Away Wid Yer.

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by; ...

Well, that's the opening bit that everyone knows but old Masefield's poem gets beter and much more apposite to me...

I must go down to the seas again to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sails shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume and the seagull crying.

I must go down to the sea again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife:

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow rover,

And a quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

And the 'whale's way.' I like that. Though one of the Irish red top paper has front page news today: Great White Sharks off Irish Coast. Well apart from the fact that they seem to think that Dorset is a part of Munster it does seem that a great white was seen off a beach terrorising a dolphin (watch out Fungie!) in England. But this is hardly news - they've been around off and on for quite a while. But nonetheless i might dangle my fingers a little less in the waters during my opensea lunch breaks.

Must buy petrol, bananas, water and er. that's about it. So better go. Innishboffin this evening with luck and then some head down paddling over the coming days to make up lost time.