Random Thoughts and Pictures

I'm just back from Cronin's Forge , where we went to confirm we want them to forge some new floors for Teal, and have been flicking through a few photos from last season. I thought I'd throw them up here for the interest.

Saorse Muireann

This first one is of Saoirse Muireann. She is a Roaringwater Bay Lobster boat, also known by their coloquial name "Towel Sail Yawl", built in Hegarty's from lines taken in 2000 of an 1893 boat called Honora

There is more information about these beautiful boats online at the Baltimore Wooden Boat Festival site, or in printed form in the massive, authorative and enthralling book Traditonal Boats of Ireland (I've spent hours just looking at the photo captions alone, it's a credit to all involved)

This next one is of a little boat which I've noticed in the boatyard this winter. She is steel I think, and according to what I've heard, amazingly well travelled.

This one is of the West Cork resident Galway Hooker An Faoilean. I used to live in Galway and I worked on the Docks (That sounds far more exciting than it was haha!) Watching the big ships in and out of the harbour was interesting, but seeing the Gleoiteogs depart the Claddagh to go racing around the bay was always a reason to walk out the factory door and stand watching and dreaming. These boats are in no small part to blame for Teals presence in Hegarty's yard!!

This last one is from the start of our "Summer Cruise" as you can see we had the most basic of gear! The dinghy had a perpetual leak and we were waiting for it to finally give up the ghost and sink under us but it kept going thankfully! The Mirror Offshore (the little red boat to the left hand side) was after a thourough clean, re-rig and engine overhaul and was rearing to go! She was a grand little boat in all respects except when it came to sailing anywhere into the wind. We did have a good cruise though, exploring new water and experiencing a number of "firsts" like sleeping at anchor, nearly hitting a submerged rock, rounding the Fastnet and more.

Work on Teal is moving along, If we could lay our hands on some Oak for our new keel I would be very happy, however next on my list is to finish cleaning off the iron keel and try harder to remove the one well seized keel bolt that stubbornly remains where it could well have been for nearly 100 years!