Day Thirteen : Still in Crosshaven

We're still in Crosshaven as the forecast for sailing to Kinsale isn't looking very good. Another day in Crosshaven means we'll have to skip Kinsale, which is a pity as this town is considered to be the gastronomic captial of County Cork, and go on to Glandore.

So instead of sampling a Kinsale restaurant, we have Sunday dinner on board with all the trimmings using the lamb chops bought yesterday from Kidney's. I make roast potatoes for the first time on a boat much to the delight of the crew. Served with carrots, broccoli and red wine gravy, our dinner goes down a treat.

Day Twelve : Crosshaven, Ireland

Today, we focus on provisioning as this is the last chance before heading westwards. First, we visit Crosshaven Farmers Market in the Village Square which is held on Saturdays, 10am – 2pm. Here, we sample local cheeses at Cheese Please and buy a good selection. We chose St Killian - a Camembert style cheese - for lunch today as it's quite ripe and may not survive subsequent days' sailing. As a 'keeper', we go for Mount Callan - a traditional mature Cheddar - which we think may stay the course, except it's so delicious, it may disappear quite quickly. Wicklow Blue - a mild, creamy blue-veined cheese - has to be tried and we're intrigued by the venison salami so we have to have some of that too.

Next, we call in at the local butcher who - believe it or not - is called Kidneys.
Shopping here is the total antithesis of buying meat in sterile plastic packaging from supermarkets. It involves a lot of chat, careful selection from the meats is on offer and waiting patiently while it's all prepared. We opt for a rack of lamb, which is converted into chops, and a dozen rashers of bacon. Everything is wrapped in greaseproof paper and then we're relieved of rather a lot of Euros - quality does not come cheaply in this part of the world! We're left wondering how local people can afford to buy their groceries. It's not just the Sterling-Euro exchange rate - these prices are genuinely steep! Still, the only competition is the local supermarket and we wanted to give Kidneys a try.

After a marvelous lunch aboard in the sunshine, two of our intrepid crew are dispatched to Lidl's in the afternoon to do the provisioning of the dry goods. Here, the prices were rather more reasonable and goodies included brioche with creme patisiere.

Once everything has been stowed, we smarten up for dinner at the Royal Cork Yacht Club which is the oldest yacht club in the world. I enjoyed a silky vegetable soup followed by pan-fried salmon with a plate of 3 desserts to finish. Yummy!

Day Eleven : Crosshaven, Ireland

Another lay day in Crosshaven, so we take a short sail over to East Ferry on the opposite side of Cork Harbour to do some exploring.

Tonight, we enjoy a drinks party at Salve Marina. What we thought were just going to be 'nibbles' turned out to be almost a full-scale buffet prepared by the owner's daughter. It was hard to resist homemade delights such as smoked salmon on soda bread, delicious cocktail sausages coated in barbeque sauce and bit-sized vol-au-vents. This didn't leave a lot of room for dinner, but we valiantly made our way to a local pub which many had said had a good reputation for fish. We managed to bag a table and ordered the ' turbot' which seemed very reasonably priced. When the plates were served, we were somewhat mystified by the fish on the plate which looked more like a small plaice than a turbot. Nonetheless, whatever had ended up at our table was delicious and the hand-cut potato wedges were a great alternative to deep-fried chips.

Day Nine : Crosshaven, Ireland

We arrive in Crosshaven 24 hours after leaving Isles of Scilly. After a much needed shower in the Royal Cork Yacht Club, our safe arrival is celebrated with a drink at the bar. Appetites for the Celtic Sea crossing were not voracious and the pre-cooked sausages from yesterday have been untouched. So tonight, bangers and mash with onion gravy are on the menu.

As dinner is concluded, the wind howls through the rigging and the rain lashes down. It seems we timed our passage just right!

Day Eight : Isles of Scilly to Crosshaven, Ireland

After all the preparations have been finished, we finally sit down for a hearty brunch of bacon, spinach, poached egg on an english muffin. For the passage across the Celtic Sea to Cork, sausages are prepared for a snack on the way and chicken ceasar wraps stored in tin foil so people can help themselves when on watch.

We depart New Grimsby Sound at 1400 for the 135 NM voyage. This is possibly our last weather window for a few days as strong winds are forecast by the end of tomorrow. It's a bit bumpy to start - with short, confused waves - as we leave the Isles of Scilly but the sea settles down as we get into deeper water. Although we depart in fair weather, as the day progresses we can see the weather fronts clearly defined by the clouds on the horizon.

Lots of ginger nut biscuits and dark chocolate for the ladies' watch through the night.