We had a lazy Sunday morning, I strolled up to the village for milk and snapped some more pictures in the (still not raining) light, and we slipped the dock lines at 12.30pm. We were heading for Schull (pronounced Skull), and had decided to go the scenic route - via the Fastnet Rock. The wind was against us the first part of the passage, though we (well, Charlie!) managed to lay the course without tacking, though needing some engine assistance.

The coast was spectacular, but the light was poor as low clouds closed in. There was some rain, and I was glad I had on as many layers of clothes as possible, though the downside was that I could hardly bend in the middle. A large grey seal popped his head up quite close to the boat. He seemed as interested in us as we were in him.

We passed Sherkin Island, and alongside Cape Clear Island, heading South West. Hard to believe that before the famine about 1300 people lived on this windswept island with its thin soil, it must have been hard scrabble. Now there are fewer that 130, mostly related to the tourist trade. We noticed some teepees and yurts on the island - nice to imagine that the original people of North America and the Mongolian Hordes have had a happy meeting in this westernmost part of Europe, but in reality it's an eco-holiday centre.

Sailing round Fastnet was a real thrill! Naturally we gave it a wide clearance, but it felt like a true adventure. With about 800m between us and the rock, we had 65m of water beneath us - the thing must just soar up from the sea bed. Long swells of about 2m rolled in from the Atlantic, lifting and dropping us gently and creating fairly small splashes against the rock. We couldn't help but think of the pictures taken in real gales, when the rock and lighthouse are truly battered - the waves must be huge.

Rounding the rock, the wind was behind us, and we had the (for us on this voyage) unusual experience of actually sailing WITH the wind! We made fast progress for about an hour without the engine before we started to pilot our way into Schull harbour, past the Long Island Beacon and the perch on Bull Rock.

Charlie had his fishing line and new 'German Sprat' lure deployed for most of the afternoon, but he did a splendid job of steering the boat away from the many fish that would otherwise be in danger of his stellar angling abilities.

We soon picked up a visitors mooring in the North-East corner of Schull harbour (I repeated my trick with the Handy Duck!) and we were able to appreciate this sheltered bay, with the village tucked in one corner and Mount Gabriel (with its twin radar domes) sweeping from a misty-topped 400m down to the sea.

Charlie soon had the dinghy launched, and we motored across to the pier, tied up and strolled into the small town. There were several pubs, a couple of small supermarkets and several shops selling shiny things that no one really needs. Despite all that, the main street was pretty and interesting, we walked along it to the top of the hill, where we had a nice pint in Bunratty's pub, before returning to the boat. Disappointingly, there was no laundrette in Schull, though several people had told us there was. Having had a shower this week, I'd really like to have some clean clothes too, but it looks like it'll be nearly three weeks from the time we left Wales to our first 'Laundry Opportunity'!

I cooked a simple pasta dinner while Charlie deployed his neon lures in hunt of squid, but once again he was clever enough to avoid catching any, as this obviously would have derailed dinner preparation. He also lost his 'German Sprat', but as I'd pointed out when he bought it in Skibereen, he IS overly inclined to trust the technical fix (hence his affinity for nuclear power) and overlook the problems therein as well as the real, low-tech solutions that would be better implemented!