Ship Shape

Launching a boat at the Claddagh yesterday.Larger version here.

It’s just a week before the start of the Galway stopover  of the Volvo Ocean Race and everything is falling into place. Down at the Docks, there is a huge amount of preparation taking place. Everywhere, people are launching boats. I happened upon these lads launching a Galway Hooker (or is it a Gleoiteog ?) down at the Claddagh yesterday. The boat was on the back of a truck with a crane attachment – it took about 10 minutes to lower it into the water.

Of course, there was time for a bit of messing, too. Once the boat was safely lowered, the line was dangling from the crane arm over the water. So, naturally, one of the men decided to prove conclusively that he was the oldest swinger in town.Larger version here.

And speaking of swinging, here’s a list of songs to swing shuffle to, here, here , here  and finally here.