I write from the Atlantic after a hectic few days, both socially and operationally.  We are of course nearing to ‘closing the circle’ and arriving back in Port Everglades.  Bantry Bay anchorage, unlike Portree a few days earlier, was kind to us.  A long ‘run’ up the Bay on the 7th and a turn into the anchorage near Whiddy Island, the seabed being thick mud and wonderful holding ground for our anchor. 

It was a 13-minute run for our tenders to the pier and months before, while in Alaska, I had been in ‘conversation’ with the Harbour Master about supplemental shore-tenders, fortunately 2 were available and we put them to good use.

Taken from the pier, us, lying at anchor.

We were surrounded by large rafts of Mussel beds

While a workboat ‘harvested’

I felt sufficiently comfortable with the weather, so late in the morning we took a tender ashore.  The town of Bantry lies some distance away from the pier and a small shuttle-bus provided transport to the town.  

Taken from the high-point of the town, the church.

The town itself

An old mill wheel, no longer functioning

A stream runs through the town

I thought this sign would be good for our bow, however in this case it refers to this….

 A long journey lay ahead of us, 3,711 miles or 5,938 kms, across the Atlantic.  I could see that the weather was not going to be kind to us, a massive weather depression, barrelling towards us from the U.S. eastern seaboard, so massive that avoidance was going to be a necessity.

I am sure that most of my readers are aware that on the night of the 7th/8th we lost a guest overboard.  Obviously, the incident is privileged information and therefore I will not be providing any further information, other than it involved us turning around and retracing our route, to no avail, unfortunately.

Having resumed passage, I then had to concentrate on that pesky weather.  We make use of a professional weather service and it was to them that I turned to, requesting routing advice to try and avoid the worst of it.  In fact, the depression was so large that there was no getting away from it, other than taking a route further south and trying to avoid a prolonged period in it.  Nevertheless, late on the 10th and through late on the 11th, we experienced 7m, 22ft seas and 60 kts, (66mph) winds.  To say it was ‘uncomfortable’ is an understatement and I was constantly changing courses to reduce our motion; we zig-zagged across the Atlantic for a while.  Today (12th), matters are much better and although windy, the seas have subsided considerably, the further west we go, the further we are from the worst of it.

So, with my days ahead full of social functions, writing reports and last, but not least, trying to pack. this will be last post of this Grand World Voyage.  I am taking what might be termed a ‘sabbatical’ and not going to Alaska this season, however I will be back for the 2020 Grand World after which I will ‘hang up my cap’ and become a crabby ex-Captain 😆