Tern's Travels
Pacific Seacraft 37
| Vessel Name: | Tern |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Pacific Seacraft Crealock 37 |
| Hailing Port: | Falmouth UK |
| Crew: | Larry & Manice Stabbins |
04 July 2022 | Dingle, Kerry, Ireland
Dingle, Blasket Sound to Aran Islands
Dingle, Blasket Sound and on to the Aran Isles. 28 May - 1st June
11 June 2022 | Cahergal Ring Fort, overlooking Valencia
VALENCIA AND KERRY, 21-27 MAY
Valencia's main habitation is Knightstown where a large marina within a set of breakwaters was envisaged but never completed. The breakwaters make it a safe place to tie up but there are no facilities so the next day we went up the river, which is constrained by tide, to the marina at Cahersiveen [...]
11 June 2022 | On Sneem Sculpture trail
KENMARE RIVER, north shore. 19-20 May
After three days boat-bound at anchor in Kilmakillogue we were keen to move on so we motor-sailed NW in 15-20 knots of gusty SW wind to anchor in the N cove of Garinish Islkand in Sneem Harbour. It was still too windy and grey to make it attractive to go ashore but by the morning it was brighter [...]
18 May 2022 | Dursey Sound cable car support
Kenmare River
Once the wind eased and we could move on from Adrigole, Bantry Bay, of course, there was no wind and we motored the 15nm to Castletown Bearhaven to provision andget nearer to the west end of Bantry Bay. Sailing from each river northwards needs not only good weather as the swell can get so large, [...]
12 May 2022 | The Italian garden at Garinish Island
Glengarriff Harbour and Garinish Island (Ilnacullin) 7-12 May
Glengarriff is sheltered enough to be a hurricane hole. It's a must to visit but as strong SW winds were forecast it was a perfect place to be. It was a fine evening and were greeted by the resident seals as we anchored near Garinish Island. The next day was overcast but we spent most of the day on the [...]
12 May 2022 | Live fowl for sale in Bantry market- you can buy almost anything!
Adrigole and Bantry
In settled weather we were abl;e to continue east towards Bantry, stopping in the protected Adrigole harbour which is home to a large population of harbour seals. The potentially peaceful is setting disrupted by the noise from the busy coast road with its traffic from the fishing port of Castleberehaven [...]
Recrossing the Arctic Circle, north to south
15th - 18th July, 66 - 65degN
After the Svartisen detour we are now back on the course we followed coming north, so I know when to look out for puffins or a particularly stunning bit of scenery.There is noticably less snow on the mountain tops but still very grand. The weather has been rather disappointing for July, frequently cloudy, a bit rainy and either not enough wind to sail or too much from the south. After a long day motoring, with recrossing the Arctic Circle a notable event, we eventually stopped in the small port of Sandnessjoen on the island of Alsten. The wind went southerly and as we try to avoid motoring into the wind, we stayed for a couple of days. While going for our usual exploratory walks we were struck by the unusual amount of racial variety and there was even an Asian supermarket. Apparently there is a refugee camp at Sandnessjoen and it must be a place where people (have been) resettled for some time as there were black kids bouncing merrily on their trampolines while Dads tended the gardens and washed the car, the picture of suburban contentment. I imagine the climate must take a bit of getting used to if you come from somewhere like Uganda.
Alsten is known for it's spine of Seven Sisters mountains which we never saw on the way north due to cloud cover. This time we found a wonderful, wildflower-bordered path along a ridge which runs parallel to the mountain ridge and saw them occasionally. The record for traversing all 7 peaks is under 4hrs - pretty impressive. The views across the sound to the west were lovely with the sun glinting on the sea around innumerable islands.
But finally the wind freed up and we set off south with a fair wind and managed one of the best sailing days of the trip, covering 65NM before anchoring in a beautiful pool on the mainland opposite the island of Leka. (You remember, the island made of serpentine rock, like the Lizard in Cornwall, which has a mountain made from an ogress who was turned to stone by a Troll, who also turned her 7 sisters into the mountains on Alsten).
