Ryan’s Take:
After a few days of soaking in San Sebastián—pintxos, boat fixes, the usual—it was time to check in with home.
Laptop open, Starlink humming away (seriously, worth every cent), and there they were: Da’ and Claire, grinning through the screen from Dublin.
“Look at the two of ye!” Da’ bellowed, voice filling the cabin. “Youse look like proper sailors now.”
Liam, without missing a beat: “And you look like a man who’s been drinking tea from the same mug since 2003.”
Liam’s Take:
Calling home was grand. The trip’s been a whirlwind, but Da’s been keeping tabs—pulling up the tracking map every morning like we’re a Premier League fixture.
“I showed Mrs. Keane next door where you are,” he said. “She thinks you’re the next Ernest Shackleton.”
Claire, dry as ever, chimed in: “And I think youse are the next contestants on Survivor.”
She was joking, but you could tell she half-meant it. To be fair, not every stepmum signs up for her lads taking on open waters in a 35-footer.
We talked about everything—the hellish Bay of Biscay, the pintxos in San Sebastián, Ryan cursing at the winch for two days straight.
“Did you fix it?” Da’ asked.
Ryan nodded. “Smoother than ever now. You’d love it—it’s like clockwork.”
Ryan’s Take:
Da’ gave us the rundown on life in Dublin: neighbour’s dog’s decided our old front porch is his now, Maeve’s finally engaged (about time), and the pub quiz team took second place last week.
“Name this time?” Liam asked.
“Norfolk and Chance,” Da’ grinned.
Classic.
It’s funny—the world keeps moving even when you’re somewhere else entirely. Same streets, same stories, just rolling on without you.
Then he mentioned Ma’. Said she’d have been proud seeing us sail into San Sebastián. His voice caught a little.
She never made it here. Neither did we, till now.
Liam’s Take:
Claire asked what we’d learned so far. Ryan launched into full instructor mode about sail trim and weather patterns. I kept it simpler:
“I’ve learned Ryan snores louder than the wind on a rough night.”
“Do not,” Ryan protested.
Banter. That’s home, isn’t it? Doesn’t matter where we are.
Ryan’s Take:
Before we signed off, Da’ left us with his usual: “Keep your heads down when the storms come, and look out for each other.”
Claire, ever the realist: “And Liam, for god’s sake, eat your vegetables. I don’t care how small that galley is, you need greens. You’ll get scurvy.”
She thinks we’re in the 1800s.
Liam’s Take:
After the call, we sat quiet for a while. Just the sound of the marina, coffee cups in hand, letting the moment settle.
Next stop, Bilbao. More open water. More stories.
But for now, home is just a Zoom call away.
Catch you in the next one,
Ryan & Liam The Ocean Bois
