On our second leg The Lady took Des and myself further up north towards the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Leaving Glenarm Marina shortly after 4am should bring us in a favourable position to catch the outgoing tide at the Mull of Kintyre and it did. Unfortunately the wind ceased and a lot of motoring brought us after another memorable night at sea into Mallaig and the Highlands of Scotland.
Our board routine was fully deployed at that time, sufficient rest and good food.
Fair winds…
Sailing mate Des joined us when leaving Ireland on the 3rd of May. Initially bound for the Isle of Man 🇮🇲, we altered the course early as the short breaking 3m waves on the nose did not correspond to the 20kn of wind at all and kept flooding the deck. Direction and height wise these waves were pure pain not bearing any logic. A bit of a rough start to test our sea legs keeping the bucket at arm’s length.
After a couple of more hours on the altered tack we got some comfort back just in time for getting into a wonderful night.
Shortly after crossing Belfast Lough we arrived tired but happy in lovely Glenarm Marina / Northern Ireland – UK.
Fair winds…
After some intensive period of work to get The Lady ready for another adventure we finally got the stage to perform some sea trials.
From forestay replacement to heat exchanger (HE) refurbishment being two of the bigger jobs, there were a million of small bits and pieces to be addressed, starting from foresail luff length adjustment to getting the required nautical charts for the upcoming trip. Crazy crows trying to build a nest at the masttop kept me on my toes! Webasto changing priorities.
The sea trail took place within the lovely Dublin Bay and was testified by more than 150 years of sailing experience represented by fellow sailors from the Royal Irish Yacht Club.
A good and encouraging start under light winds and blue skies.
I had to get back to sea knowing that you can keep working on the boat without sailing at all. You won’t get bored but frustrated.
Departure date coming up on the horizon.
Fair winds…
I was extremely excited when sitting back home on the sofa sometime in February reading about this cycling event at the west coast of Ireland. Taking the weather risk I rolled in for the 80km distance, which by chance coincides with the unofficial track named after Stephen Roche, an Irish professional cyclist to be named on par with Eddy Merckx and Tadej Pogačar.
Another great ride on the beautiful west coast of Ireland was ahead of me. No excuse, no chance to escape!
It was dry but chilly day and there were quite some moments, at which I was not sure, how to make it to the finish line. The “Foodstop“ on the way after around 50km rescued me. The observation from fellow sailor & cyclist René is so true: you can just pick out the non-Irish—the Irish would never be seen wearing anything but shorts 😅.
More than 1000 biker got supported by more than 180 locals.
An amazing charity event!
Fair winds…
A good Irish summer day in early April. Water temperature around 8 °C thanks to the Gulf Stream, air temperature around 13°C, no wind, no chill factor. No wet suits needed anymore!
Fair winds…
Our focus is back on the boating to get ready for the upcoming season. Part of the program is the haul out at the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire to get the underwater part of The Lady checked and maintained. I enjoy the team spirit and atmosphere of this Yacht Club with the oldest purposely build Club House in the world.
Fair winds…
After four weeks in Sri Lanka my brain is flooded from all the impressions and encounters gathered during this time. An intense injection, which will be lingering around for another few weeks.
Cycling on a decent bike through scenic landscapes with amazing local people offering delicious cuisine in a safe environment. That’s all a biker needs and it’s all here in Sri Lanka.
After a five year ban on foreign vehicle imports and more than two years of national bankruptcy, people are positively optimistic that living standards are on the rise. Happiness turns into political unrest at the point when fuel & food become unaffordable.
There is no better way to summarise this trip than quoting the elderly woman in her seventies, sitting at her very basic convenience store along the road and saying with a smiling face to me: My country, very nice!
Enjoyed each of the 800km and 10’000m climbing, including Adam’s Peak!
Fair winds…
The girls and boys were already on the road at a time when I still chased for a Uber tuktuk. It was 6:30am, hardly any traffic and time for me to pick-up the bike. It took 2min and an early bird tuktuk arrived!
Randeer, mechanic with golden hands, handed the bike back to me while Hinni insisted on a photo. Both brake pads and the front derailleur cable got replaced. Excellent job done.
We got a bike again, what a difference.
Fair winds…
After a lazy late breakfast I slowly got back into the saddle. While optimizing my seating position and minimizing the chafing, I rolled throught the centre of Negombo inhealing its maritime atmosphere for some final miles.
For me, the road north of Negombo is more picturesque compared to the southern stretch but nevertheless along the coastline and off the main traffic. The action is full on after passing the Kelani Ganga River. The chaos goes up with each further miles towards the city but everyone taking care of the other.
Hinni was already expecting me back. We agreed during my first visit to service the bike after the tour. Desperately needed now. The nearby living mechanic showed up prombtly and got straight onto the job. The service level in Sri Lanka can be extremly high and paired with a positive ‘yes, we can’ attitude, it makes travelling very easy and pleasant.
A tuktuk I booked via Uber took me and my luggage from Hinni’s place to the hotel. And shortly after I arrived, the first series of photos from the bike job came in on WhatsApp. Not a single screw untouched, cleaned, greased!
A new saddle is on order, otherwise ready for the next adventure!
It will come.
Fair winds…
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