Sailing out of Baltimore Bay on the Friday morning, having left behind the beautiful setting of the Baltimore Harbour, was an exciting moment for all as we progressed West out of the Bay with Bantry Bay set as our final destination. Both crews opted for the North Passage out of Baltimore which tested the navigation skills of both skippers and their crews. Trying to get a handle on the elements, while the crew settled into their new environment, including distractions from seals having their breakfast on the rocks, and the beautiful scenery of the Sherkin and Clear Islands to the South we ventured North West from Baltimore Bay toward Mizen Head with Fastnet  to the South West. We managed some beautiful sailing as we rotated the role of helm and with Wind speeds of with occasional gusts of 20 knots speed and tidal swells with high waves rounding the Mizen certainly posed a tough challenge at times for both crews.

With both cruiser’s main sails reefed and their jibs tightened for much of the Bantry Bay leg and with Whity Island to the Starboard side and low tide beckoning into the new Bantry Marina on Friday night, the beef stew dinners were a welcome feast after a challenging but most enjoyable ten hours of sailing and this was just day one! Great credit most go to the two skippers, Des and Billy, and to their mentors, Mick and Jim, for the route planning and Navigation as the sailing experience was something that will be hard top and certainly raises the bar for future sailing trips.
Day two Saturday was much of the same as Friday with fantastic sailing weather with both crews well fed and geared up and ready to continue exploring the beautiful coastline of West Cork. Des’s crew took the route into Bare Island for lunch where rumour has it they may have picked up a winning Euro Millions ticket in Murphy’s post office while Billy’s crew aimed to get into Barley Cove before the tide changed at 4pm giving a lovely smooth sail around Mizen Head and into Barley Cove. Leaving Barley Cove we came across a small pod of Dolphins. We weren’t sure were they challenging us to a race or were they just enjoying surfing the waves at the bow of the boat but at 7 knots speed over land they managed to keep up for about 10 minutes or so before giving in to the might of the 40 foot Inis Ceim and heading on their merry way. Great excitement. On board the other boat their were unconfirmed reports of a whale sighting which may or may not have been the effects of a misspent youth or perhaps the shadows of one’s former self from the night before. Ina ny case there was plenty of scenery and wildlife for all sailors alike to observe.
As the night closed in on Saturday evening and with a close eye on the Rainfall Radar over Ireland through most of Saturday and the clouds darkening in the distance as we approached Clear Island we managed to avoid any rainfall while it appears most of the rest of the country were drowned in heavy rainfall for most of the day. Take note Greek Island Sailors. Clear Island pier is currently under construction but we still managed to moor both boats for the night and join in the craic in the local where we surprised the youthful Mr. Mick Lafin with a birthday cake and celebrated the sailing endeavours with many creamy pints and a Hendriks or two for good measure.
The Sunday morning rise at Clear Island Pier under the clear blue sky and a beaming sun rise certainly set us up for our final day with a sweet fresh sea breeze blowing along the cliff face at the pier. Some early-rising sailors managed to stretch their legs by taking a stroll around the island to the South Harbour. This for me will definitely be a place to revisit in the future and clearly already a favourite with some of the more seasoned Cullaun Sailors. Tom Galvin even knew where to pick the rare Clear Island Fushia. Gorgeous.