Good news

Cronin's in Crosshaven

We took our laundry to Carrigaline yesterday and the kind man got it done by 2:30pm. We had to kill a few hours which we did with lunch at the Gaelic bar. That meant just a light dinner at Cronin's, the only game in the town of Crosshaven. They stopped serving at 8 pm and another couple got turned away. We squeaked in just under the wire. It was a slow day yesterday, with computer work while a gentle rain fell most of the day.

We got a call this morning from Hugh, mechanic extraordinaire, that our parts had arrived yesterday evening and the guys were already on board installing the new gear. We packed up our stuff and searched out our hostess, Cathy, at the Compass Rose B&B, to let her know we'd be leaving a day early. Down the hill, with our bags, we trudged. The guys were already more than half done.

For a finale in Crosshaven, we got on our bikes and rode the Greenway along the river. It turned out to be a fine day and we enjoyed the ride and the scenery. It's a well-used path and very pleasant. After lunch at the River's End Cafe again, we sauntered over the boat and the lads were gone, the boat tidied up, including the black boot trail along the deck. Very impressive.

Alex is now replacing the engine exhaust casing, the remaining floorboards, and the salon table, we'll provision for the rest of the trip, and we'll head off in the morning. The forecast is not looking great for us - strong south-westerlies when we need to go SW to get around the bottom of the island. So perhaps we'll only go as far as Kinsale tomorrow and hole up there for the first night.

Snowy egret

Crow

Rook