Last stop Inishbofin

Horrible lumpy seas passing Roundstone

We'd spent a day at anchor waiting for gale-force winds which we don't think ever actually arrived. The front and low-pressure system tracked a bit farther north and got stuck about 250 miles off Erris Head. There were stronger winds to the north of us and to the south of us. We made the right decision.

Now the question was, should we move on to Inishbofin. We had little interest in going ashore at Inishmore, but I was concerned about the sea state. I thought it would be churned up and I didn't want to be banged around on our next-to-last leg of the trip. Alex thought it would not be so lumpy. The wind was supposed to be in the range of 15-20 knots from the WSW, which would be pretty good for sailing North with a bit of west. Windguru showed 2-star seas with a short period of 3 stars, so I agreed, but only under jib and jigger. We left under heavy cloud cover, drizzle, and the occasional squall buffeting us with many knots of wind.

Crossing Galway Bay in the lee of Inishmore, all was fine. We ran the engine for a bit to refrigerate and charge batteries but were mostly sailing on a reach. As soon as we lost the protection of the island, all hell broke loose. The swell was massive and the surface confused, with the main swell coming from the west, a cross sea coming from the SW, and still another bouncing in between. Wind was against tide. It was a washing machine riding on a rollercoaster. I could feel my stomach losing gravity as we dropped off waves. I was annoyed. It was the one thing I had not wanted that day.

Things were crashing down below. Suddenly, we got knocked sideways and over by a rogue wave. Aleria proved she has a great righting moment, but we were both glad we'd been wearing our lifejackets and tethered to the boat. Alex head was almost in the sea when we went over. She got slammed a couple of more times, but we would soon turning more northward to pass Slyne Head. On that heading, Aleria took the seas much more kindly on the stern quarter and things became okay. We went through a period when the winds increased for a short time to about 30 knots but she just sped up. We worried about entering the harbour with warnings of the leading light being 'unreliable' and the big swell potentially entering the harbour and breaking on the infamous rock in the middle. But Alex managed through gritted teeth to get us in unscathed.

We anchored in our usual spot. There were four cruising sailboats at anchor in the harbour and more moorings than we remembered. But our spot was still available and we were happy. We tidied up, took showers, and prepared the dinghy for shore leave, our first in many stops.

We spent one evening in Inishbofin, and a fun evening it was at Murray's Doonmore Hotel. They were serving later than Day's which stops serving at 8:30. We weren't certain we'd make it in time. We left the dinghy at the old pier and hoofed it over on this beautiful evening. There were lots of walkers enjoying the views over the harbour. When we got there it was packed. The very efficient hostess told us she'd have a table for us in about 15 minutes, so we ordered drinks at the bar and a table there freed up so we took it. The bar was happening anyway.

We were soon told that the musicians would be sitting at the table we had scored, so we'd have to move. But another table opened up and we snatched it. We had a lovely meal - I had cod cake with samphire and Alex had the roast lamb. Both were yummy and we were happy with our wine.

People started arriving, some with instruments. Two young boys came in, one with a guitar almost as big as he was, the other with a fiddle. A young woman pulled out a fiddle and a many pulled out a squeezebox. A group of four asked if they could join us at our table and we invited them in. One was carrying a flute. He was apparently very good and was hoping to be invited into the session. The group soon got to playing traditional music which got everyone going. Yet the young boy was interesting in something completely different. He liked singing. Dylan to be precise. It was interesting to hear a tiny boy belting out "I want you, I want you, I want you, sooooo bad."

One of the four asked us if we were sailors, then if we'd come in that evening on the 'big boat'? We said yes. They'd been watching along with about half the others on the island - everyone on this side of the hill. One of the men was a racer in Dublin and had stayed with Norman Keane and Geraldine Hennigan, a friend of Geraldine's. It is such a small world. After a few tunes, we decided we were exhausted and if we were to get back to our boat without falling overboard, we'd better get going.

It was a lovely walk back to the boat, the first time we'd been out in darkness in some time. We made it back to Aleria without a hitch and she looked beautiful with her new lights. We slept well until the morning when it was time to head home. Clew Bay was calling.