Wrapping up.
We hung out in Buncrana for a few days, waiting for fair winds. Plenty of eating out, and lots of green apples pinched off garden trees. Theft definitely adds flavour. The seemingly endless southerlies came to a stop. After the passing low with its gales, the northerlies swept in. We headed out at first light, F5 building up to F6 all day, under genoa & double reefed main, the wind on the beam as we went west, passing between Tory Island & Bloody Forehead, then the wind on the stern quarter as we turned SW towards Eagle Island, Mayo. Teddy was definitely overcanvassed for the beam reach and the run, but how we flew. By evening the cliffs of Mayo were a looming lee shore, 25 miles south. With night coming on, I hove Teddy to, under double reefed mainsail and backed staysail, the rudder free, and she settled in, shuffling along 2.5 knots true west. The winds picked up to F8, and Teddy took some bangs and breaking seas on deck; otherwise all w...