Aleria's Adventures

The remnants of Hurricane Epsilon were stirring up the seas last night. The M6 buoy off the west coast recorded one of the highest waves ever seen anywhere in the world -- 30 metres or 98.4 ft.   The wind has been blowing steadily for hours. Blowing 40 kts gusting 55 kts since 10 am. It's now 5 pm.  As I drove to Alex's mum's house with groceries and meals today, her inlet had white-capped rollers breaking over the road and depositing rocks on it. I was hurrying to get home before the road went under at the high tide. The video is of our inlet. Much more subdued, but no view of Croagh Patrick today. And not raining at the moment. So much flooding everywhere.  It's going to be a long winter.  'The tide is high but I'm holdin' on I'm gonna be your number one...'

As Ireland tonight goes to level 5 lockdown, we will once again face a strange new world, straying no more than 5 km from home, inviting no visitors to house or garden, and limiting social interactions outside of home. Once again, the numbers of coronavirus infections are climbing, instilling fear of infection, fear of isolation, and fear of dying. Mostly, it's the fear of the unknown.  But I believe that being sailors helps to overcome such challenges. As distance sailors having set off across oceans, the great unknown the first time around, we have faced isolation for long periods and known that eventually, we reach the other side. We have faced storms and learned that they all eventually pass. We have survived when others have not, but we didn't let it stop us from taking off.  Sailing can help us keep things in perspective, perhaps enduring more along the way. It can help us cope with extreme physical and mental challenges. Facing the approaching storm, with skies darkenin...

Orcinus orca  While working the Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) pandemic response in the Atlantic, we had multiple reports of whales being struck by boats crossing from the Caribbean to Europe. One report, however,  was instead about whales attacking a boat. The yacht was transitting from Portugal to La Linea when orcas repeatedly rammed the vessel and spun it around 180 degrees. Every time they tried to resume course, they were rammed again, almost like the whales wanted them to leave. After the boat remained motionless for a period, the whales finally swam away. Although the sailors noted some damage to their steering, they were able to safely enter the port. Since then, numerous reports have appeared from the Straits of Gibraltar to the NW corner of Spain. Others weren't so lucky. Scientists can’t explain why killer whales are interacting with sailboats off the coast of Galicia and Portugal. Researchers say it is very unusual for orcas to show aggressive behaviour and ram into bo...

After a couple of weeks of benign weather in the Atlantic, we now have TS Gamma and three other disturbances that may still develop.   What a season it has been. TS Arthur  formed off North Carolina on the 16th of May. Arthur’s formation prior to the official start of the hurricane season marked the sixth consecutive year of at least one named storm forming prior to 1 June. TS Bertha was a short-lived storm on 27-28 May.  I wonder if that's a first -- that two named storms form before the official season. The genesis of Tropical Storm Bertha was not well anticipated and so South Carolina didn't get much warning.  The season got off to such an early and active start that NOAA issued an update to the hurricane season forecast in August. The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season with a record-setting nine named storms prior to August has the potential to be one of the busiest on record. " Historically , only two named storms form on average by early August, and the ninth...

On Monday, Alex had to take his mom to Sligo for a cataract operation. So I had a whole day to myself. I've been bugging Alex to do something active for some time -- like go for a walk in the woods or on the beaches, but he's been wanting things like a burger in a pub or a bike ride. I want to stay away from people but enjoy the natural world around us. Not that I have to go far. It's right at the base of our driveway.  But Monday, I wanted to see different. I haven't been out and about for ages. Since February, I've only been to Westport, Newport and Castlebar (once). And only to the supermarkets and pharmacy. I needed a change.  So I got in Micky, my aging but fun Mini, and started down the road. Should I head over to Mulranny?  It was going to be windy and possibly a little wet. No, Mulranny might be a bit exposed to the SW. I would start with the Quay in Westport as I'd heard there were works underway. I could gauge how many people were out and decide on mor...

Peter Smith, Kiwi solo sailor and inventor of the Rocna anchor, has transited the NW Passage against the Canadian Covid-19 directives without refuelling or going ashore. He has probably broken some records along the way. With that, he has also challenged Canadian rights over these waters. Read this article to learn more. 

Kiwi Roa (Photo from Peter Smith’s website) On August 24, it was reported that Peter Smith's yacht Kiwi Roa was spotted entering the Northwest Passage around August 20 without the permission of the Canadian government. His contention was that the NW Passage is international waters and, therefore, not under Canada's jurisdiction. The Canadian government had earlier put vague restrictions on anyone attempting a passage. Though they stipulated that the right of innocent passage remained in effect, they had turned two yachts away after they had been given permission and had sailed long distances to get there.  New Zealander Peter Smith, boatbuilder and inventor of the Rocna anchor, has been sailing around the world on the custom-built 52-foot adventure vessel Kiwi Roa for 26 years. High latitudes have attracted him but the NW Passage has eluded him...until now. He had attempted last year but didn't make it as it was a bad year for ice. It appears that, in the year of the pande...