one's self about what a marvelous experience this is. We awoke to our first morning of gray skies, fog, and wind howling in the anchorage but before the day was over it was another gorgeous Irish day. We were snug in our bunks with very little movement, Artemis does well in harbor chop. After breakfast we dingied into Castletownbere to check out the town. Oh, how picturesque. This is an authentic little Irish town devoid of tourists... complete with colorful buildings, darling B&B's, gardens, quaint shops, bakery, fish shops, pubs and restaurants. One shop keeper advised us to stay another night and enjoy how the town truly comes alive in the evening. But... we decided to move on. The anchorage was a busy fishing port with a dredger working in the harbor so we opted for a quieter anchorage. We left Castletownbere at 1130 and ate lunch underway. We had a perfect beam reach 5-6 kts. We motored into the anchorage under blue skies and sunshine at 1600. Mountains surround the anchorage and lots of trees for a change. We dingied in and had an ice cream cone. Then we walked up the road into town. Took just a quick look around as we plan to spend a few days. We discovered a cute park and a walking trail that took us through the woods back to the boat ramp. We took a cocktail tour in the dingy out to Garnish Island. But we weren't aloud to land to look at the Italian Gardens. I suppose you have to buy a ticket and arrive on the ferry. We saw lots of seals sunning on the rocks and got quite close before they all scurried into the water. The baby seal rolled off the rock in his excitement it was quite comical and I caught it on video tape. We saw big jelly fish (1 ft diameter). The seals kept popping up around the boat while we ate dinner. We had perfectly grilled hamburgers and fixings and ate in the cockpit so we could try to absorb all this beauty. A swan swam up to the boat and Mike and Judy fed him some bread. He'd take it right out of their hands. Love and God Bless, Sally, Al, Mike and Judy [top]
July 18, 2006
Hi all, I awoke with the birds this morning literally. A flock of seagull's squawking over something flew over my hatch and woke me up. The coffee was on by 0630. We helped Larry and Judy carry their things to the bus stop and saw them off to Tralee (0715) to pick up their car rental. We left the dock in Dingle at 0740 heading for Glengarriff Harbor via the Skellig Islands. Skellig Michael the larger island was a penitential home for Celtic monks who founded St. Finian's Abbey there in AD 560. You cans see the beehive huts from the water. We didn't walk the 600+ steps up to the top because there was no place and land and leave our dingy. You need to take a tour boat for 40 Euro's each to have that pleasure. Mike was quite upset that he lost his new fishing lure after battling with a monstrous fish. He keeps badgering Judy about not letting him buy more of them back in Dingle. Still no wind so we motored all day to Castletown near Bear Island on the north side of Bantry Bay. We played too long at Skellig Rock so decided to stop about 1930 and we'll move on to Glengarriff Harbor tomorrow. This is a busy fishing port with a ferry going out to Bear Island. We are in a small anchorage with a mixture of boats.(about 10)The mountains rise up behind the town. It's a pretty spot but much busier than I had expected from the guide description. We plan to explore a little bit before we move on in the morning.
Love Sally, Al, Mike and Judy [top]
July 17, 2006
Hi all, Another glorious day in Dingle, Ireland. Even the people of Dingle are amazed at the beautiful weather we've been enjoying. We busied ourselves with preparations to leave Dingle tomorrow. The fuel truck came down, filled water tanks, fixed the dingy motor, and provisioned the boat. We drove the dingy into the fisherman harbor so we had only a short walk to carry the groceries. Larry and Judy will be leaving us tomorrow. I'll miss my cooking buddy. Sorry crew the cuisine aboard Artemis has suffered a great loss. Perhaps I won't write about meals in my log any longer. No more Larry jokes...how will I get through my day. We took a dingy ride back out to the caves and explored a couple of different ones. Then Mike and Al wanted to go swimming with Fungie. You should have seen Mike's face and how fast he paddled when Fungie came near. They had on wet suits and the water was Lake Superior cold. Our patience paid off. Fungie did a spectacular show for us. All of a sudden it was like he went crazy. He started flying into the air, jump after jump not 25 feet from our dingy. I shot some great video unfortunately it happened so fast we didn't get any still shots. We came back and grilled pork chops for our fabulous crews "last supper" aboard. Pricella off of "Nomad" a Ted Brewer design, was a great help to Al. She gave us cruising ideas and tide information. Larry and Judy did a gig (guitar and flute) for Johny Murphey up at marina. He told people a little lie, "These people were famous back in the sixties." They went to Flaherty's Pub to listen and play a little. Mike, Judy, Al, and I went for an ice cream cone. Judy got a cone and we ended up in Murphy's Pub for a Guinness, Harp and live music. Both truly are the Irish experience. The place was rocking. Billy on guitar, Eddie on accordian, female vocalist and a bodhran drum player. We hope to get to Glengarriff Harbor near Bantry tomorrow. Love and God Bless, Sally, Al, Mike, Judy, Larry, and Judy [top]
July 16, 2006
Hi all, 'Twas another absolutely beautiful day in Dingle, Ireland. Sunshine and blue skies. Mike, Al and I walked up to St. ?? for mass. It was in Gaelic so we couldn't understand a thing. We went to communion so does it still count? I made egg dish and scones for breakfast. Larry and Judy arrived from their B&B and we all went for a dingy ride out to the mouth of the harbor. Fungie, Dingle's very own dolphin swam under the dingy and surfaced next to us. I don't remember if I mentioned that Fungie greeted us when we arrived late Thurs. night. He came up and chattered at us just like Flipper. He's been greeting boats to Dingle since 1986. He just showed up one day and has never left. His behavior suggests that he may have been released or escaped from a marine park at some time. Al and I went for a dingy ride while everyone else walked up to the headland at the harbor entrance. We went into a neat cave and motored over by some awesome crevices. We landed on the sandy beach and walke d to the headland too. When it was time to head back the dingy motor failed us so we ended up rowing back to the beach. Larry, Judy, Judy S. and I started walking back to Dingle along the water. Mike and Al started paddling. Low and behold in sails "Medley" an Orion 50 our friends from Nova Scotia. I video taped the rescue from high above the harbor entrance as I walked along. I heard Mike yell, "Hey Al, there's are our friends from Nova Scotia!" We had last seen them at the dock in St. John's, Newfoundland. What are the chances they would arrive just as Al and Mike needed rescuing. Al claimed they were the "Dingle welcoming committee". I heard them say something else and the Canadians answered, "What's it worth to you?" Laughter and a line was thrown to shipwrecked sailors. Meanwhile we had a lovely 3 mile walk back to town through cow and sheep pastures, up and over many a stone wall, and along the water the whole way so we could monitor the progress of the rescue. They of course arrived long before we did and sat in the cockpit drinking beer and manhattans until our arrival. We decided to grill chicken and pork chops for dinner. Mike made a nice blend of zucchini, mushrooms, onion, and garlic for a veggi. We made potatoes on Mike's demand. He's definitely not a rice man. Love Sally, Al, Mike, Judy, Larry, and Judy [top]
July 15, 2006
Hi all, Greetings from Dingle. Al says there's a lot of Irish looking people around here. Everywhere you look and the brogue is quite pronounced. Al and I slept in with such a quiet boat this morning. We took showers expecting customs to show up at noon. Two hours later we said forget it we're going for a walk. We took a four mile hike up above town, out a ways and back along the bay. We had a beautiful view in every direction. Judy S was most impressed with the cows and sheep we met along the way. It was a great walk and gave us a real sense of Ireland. We came back and had an ice cream cone and visited with Johny Murphy the harbor superintendent. He's quiet a character and we love teasing and talking with him. We went up to the grocery store and Mike picked up supplies to create tonight's dinner. Mike made spaghetti with meat/sausage sauce, salad, and bread for dinner. Judy and Larry kept their B & B for another night. Mike, Judy, Al and walked in the Irish country side for a bit after dinner.
Love Sally, Al, Mike, Judy, Larry, and Judy [top]
July 14, 2006
Hi all, We're in Dingle, Ireland! Our first six hours after arising at 0900 were spent cleaning saltwater off of Artemis, and all of our gear. Al tried to get the European charger worker only we kept blowing shore power. Finally at 1530 the captain gave us shore privileges and we were able to touch ground on Ireland! Dingle is a lovely coastal village. Colorful houses, tiny streets and store fronts right upon the road. We called the boys and our parents, bought some beer and had dinner at the harbor view restaurant with Mike and Judy. They had a BBQ and yes boys we ate lamb tonight along with sausage, burger, and chicken. Judy arrived at 1510 a few blocks from the marina. We got some laundry done. Custom us very lacked except 80 nm before we hit Ireland a Coast Guard airplane flew over and circled the boat. They said they'd stop by tomorrow around noon to check us in. Mike, Judy, Larry and Judy all got B$B's (bed and breakfast)for the night so Al and I have Artemis to ourselves. Six weeks is a long time to live with crew but I think we did it well and I'd take this crew again in a moment! Fantastic, wonderful crew and I love them all. Love and God Bless from Artemis,
Sally, Al, Mike Judy, Larry and Judy [top]
July 13, 2006
Hi all, Sorry our mail still would not go out today. But we did get messages from home. The crew is anxiously watching the miles drop on the GPS. We've been motoring for the past 30 hours. The wind switched out of the NE 4-10 before watch last night. The seas have continued to come from the SW until this afternoon. We have NW swells 3 meters. We look like we are going up and over hill after hill. We cleaned out the shower and everyone took hot showers this afternoon. I cleaned the refrigerator top to bottom, changed my sheets, washed the floor and tidied the cabin. Now if we'd just get there. Land Ho! Larry was the first to spot land at 1755. We are still 25 nm from Dingle Harbor entrance. That means we'll arrive after dark. Too bad I was hoping to get video of our arrival. Judy is making curry chicken cabbage salad and rice for dinner. I just did something wrong and lost Tues. July 11 log entry. Darn it. At 1850 a whale spouted then came clear out of the water. The shore of Irelan d is rugged cliffs and as we enter Dingle Bay the outlying islands stand 500-600 ft off the ocean. Beautiful. We watched in awe as we drew closer, much like we expected but different. It'll be 2230 before we reach Dingle Harbor. For now we still have light. The smell of peat as we draw closer. It's 2240 and we've made the turn to Dingle Harbor. Visibility is good but it is dark out. We've tied of to a dock at 2334. Yes! We made it! So cool! We can't find a phone so we're hoping the email goes through.
Love Sally, Al Mike, Judy and Larry [top]
July 12, 2006
Hi all, 'Twas another quiet night on the North Atlantic. The winds were only 8-15 kt so most times we were only going 4.5-5.5 kt. When Al and I got up at 1100 it was decided to motor for a while as the winds died to under 5 kt. I finished book 2 of Harry Potter and I am well into book 3. Quite enjoyable. I made chicken gumbo soup for lunch and some of Judy's homemade bread. Judy's making an apple crisp to use up our produce before facing Irish customs. We'll also use up our potatoes, carrots, and parsnips in a beef mushroom pot roast. We still hope to make landfall sometime Thurs. evening. We have 130 nm to go to Dingle. Not much excitement and little marine life as of late. Except Mike claims to have seen a mola,(ocean sunfish), floating on the surface as he came on watch this morning. Of course since no one else witnessed this apparition you'll have decide for yourself fantasy or reality through the eyes of Michael Shawn Sikorra. We've seen some sort of little jelly fish (2" dia meter with tentacles)and there's a new bird for the past two days. Mike thinks it's a shearwater. It's about the same size as a seagull, white on the bottom side and brown on top. Once again sorry about the delay in our log book. Al hasn't had much luck getting a station to pick up our mail. Love and God Bless,
Sally, Al, Mike, Larry, and Judy [top]
July 11, 2006
Hi all, I accidentally erased this log entry so Judy and I will try to remember that day. It was a quiet sailing day. Judy spent most of the afternoon in the galley. She made the most fantastic 7 grain bread. It takes about 4 hours beginning to end but believe me it was worth the effort. We could have "lived on bread alone". We made raspberry glazed pork tenderloin, lemon toasted pecan green beans, rice, and blue cheese/vanilla pear cabbage salad. 263 nm to Dingle. The guys jerry rigged a wire for the refrigeration. We either need a new thermostat or some wires have come loose, a job better tackled when in port.
Love Sally, Al, and crew [top]
July 10, 2006
Hi all, Restless on Artemis. We had another wild night in the North Atlantic. We saw winds 20-35 all night and seas to travel with it. We reduced sail to 50% jib and just rode it out. Actually the people on watch had the more restful ride. The noise below is earth shattering. Things clanging and banging, lurching and rolling, waves thumping sounds like we were being bombed! Today is much calmer and sunny. By noon we were 430 nm from Dingle. That's the equivalent of an easy Trans Superior race Sault Ste Marie to Duluth. Our friend Rich informed us: Tá illiomad rudaí le feiscint, le déanamh agus le taisceál anseo ar leithinis Chorca Dhuibhne.(There will be a language test administered at the dock.) Unfortunately I left my Gaelic Cliff Notes at home. I do hope they let us in after all these adventures and miles we've endured to get there. Harp by the barrel says Rich and sleep... that's first on our agenda. I figured out a way Judy, Al, and I could make some extra dough. Bonine commer cials. Bonine is the drug of choice aboard the mighty Artemis. It's amazing stuff. Judy and I've not missed a beat as we've kept up our daily dosage. We've cooked, read, cleaned even under the worst conditions and have felt fine. Unfortunately for Larry this has not been the case. He has tried both Bonine and a patch but neither has helped him feel 100% so he's not allowed in our commercial. We've decided to make beef stroganoff over noodles, cabbage/vanilla pear salad with blue cheese balsamic vinegar, and a cherry galette for dessert. We flew the mizzen staysail most of the day but just took it down for the evening. We have a full jib and mizzen with 12-18 kt of wind.
Sally, Al, Mike, Judy and Larry [top]
July 9, 2006
Hi all, Last night gave the seas gave Mike, Al and I a quiet, restful four hours during Larry and Judy's watch. When Al and I got up (0100)the clouds and wind rolled in, so Larry and Judy weren't so lucky. But then again they went on about the beautiful moon and stars and we got clouds, wind, and rain. All in all I feel more rested today. We had Sunday brunch, spinach/bacon/cheese omelets, hash browns, orange juice and toast. Lots of wind (20-25)so we're screaming along toward Ireland. We have a double reefed mizzen (a mizzen is the second mast on a ketch rigged sailboat)It's a beautiful sunny day so I dried out the weather suits. The bantering back and forth between crew member boarders on bickering between a group of second grade kids...most is done in jest but rather pointed. Oh well, at times on the North Atlantic what other entertainment do we have? Al and Mike jerry rigged the refrigeration. Either the thermostats is shot or the wires are off. Too hard to get at while at sea so we have a fix for now and everything thing is still frozen solid. So rest assured the culinary delights aboard the Artemis will not disappear. As Judy put it once again, we live in a world of gray...gray sky, gray clouds, gray birds gray waves so it's our duty as chief cook and bottle washer to put a colorful display before our crew each day. Well it's almost time to feed the crew and the winds and seas continue to grow. It won't be a restful watch tonight. We made a one pot, beef pot roast, potato, beans, and carrots. Love and God Bless Sally, Al, Mike, Judy and Larry [top]
July 8, 2006
Hi all, Well we left St. John's, Newfoundland a week ago today with 1,654 nm showing on the GPS. We have another 654 nm to go to Dingle, Ireland. We've made good to waypoint 1,000 nm but I'm sure we've put on many more. Last night turned into another wild, restless watch. The winds piped up over 30 kt at 0000 (midnight) so Al helped Larry and Judy take down sail and he ended up staying on watch until 0430. I stayed on with Mike until 0630. We had big walls of waves again(6-7 meters) rolling, and rocking us about. Hard for anyone to get much rest. The afternoon winds and seas dropped substantally. We have 10-15 kt and seas are down to 3-4 meters at 2015. Rain showers off and on so it'll be a damp cooler watch tonight. We had pork/chicken fajitas, black beans and rice, and salad for dinner. Our reward for another miserable evening gone by was Judy's famous cherry/apple crisp. Hope to get some sleep tonight. We've been having trouble getting a station to pick up our emails and send th em. So hopefully these will come through soon. Love and God Bless, Sally, Al, Mike, Larry and Judy. [top]
July 7, 2006
Hi all, We had a beautiful, calm night. It's a waxing, gibbous moon and a starry night. The phosphorescence (a green, glowing marine organism). They look like fireflies in the white froth of the water. One wilder night Al said they were all over the weather cloths of the boat. Way cool! It was dry (no dew) and much warmer. Larry and Judy put out about 60% of the jib at 0345 to see if we had enough wind to hold it. Al and I came on watch at 0400. Shortly after we pulled the rest of the jib out. The winds were picking up to a steady 8-12 kt so up went the mizzen sail. At 0630 we put up the mizzen stay sail and by 0700 off went the engine after running her for 18 hours. Mike got up for his watch and hooked up the wind-vane and Al and I went down for our night. The winds continued to build and the seas right along with it. We have a steady SW 20, rocking seas and scattered showers. The barometer has dropped 15 millebars in the past 24 hours. I have the first 6 Harry Potter books onb oard and finished book one today. I've held off reading them or seeing any videos until I had time to sit down and read them all. Judy is making cod with tomato saffron sauce, white/wild rice, and spinach salad. Our touch of humor today comes from Sally listening in on Mike and Al's dreams last night. First Al's yelling about being inside a %$#@^@# tank, no it's a ship! I got Al settled back in Artemis with the engine running in his dreams. Then a while later Mike suddenly shouts out, "Whoopee! What's happening!" Then he too fell back to his dreams. It looks like another cold, wet, rolling watch tonight. Love and God Bless,
Sally, Al, Mike, Larry and Judy [top]
July 6, 2006
Hi all, It was rather a quiet night after our Tues. night gale. We had light winds so we're only traveling at 5 kt. When Al and I came on at 0400 we decided to tack. "If we're only going 4-5 kt we may as well be going on a better heading," says the captain. Well tacking turned out to be a major ordeal in the dark. We have extra lines run for the mizzen stay sail and a mizzen preventer. Then we had a raised wind-vane just waiting to grab the mizzen traveler sheet. Now that was only the mizzen. We had the main and jib out too. Finally got Mike up to help with lines. We got everything back on track and heading in a better direction, more NE than S of our rhumb line. (ideal track line drawn on our chart between St. John's and Dingle, Ireland) Each day we plot our position to see where we are in relationship to this line. The gale put us more south of our line so now we're trying to make that up. Great excitement in the cockpit about 1200. Two gigantic fins and Al saw their flukes. This is by far the biggest whale we've seen so far. Perhaps an Orca. I made the crew sausage and pancakes when I got up at 1200.
The winds are still down so we decided to motor for a while, charge batteries and make hot water for showers. The ocean has flattened out which means no wind. But the cockpit showers felt good. It's also a great day to dry things out in the boat and clean up. 'Tis a quiet day at sea... Judy and I put creative minds at work to decide what to do with our pork tenderloin. Judy going off of a previous recipe used in MN calling for figs decided to try something similar using dried plums. Tonight's special creation: Sliced pork tenderloin in plum and wine sauce with herb d'provience, sautéed zucchini and boiled chive/butter potatoes. Oh I forgot to mention Sally and Judy have taken up juggling in our spare time... dishes, onions, tools, pots, bottles, cans... My aren't we multi-talented individuals!
Now what! The engine just quit suddenly. We've caught something around the prop. It turned out to be 30-40 ft of an old heavy, fishing net and it was bound to the rudder and prop. Everyone teased Al about another "toy" being hauled on board when they saw the Sea Breathe apparatus being stowed. No toy, it was put to work. Mike put on a wet suit and used the Sea Breathe machine to go down and cut away the net. It took several times down and some warm ups before he finally got it all cut loose. All he could talk about each time he came up was George the fish watching his every move. When he got the job done he took off after George with a fish net but the captain ordered him out of the water NOW! We floated well away from the net before Al started the engine at 2100. All seems to be working fine. The dolphins just came by to check up on us. The North Atlantic is certainly an adventure unfolding minute by minute, day by day. Love and God Bless, Sally, Al, Mike, Judy, and Larry [top]
July 5, 2006
Hi all, The virtual planner for cruising the North Atlantic suggests a 1% chance of a gale during the month of July. Well I guess that yesterday was our lucky day. The wind and seas started picking up early evening. It felt better to be outside than in. You could anticipate what the waves would do to the boat. It was amazing to watch the waves rise like a wall, crest and then sweep under the boat. The boat was screaming through the water. We took down all sails but 15% of the jib and we were still going over 6 kt with 5-6 meter seas pushing us along. Around 2230 a turning block on the wind-vane broke so we switched to the autopilot. The autopilot held pretty well but a close watch was necessary in case it couldn't hold its course. Then it was necessary to hand steer and reset the autopilot. Mike and Al decided it was best that they do the night watch. We changed our clocks to UTC so it was still light out at 0000 (midnight). So I went below to sleep. Ha! It was way too noisy, tanks sloshing, dishes rattling, cans sliding. I had to get the boards out for the companion way (instead of our usual louvred door) as we took some water below a few times when waves came over. The deck certainly got a wash down. Too bad it was salt water.
Al went down around 0700 and Larry took over. Mike tried resting in the cockpit and a wave came over and dowsed him good. Time to try out the new lee cloths on the settee, The winds were down to 18-20 and the seas to 3-4 meters. I got up at 0900 and made Larry coffee and breakfast. The mizzen halyard was wrapped around the radar reflector so Larry was only flying a full jib in 10-15 kt of wind. Our boat speed was about 5 kt so we decided to raise the mizzen staysail. Mike and Al got up at 1200. After a late breakfast they put their minds together and figured out a way to get the halyard untangled without going up the mast. It's a nice sunny afternoon so we're trying to dry out the foul weather gear. Everyone's trying to sneak in a nap or two.
Dolphins came to play about 1530. Oh so cute, two baby dolphins with 6 others. I shot some video off the bow, hard to do in the bounding waves, but worth the trouble. The dolphins swim back and forth under the water in front of the bow. Then they surface and dive down for some more fun. They left and came back at supper time. So fun! Judy made Curry Chicken, basmati rice, and fresh pea pods. Refrigeration and freezer on board means we eat well. Going to bed. Hope it's a quieter night tonight.
Love Sally, Al, Mike, Judy and Larry. [top]
July 4, 2006
Hi all, Happy Fourth of July! Al and I split our watch around Larry and Judy's watch last night. We were up until 0000 and then up again at 0345. It was a warm night but off and on rain showers. The waves kick the stern around until suddenly we get hit with a wave that goes bang, bang, bang down the side of the boat. . I guess that's all the fireworks we'll hear today. The wind-vane brings the boat back again. Mike got "pooped on", filled the cockpit with water. Artemis hasn't sprung any leaks. She's been nice and dry except for all the water we haul in with our foul weather gear. Al and I went down for the night at 0730 and slept?? until 1300. Tonight we hope to get back on a better schedule. I hate sleeping the day away. We keep screaming along toward Ireland at 6.5-8.0 kt.
The sun tried to peek out this afternoon. It's more pleasant to be sitting outside than down below. We saw whales and dolphins again about 1700 but they just couldn't keep up to Artemis as she surfed down the swells. We aren't sure what kind of whale. It was black with a high forehead but smaller than the blues we saw in the St. Lawrence Sea. Mike thought maybe a pilot whale but we couldn't find one to compare it to in our whale book. I'm making spaghetti with buffalo and sausage for dinner tonight. It doesn't take much to entertain the crew on Artemis. We spent a good quarter of an hour chuckling over a bird trying to land on the top of our mast. He was pretty persistent but not successful. We continue to make 165 nm a day. (course made good) Well the winds piping up blowing 28-32 This could be our liveliest night so far.
Love Sally, Al, Mike, Judy, and Larry [top]
July 3, 2006
Hi all, We had another great night passage. The clouds cleared during Al's and my watch and the stars were glorious. No city lights here! We heard the dolphins playing and talking to us but couldn't see them in the dark. The wind and swells have come down a little but we're still maintaining 6.5 - 7.5 kt. We're using the Monitor wind-vane steering system with great success. The boat is trimmed and riding well. We're working off of UTC time(Universal Time, Greenwich Time, or as some refer to as Zulu Time)so our day is five hours earlier than Minnesota and the same time as Ireland. It started to rain... Sorry I figured out how to save my log without posting it too soon. Al sent some mail earlier so the log went out unfinished. Rich Olson already emailed me back that Ireland is on IST (Irish Summer time) so it's another hour later there right now. We'll add another hour to our day tomorrow or later in the week. It's a rainy, windy, afternoon on the North Atlantic. So I'm cuddled under my polar fleece blanket Nicci made me, sipping tea, and reading Book 1 of the Harry Potter series.
Judy made a pot of chicken vegetable soup for lunch and that really hit the spot. Now she's putting a pan of apple/cherry crisp into the oven to bake for an afternoon snack time. Late afternoon we got hit with Strong SW 30-40. Guys reefed the jib again and took down the mizzen. That slowed the boat down to 5-6 kt until the front moved through. The crisp is making my mouth water and now I have a pot roast simmering on the stove top. The aromas are amazing on a dreary day. Our new sail configuration for the evening is 65% jib and double reefed mizzen. I stuck my head out and told the guys looks like rain coming quick on the radar. Two minutes later, rain. Five minutes laster Mike's yelling for a hankie and sunscreen. Every once in a while a wave will wallop the boat with a big bang but Artemis just trudges on. Love Mom, Dad, Mike, Judy and Larry [top]
July 2, 2006
Hi all, We've had a great first day on the ocean. We have South winds 15-25 and South swells 2.5 meters. Our average speed has been 7.0 kt. Al figures we will make 170-180 nm this first day of travel. We're all trying to get our sea legs back after the stop in St. John's. Pulling on clothes, making food, and using the head have become major ordeals. Every move takes way more time. Patchy fog during the night and early morning. Late morning the sun came out and has warmed our travels throughout the day. Artemis rides these waves well. Just when it seems a wave will roll aboard she lifts her butt and lets the seas roll on by. Rachel P. remember the waves standing over Marks head on the way to Devil's island? Think higher, much higher. Not as much to write about when at sea. Oops I spoke too soon. At 2030 UTC time we had a spectacular dolphin show. Two jumped completely out of the air and then Mike said they did opposite somersaults in the air facing each other. Since Larry and Al both verified that this truly did happen I guess we have to believe him. Mike was standing at the bow when the pair jumped completely out of the water again playing in our bow wake. Unfortunately Judy and I missed this grand finale because we had gone back below to make supper. Tonight's special aboard the Artemis is chicken braised in balsamic raspberry sauce served over wild and white rice, with a side of zucchini sautéed in lemon olive oil and herbs. (Judy and Sally have way to much time on their hands and minds) We challenge any chef to create under the conditions we work. Every few minutes a wave hits and everything takes to the air. Love Sally, Al, Mike, Larry and Judy. [top]
July 1, 2006 Hi all, We had visitors on the dock again last night. This time three teenagers boarded the boat(Fortune Allied Princess ketch) tied across the dock from us. I heard them talking about getting on so I watched out the port light. The third boy kicked to air horn and woke up the owner. What a scramble. They had no idea people were on board. "Oh my God, Oh my God I'm so sorry I'll never do this again... Sorry we woke you up and they shouted Welcome to Newfoundland!" as they ran up the dock. Quite a party in the park until late, kids wandering down to the dock, yelling and laughing finally they went home and we slept. Woke at 0800 to a light rain passing through. Canada Days and Memorial Day for Canada so a major holiday. The main celebration took place in the park above our boat...many color guards, dignitaries, and mounted police. We walked to Hava Java to use free wireless internet. We checked banking, emails, guest book and the weather forecast. We heard of a man who left St. John' s last Wed. in a 20+ foot rowboat headed for Ireland. His name is Rob Munslow and we checked his website for his latitude/longitude. It's a big ocean but we'd hate to have Artemis run into him, literally. Jean Charles Megy and Jean Michael Picq off "Libertaire" a steel hull, French boat we met in St. Pierre came in last night. Jean Charles came over and helped Mike with the weather fax. Al and I tried to unsuccessfully download pictures to the site. I guess we'll have to hope the 3 cd's Larry has mailed so far will eventually end up with Patrick.
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