Belgian solo sailor Caroline Adriens has departed southwards from Galway after spending nearly a year in the popular west coast port with her 30ft Albin Ballad.
She had arrived in Galway in September 2018 from Tromsø in Norway via Shetland, Orkney, Cape Wrath, the west coast of Scotland, Northern Ireland, northwest Ireland and the coast of Connacht before mooring up in Galway for the winter in the welcoming shelter of the dock.
Her boat, a classic Albin Ballad, is of a successful and seaworthy marque that was built in Sweden between 1971 and 1982 and has now been overhauled in Galway in advance of her dream to sail around the world.
Caroline said of her plans that: “It’s an itch that I’ve wanted to scratch for quite some time, and I’m finally realising my dream when I depart from Galway.
It will be the first time that I have actually sailed on my own. I'm excited, but of course a little nervous, as the ocean is a big place and my boat is not so big".
On hearing of Caroline's impending trip, Michael Walsh of Dubarry wasted no time in supporting Caroline with a pair of Shamrock Sailing Boots to ensure she departed Galway with the best women's sailing footwear on the market.
Caroline plans to be in Portugal for the winter via the Scilly Isles in early September, and has reached Valentia Island in Kerry by way of Fenit on Tralee Bay in the first stages of her voyage southward.