Barra Bound

There has been many a lasagna baked for various offshore ventures and I always wondered the reasoning for the repeated request. I questioned the sailors with, “Don’t you get tired of the same food, over and over again?” Now I understand! We said good-bye to Ireland at 4 am. I was up hours before wondering if in fact would we leave as the wind picked up and the rain pelted down. Another squall. So what’s new? It rains… or how aptly put by a young boy fishing on the pier just 12 hours earlier, “It always pisses here.” Thankfully though, the rain ended and the sun appeared just 4 hours from departure and now, somehow it's already dinner time. We are tired and hungry. The lasagna has been cooking for 2 hours and the aroma wafts through the cabin. The pan will soon be raided, ready or not!

Today is August 2. Today is Bruce’s father’s birthday. Soon we’ll sail in to Castlebay. As the name suggests, the bay has a castle in the middle of it, Kisimul Castle, the ancestral home of the MacNeil clan. How appropriate for us to be arriving today! Our delay was meant to be, I am sure, and wonder if Norman had something to do with itJ Bruce visited Barra in 1974 with his father. After graduating from college, they went on a two week golf tour of Scotland with a stop in Barra. Stuart graduated from college two months ago. Bruce’s great, great grandfather, Norman, was a sea captain who emigrated from Barra to Nova Scotia in 1802. There he purchased a barque named The Louisiana and sailed her around the world trading with the West Indies and various European ports. Is this sailing thing in the blood?
The Isle of Barra is small, approximately 4 miles wide by 8 miles long with a population of approximately 1300. It has sandy beaches, machair for grazing, small mountains and prehistoric ruins. The harbor was once a herring port. In the 1800's there were over 400 boats in the harbor and curing/packing facilites on shore. The castle burned down in the eighteenth century. An American and 45th chief restored the castle between 1938 and 1970. In 2000 it was leased to Historic Scotland for 1000 years. The island is accessible by ferry or airplane with the later arrival and departure times determined by the tide. Yes, it lands on the beach!

Dinner is ready. More later...

Greetings from Killybegs

Don’t you love the name? Located on the north side of Donegal Bay, Killybegs is the most important fishing port in Ireland and home to a large fishmeal processing plant. Fishing here is done from November to April.
The fleet is quite impressive; brand new state-of-the-art vessels all lined up waiting for fall. The town reminds me of Gloucester yet when you look across the harbor, the landscape mimics Maine with capes adorned with dormers. Here there are trees and what a warming site as most of the country does not. In the south, grassy hills dotted with sheep and cows roll towards the ocean. Travel further north and mountains sprout up beside rocky barrens and sandy beaches. Grass grows everywhere in Ireland, even on the steep, rocky cliffs.

Today it’s blowing 25 to 30 knots in the harbor with predicted gale force winds offshore. We will stay here until the front blows through after which we will head straight to the Isle of Barra, an overnight leg, 20 hours we hope, and my first! Our belongings have been stored and we have been fitted for our harnesses. Elizabeth is making brownies for the trip. Food does wonders for the soul.

Over the past week, our foul weather gear came out of the closet for one quick shower. All other rain has been overnight. Since leaving Crookhaven, a full day’s sail from Kinsale and our first stop, the winds have been light from the southwest making it difficult to sail We are getting tired of our iron genoa. Yesterday the winds were in our face so we pounded for 6 hours, the most uncomfortable yet. I thought (as I had little time to even think about it) that it would be a hop, skip and a jump up the coastline of Ireland. I was wrong. We have averaged 8 hour days. For those of you who are geography buffs and would like to see where we have been, start at Kinsale in the south and follow the west coastline to Crookhaven, Lawrence Cove, Tralee, Little KIllary, Broadhaven Bay, and now Killybegs…or something like that…Am I missing a night? Guess that’s what vacation is all about…loosing track.


Our days consist of, in no particular order, reading, navigating, motoring, making repairs, cooking, cleaning, checking on internet availability, solving crosswords and Sudoku, sightseeing, sailing, doing laundry, motoring, baking, downloading weather reports, researching places to stay for the night, photographing Ireland, and talking with the friendliest and most hospitable people while in port. Yes, we have had a few political discussions as well and wonder what’s going on in the rest of the world, including South Bristol and Lincoln.

It’s often 7 pm or later when we are secured for the night. With dinner and sometimes a movie, at the moment we are watching the John Adams series, 11 p.m. comes quickly. Most of us are asleep before our heads hit the pillows! We have had to anchor only twice as visitor moorings seem to be most everywhere. That’s a luxury and makes for a more sound night’s sleep.

Again, we are ready! We refueled today, purchased some fish and fresh produce. The guys continue to tweak the rigging and make sure all is secure while we finish our business on the internet.

We think of all our friends and loved ones daily. We miss you and hope all is well with everyone. I wish we could send some pictures but the connection is too slow. If that changes, we will do so.

xoxo Linda, Bruce, Elizabeth, Heather and Stuart

On Our Way!

Yesterday began the first leg of our long awaited trip around the coastlines of Ireland and Scotland. Just before noon, we left the dock in Kinsale, refueled and sailed 7 hours covering 50 nautical miles to Crookhaven for the night. We were powered by a steady 20 knots of breeze and have enjoyed warm temperatures and sunshine. We couldn't ask for better weather!



Those of us who have not been cruising for sometime are becoming reacquainted with the operations of a sailboat, from what might seem to be the simple task of storing food to learning our way around the rigging.

Heather, Stuart and Elizabeth spent the evening at O'Sullivan's Pub, run by Dermott, third generation owner and manager. The crowd at O'Sullivans are British Open enthusiasts. A friendly barman pointed out the framed and autographed flag from the 18th hole of Padraig Harrington's 2007 Open victory. This year, they are hoping he will be equally as generous! Stuart spoke to a few local cruisers who had participated in Cork Racing Week, looking for some tips for Barra and her crew as we head north. Alas, none had ventured farther than Crookhaven so for now, we are blazing our own trail.

More from the next port!

Day 16: LAND HO! LAND HO!

Pat was the first one to spot it, after Sam pointed out the land clouds. He was standing naked in the cockpit, drying off in the sun from his tea-kettle shower. He bellowed it multiple times to the astonishment of the crew. Everyone scrambled out of the farthest corners of the ship to see if indeed El Capitan was telling the truth (he was wearing a towel by the time we made it up). It was only 3:15; we weren’t expecting to see land until dinner. We forgot to take into account that Ireland has mountains. Sure enough, we could see the faint outline of a hill through the haze on the horizon. A few minutes later there was another one, and soon the horizon was scattered with what would show itself to be the very green Irish coast. It would be a few hours before we neared Fastnet Rock so we started the boat cleanup effort. First came the gathering of personal effects, followed by vacuuming everywhere and cleaning the head. As the sun got low enough to give everything a yellow glow, we came up on the long awaited lighthouse at Fastnet Rock. Watching it grow bigger we all sat in the cockpit grinning. Rob drove by hand. Sam, who will turn 60 in less than a month, has waited his whole life for this sight, and it’s the first time for all but Pat. We took lots of photos. Photos of the rock. Photos of our crewmates. Photos of our crewmates in front of the rock. Not to worry, it is the best documented half hour of the last 16 days. Now, as a giant full moon has just risen off our starboard side and we continue on to Kinsale, we have fallen into familiar roles. Sam is bent over the salon table double checking the navigation and taking bearings off lights on the coast. Rob is cooking dinner, monitoring the casserole in the oven while chopping and cooking carrots, of which we have a seemingly endless supply. Stuart and Pat, having finished smoking their celebratory cigars, have raised the spinnaker and are playing it in 10 to 12 knots of wind instead of turning on the motor. I, El, am sitting at the nav station (with a little technical help from Rob) recapping the day’s events to send out to all of you. It’s warm down in the cabin. The bowls are ready for dinner. We’re heeling at 15 degrees to starboard. Bob Marley is playing. I just realized it’s past 10:00… this scene usually takes place at around 6 or 7. The excitement must have set us back. We don’t have many hours of darkness this far north. The sun rose this morning spectacularly just before 0400, the first real sunrise we’ve had since… when did the grey begin? It all runs together. At daylight we expect to be coming around into the Kinsale harbor, where we will be greeted by the entire MacNeil family. It has been a wonderful passage, and a pleasure to share with all of you.

Thanks for reading!

The Barra Crew

“I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife,And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.” – John Masefield

Day 15: Mexican Surfing and Bets

Yesterday was Mexican Day. It did not, in fact, involve any mariachi music or hat dances but it did manifest itself in our food: chicken quesadillas for lunch and beef and steak fajitas for dinner, greeted by shouting that at least resembled Spanish. The weather was like Maine in the fall with a crisp breeze, and according to the log, Stuart thought it was time to go back to school. Sam and Pat took advantage of the sun and got sights both in the morning and at noon. Upon advancing their lines of positions from morning to noon both calculations were very close to our actual position, fantastico! Late in the afternoon, with the wind gusting in the low 20’s and Pat at the helm, Stu flying the chute and Sam grinding for Stu, we were pegging the speedo above 10 knots frequently. The game was to get up speed going diagonally across the following seas and then bear off in the gusts to surge down the face of a steep swell. There was a fine point as to when you had enough speed and pressure to bear off before running the chance of broaching. We entertained ourselves for an hour and a half before dinner called, changing roles a couple of times. After 14 days at sea, we are easily entertained! The longer we are at sea, the more appealing movies become. Last night we watched the second half of The Last Waltz (started the night before), and today brought the Deep Sea episode of Planet Earth and Pull, a ski movie. We are quickly exhausting our book supply, trading with each other as soon as one is finished to begin the next. The baked goods keep coming, and every time we open the freezer we find more delicious treasures: mint brownies! Steak! Cookie dough! Sausage! With only a few days to go we only eat the best. Sam reports that we have now covered 2,422 Nautical Miles, with 250 to go. We all admire the chart in awe – we did… THAT? Hopefully Fastnet Rock will be in sight sometime tomorrow night and the competition is on for who will be the first to shout, “LAND HO!” If you are said winner, it is necessary to really bellow it out – you bet your boots it will awaken any not on deck. Keep your fingers crossed for this occurrence in daylight. We are actually starting a betting pool as to the distance until it is spotted. Calculations are illegal, only mental ponderings are fair game.Ahoy to all our mateys at home, thanks for reading!

The Barra Crew

Day 13

The sun exists! It did, anyway, for a few hours this afternoon. We were so excited after four days of fog that we all got on deck, took pictures, and put up some more sail to get cooking towards Ireland. Sam and his prodigy Captain Patrick even got some sun sights. The fog has filled in again to our dismay but is thinner than before so we are holding out hope. In the fog, we logged two consecutive 200 mile days and now have only about 500 nautical miles left in our voyage – less than a Bermuda race! Even now, as the breeze has died down, we are still cruising at almost 8 knots. Stuart mused that Barra will reject her dock lines in Ireland and insist on continuing to sail, she loves it that much. The dolphins appear to be as curious about us as we are of them and consistently swim by to check us out, putting on a show of jumping or playing with their friends in the bow wave. The most spectacular at night, we follow their phosphorescent trails as they dart off and then weave back into the pod. The best show is witnessed when the dolphins coincide with our sailing through a school of fish- it looks like the paparazzi is underwater all around us with flashes of green. Even in the daylight, we can’t get enough of the sea life. Patrick and Sam have spotted a new species of bird which we have yet to identify. This morning Stu yelled down, “You have GOT to see this!” We all ran up on deck to see hundreds of dolphins and giant tuna thrashing up the water and jumping clear out of the waves into the air off the starboard bow.With a lack of other major events, the ship has turned into quite the library. The favorite book so far is David Sedaris’ “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim”, read by half the crew. The salon/living room has become an increasingly social space and we really are turning into a family. Blogging has in fact become a daily highlight with input from all involved, (the Meet the Crew section was an especially social event). We are exploring the depths of our musical selection, from sea chanteys to bluegrass, and have been pleasantly surprised on all accounts. Any Irish-sounding jigs have marked popularity the nearer we draw to the land of the leprechauns. Recent culinary adventures (adding to Barra’s festive air) include apple bread, tortilla pizzas, scrambled egg breakfasts, meat balls, and teriyaki stir-fry. Tonight we are cooking the much anticipated Linda Lasagna, and the excitement is tangible in everyone’s faces. Temperatures continue to drop and strategic layering is required for night watch in the fog. We are on to our second tub of hot chocolate, and hope the supply will hold out because it is consumed more often than water. Last night the boys declared the first movie night and watched a Clint Eastwood western. Peaking down the companionway at the three of them nestled in front of the TV it would be easy to forget they were on a boat at all instead of a friend’s couch. On the docket for tonight, The Last Waltz. As we went down to just one freezer this afternoon, the DVD player has been deemed an appropriate use of the extra amp hours.Love to all at home, and pray for more sun! Thanks for reading and keep an eye on that horizon,The Barra Crew

Meet the Barra Crew

Captain Patrick is a Pisces and enjoys long walks on the beach with
attractive redheaded Irish girls named Molly (if you meet this
description, please contact him on the facebook.com). He also likes
a good whiskey or Guiness. Patrick can often be found aboard his
boat, Plumbelly, currently lying in Senegal. He is a carpenter by
trade and sometimes forgets he is sailing with other crewmembers and
can be found standing watch in the buff. Luckily, he is a gentleman
by nature and always gives fair warning with a shout down the
companionway. Patrick sports an Italian moustache of the finest
kind; he has a penchant for hip hop music and is an expert in exactly
what types of food need to be refrigerated vs. those that can stand
the heat. He is a super seaman and his bellowing voice brings sea
chanteys to life. Don’t try screwing him out of any money or you may
find him chained to your banister. We’re not kidding and neither is
he.

Rob is also a Pisces, what a coincidence. He enjoys pepperoni
pizza with feta and downloading weather charts on the computer,
keeping us connected to the world. Rob is especially skilled at
napping in the shade of his black Bowdoin sailing hat on the starboard
settee. Rob is Barra’s resident master of the culinary arts. He can
also dissect a problem with the same precision as he does the brains
of small rodents.Tall tales and Long-gitude are subjects which Rob
often ponders. Rob’s facewarmer is becoming more pervasive every
minute. By Wednesday he will be ready to hibernate with his fellow
polar bears.

Sam is the distinguished geezer of the group. He looks more
grizzled by the day, which according to Patrick means that he is
capable of killing a bear with just a knife and his teeth, or
sliding into the position of a Hollywood movie producer with only
the addition of his snazzy new sunglasses, no questions asked.
Sam is the keeper of the sextant and has been a sensei in Captain
Patrick’s celestial navigation skills. Sam enjoys counting and
whistling at the many birds which fly around Barra.  He is a master
of mental arithmetic, constantly calculating our estimated
time of arrival rivaling the veracity of a standard GPS unit.
He is also a connoisseur of the deliciously whole Parmalaid.
By far the most fashionable of the crew, Sam is often spotted
yachting in khaki pants and a wonderfully loved Brooks Brothers
button-down.

Stuart is the best (or hungriest) baker of the bunch. He knows
how to measure out two tablespoons of egg and four tablespoons
of water to reconstitute powdered eggs, mental math that only some
are fit for. Stuart’s activity has been observed to precisely
follow the glorious rhythm of a sine wave, the trough of which being
the moment he wakes up after dreaming that he lost the phone number
to Morris, and the high point being when he turns up the country
music at 5:30 pm. Stuart has read at least 4 books, plowing through
with intellectual grace and speed. Bos’n extraordinaire, he has been
tweaking and fine-tuning the boat from stem to stern and mast head to
keel bolt since the moment he stepped aboard.

Eleanor is the creative writer of the bunch, your faithful (in the
last 3 days)blogger. She enjoys journaling, camels, and silently
disagreeing with othercrewmembers until proven correct, when she
then shares her opinion, valiantly representing the female sex. Luckily,
she didn’t test the theory that her wisdom lies in her dreadlocks by
cutting them off just prior to departure from Bermuda. Despite attempts
to match the immense appetites of other crewmembers, El’s seemingly
little plates of food are  often finished off by one of the boys.  El
is especially good at over-analyzing her life and blog entries, and
giving candid interviews while on watch in the middle of the night.