We are off! The wind is shifty and changing, so we have been doing kite peels nearly every watch to keep ourselves on the right sail plan.
As I write, we are in first place with 27 miles to the next boat, which is a nice feeling, but as we very well know the Clipper Race teams change positions faster than a bagpiper at a ceilidh.
We have had some phenomenal sunsets against the backdrop of steep Scottish cliffs and waterfalls. Along with fantastic rainbows and many birds. Today, the morning watch involved dance routines and water pistols which was a giggle. It is pleasant to hear the dulcet tones of an Irish accent frequently on our VHF radio. I like to think they are calling me. However, it appears the Coastguard are just doing their routine broadcasts.
We have sailed many, many miles together to be at this point. There feels a strange pressure to be reflective and sentimental, but at present we are still in the same groove and pattern of the last eleven months. In Oban, we met a brilliant chap Seamus Kennedy. He sang an old song, while playing the guitar overlooking Oban Bay one evening before we departed, which felt terribly pertinent;
It’s my old Irish home,
Far across the fold,
And though I’ve often left it,
In foreign lands to roam,
No matter where I wonder,
Through cities near or far,
My heart is at home in old Ireland,
In the county of Armagh.
(phew, I’ve met the word count!)
Love to our supporters,
Laura, Dan and the team