Aleria's Adventures

  A few weeks ago, Alex received a message from Austrian members of the TransOcean Club, of which he is a member and Port Officer for Ireland. Sailors from the continent were heading our way and needed a place to deliver a package. Could we receive it for them? Of course, that's what we do as POs.  The package arrived the day before they did. It was apparently tyres. What were they going to do with tyres aboard a boat? Alex delivered the package after they picked up a mooring at Rosmoney and did a fuel run for them. It turns out that the tyres are for motocross bikes that they carry on board their steel ketch, "La Belle Époque". That was Thursday, and we had a wedding to attend; our nephew was getting married that weekend in Tipperary, so we'd be away. But Alex invited them over for lunch on Monday. He'd make pizza. They arrived on their motocross bikes. Very cool. Seconds later, Willie called, telling Alex there are suspicious characters on motorbikes heading our...

  The Ocean Cruising Club Annual Awards dinner was held in Edinburgh this year. We flew out of Ireland West Knock Airport. A 52-minute flight, as soon as you ascend, you begin the descent. We took a bus to the end of the line, which was a couple of blocks from our hotel, the Apex Waterloo. Very easy.  The tram was also a couple of blocks away.  The first night, dinner was a lousy dinner in a tiny crammed room with no place to sit down but it was nice catching up with people we had not seen for several years, like John and Jenny Frankin, Phil and Norma Heaton, Rachelle Turk, Simon and Sally Currin, and so on. Jimmy Cornell was elected Honorary Member having done so much for cruising, like the ARC and his books.  On the second day, we visited the Royal Yacht Britannia, permanently installed on the waterfront, with a mall built around her. It was quite impressive to see and quite surprising at times. The queen and king slept in adjoining bedrooms on single beds. Quite a...