Thursday 24 May (Cork)

Mary, the "lady wot does" at the RCYC, kindly made us sausages and egg with toast and coffee, which we consumed on the terrace outside the club. We had a walk down into the pretty village of Crosshaven, a few small shops, a decent supermarket, and a disproportionately large number of pubs, and caught the 1230 bus to 'The City', as Cork is termed locally. A nice 45 minute ride, which goes the whole length of the river, passing many moorings and anchorages, including Drake's Pool.  This is one of the loveliest secluded anchorages in the country, and is said to be where Drake hid his fleet while the Spanish Armada hunted for them outside, fearful of going aground. We had a stroll around the city centre, a visit to a large chandler on the Quay, and a sandwich lunch at the Old Oak, just off Oliver Plunkett Street, the main pedestrianised shopping area. Returning to base, we had an excellent meal of mussels in the RCYC restaurant, then sank some Murphy's and Beamish's in the Moonduster Inn in the village, where a very good band was playing traditional Irish music. A good start to the Irish "leg" of our trip.