My home by the sea.

I ventured out in Conchita with himself yesterday. If you read my post 'and he calls her Conchita' then you will know that I'm not a happy camper when it comes to sailing. However himself was stuck for a crew and he informed me the night before that I was it.
The day was beautiful and i was praying that there wouldn't be any wind, I didn't tell him that though.
His prayers were answered not mine, there was a beautiful easterly breeze, apparently. We would have to tack out the harbour and the wind would be behind us all the way home which was perfect, apparently.
I had to give myself a little pep talk before we headed off. I told myself that it didn't matter that i didn't know much about sailing. Himself has been sailing in Cork Harbour since he was a child.

This is where I start fretting. He has to climb up onto the deck to hoist the main sail and the gib leaving me to man the tiller and point the boat where he tells me to. That's no problem, I can follow these instructions. The problem is my over active imagination. I imagine him falling overboard, tripping on a rope or just losing his footing and I am left alone on Conchita. It never bothers me that he could be drowning but the thought of being alone on the boat scares the crap out of me.

My father in law John Kidney R.I.P shared this love of the sea and he gave me this poem by Rudyard Kipling  to  help me to understand that a woman is powerless when the sea is calling her man.

Harp Song of the Dane Women

What is a woman that you forsake her,
And the hearth-fire and the home-acre,
To go with the old grey Widow-maker?

She has no house to lay a guest in---
But one chill bed for all to rest in,
That the pale suns and the stray bergs nest in.

She has no strong white arms to fold you,
But the ten-times-fingering weed to hold you---
Out on the rocks where the tide has rolled you.

Yet, when the signs of summer thicken,
And the ice breaks, and the birch-buds quicken,
Yearly you turn from our side, and sicken---

Sicken again for the shouts and the slaughters.
You steal away to the lapping waters,
And look at your ship in her winter-quarters.

You forget our mirth, and talk at the tables,
The kine in the shed and the horse in the stables---
To pitch her sides and go over her cables.

Then you drive out where the storm-clouds swallow,
And the sound of your oar-blades, falling hollow,
Is all we have left through the months to follow.

Ah, what is Woman that you forsake her,
And the hearth-fire and the home-acre,
To go with the old grey Widow-maker ?

The upside is that I got over myself and we had a lovely morning, himself didn't fall in thank God and i got some lovely photos.

 Camera settings, camera-Canon 70D, Lens Tamron 10-24mm@10mm, exp 1/250sec, f20, ISO100

Camera settings, Camera-Canon 70D, Lens Tamron 10-24mm@10mm. exp 1/125, f22, ISO 100

Camera settings, Camera-Canon 70D, Lens  Canon 70-300mm@70mm, exp 1/400sec, f9, ISO 125

Camera settings, Camera- Canon 70D, Lens 70-300mm@75mm, exp, 1/400 sec, f29, ISO 160

Camera settings, Camera Canon 70D, Lens  Canon70 -300mm@75mm, exp 1/400sec, f9, ISO 100

Camera settings, Camera-Canon 70D, Lens Canon 70-300mm@300mm, exp 1/400sec, f9, ISO 200

Camera settings, Camera- Canon 70D, lens Canon 70-300mm@70mm, exp 1/400 sec, f18, ISO 400

Baltimore boatyard/graveyard

What is it about some men and boats? I know i have already written about himself and the other love in his life, Conchita but I live in Cobh and I am surrounded by water on the island of Cobh so there will be a lot about boats in my blog.
Before I married himself he owned a sailing dingy, an Enterprise. He loved it. He used to take me out sailing and in an effort to impress, I tucked my feet into the strap(not sure what it's called) and leaned out over the side to add my weight, which was about a stone lighter than it is today to the balance.
I don't think i'd do the same today in such a small boat.
Call it entrapment if you like but once i married him all that hanging over the side nonsense came to an end so he sold The Enterprise and bought a Laser, he was able to sail that alone thank God.
The Laser was sold to buy a bathroom for our first house. Don't feel sorry for him, he has a fine old wooden sailing boat now and a Rankin which is a smaller wooden boat that can be sailed or used to take me around the harbour under engine. Much more my thing than sailing .

During Celtic Tiger days every Tom, Dick and Harry seemed to be arriving into the Harbour in a boat. There were sailing boats, motor boats and jet skis being  sailed and powered by very inexperienced would be boatmen. It's a lot quieter today, the madness didn't last long enough for there to be carnage. The images below were taken in Baltimore boatyard. I called the Title, Boatyard/Graveyard because the place is full of abandoned dreams.

 Camera settings,- Camera used Canon 70D, lens used, Canon 18-135mm@20mm, exp 1/640sec, f10, ISO 100

 Camera settings- Camera used Canon 70D, Lens used, Tamron 10-24mm@10mm, exp 1/60sec, f11, ISO100

 Camera settings-Camera used Canon 70D, lens used Tamron 10-24mm@10mm, exp 1/250sec, f11, ISO100

 Camera settings-Camera used Canon 70D, lens used Tamron 10-24mm@24mm, exp 1/250sec, f11, ISO100

 Camera settings-Camera used Canon 70D, lens used Tamron 10-24mm@22mm, exp 1/100sec, f11, ISO100

 Camera settings Camera used Canon 70D, lens used Tamron 10-24mm@22mm, exp 1/320sec, f11, ISO 100

 Camera settings - Camera used Canon 70D, lens used Tamron 10-24mm@10mm. exp 1/160sec, f11, ISO 100

 Camera settings- Camera used Canon 70D, lens used Tamrom 10-24mm@10mm, exp 1/400sec, f5.6, ISO100

Camera settings- Camera used Canon 70D, lens used Tamron 10-24mm@17mm, exp 1/100sec, f16, ISO 100

And he calls her Conchita.

Himself has a mistress, he's had her for years. Compared to me she's hard work and her bum is so much bigger than mine. I'm not really jealous of her except sometimes during the summer when he yearns to be with her. There's a beautiful sea breeze and he's looking longingly out to sea and i know he's thinking of her.
Here she is, A Bermudan Sloop. I call her an old man's boat because there's no creature comforts aboard. She's got a small cabin area, a portaloo -if you are brave enough or can't wait until you get ashore, and not much room in the cockpit area to move about.
I'm not a happy camper when it comes to sailing but i have been out in it a few times. If nothing else the sea is a great place to get photographs of the town and the seabirds.

I took this from the safety of the pier during a Traditional sailboat race in Cobh a few years ago.

Camera settings, Camera used Canon 500D, Lens-Canon 55-250mm@250mm, exp1/1000sec, f5.6, ISO100

This is Roches Point Lighthouse at entrance to Cork Harbour

Camera settings, Camera Canon 500D, Lens used Canon 55-250mm@109mm, exp 1/4000 sec, f5.6. ISO400

Seagull saying hello to the terrified looking photographer aboard the old man's sailing boat.

 Camera settings,Camera used Canon 500D, lens used Canon 55-250mm@230mm, exp 1/4000sec, f7.1, ISO 400

 Camera settings, Camera used Canon 500D, lens used Tamrom 10-24mm@13mm, exp 1/800, f11, ISO100

 Camera settings, Camera Canon 500D, Lens used Tamron 10-24mm @12mm, exp 1/500sec, f11, ISO 100

This is himself, Maurice in the best seat in the house.

 Camera settings, Camera used Canon 500D Lens used Tamron 10-24mm@12mm, esp 1/200sec, f14, ISO 100

View of Cobh and the Cork Pilot boat through ropes of Conchita

 Camera settings,Camera used Canon 500D, lens used Tamron 10-24mm@24mm, exp 1/200 sec, f22, ISO100

 heading up river towards mooring and safety of land.

 Camera settings, Camera used Canon 500D, lens used Tamron 10-24mm@15mm, exp 1/200sec, f22, ISO200