Aleria's Adventures

Sailing past the Blasket Islands - eerie! The Small Craft Warnings (SCW) were indicating the potential for gale force winds on Thursday,  beginning later Wednesday night. The winds and seas would be higher farther south and the temperatures warmer and the weather fairer farther north. Our choices were to head out from Valentia and get as far as the Shannon River and pull into Kilrush, a locked marina, which was about 60 NM or head to Inishmore which was about 75 NM distant. Inishmore in the Aran Islands off Galway Bay could be exposed to the east but should be good in southeasterly wind and swell. If Inishmore was too exposed, we could sail across to Cashla Bay and tie up at the small craft harbour in Rossaveal. We could reach the first decision as we approached Loop Head whether to turn up the Shannon. But Kilrush is 20 NM up the river, and 20 NM back down, adding 40 NM to our total trip. Inishmore was a straight shot. We could choose to continue to Cashla if Inishmore...

No chance to anchor in the Blaskets today.  We rounded the Dingle peninsula or the "Ring of Dingle" from Tralee to Dingle in dense fog and mist. There was little wind and it was on the nose to begin with and the seas were much bigger and more confused than the amount of wind would suggest. We have to come back and see the Blasket Islands proper like another time. This day we could barely make them out in the fog as they kept appearing and disappearing mysteriously.