Killybegs to Teelin Harbour
After a week in Killybegs I was ready to be moving again. The forecast was good, but I was unexpectedly delayed and didn’t leave until gone midday.
By the time I left it was 1pm, with the aim of reaching Broad Haven Bay, still 50nm away. The wind was Northerly Force 4/5. Everything seemed calm in the harbour, but slowly, as I crept out, the wind increased. I was making excellent speed, but three hours in the waves were beginning to build. With so many more miles to go, I realised I would arrive at midnight at the very earliest.
I looked at the chart and decided to bail. I could pull into Teelin Harbour, now just 5nm away. An hour later I was in the shelter of the harbour. I pulled up to the mooring buoy and ran forward with the boat hook. I managed to hook on, but the force of the wind blowing on the boat was too much and I lost my grip.
I ran back to the engine, but as I went to put it in gear the engine ground to a halt. It had not lost power as it does with a fuel problem. This time the sound was different. I could hear the engine firing and working hard but jamming as well. Looking over the side, my fears were confirmed: a rope was caught around my prop.
With the rocks not too far away, I began to panic, but luckily a small fishing boat was passing and saw exactly what had happened. I waved them down, and they kindly set up a tow and took me back to the mooring buoys. Their boat was far smaller, but it had a powerful engine. It was slow but effective, and once tied safely onto the mooring I thanked them greatly and began to investigate.
I found the rope, and by putting the engine in neutral and pulling from both ends, I managed to free it. The rope was a mess, but both me and my engine were happy.
Teelin Harbour to Broad Haven Bay
I spent a day on the mooring in Teelin waiting out the weather, resting and watching Netflix. On Tuesday the 22nd the forecast was Northwesterly Force 3 to 4, which was pretty perfect. The problem was that leaving with the tide meant leaving at 4am, and I wasn’t too keen on that. I set my alarms for 6am and left around 6.30, which I was happy with.
Once out of the bay I got my sails up and made good speed south-west. After a few hours I met a pod of dolphins in a playful mood, jumping high and dancing around the bow. One of the bigger dolphins leapt unexpectedly and landed on its side, almost like a belly flop. It made a massive splash and completely soaked me, not that I minded too much.
It was going to be a long day, so I settled in and listened to an audiobook on BorrowBox. It was called The Weather Girls, about a young girl who lived at Blacksod Lighthouse during the war and how the weather data gathered there delayed D-Day by 24 hours, preventing the allied forces from landing in a storm. It was told from the point of view of a twelve-year-old girl, and it made me smile. It was a lovely way to learn a bit of history about the places I was sailing past.
The morning passed quickly and the afternoon was fine, but by evening I was getting bored and excited to arrive. The swell had been pretty big, but the Northerly wind meant it was helping rather than hindering me. As I entered the bay it calmed down, and I was greeted by yet more dolphins. This time I counted around twenty-five, although they were moving so fast it may have been less. They surrounded me and it felt like they reached the horizon. I managed to get a video of a baby dolphin riding my bow wave less than a metre away.
They were everywhere, and I was a little scared to turn the boat in case I hit one, though I need not have worried. I slowed right down and did a 180-degree turn to drop my mainsail. They turned with me and stayed alongside as I dropped the sail. When I turned for shore again they raced off. It felt magical, not just like I was watching them but like they were engaging with and reacting to me and Pink Delta.
I arrived to mirror-calm waters in the harbour and dropped anchor near the lifeboat, 15.5 hours and 57nm later.
Broad Haven Bay to Inishbofin Island
The next day I was up at 8 and setting sail half an hour later. I had planned to sail to Blacksod Bay, which was only 10nm south but meant an almost 40nm round trip. I left the bay with sails up and was soon around Erris Head. I eased the sails and began to pick up speed.
With a Northerly wind and swell I was flying along. After about 30nm I could have headed into the bay, but it would mean travelling north for another 10nm and it seemed like such a waste. Instead, with the wind behind me, I kept going, aiming for my next stop: Inishbofin Island.
I played music through my speaker and danced on deck. I had my sea legs and was really enjoying this sail. It was a long day, but 13 hours after setting sail I arrived at the island before dark. The anchorage was well protected with a few other boats also sheltering here.
I had worn myself out with the long days, lack of sleep, and seasickness. I had not been eating properly or nearly enough. I took a day to just sleep and eat and do nothing else.
Inishbofin Island to the Aran Islands
That night I fell asleep listening to the Percy Jackson audiobooks, which are comfort listening for me. So what came next was unexpected.
I woke at 3.30am in a complete state of panic. I had had a nightmare, and even after waking I still felt like I was in the memory. I was hot and sweaty and shaking. When I woke fully I did not know where I was or what was going on. The boat was gently swaying at anchor, but I could not understand why my world was moving.
It took me a full fifteen minutes to get my bearings, and even then the feelings and emotions would not go away. I tried the grounding techniques I had been taught, and some worked better than others. Once I calmed my nervous system with breathing, I was able to recognise this as a nightmare/flashback.
I climbed on deck into the chilly air and looked up at the stars. Wherever you are, you can usually see the stars, and no matter what is going on down here on earth, they are just there. In this most isolated of places the stars shone even brighter. I pulled my sleeping bag out and lay in the cockpit looking up. It was grounding and gave me space from the feelings and panic.
By the time the sky began to turn pink and yellow I was calmer, but I was still too scared to sleep again. I knew I needed rest, so I took one of the antihistamines I had been prescribed that make me drowsy. I only took one instead of two but it was effective and I slept until midday, waking up feeling like a different person.
I decided to sail that day after all. I left around 1pm with a northwesterly forecast. The sea state was choppy and uncomfortable, but I stuck with it. I passed a catamaran going north in High Island Sound and, after that, raised both sails, then bore away and picked up speed.
It was still choppy until I passed Slyne Head and the rolling waves were at my stern. The rest of the sail was more comfortable, and for half an hour I had dolphins alongside. I had planned on sailing into the marina at Rossaveel, but as darkness approached I opted for the first anchorage on the Aran Islands. It did not look very protected, but as I got closer the sea calmed and I decided to give it a try. I anchored close to the beach, put my lights on, and set the anchor alarm before collapsing into bed.
Aran Islands to Rossaveel Marina
At 5am I woke to a feeling that something was wrong. Twenty minutes later my anchor alarm went off. I reset it with a slightly wider radius, but a few minutes later it went off again. The wind had shifted to a more northerly direction so the bay I was in was no longer sheltered.
What concerned me most was the sky. Clear blue with small fluffy clouds on one side, and on the other, a strip of almost black cloud forming a line on the horizon and moving closer. I am no meteorologist, but I knew that meant it was time to go.
I had just 10nm to the marina. The wind was on my bow, so rather than tack slowly I motored the whole way. It took three hours, and I arrived just before the rain started.
I called my mum, then went for a walk into town. Despite Google Maps saying it was a fifteen-minute walk, it turned out to be closer to an hour. I gave up halfway when I found a shop, filled my bag with goodies, and ate an ice cream on the way back.
The weekend turned into an enforced rest as I came down with a stomach bug. I was very grateful to be in a marina with proper toilets and showers.
Rossaveel Marina to Kilronan Harbour, Aran Islands
I left Rossaveel on Monday evening. I had spent the day resting and only got going around 6pm, just as the rain started. It was so heavy it resembled fog and reduced visibility, but as soon as I got away from land the skies cleared and I had a beautiful sail across to the islands, with yet more dolphins.
I arrived at Kilronan Harbour to rain and poor visibility, but eventually found a mooring buoy and tied up.
Aran Islands to Fenit Marina
On the morning of the 29th of July the forecast looked good to head south. The winds had calmed, so I got going. Wind was northwesterly Force 3 to 4. I made my way out through Gregory Sound, which was rough with short choppy waves tossing me about. Once clear, conditions improved.
I made good speed and settled into the rhythm of the rolling waves. Around 6pm I rounded Loop Head but still had 15nm to Fenit. The last few hours dragged as darkness fell.
As I was approaching the marina, the land was surrounded by mist. In the dark it felt eerie, and I got a spook when a large creature surfaced near my boat. At first I thought it might be a whale, but when it rose again with a friend I realised it was just a pair of dolphins.
I pulled into the marina an hour later after 60nm and nearly 14 hours at sea.
She sails 
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