Day 21

Up this morning at 9 a.m. Had breakfast, day looked pretty bad so we decided to head into town to kill some time. Bought papers and had cup of coffee in the Fisherman's Weir. We decided then that rather than spend another day in Easkey we would paddle across Sligo Bay and set ourselves up for a shorter crossing of Donegal Bay on Sunday. We made our way back to the campsite, packed all the gear and were on the water for 1.30 p.m. We paddled the 14 miles inland, past Aughris Head and stopped at a beach called Ballyconnell, Co. Sligo at 5.30 p.m. We got dressed and went to the nearest house and were warmly greeted by Dermot Healy and his wife Helen. They allowed us to pitch our tent on their land and brought us in for tea and buns. We went down to our campsite and made our dinner after which Dermot took us on a tour of the local area, including Lissadel House and into Drumcliff to see W.B. Yeats's grave. We are now back at the campsite getting ready to hit bed to be up early in the morning. The plan is to cross Donegal Bay and make as much progress north as possible. After 3 days on dry land it was good to get back on the water and make some progress. The breeze has died as the evening has gone on so hopefully this bodes well for tomorrow. A very big thank you to Dermot and Helen for their hospitality this evening. They couldn't have done any more for us. 14 miles today, 4 hours paddling...on the road again!