Trip's End
At Mallaig, on the south side of Skye, Frank left us.
Wriley and I continued south. During the day the islands were hazy, and this was in waves. It was due to volcanic ash wafted down from the latest eruption at Grindavik, Iceland.
That night we saw the Northern Lights for the last time. Like a glowing green crown, with high horns at the ends, neatly bisected by an imaginary line dropped vertically from the North Star. To the northeast the waning fine crescent of the moon pointed down at the Sun far below the horizon, and in time the Pleiades rose beneath the moon.
We got to Tory Island in the night. Walked the cliffs.
On the north, NW & W sides of Tory, the sea is deep. The storms here have to have exceptionally violent force. Ferries to Tory are often cancelled.
End of the road, on Tory.
We carried on to Inishkea North, 100 NM SW
Wriley timoneering. For sure it was hard going,
Teddy anchored off Inishkea North. The island was abandoned in the 1970s.
Brion Sweeney, the Hermit of Inishkea North was not in. I like to stop in to show off my crew.
Achill Island to the south
Surf roaring down a crevice. This is on a calm day.
The machair that covers Inishkea North (Ben Yeager photo, 2012)
The next day, to Clifden, a fair day with the wind on the beam.
Catherine Lowry took a shot of us anchoring off the boat club.
A good trip, with sailing ability limited by shortened main mast & smaller sail.
The crew?
We got on great.. Lots of laughs. Lots of comments on how different we were. Frank called for a game of gin rummy, and we instantly got addicted. The deck of cards we used...
President George W Bush... IN DRAG!!
Pic by Frank Schaefer
To all things, good and bad, comes and end.
Frank flew to near Milano, Italy, to help with a retrospective exhibition of his brother's artwork. His brother had lived in Italy a long time, and he died last year. This was a stopping moment for Frank, to reassess life, to travel, and take a look around. His mother, a very healthy 83, flies in shortly to join Frank, and they will spend a month in Italy. Then he visits a friend in Kenya for another month.
Wriley, an exceptional ornithologist, is taking two years to visit and observe the pelagic birds of the North and South Atlantic, with emphasis on the nesting habits and migratory patterns of the high latitude seabirds. Examples? The tern nests in the Arctic, and every winter lives in the Antarctic. The various shearwaters we saw - Cory's, Greater and Manx - have their separate nesting regions and they travel far and wide, Cory's to Patagonia. Puffins, poor fliers, who after nesting go offshore probably not far, and live alone through the winter on the open Atlantic. The fulmar, our northern equivalent of the albatross. Gannets. It was a great pleasure to go way beyond merely naming the birds, and to enter ever so slightly into the terrific dynamism of their various lives. This is another world, the deepwaters teeming with all sorts of birds. This winter Wriley will be at Palmer Station in the Antarctic. I hope to see articles and books published by him.
Last night I brought Teddy in to Clifden town quay, from which she left in June 2023. Have begun preparing for repairs - rebuild the main mast, a new bowsprit, and a lot else including maintenance. A friend, Nick Kottler, with whom I worked twice at Hegarty's Boatyard in west Cork, who is superb at this, and with whom I have an excellent relationship, will come stay with me and take charge of the repairs.
It is good to see again my friends, to share food, wine and laughter, and to see with fresh eyes this stunningly beautiful country.
I now end this blog.
Wriley and I continued south. During the day the islands were hazy, and this was in waves. It was due to volcanic ash wafted down from the latest eruption at Grindavik, Iceland.
That night we saw the Northern Lights for the last time. Like a glowing green crown, with high horns at the ends, neatly bisected by an imaginary line dropped vertically from the North Star. To the northeast the waning fine crescent of the moon pointed down at the Sun far below the horizon, and in time the Pleiades rose beneath the moon.
We got to Tory Island in the night. Walked the cliffs.
On the north, NW & W sides of Tory, the sea is deep. The storms here have to have exceptionally violent force. Ferries to Tory are often cancelled.
End of the road, on Tory.
We carried on to Inishkea North, 100 NM SW
Wriley timoneering. For sure it was hard going,
Teddy anchored off Inishkea North. The island was abandoned in the 1970s.
Brion Sweeney, the Hermit of Inishkea North was not in. I like to stop in to show off my crew.
Achill Island to the south
Surf roaring down a crevice. This is on a calm day.
The machair that covers Inishkea North (Ben Yeager photo, 2012)
The next day, to Clifden, a fair day with the wind on the beam.
Catherine Lowry took a shot of us anchoring off the boat club.
A good trip, with sailing ability limited by shortened main mast & smaller sail.
The crew?
We got on great.. Lots of laughs. Lots of comments on how different we were. Frank called for a game of gin rummy, and we instantly got addicted. The deck of cards we used...
President George W Bush... IN DRAG!!
Pic by Frank Schaefer
To all things, good and bad, comes and end.
Frank flew to near Milano, Italy, to help with a retrospective exhibition of his brother's artwork. His brother had lived in Italy a long time, and he died last year. This was a stopping moment for Frank, to reassess life, to travel, and take a look around. His mother, a very healthy 83, flies in shortly to join Frank, and they will spend a month in Italy. Then he visits a friend in Kenya for another month.
Wriley, an exceptional ornithologist, is taking two years to visit and observe the pelagic birds of the North and South Atlantic, with emphasis on the nesting habits and migratory patterns of the high latitude seabirds. Examples? The tern nests in the Arctic, and every winter lives in the Antarctic. The various shearwaters we saw - Cory's, Greater and Manx - have their separate nesting regions and they travel far and wide, Cory's to Patagonia. Puffins, poor fliers, who after nesting go offshore probably not far, and live alone through the winter on the open Atlantic. The fulmar, our northern equivalent of the albatross. Gannets. It was a great pleasure to go way beyond merely naming the birds, and to enter ever so slightly into the terrific dynamism of their various lives. This is another world, the deepwaters teeming with all sorts of birds. This winter Wriley will be at Palmer Station in the Antarctic. I hope to see articles and books published by him.
Last night I brought Teddy in to Clifden town quay, from which she left in June 2023. Have begun preparing for repairs - rebuild the main mast, a new bowsprit, and a lot else including maintenance. A friend, Nick Kottler, with whom I worked twice at Hegarty's Boatyard in west Cork, who is superb at this, and with whom I have an excellent relationship, will come stay with me and take charge of the repairs.
It is good to see again my friends, to share food, wine and laughter, and to see with fresh eyes this stunningly beautiful country.
I now end this blog.
Great you were able to end the expedition at your home base, Nick. Thank you for the blog; very enjoyable.
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