September 21st, Day 100. Long days and getting tired but I’m really appreciating this weather so I’m pushing 20+ miles day after day which is a fair bit for me. Woke up with a very wet tent, just the condensation sometimes really soaks everything but I left it long enough to dry. Finally getting my drone in the air more to use it, just can't believe that I have carried the thing around for months are barely used it. Nice one Ariel. Made wraps for on the water and walked around the old monastery which was nice to see. Some amazing light coming through the old windows of the ruins there.

September 20th, Day 99. Wow wow wowww Donegal in the tropical sun is so dreamy. Amazing day and have been able to eat lately and stay hydrated just fine. Such a lovely sunrise over my tent in my cozy rock spot close to the water. Left Gola and made progress towards Owey. I had read about this island over the winter so I was excited to see the caves. It wasn't until I got there however that I realized the cave systems within the island had tight corners, and that makes me nervous when there's a bit of swell. So I didn't actually end up going into many, just one that was an in and out situation with the growling booming in the back that the caves do. I went around the backside and the lumpy excited sea was alive and crashing against the gorgeous cliff walls.

September 19th, Day 98. A delightful day. Too hot for me to be wearing a dry suit but oh well, I chose this. Woke up to the most dreamy dusty sunrise. Everything was pink and yellow and there was a bit of foggy steam coming off the beach in the way that you know it’s going to be a hot day and burn off fast. It was just so incredibly beautiful and quiet. Got all my things ready, and made my lunch. This feels good, it feels like I’m back in my rhythm and can establish my “normal” again. I’m so happy to be back out here and really loving it again. I had to do a fair amount of hauling down the beach as the tide went out but that’s okay. My short wellies got me through the thick wet sand.

September 18, Day 97. What an amazing day back on the water. Definitely felt the same aches and pains and my sciatica was flaring up but other than that it was so nice to get back to it. Donal and I had coffee at the house and then drove me back to my sweet lady the Pacific Selkie. So happy to see her again. It’s so funny that this is my normal at the moment and not my life in Dublin. I thought about my trip the whole time being back, just craving more. So we did the back of the van wheeling back down to the foggy night navigation beach and I loaded my things while Donal set up my drone to take some shots as I was paddling away. Got going and heard the wizzing of the drone and saw it overhead. Good to have some footage.

September 10- 17, Day 89-96. A wonderful break from my trip to be back in Dublin dancing with my friends and home swing community. Taught a tap taster and beginners Lindy class and won first place with my partner in the mix and match competition! Made it to the finals and then got randomly paired with a guy I had plenty of good dances with already so we knew it would be good. Last time I did this competition I entered as a beginner, got paired with one of my teachers and we got second, so it was fun to be in a similar thing on the advanced side. Classes and teachers were amazing, parties lots of fun and what a joy to be dancing all weekend.

September 9-10, Day 87-88. Woke up late and tired because I knew that the wind had come in and it certainly did. I heard a voice at my tent saying "hi, kayaker? Would you like a cup of tea or anything?" and I unzipped the door to find who other than Sonja, who paddled around with Sue Honan years ago. What a funny coincidence. Her and her husband Des had me in their van out of the wind and rain for tea and Sonja made me a fry which I desperately needed. Before that I was dipping meat sticks into salsa just trying to get something down.

September 7th, Day 86. Woke up to gorgeously flat and calm water and the most orange globe of a sunrise. There were dolphins coming up to breath in the bay and a smell of warmth in the air. Today was another big milestone day - Malin Head. I put the bags of things they brought up in the sand dune for them to collect later and set off. The dolphins were still there and I sat while they came up close enough that I could hear their puff of breathing as they surfaced. I kept going and paddled by some of the most incredible cliffs and bright great dramatic hills and scenery. It was so gorgeous and I was reminded how much I was enjoying the trip. Such bright sun and flat water felt like a total gift. I was paddling with purpose because I had a time goal to meet to be going around Malin head so that I wouldn’t get the intense tide that runs around there when it’s at its max.

September 6th, Day 85. Woke up feeling nervous of a repeat. I kept saying to myself, today HAS to be good. Steve brought me back to the tall grass and went to work. I pulled the boat to the beach and slowly got everything together. I was against the tide again on the way there which, I should have cut into the beach more to avoid the speed of the flood but I was just in the straight shot mindset. Quite the tidal race coming into Lough Foyle, that was fun and bouncy but I was worried it would be that way on the outer side of the Donegal peninsula, where you’re unsheltered from the open Atlantic.

September 5th, Day 84. Steve joined us for breakfast before saying farewell again and Jane took me back to Portbalintrae. Got on the water still tired even though I had just rested for two days and the sun was already quite warm, which for me in my dry suit, isn’t great. Because I was dropped off in the morning and I wanted to cover some ground I decided to get on the water even though I was against the tide. I figured I could still get moving rather than just sit around but I should have just waited. Here I am paddling against current and expending all this energy that I didn’t even start the day with. Why am I feeling so fatigued? Why still am I having such a hard time getting food down? It just has been such an issue to feel like I want to eat when I’m paddling which means I get in a cycle of then not being able to eat and then feeling really run down.

September 3-4, Day 82-83. Have been resting in Jane's lovely little home while the weather is here again. Plus my shoulders are really feeling it. I've gone 705 miles so far which feels really good too. Went to dinner with sweet friends who have been following my trip, so they knew all the details and we could catch up about everyone. Such nice people. I also recieved a care package of letters from some of my dear friends in the states, and some of my old students in sailing courses I lead. They were 14/15 at the time and now they are 20/21 or so and they are leading the same trips. I'm very proud of them, and having letters from them cheering me on is so full circle.

September 2, Day 81. A magical misty morning around the Giants Causeway. Woke up at 5 to be on the water at 6:30 because of the weather window. I was against the last bit of the tide but sometimes you have to sacrifice one element of conditions in your favor to have the other two with you, this morning being wind and swell. It was flat calm and not a ripple in the water as I set off paddling towards the cliffs I couldn’t see yet, into the fog. As I approached the foggy cliffs, they started to rise out of the sea just in front of me, these massive walls of sheer rock. The seals hauled up on rocks made their cooing sounds but I couldn’t see them, their voices just echoed through the rock islands. It was such an interesting feeling to feel so anonymous, not being able to see more than 200 feet sometimes ahead of me, and couldn’t even see the next tiny bay across.

September 1, Day 80. Met up with Steve this morning to paddle Torr Head and Fair Head! It is nice to see him again after this whole trip, and that I’m still working away at it. Jane came too, so the three of us set off towards Torr head which always kicks up in some way, and even though we timed it so we were there just after slack water there and with wind behind us, we still had a bumpy ride as the tidal race ripped by. Fun stuff. We stopped at the cabin that Steve has access to, which is the first place I ever paddled with Steve so it was nice to be back there.

August 31, Day 79. A Swedish cyclist camping in Bronas yard left a yogurt and note for me. Good start to the morning. Went down to the pier again, very quaint place, lots of beautiful boats and flowers along the harbor. Jane was joining today, another paddle friend so it was nice to catch up with her too. It was a glassy smooth morning, such a relief to the weeks on weeks of windy weather, always with some amount of swell. So was happy about that. The three of us set off and rounding another smaller headland. The gorgeous green beauty of Northern Ireland was shining and the bright rolling hills and colors were jaw dropping. The warm lighting made everything pop.

August 30, Day 78. Woke up early, had a fry for breakfast (bacon, sausage, eggs, beans..) and was taken back to the Gobbins where I left the boat, and on the water by 8. There is a cool line of bridges and suspended cliff walk bits for people to walk along the cliff face so that was a nice sight to start. Still pretty tired so slow and steady in the morning. The sun started to shine and that’s actually not what I want on this trip. I let my guard down and now have a painful sun blister on my lip, it kindof came out of no where. So I used my sun hood as a buff/neck gaiter to cover my face but that has given me a bit of stress, I do my best to stay protected from the sun. Came around in flat seas to a beautiful sandy beach with clear blue water and had lunch.

August 27, Day 75. Rest day for high wind and sea at Wills house. They have a lovely old house that they will have taken down soon to build a new one. It's time they say. I made good use of the couch to write my bit that's going into the ISKA symposium newsletter which is exciting. We had the fire going and I was there alone for a bit with my thoughts, and the big window overlooking Strandford Lough, putting words into something that made sense to read.

August 28, Day 76. All over the place, ups and downs. Will brought me back to the beach and he brought his surf ski with him to join me for a bit. We hopped over the fence to get the boat, and maneuvered it over again and I started packing. Off we go, over the bar at the mouth of Strandford Lough which was a little bouncy, not too bad. Turned the corner north and soon after Will said farewell and we would go do some downwind and play we in the waves. I stopped shortly after to wee and had a call with my mom, which lasted an hour, whopps, it’s easy to be on the phone with her for a while and not realize it. She’s my biggest fan and I’m hers. Went on paddling and got in the groove, did some hops from point to point and eventually the tail wind died down with was nice for stability but it meant my boost was gone, so back on my unassisted power. Bummer. But it turned into such an incredible evening weather wise.

August 29, Day 77. Woke up feeling like I had been hit by a bus which is kindof typical for when I have a long day and then sleep in a warm bed, I'm just totally out and it’s hard to feel motivated to get up and out. Made a lunch and packed my things, got the boat from its grass spot and took everything to the beach, sometimes it's a bit of a carry but that's okay, it's been worth it to have a break from camping. Not too bad with conditions but there must be some osmosis happening with my drysuit because I've been getting quite a bit of saltwater I think in the arms and armpit area which means my armpits are chafing quite a bit. So that's been a bit painful. Tried to go at a good pace, was feeling tired and just couldnt make myself go faster, and trying to feed myself. My pace is a slow and steady these days, emphasis on the slow bit.

August 26, Day 74. Feeling strong mentally and physcially. Damien brought me back to the beach and I was off again is what started out as very calm seas, which was such a blessing. I think it has been nearly a month of paddling days since I had a flat sea, so it was a nice treat. The wind was behind me and will be for still the next week or so, which only reafirms the decision to come to the east coast and use the wind (thanks Steve). Came along to Annalong harbor, which had quite a British feel to it (sorry, just noticing as a foreigner) but maybe that was due to the Union Jack flag more so. Lovely spot.

August 24. Richard took me back to Dunany and I got the boat from the fancy grounds again. Sad to leave their house, they were a lot of fun. Packed up and was on my way with some westerly wind crossing over to Carlingford Lough. Now I’m in Northern Ireland! And the majority of the winds are southerly which has been just amazing. The thing about the Taran 18 is that it can be a little squirmy in a choppy following sea, just because it’s so long that it can fishtail quite a bit. Other than that it's a total dream to paddle, I feel so comfortable and stable in it. Truly the expedition boat for this.

August 25, Day 73. Today was great, just such a lovely jaunt around the gems of the area here in the Stranford Lough area of Northern Ireland. Woke up to some mad winds and rain as it whipped up again thus keeping me off the water. As noted before, the Taran does a bit of fish tailing in high tail winds and it was a bit on shore and behind me today which means 25 mph wind, and 1.5 metre swell but in short period and I wouldn’t trade todays sight seeing for that.

August 22, Day 70. Another early start as Richard and I got on the water from Laytown and paddled up the coast. We got there right at low tide as to catch the flood pushing us north, and because the beach was so shallow, it was nearly a 7-10 minute walk down the beach to the very water just to get on. Fun though, I don’t mind the long walks usually, my trolley means I’m not doing any silly dragging of my boat, it’s such a handy thing. Wouldn’t do this trip without it. Right as we got on, the tide started coming in which meant decent sized breakers started rolling in and we got to paddle and break through them as we went out. The last couple were on the bigger side and once we got past them all, we cheered out to eachother - such a fun start to the day.

August 21, Day 69. I’m back on the water! And I feel so much better! Paddled 20 miles today and didn’t get fatigued nearly at all. Ian collected me at Jacquis house at good ol 4:30 in the morning and we drove to Malahide where I would start going North but this time with Ireland on the left instead of my right. The morning was very calm and it was nice to have a little bit of wind behind and now back on the east coast, the massive swell of the west doesn’t exist! So easy in that sense. I’ve become a stronger paddler since starting this trip, naturally and my tolerance for more difficult conditions, day after day like the swell of the west, has gone up. So sure it’s windy over here but the big swell isn’t in the equation (but you have to time the current right otherwise it can be like paddling up stream if you’re against the tide).

August 18-20, Day 66-68. There’s no medicine like your own bed. I’m so grateful that when I’m back, I live with my friend Jacqui. We are in the same dance community and she lives in her house with an extra room, and its usually open so when I'm back it feels like my home again. I don't know if I'd be able to manage my funny commute between Minnesota, Ireland, Hawaii and sometimes Washington, without having a place to call home when I'm back. Jacqui is one of the most caring and kind people I know.

August 17, Day 65. Slept horribly. All I dreamt about was the paranoid feeling of ticks crawling on me and being hyper aware of every little sensation on my skin. Woke up to check my body several times out of half asleep fear. The wind was whipping my tent too loud to get much sleep anyway. Paul was to collect me at a pier on Lettermullen so I pulled myself together to pack up my stuff and paddle over. Had a hard time doing so, and every little thing was just “going wrong”. You know yourself that feeling. I landed at the pier and was pulling my boat up on the trolley when the wheel got stuck and flipped the whole thing over in the seaweed, spilling some of my things in the mud. I was in tears unpacking my boat by the time Paul had gotten to me just from frustration and defeat of my trip right now.

August 13-14, Day 61-62. Time at a house of Galway paddlers. Donal has been following along with my journey since the beginning so it was nice to meet him in person. The weather is again bad so I’m hanging out here and resting. Been struggling with this fatigue and motivation.

August 15, Day 63. I’ve got to sit this weather out even more. Tried to continue on this morning, and was paddling into a force 5-6  just barely moving for 4 hours and went 6 miles. Just so demoralizing and tiring. Even through the sheltered areas of islands I was in, the wind was ruthless and that wasn’t even with swell. I wish I was a better paddler to be able to endure this and be okay with it. So now with the incoming 3 meter/9 foot swell and the 20 mph wind, I need to yet again find a place to stash the boat and somewhere to hang out for nearly a week. This sucks, I really want to keep going and be in it, and enjoy the beautiful outside life but with the storms coming, my tent wouldn’t survive being up and not moving for long.

August 16, Day 64. Felt a lot of feelings today while stuck in my tent. Woke up with the intention to go to Mason and I just couldn’t do it. I very slowly packed up my things in my tent and tried to eat some breakfast over three hours. You ever have those dreams where you’re trying to walk or run or fly but your body just won’t do it and it’s like you’re moving through tar, that’s what today felt like. It’s so easy to get into your head when the wind and rain outside are making your tent feel small. Still very congested with pain in my face and forehead where my sinuses are and a headache that barely goes away. My sinuses only clear when I take a cold medication that helps with all of those things but it comes right back when it wares off. Wondering if I have a sinus infection, it’s been like this for a week and a half, and I only get more exhausted as it goes on.

August 12, Day 60. Woke up feeling better again, thank goodness. Quite windy, blowing a 5-6 but would be right on my tail once I got going. Tomorrow is going to be winds of 35 knots head wind so no another day off which is fine, I could still use the sleep. Lots of paddlers in Ireland have been following along with this trip so there is no shortage of people to reach out to. Two meter swell was coming from my back left and 1.5 meter wind waves from my back right meant they would meet at the middle and fishtail me around as they passed. Bit of a funny feeling when you are only judging what is coming by the sound of the waves crashing behind you coming closer and from what side to expect to turn and brace if needed.

August 11, Day 59. Woke up still feeling unwell. I definitely have some sort of sinus problem, and fatigue. I tried to force down some breakfast of a hummus and chicken wrap from things I had but I just had no appetite. Dragging myself to get ready and pack the boat. Matt and Conner saw me off and gave me words of encouragement. It wasn’t until I was just about to pass Inis Meáin (middle island) that my stomach started to turn and the suspicion that my chicken had gone bad was right. My inner ear balance was off in the choppy sea, my face felt stuffy and congested and it was like I was seeing things through a distorted third person view. After some projectile rejection of my breakfast all over my spray deck, I washed it off and kept paddling. Just image me still paddling to keep upright, and absolutely fire hosing all over the front of my boat. It was in my deck lines, my spray deck loop, in between my pfd and drysuit - just everywhere. I'm so glad no boats saw me, or heard the sounds I was making for all matter.

August 10, Day 58. Didn’t sleep great, I woke up a lot with the same stuffy and itchy nose I’ve been having. I can’t tell if I’m sick or it’s more allergies. Packed up my things and got on the ferry back to Doolin. It took me quite a long time to get myself and my stuff sorted back in the boat because I just wasn’t feeling good. Finally after maybe 3 hours of packing and trying to eat, I got the energy to get back in the boat and paddle to Inis Oírr (Inis meaning island and oírr meaning small in Irish) I was going to go farther, back to Inis Mor (mor meaning big) but I got a text from Matt that he was on Inis Oírr and Conner was too with his daughters.

August 6-9, Day 54-57. Weather had switched and it didn’t look like I’d really be able to get to Inishmore for several days comfortably, so instead I stashed my boat at the coast guard station and took the ferry across. I lived on Inishmore for about 5 months on the tail end of Covid when nothing was open, and I was recognized as someone new when I went to the single little small grocery store that there is. So it’s been a really lovely time here and I’ve been able to cycle from end to end and see all my favorite spots again. It’s really something to be able to lay down looking over or dangle my legs over cliffs 80 feet tall, a straight ruler line down into the crashing foamy sea. Sometimes there’s a cave at the bottom that when water crashes in, makes a booming and shaking sound and the water shoots out horizontally from the pressure.

August 5th, Day 53. The Cliffs of Moher! Such a cool day, paddling along side Matt and Emma, two unreal paddlers who have been all over the world paddling and adventuring. Emma and I got our bits ready to go and drove to meet Matt at Doolin to drop his van to then put his boat on top Emma’s and drive to Doonbeg to get my boat. Said farewell to Ruth who meets nearly all the paddlers going around the coast because her house is basically on the beach and I was off. Paddled across the bay to Quilty to meet Matt and Emma and then we carried on to the cliffs. A very fun bouncy sea of 2 meter swell and wind behind us, and oh was the sea pretty dynamic. Good stuff altogether, nothing crazy. Emma also took some amazing photos of me which I was very happy about! Finally have some photos of me paddling taken from another kayak on this trip.

August 2nd-4th, Day 50-52. On land enjoying life. Went on a hike with the Clare paddlers, such fun people. I met them the very first time I went paddling in Ireland in 2020, so it’s always nice to say hello. Hiked a bit of the Burren, took it easy, cycled to Matt’s friends home with chickens, goats, baby ducks, and a horse named Horse. She asked if I wanted to ride and I said absolutely, so we saddled her up and I went off riding, which I hadn’t done in quite a while, I really enjoyed it. Saw the new Deadpool and Wolverine movie in the cinema which was a good laugh. Stayed with Emma for two nights and we watched pretty non stop Olympics which made me very happy, I love the Olympics and I’ve missed lots of good stuff. A very nice time in Clare off the water.

August 1st, Day 49. Another marvelous day. We went back to the beach and Matt helped me carry the boat down and chilled out while I packed. The wind and swell was forecasted to be behind me, and this is a very committed stretch of coastline so the weather and conditions need to be just right. The Doonbeg cliffs are very sheer and the reefs and geographic location of the whole lot, can make for some intense seas most of the year. It was just an unreal day, I was able to get into caves, through arches, and choose my lines over reef to sneak through breaking waves. Really fun stuff. Sometimes I felt like I was paddling downstream as well, I was just flying. 20 miles in a couple hours.

July 31, Day 48. Unbelievable crossing. 25 miles! Woke up at 5:45 to be on the water at 7:30, beautiful sunrise and started the crossing looking far across the bay to Loop Head. Looking across it was hazy and felt like it was certainly about 20 miles to the head it’s self and then more around the corner. Early on I saw a mystery fin quite close to me which I think might have been a sunfish, some googling to do. About half way through I needed to pee desperately and I thought “well if I’ve learned anything on this trip it’s that the mentality of ‘can’t’, just doesn’t have a place here” so I thought I need to figure this out now. In the past I have flipped out of my boat on accident so I rigged my paddle with my paddle float and stuck in the bungees like an outrigger support so I could lay flat over the cockpit to unzip my drop seat on my dry suit and pee on my sponge. Not ideal but very doable, and can’t believe it took me a month and a half to actually try it. Well now I know.

July 30, Day 47. Said goodbye to Lisa and her little dog, and set off towards the cliffs before Brandon point. So much more calm and very little swell compared to yesterday. All was just fine, wind behind me and I went in to Swerwick harbor for a wee and then continued on. I made the decision with route to do a shorter day to set myself up for the straight shot across the Shannon Estuary to Loop Head tomorrow. I crossed the bay to the Fahermore peninsula, in the light blue still beauty of the bay, with the gorgeous green mountains of Dingle in the crescent shape around me.

July 29, Day 46. A chill day, it was too windy to get on the water first thing so I figured I’d wait it out and get on around 5 pm when the wind died down a bit. At some point in the day I decided not to get on at all and just camp here at Brandon’s creek. It’s a very historic place because it’s where Saint Brandon and his monks departed to sail to unknown lands. It took them 7 years to sail across the sea and on the way they visited the Hebrides, the Faroes, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland and finally America. To prepare they prayed and fasted for months before hand and then they were off. So it feels pretty cool to be here. When I got back to the boat this morning I met a lovely British woman in her 50s with a little Jack Russel who had made a van her project to kit out.

July 28, Day 45. I rose with the sun and was greeted with warmth. The sunrise was just gorgeous and I could see the bright orange of the sun through my tent before I unzipped the door and it was just so serene and gorgeous. Packed up my things and got on the water at 8, and as I was leaving a man from the very north took some drone footage as I was leaving which was nice. Just as I pushed off from the beach, I saw and waved goodbye to my new island resident friends. Simon (different than Dutch Simon) gave a slow and big armed wave from the hill coming down, and sweet Paul was just getting to the beach after I had pushed off and was paddling away. The way he arrived at the end of the shore was as if he has something to tell me, with a soft wave and a slowed down pace from before as he got to the edge. I was hit with a tinge of guilt, and almost turned around to say goodbye again but I feared I wouldn’t leave today if I had. I do wish I had stayed but I had a good window.

July 27, Day 44. Here lives peace on Great Blasket Island and a feeling of fullness. I wish I could stay longer but I have a good weather window tomorrow for the exposed cliffs on the north side of Dingle peninsula. I had a wonderful rest this morning with the crashing waves and beautiful heat of the sun to wake me. I zipped open my tent and saw the most beautiful white sand and morning light glimmering within the blue crest of crashing waves. In this lighting of the sea you can also see the silhouettes of seals swimming close to shore. I had a wonderful slow sunny morning, and did some cleaning and organizing. The men who I met yesterday when there was no one else there, (one who grew up on this island and one from France living in Sweden, both in their 30s) came down to say good morning and give me a kiwi, tomato puree and a book of Letters from Great Blasket Island as a gift. We sat in the warm sand and I told them how I use the tides and current and weather to help me get to where I’m going. The man from here remarked about the name of my boat and said it seemed very fitting for me.

July 26, Day 43. Just such a wonderful day again. Was offered a shower by the nice families up the road (two families staying in the house for a holiday) so had a nice freshen up and when I was finished they had a fry on. The best breakfast for paddling is a good fry. The kids were all very excited to watch me leave the beach so they came while I finished packing and I showed them everything and answered lots of questions and then pushed off with happy goodbyes. Wind up, about a 5 in my face but not bad swell, a shy meter and I didn’t have far to go. Got to Blasket Sound and did tidal planning correct as to be pushed gently in towards the beach. Nothing crazy at all with the sound, was even calmer than the first half of the paddle. As I approached the beach I couldn’t believe to see what I thought were rocks until I heard them and remembered that seals inhabit this beach by the hundred probably - there were so many!

Today was amazing sometimes I really just feel like I am LIVING and what a cool adventure I’m on. Started my crossing across Dingle Bay and was a little disoriented at first because I could see the other side and was reminded just how far away it was. Once I put myself on a bearing and put a memorable playlist on, I started shooting across and what a cool day for weather. A fair amount of swell and wind that was just in my comfort zone so that I wasn’t concentrating the whole time but that gave me some good fun. I felt totally empowered and felt quite a difference in confidence from the first crossing around mizen, now to this one. I just shot across myself and felt great. This is where the intentional choice of starting in Dublin kicks in because I’ve been able to build up stamina and comfortability on the way down, especially after working this winter and having taken a break from training, it’s given me the chance to work up to these bits.

July 24, Day 41. Rained hard last night so it made it pretty hard to get out of the tent. Very foggy and dramatic day. Saw loads of puffins in the water bobbing around like little rubber ducks in a washing machine in the swell and chop from puffin island to the entrance of Portmagee Channel where Valencia is. Very grateful for the channel because the swell is clapping against the cliffs and throwing me around like nothing. Sea was very alive today. Shot down the channel with the wind and tide with me and am in a moody Pacific Northwest beach where I’m camping. Gorgeous black sand beach and there is a high grass area that I could set up my tent. Walked into town for my new daily walk and got a yogurt and a hot chocolate that hit the total spot. Been raining all day so it was appreciated. Walked back to my tent and enjoyed tortellini for dinner.

July 23, Day 40. Some days I really feel like I’ve been doing this for a long time, but in a good way. It was really nice to have a break but I was nearly in more pain with my leg today than I was before. Got my stuff in the boat and set off from Derrynane with my newly configured seat with more foam and a little leveling of it. It was so uncomfortable unfortunately and I had a bit of a breakdown when I finally got to the next out after a small crossing. Everything just built up and I had a good cry on the beach. Why is this still so uncomfortable, how can I paddle for another month and a half like this?

Day 36 - 39. Got to help at the team at the Sneem summer festival! It was such a blast, they had made big stands and boards for axe throwing and I womaned the sign up table for it. So fun to spend the day with them and great to see the festival. There was a Ferris wheel, carnival games, bumper cars and more and the town of Sneem is just delightful, very colorful and fun. Then I started helping out with the kayak trips too which was really fun and gave me something to do as well while I waited to bad weather to pass and took care of my leg. Fun to get out and hear Rowan and Eamon’s stories on the water and the history of the area, they are both such wonderful guides. I went on and helped with a night tour and saw the bioluminescence, and then did a day tour the next day as well. Such a joy to hang around the team and be comfortable in their home, let alone we welcomed in and to see the quality of Emerald Outdoors. They’ve got a very sweet thing going.

July 18, Day 34. Such a lovely day hanging out with the lads of Emerald Outdoors in Kenmare, and Simon. We went to a village nearby called Sneem to enjoy bits of the summer festival there. Not much was happening with it until the eve so we had a lovely meal at a pub, got ice cream at Sneem Cream, walked around the community garden and sat by the river basking in the glorious Irish heat. There was also a little stand in the park and a big orange cone with a handle that you could hold and talk through like a megaphone that said “have a rant” so I had the lads lay down in the grass and I gave a rant about being a woman in the outdoor industry and how I get treated with incompetence sometimes. Started with a little meditation too, they enjoyed it, they tried to hold back chuckles while I was comically ranting, it was a fun little time.

July 17, Day 33. Packed up my stuff and took the bus to town where I had my physio appointment, all is well just compressed unhappy nerves and have a lot of exercises to do now. Met up with Simon and we went for a walk and had lunch together, it’s nice to be with a now friend. Went to collect his bike and my stuff at the house nearby where we left it and the German woman whose house it was, was so sweet and had such a precious laughter. We had tea and whatnot and made art with the daughter. Then Simon cycled and I got a lift from our German mother friend to the Kenmare Outdoor Center where we are sleeping staying for the night with staff in the company. Very nice dudes, two our age too and the other, a father with awesome humor. We had dinner and then went to the pub for a couple pints. I found a frisbee on the way and we threw it around while walking down the road. Came back, went to sleep. A good day.

July 16, Day 32 Well I woke up this morning and I couldn’t really feel my upper leg. My hamstring and glute were almost totally numb and tingling and when I was walking around, it was painful like I had pulled something. I made some calls to my support network and everyone was so willing to help, I know I can always count on them. We came to the conclusion that I needed to see a physio or osteopath sooner rather than later and that I need to evaluate why this is happening in the first place in terms of my alignment while sitting and paddling. I mean in the end of the day, I am sitting and using my upper body and back for 6-8 hours of the day almost every day. I haven’t had a rest day since the copper coast as well, I’ve been going for 10 days, which is another factor.

July 15th, Day 31 Today was an amazing learning day. They say that sea kayaking comes down to being a blend of mental ability and physical ability. You would think it would be about half and half but and some say the percentage is something like 80% mind and 20% body. I found this true today going from Cahermore to Dursey Sound. It was very confused seas, clapping water even as I stayed far from the cliffs and because the 2 meter swell was coming from all angels, my visual stability went so I got sea sick. My brain couldn’t predict where the water would lift me from so I would be paddling along and suddenly be lifted straight up from the clapotis waves and the sense of vertigo came on.