Seafari

We have been trying to go for a boat ride since we arrived in Caherdaniel, but many of the local boats don’t begin their season until June. Another is usually sailing in May, but is docked due to mechanical trouble. We found one called Seafari that sails out of Kenmare, about an hour away, so we decided to make a day out of it.

Here we are on the pier waiting for the boat to arrive.

Hurray! Here it comes!

And we’re off! We sailed from Templenoe Pier, just outside of Kenmare. The captain’s name was Raymond and the only other guests were a French family with an adorable little boy. It was quite interesting to hear Raymond speak French with an Irish accent.

We sailed out into Kenmare Bay. The Iveragh Peninsula is behind us and the Bera Peninsula is ahead. The captain recommended taking a drive to the Bera Peninsula to get a feel for the non-touristy part of Ireland. The weather was very cloudy and dark, so our pictures did not come out as well as we would have hoped.

While we sailed, Evo played some music for us on what looked to be a tin whistle. Turns out that he makes them himself in France. The captain encouraged him because he said the animals like music! We were looking for sea birds and seals.

Found some seals! During low tide they come and rest on the islands in the bay, and during high tide they catch fish to eat.

Evo is playing some more music, and the seals seemed to be paying attention.

These are common seals, which are lighter in color and smaller than grey seals. They prefer sheltered spots, like this bay, while grey seals prefer open water. A few more weeks and there should be some pups! They usually have their pups in July sometime.

Here are a few more on a different island as we headed back to the pier. We never did see any sea birds.

The captain served some tea and cookies as we turned around to head back to the pier.

• 

• 

The tea was very welcome because we were so cold by the end! Everyone was shivering! (except Bobby)

After the boat returned to the dock, we headed into the town of Kenmare to do some grocery shopping and have lunch, and then we headed back to Caherdaniel.