Aran to Valencia

Aran Isles, Doolin, Kilrush, Valencia
Tuesday, August 2. After leaving Roundstone, we headed for Inishmore, the largest of the 3 islands knows as the Aran Isles. Not a bad sail although seas were not Calypso friendly, with winds from the northwest. We took a visitor mooring in the new and still under construction ferry port in Kilronan. We arrived mid-afternoon and took the dingy into town. Our plans were to meet up with our Irish friends again who would take a ferry from their home in Doolin the next day. We would spend a day on Aran and then sail down to Kilrush on Thursday.

Inishmore is a beautiful island and a MAJOR tourist destination. Ferries come from several towns hauling hundreds of holiday-makers to the island every day. They are met by jaunting cars (pony and trap) or mini busses to take them on tours around the island. Like clockwork, our friends arrived on the morning ferry from Doolin and we spent the day touring the island. We took a mini bus around for half a tour and let the driver go at the Iron Age fort Dun Aonghasa. This is a stone fort built on a rock promontory. The scenery is spectacular and is definitely worth the journey. We walked back to Kilronan and finished the day with a delicious meal on board. We had Burren smoked salmon and mackerel from a prize-winning small producer near Doolin who is currently in the US meeting with Dean and DeLucca about carrying her smoked fish.

Thursday, August 4. Kilronan to Kilrush. The sail from the Aran isles passes the Cliffs of Moher which is considered some of the most dramatic coastline in Ireland. We planned this trip for Thursday because the weather was forecast to be relatively good. One thing we have learned about weather in Ireland is: it is not predictable. We sailed out near 8 AM in not terrible conditions but by the time we had passed Inishmann conditions we deteriorating. Visibility was decreasing and seas were kicking up. We ended up experiencing the roughest seas of our whole trip and the visibility was not such that we could really appreciate the coastline. Once we rounded Loop Head and entered the Shannon River sea state calmed somewhat and our last 2 hours were passed pleasantly. We off loaded the cats and went to spend a couple of days with our friends in their home.

Friday, August 5. The Doolin Respite. Doolin is renowned as a center for traditional music. It is also in a very particular geological region called the Burren where there is a vast limestone plateau. We spent 3 days seeing the local sights while eating scones along the way and dining on fish and chips in the pub which draws crowds for nightly music, and some excellent home cooking. Dante and Calypso thought they had died and gone to heaven. They spent 3 days in a house with lots of windows from which to watch interesting things. They were also able to go outside themselves to explore and eat grass. They were really hoping to be adopted by the nice Irish couple and never have to go back on the boat again. But no. Sunday morning came and they were in their carriers again in a car driving back to Kilrush Marina and the dreaded boat.

Sunday, August 7. We are in a marina for the first time since Troon. The only thing we want to do is laundry. So that is how we spent the afternoon through evening. This marina has a home not commercial washing machine and dryer so it took many, many hours to do most of what we needed wash. Some things will wait until we get back home. On Monday, we walked around Kilrush, did a final shop of fresh fruit and veg, filled water tanks, and washed the boat. There is a lock to get in and out of the marina which operates from 9 AM to 9 PM. We planned to be out on the tide at 6 AM on Tuesday so at 9 PM we locked out of Kilrush Creek to spend the night in the sea lock.

Tuesday, August 9. Kilrush to Valencia. We left Kilrush as planned at 6 AM and had a lovely sail down the Shannon River. Once we got out to the coast however, the winds soon died then changed direction so that we were heading into them, and then they freshened. Seas were once again rough until we passed behind the Blasket Islands. Our original destination was the Blaskets but with the weather deteriorating and Irish coast guard predicting gales for the next day, we decided to make for Valencia which is well protected. We found that a marina was here, still under construction but completed enough for us to tie up to its floating pier.
Valencia is a lovely small island with a new port built to accommodate water sports for children. Kids were kayaking, swimming, and jumping on a floating trampoline inside the protection of 3 sea walls and the floating pier. A ferry ride of no more than 5 minutes connects Valencia to the mainland. We enjoyed a walk around the town and sat down for a relaxing Guinness. Weather continued to deteriorate and we planned for another day here.

Wednesday, August 10. It is mid afternoon as I catch up on my trip log. We have been battered by winds and rain for hours now. This is the first storm we have had to sit out since Penzance, not bad for 2 months on the go. It has given us time to plan our trip back to France. We lost the red running light on the way down to Kilrush so we have to replace that before doing much else. There are few marinas and even fewer chandlers here so we do not know where we will find the replacement. Tomorrow we are heading to Baltimore (NOT). RXC likes to say we started this trip out from Balmor, MD so it is fitting we should stop at the one over here. Hopefully, there will be a chandler there that will have something we can use for the trip back.

If the storm lessens a bit, we will go have a coffee at an internet café and I will be able to get this posted. Our internet connectivity has been the main frustration of the trip. Not only has it been infrequent but increasingly we try to connect to a hot spot only to find our US computers cannot read the signal. We have set up accounts that are supposed to give us good coverage such as Boingo but they have not worked. When we can catch something at cafes, we have to try to remember to check so many things beside email such as bills, bank and credit cards statements, weather, etc. This is the one thing that has been fairly problematic for the trip as we depend on the web for so many things.

Friday, August 12. We are still in Valencia. The weather has kept us pier bound. Tomorrow predictions are for lighter winds, we will see. If we get out we will try to get as far as Kilmore. from there we will jump to the Scillies when we get a weather window. Weather is supposed to be poor through the middle of next week at least. From the Scillies we will head to La Coquette north or Brest or the Isles of Glennan.