We didn’t think we could, but all things are possible if you want it bad enough right?
Ireland was one of those things! As we leave our time on Isle of Wight, to drive to Scotland, we decided to figure out HOW to get from the southern most tip of England to Ireland and then up to Scotland.
With roads to navigate, ferries to be figured out and hotels for all in between, we are working on FINALLY getting to see Ireland and all its beauty. So excited, and so happy as Hopefully, July will be a perfect weather month and we will be on a fast one week road trip to catch as much as we can.
Stay tuned for great pics and LOVE input from everyone, where to go and what is a MUST see? Egan Family: we need your help on this one! Nigel too 🙂
Incredibly fun time sailing and racing on the Eleonora for the Westward Cup 2015!
Wow what a Yacht. Huge challenge for me as I am much more accustomed to 50′ and less. Everything is much larger and almost surreal because of the dimensions. You go to grab for a block or tackle and it is almost unrecognizable. It literally takes a full crew just to manage the sail hoists. I learned so much including new types of sails called the fisherman and the Gollywobbler!
When I first came on board in the early morning hours I felt humbled and awed by this magnificent craft. I went around introducing myself to the crew members on board and to the skipper. They all asked if I had experience on Classic Boats before and I had to say “NO”. They were all very nice but I could see the look in their eyes that I had a lot to learn and boy did I. Can I say foremast topsail tack!!
Now I have sailed for a long time and as many of you know I used to live on my 36′ Lancer in San Diego Harbor, but all of this was new to me and integrating into a crew was a challenge all on it’s own. I was able to overcome the fear by focusing on the excitement of learning all this new stuff. I jumped in anywhere I could and pulled sheets with the best of them. My one regret was that I knew I didn’t have the youth in me anymore to have hooked up and flown to the top of the masts, what a view that would have been. Darla would probably be happy that I didn’t do that though, cheesy grin. I did however climb out onto the bowsprit and attend to the sails. That was a rush!
Sailing on a Yacht this large is a different experience with regard to communication as well. The skipper, 1st mate and bowmen have radios to communicate and very seldom do the crews in different parts of the boat see each other. When you are so focused on doing your job sometimes you don’t even have time to look up and see where you are.
Made new friends including a french chap named Pierre who, unbeknownst to me lives in San Diego with his pregnant wife and had sailed with my good friend Joe Saad many times! Very small world. He crewed permanently on the yacht for a year all over the world and came back to help out for this series of races.
What an honor to be here. I am so grateful to have been invited. Thank you to Mr. Zacks and Skipper/tactician Mike MacMillan! Also a shout out to my lovely wife who inspired me to put myself out there.
It is frowned upon for the crew to go around taking pix etc… so I snuck a few and will post them below with some youtube stuff just so you can get an idea of the scale onboard.
So in summary, incredible experience and I say to all of those of you out there who experience self doubt and don’t choose to put yourself out there to be in a position to test yourself and grow, doing the things you love to do, STOP rethink that and see the possibilities to become more of who you are. Listen to the people around you who encourage you to grow and challenge yourself. This lifetime is short and your experience in this life is of your own making! Go for it!
In reality I haven’t Truly driven in the UK, Darren has but not me, I’m too damn scared!
Forget the steering wheel on the right hand side and driving on the left hand side! that I can probably get figured out and get over.
What scares me to Death is the scariest, tiniest roads on the planet earth! Literally, *(like all of Europe) these are One lane streets, that in reality were really one horse cart or one horse paths, now covered in asphalt and meant to drive cars and Lorries (that’s truck in British!) and wait, drum roll, side by side meaning one in each direction!!!!
Two lane roads, one going each direction, where it was Really meant for one horse buggy not a car with side mirrors! Then they say, hey why not, lets make it two ways! Not a one way road with just one car but two directions AND drum roll again……..And, the locals park on the street as there are no garages or driveways! Now its a 3 lane road!!!!
Buses and double decker ones at that, with large delivery trucks, ALL go thru at 50-60 miles an hour. Lord help me, its white knuckles Daily to get in a car and go somewhere.
Ok now that I’ve done another one of my rants, I will add this: the English and the Europeans are the best damn drivers and make Americans look like babies! They drive doing all of the above and rarely are there wrecks. The best of them? –the crazy tour bus drivers, they drive those HUGE Rock Star buses thru these streets, turning in hair pin turns that a pony would have trouble carrying a rider, and never nick the side of a building or their bumper. Even though they make me faint and or throw up with fear as they come at us in our car, they Always make it with not even a hair breath of space between us, never hitting anyone or anything! just amazing to watch.
I don’t know if I will EVER learn to drive here, I can drive all over California at 80+mph with crazy ”Zonie” drivers, but here, its insane.
1. Tuscany of course! it REALLY is as pretty as the pictures and sometimes even more. The colors are crazy gorgeous. My Favorites are Assisi, Cortona, Sienna.
2. Rome if you have never been. Its crazy and busy and crowded and there is SO much to see it takes at least a week and really 10 days or more.
3. Vatican City, Yes its in Rome but its Not Rome! Vatican City is its own city and the Vatican and the Chapel are crazy cool and a MUST do.
4. Venice. Go quick it Really is sinking! and its gorgeous and wonderful.
5. Amalfi Coast: We haven’t made it yet and its a must do BUT does need to be done non winter months as I’m afraid all will be shut down. Best to hit this May or Sept for the shoulder months. Love to take a boatfrom Rome vs the crazy curvy road trip.
PS: Yes that main photo is of Florence and No I didn’t put it on top 5. For me, I like it a lot, but not top 5 -but its a must do as well. the amount of leather shops is OVER whelming. and yes the brown leather coat you see in a lot of my photos is my coat from Florence 🙂 soft as butter!
Scotland here we Finally come. Our next destination for July/August. Darla has dreamed of Scotland for years, the land of both our heritage. (and hot men in skirts!)
Darren and I have been on Ancestry.com for quite some time and tracked our family trees back to the Scottish Isles and are looking forward to going to actual towns that we have found our heritage to be from.
This is Darren’s Grandfather in full regalia! What a handsome fellow!
and Darren’s grandma, who was born in Glasgow.
How cool will it be to maybe be able to go to local archive offices/churches and see if we can confirm what we have done on line and find our ancestors home towns.
Can’t wait to hear Scottish music and drink a pint in a good OLD old pub. stay tuned.
Bella is surrounded by all kinds of wildlife, not just the ones coming for the Isle of wight Festival!
(think of a modern day Woodstock) Fleetwood Mac be darned she says.
She much prefers the company of pheasants and grouse and badgers and flocks of sheep and rabbits, oh the rabbits, heh heh. Even blind she knows they are here and loves to get excited and riled up!
She is doing really well and loves to roll down the grass hills. She loves to roll into pubs in her Royal Pram and join us for a pint!
Made new friends including a french chap named Pierre who, unbeknownst to me lives in San Diego with his pregnant wife and had sailed with my good friend Joe Saad many times! Very small world. He crewed permanently on the yacht for a year all over the world and came back to help out for this series of races.
