Over and Out | August 7, 2013

For three weeks now, we have been eating and drinking, behind and before us as we enjoy the familiar company of family and friends. We have been recounting our salty sea-tales and entertaining the locals with stories that never made it to the blog. We have been reliving the best and the worst days at sea, wondering if it was really us who did it and why it feels like it was all a dream.


It still hasn’t quite dawned on us that our journey has come to an end. Most days we wake up and look out the window to see Ashling sitting silently in the calm waters of Old Head Bay. We row out to visit her, unloading clothes, books and food, and tackling the never-ending list of maintenance and cleaning jobs. Some days we head out for a sail around the familiar waters of Clew Bay. It feels like we are stopping off at just another destination and will soon set sail again. It doesn’t feel like we should be sitting down to write the final blog post.

Complete the tiebreaker - 'Sailing from New Zealand to Ireland was ...' For all the money in the world, we find it impossible to condense a journey that contained so much into just one sentence. It was a year of fun and frustration, of tears and laughter, of hope and despair. We challenged ourselves both physically and mentally to fulfil the dream of one, which became the quest of two. It was everything we expected it would be, and so much more. If we had to do it all again, we’d jump at the chance. 

We have grown, both individually and together over the past ten months. We have learned to appreciate the small things in life, like laughing until your stomach hurts, or the feeling of a full stomach, or the touch of solid land underneath your feet. We feel very lucky to have had the health, means and opportunity to embark on our adventure, and believe that this experience will stand to us for many years to come. We hope you’ve enjoyed the ride and that our adventure has inspired you to embark on one of your own on land or at sea.

As Mark Twain once said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." 

From thousands of photographs, we have selected the best and compiled a short film of our year at sea. Click here to watch it (duration 20 minutes). 

6 comments:

  1. Wow trip of a lifetime, I'm going to miss your posts! Must catch up for a beer when you guys get back! Take care, Eugene.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Inspiring adventure indeed! Will certainly also miss reading your posts here, however look forward to reading the book :-) Well done once again!!! Enjoy the time with family and friends and return home safely.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Spectacular photos Sweenaghans!! Looking forward to a beverage when ye get back and hearing all about your amazing adventures!! x

    ReplyDelete
  4. Aw man. Tears down my face. It's been such an incredible adventure for you both.. and for us all too.. Cannot wait to see you next week. Xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lump in my throat, what a beautiful send off from your amazing adventure. And what a legacy lads, no money can buy the myriad of experiences and life lessons you take with you. We will dearly miss your blogs, your sage observations have been a joy to read. Please find another adventure on which we may follow XXX

    ReplyDelete