Seachain an duine a bhíonn ina thost

We haven't gone to the boat this week after all. Guess which part is broken? Yes, you guessed it, it's the alternator. It has to be my favourite part of the boat's engine. I suppose it's the constant sense of anticipation and awe, wondering when and how it will stop working next.

Anyway, it's quite alright because we're going to spend the week boating anyway. Yesterday I spent most of the day getting my Europe ship-shape (although I don't think I'll ever succeed, it's just too damn dinghy-shape). It's lovely and shiny clean now. Dad and I also spent quite a while repairing a hole in the prow of the boat. Yep, I can now do fibreglass repairs.

Today we spent several hours strapping the Europe to the roof of the car. We looked so outdoorsy, with our dinghy on the roof of our Subaru Outback. Then we had a nice picnic in the harbour in Kilgarvan. Far too windy to go sailing though. Some people pulled up and launched a Topper, and the parents tried to tell me I was a wimp for not sailing, but the Topper woman got blown into the reeds even though she was in the relatively sheltered bay and had to be towed back in, so I think I made the right choice. I'll sail tomorrow.

This evening we're having a special meal with lamb and champagne and pavlova to celebrate me finishing my degree. Mmmmm. I'm quite hungry actually, having spent most of the day outside. That always makes me hungry.