On the shoulders of giants......

Everything happens for a reason, it usually starts as a really small thing, this peculiar sequence of events is sometimes described as the "butterfly effect". In my case, a few years ago, it was following an Irish boat called Mithril, and her owners Pete Maxwell and his partner Geraldine Foley. I have to admit at this point it was a virtual interest, following their adventures on the Internet. You can do much the same, as in the way of these things, their footprints still exist in cyberspace, look at http://sailmithril.tripod.com/thevoyages

 I hope I may be permitted to share a few of those memories and images for the sake of historical interest. As far as I am aware Mythril was the first boat (yacht) to winter over at Newry.

This was I the heady days of 2005, ( giving my age away yet again! ) The fishermen are actually fishing in Soterias berth. I believe that in those heady days of yore Mithril was the only boat here. Sainsburys however, had seen the future, Pete and Grealdine took full advantage of the close proximity and used the local supermarket to provision for a long voyage, a circumnavigation in fact. I remembered Pete (or was it Geraldine? ) commented on the good shelter and cheap mooring as well as access to useful stuff, later I would tell this story to my wife while editing out the drunks midnight visits that were also a feature!

This is a photo of Mithril at Strangford Lough, as you can see she is a righteous, black, steel hulled ocean wanderer. Kind of why I was interested in her story.

So as we approached the North East Coast of Ireland I remembered Mithrils story and a few inquiries told me that not a lot had changed. Which is why we are here, or more correctly ,its how we began to think about wintering here.

As it turns out, Pete and Geraldine sold Mithril after their last voyage, I believe their plans involved the European canal system, however...........

Before that Mithril had voyaged to the ends of the earth, this is a photo of Mithril at Kerguelen in the Antarctic.

Of course it has to get a lot warmer before it goes cold again and I love this picture of our heros looking out a the waves breaking over a coral reef somewhere in the tropics,  Well  that's the dream isn't it? To be honest so are the high latitudes........... At least for me anyway.

I raise a glass to you both, and the strange thing is that I have recently discovered that our heros are still around in Newry.

At least I think they are, It would appear that Pete is a leading light on the ongoing struggle to open up the Newry canal. He is I fact the president of the local branch of the IWAI . My plan now is to swap some physical labour for a chance to speak to one of my heros.

Yet more detective work needs to be done.

Pilotage notes for Kerguerlen Pete?