Aleria's Adventures

  Aleria was finally ready to be launched in August. But insurance stipulated that we'd have to be South of the Bay of Biscay by September 15. There is nothing onboard as we stripped everything off in preparation for the refit and sale of the boat. We'd have to bring down truckloads of stuff, do short hops to check everything out and remind ourselves how to put things back together and sail. I didn't think we could do that and make it to the Iberian Peninsula by mid-September. It would be rushing it at best, and a schedule is one thing we've always avoided.  So we made the decision to hold off and splash in the early Spring. Then we could take our time reftting her and practicing what we have not done in five years, since Covid interrupted. That turned out to be a wise move as a series of storms plagued Biscay and Iberia in that time period. In addition, the Orcas were attacking sailing vessels off the NW corner of Spain and one of our ICC member friends was a victim. ...

OCC Roving Rear Commodores Brian and Helen Russell came into Rosmoney on s/v Helacious on Friday after visiting Clare Island. I couldn't meet them because I had to manage a changeover at our Airbnb. Alex picked them up and took them food shopping, dropped off their garbage, picked up some petrol, and showed them around town. Unfortunately for them, the weather has turned lousy, and it's raining all day today.   Fortunately for them, they are heading north, and they will have southerly and westerly winds starting Tuesday. They are meanderers who have crisscrossed the Atlantic multiple times after building their boat over the course of seven years.