Aleria's Adventures

All of Europe, including the UK and Ireland, have been experiencing a heat wave this week. Whereas the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and elsewhere have shot up into the 40s, Ireland stayed in the 25 to 30C range. Thank goodness. We only hit 18.5 yesterday and 23.5 on Sunday, 25.1 on Saturday, 20.7 on Friday and 19.3 on Thursday. That was quite the change from the frigid temps before.  I should have gone out to Aleria and put a coat of the wood skin on the brightwork, instead I've been lazily tending to the gardens. I also got out in the kayak again finally.  Why couldn't this weather have come while we were out sailing? It would have been so welcome. 

Aleria in Kilrush We launched Aleria mid-May but several things delayed bringing her home.  For one, we had her brightwork redone and to do so they removed all the hardware but failed to reinstall it. So when we tried to install the spray hood, we realised there were no fittings. We had to acquire and install a new rail which, fortunately, our sail maker in Galway had enough of in stock to supply us. The snaps are still missing.  Then we had an engine problem. It kept stalling and we couldn't find the spare Racor filters. So we had to order new ones, treat the fuel with diesel bug killer, and then polish the fuel which took a couple more days. It worked! Finally, we were ready to depart from Kilrush. We arrived Saturday, the first day without gale-force winds. It was hot. Never mind that the airflow was going to be northerly for several days which would see us either motoring north or bashing into headwinds, we were taking off. Check and check. I provisioned while Alex installed

The Spanish trawler Nuevo Laredo riding out the storm near Ardnatrush Beg, Glengarriff, County Cork (RTE) Yesterday, we experienced a weather bomb. A fast developing system that hit hard and stayed around for a while. Our sailing club recorded wind gusts of more than 77 knots (143 kph or 89 mph) which is hurricane force. Lucky for us, the storm veered a bit more south than forecast, so we had a light easterly quadrant in the morning and northwesterly in the afternoon and overnight. Once again as with Lorenzo, the eye passed directly over us in Clew Bay. Storm Barra's eye passing  over Clew Bay We went to Westport in the morning and got our booster vaccinations then did our food shopping all in light E wind and showers. Then we braced for the worst as we were in the Red Storm Warning zone for the evening. We are protected from the NW by the hill behind our house and it appears there was no damage. We hope Aleria is okay in Kilrush, where strong wind gusts were recorded.  By mid-af

  Remnants of extratropical Hurricane Sam have arrived over Ireland causing unusual weather for several days. It started with rain this morning, which by 11:00 am had turned into a sustained downpour. Definitely tropical in nature. Around 1:30, suddenly all the windows in the house fogged up -- from the outside! That meant that tropical air had arrived and it was colder inside than outside. Sure enough, the temps increased significantly and the humidity went through the roof. Tropical Ireland. We'll get lots more rain tomorrow and Friday and they are saying we'll potentially top it off with thunderstorms as the high pressure nudges Sam into Iceland. At least we aren't to get the full punch of a Category 4 storm, which it was as it churned in the Atlantic.  Alex, with crew Cormac and Louise, are to deliver Aleria to Kilrush over the weekend, leaving Friday evening to anchor at Clare Island. Then Saturday motoring to Kilronan and Sunday on to Kilrush, possibly hauling out on