Sail Cargo Ahoy!
A close friend christened me a ‘marine anorak’ the last time she visited. She may have a point, I was enthusiastically spouting random things about boats, their makes and capabilities whilst dragging her on a windy and rather chilly harbor cruise. She got ‘Boats 101’ from a total beginner and it must have been a trial to endure. I have, over the years indulged in somewhat odd hobbies and these in turn have given me a wide and eccentric friend circle and frequently led me to question my sanity.
So, to list a few, there was polo, then polocrosse, tap, ballet, Scottish & jazz dancing, African drumming, stand up comedy, polo scrabble ( ok I invented that, polo being excruciating to watch when you aren’t playing and scrabble terribly dull when you wait your turn to play) quiz mistressing, western mounted games, amateur dramatics, sailing and quite recently roller skating. But unlike people who embrace fads and quickly drop them I really clasp them, squish them in my fetid sweaty palms and dream of even more things that tickle creative sensibilities. I wholeheartedly subscribe to Terri Guillemet’s invocation to ‘chase down your passion like it’s the last bus of the night’
The idea of sail cargo is one of those enticing rabbit holes that deeply enamored me the moment I grasped the concept. Fecking over fossil fuels, pitching in with the pirates, sailing the high seas and trading ethical goods just sounds so appealing. It is neither sensible nor practical but those are not real priorities, Are they? For me there is a great sense of history, the freakish whims of weather and the ever present element of unpredictability. There is also comfortingly a less likely chance of getting scurvy or being flogged than there were a few hundred years ago and great opportunities to see land from afar, visit new places and most importantly observe marine life and get more nautical miles under ones belt.
Currently there are some wonderful sail cargo initiatives out there. These include the evocative Tres Hombres and the Sail Cargo Alliance and many more now embracing this concept. Who wouldn’t want to go down to their local port and collect some delicious produce that was brought to you by a team of salty adventurers using wind power, bravado and navigational skills? It’s like a floating circus that arrives with goods just for you. There may be a tiny whiff of bilge water and underarm musk but that is a small price to pay for tall tales, enticing antics and delicious produce.
So with this in mind after sending some seed mats to Limerick in 2021 on the good ship Ilen (she is currently in London for the Queens jubilee) this year I decided that if I could have an opportunity to avail of this type of trading I should.
We aim to set sail on the yacht Aven (a 35ft Camper Nichollson ) skippered and owned by the wonderful adventurer Lisa. Departing from Kinsale around the second week of May 2022 ports of call will include Dunmore East, Arklow or Greystones, then somewhere further up the east coast (it’s all weather dependent here, lads) until we cross the Irish Sea to explore the Western coast of Scotland. I am using this experience as an artistic residency and will be documenting the journey. We will also will be transporting some lovely things to trade as we go, these will include wonderful prints from my sister Eithne, Rebel Sail postcards, seed mats and some very locally produced based beverages and goodies.
I will be posting up on Facebook and Instagram as we go and we’d love to see you once we arrive in each port. We may need a shower but we will be entertaining! Viva Sail Cargo, more dreams of ludicrously lovely ideas and hoping to see some of you lovely folk en route.
