Next stop Schull...and the Calves Regatta

- August 12, 2016

We'd have to be somewhere sheltered from the south and west by Monday when the next gale was due. We had choices: a) sail through to Kinsale or Cork or b) work our way out via Schull, Baltimore and/or Glandore. We decided to stop in Schull as neither one of us remembered much about it. As it turned out, neither one of thought we'd ever been there before once we saw it!
We had a glorious if short sail. There were more boats at anchor and on moorings than any place since we left America and the Caribbean. It turned out to be the week of the Calves Regatta (pretty obviously a pun on Cowes Week, although they do have the Calves Island here) and 75 boats had taken part. Cool. Party.

We anchored past the mooring field but outside the approach channel and brought the dinghy into the very crowded pontoon in the town. The walk in is just a block or so. We walked the town and stopped into each of the three charity shops and two bookstores. In one of the charity shops I found an old ship's compass for €35 and bought it. Don't know what I'll do with it but there it is. We bought a couple of second hand books too. We stocked up at the big Centra in town. We made reservations at Casa Diego and brought our treasures home.

When we returned to town for dinner (we got the last table) the party was in full swing. A street party with music on a truck stage and people barricaded into the sidewalks both sides of the street and spilling into and out of pubs in various stages of happiness. To our amazement, we heard our names from two directions. First, a couple of women sailors from Mayo Sailing Club recognized us then again John Priesler showed up. But we were on our way to dinner and afraid to lose our table. We'd meet up later we all agreed.

The other end of town was mild in comparison. We sat and decided our dinner. Tapas in an authentic Spanish owned restaurant. Who needed to sail all the way to Spain? We had calamari squid and little tuna pastries, then roasted garlic potatoes and chorizo cooked in cider, and eggplant stuffed with meat sauce. The service was very pleasant, we had a nice house wine from Spain, and the food was delicious. We were very happy.

After dinner we searched for our friends but they were absent from every bar we went to, and there were many. So we walked the lovely trail that follows the bay coast to the sailing centre and enjoyed the lovely evening. Back to the boat and nice quiet evening reminiscing.