Aleria's Adventures

Dick, Carol, Alex, Sue and Mike We'd had a slow day, spending the time banking, emailing, and blogging. Mid-day we went to lunch at the River Cafe (very nice and good food) then sauntered back to the B&B by way of the boatyard. It was hot and sunny - summer had arrived. We got the news that the part was due in on Thursday so if all goes well, our boat will be put back together then and we'll be on our way. We were invited to dinner at Mike and Carol Hodder's house not far from Crosshaven in Fountainstown. Mike, the OCC Port Officer, picked us up at the marina and gave us the scenic tour en route. We arrived at Fountainstown House, a Georgian on 100 acres which has been in his family for 400 years. Mike was a dairy farmer until he couldn't make it work anymore, at which point he scaled back and switched to beef, which is now difficult at best. Alex and Mike, who reminded us both very much of Robin Williams, had a lot in common. Invited to dinner were also Di...

Today is Sunday and I can't believe it's been a week already since we arrived in Cascais. Where to begin? There has been no internet in the marina so writing blog posts has been a challenge. I've also been too busy to actually sit down and write.  

Visitor moorings in Clifden By Daria and Alex Blackwell Pontoon at Clifden Boat Club makes access easy This summer, we spent a month sailing Ireland’s beautiful southwest coast. We encountered many foreign vessels, more than we’ve ever seen before, mostly from Britain and France. The first questions a cruiser asks when arriving in a new destination are: Are there visitor moorings and are they secure and easy to pick up? Is the anchorage sufficiently protected from wind and seas and does it offer good holding?  What type of bottom composition does it have? Where is the access to shore? Is it a pontoon, a pier, or a beach? How can I dispose of garbage and recycling? Are there showers and toilets ashore? How far are the closest restaurants and pubs? Can I get water and fuel? Is there a shop for reprovisioning? Are there laundry facilities? What's the best thing to do here?

Fixing things and doing laundry in exotic places once again! Boats going this way and that in the hot and hazy summer conditions Fog hugging the coast We realized that Ardfern is home to the marina and chandlery where we had ordered our hose for the radiator repair. If we were lucky, we’d get there before they closed. We arrived just in the nick of time, and lo and behold, that radiator hose was tucked away for us as promised and we even got their last gallon of antifreeze. Luck was with us! We spent the rest of the evening walking around town, exploring the craft shop, the deli, and the pub/restaurant. It was a beautiful day once again, so we sat outdoors at the pub and sampled a couple of local brews. The grounds overlooked the waterfront and tiny sweet holiday cottages. And the pub had wifi, so Alex was finally able to download his email but I could not get mine to work.