When the couple decided to return to Ireland in January 2016, they began their online search for a family home to rent, focusing their search on the town of Greystones.

But in the six months it took to put their relocation plan in action and leave their two-bed apartment in Sydney, Hynes says they were “priced out of the market” in Ireland. “When we arrived back, rents had shot up dramatically.”

Supply issues were also beginning to become apparent to the couple, who initially stayed with their parents on their return to Ireland. When they started their online search for a new home to rent, “there were places available, at least”, Hynes says. But by the time they were back in Ireland and the search had intensified, they found little on the market in their chosen area.

“Greystones was where we wanted to be, but not one place to rent, suitable for a family, came up in the first six weeks we were home.”

The family are currently living in Wicklow town, where they are renting a house from a relative, having had to widen their search area from their preferred area. Byrne commutes to Sandyford to work, and Hynes runs a gift box delivery company, kindtwine.com, from home.

“It’s a lovely town, and we’ve put down roots here. But I’d like to be closer to family and the city. My parents are in Dalkey and my husband’s family are in Greystones,” Hynes says. People ask me what it’s like being back ... but I’ve come back to a different part of Ireland.”

It’s a familiar story, and one that is becoming a major factor in the decision facing many emigrants weighing up whether to return to Ireland, or not.

SO HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO RENT IN IRELAND?

Rents in Ireland rose by 13.4 per cent between January and March of this year, according to the most recent Rental Price Report from Daft.ie, published last month, and the national average rent is now €1,131. Rents in the capital are rising faster than elsewhere, and the average monthly rent in the city centre is now €1,690.

According to the Daft.ie research, based on a survey of 4,000 tenants, the cheapest place in the capital to rent a one-bed apartment is Dublin 22, where it will cost an average €1,079 a month. Spread the net to include the entire county, and the price drops to €1,043 in north Dublin.

A move closer to the city centre would cost the young professional looking for a one-bedroom apartment an average of €1,383 in Dublin 1, and €1,621 across the Liffey in Dublin 2.

A family looking for a five-bedroom house to rent in the same catchment zone can expect to pay €2,482 a month in the popular Dublin 6 suburbs of Ranelagh, Rathmines, Rathgar and Milltown, and could pay up to €3,141, if they want to live in Dublin 2.

Cork is the priciest of the regional capitals in which to rent a home, with a one-bedroom apartment costing an average €836 , and a five-bedroom house coming in a €1,352. In Galway those figures are €735 and €1,188, and in Limerick they are €655 and €1,059.

The average monthly rent in the commuter zone counties of Wicklow (€1,168), Kildare (€1,131), and Meath (€1,081) make them Leinster’s most expensive places in which to live. In Munster, outside of urban areas, Cork county has the highest average monthly rent (€806), while Clare (€677) is the least expensive.

Renting in Galway county will cost an average of €704, making it the most costly place to set up home in Connacht/Ulster, while Leitrim’s national average monthly rent of €517 makes it the most inexpensive place in the country in which to rent a home.

CAN ANYTHING BE DONE TO MAKE IT EASIER?

Relocation companies can make the business of moving from one country to another a lot less painful than doing it yourself, and some of them will even do the househunting for you, for a fee.

Irishrelo, based in Kilcock, Co Kildare, has been in business as a global employment relocation company for more than 20 years. As part of its relocation package, the company offers what it describes as a “soft landing service”.

This can include finding a rental property, as well as arranging school places, and offering “area orientation and settling-in support”.

According to chief executive Dan Sennett, the company “works with all the main agents in Ireland – as well as private landlords who don’t want to go through agents” and has a 100 per cent success rate in finding suitable accommodation for its clients.

The company’s business is 90 per cent corporate – clients include Dell, Coca-Cola, KPMG and AON – but they also undertake work for private individuals needing assistance with relocation and looking for a rental property.

This can take the form of doing searches, visiting and assessing rentals on offer, and providing a list of accommodation available, based on criteria supplied by the client. If the rental property seeker is unable to return from abroad, the company can see the negotiation through to completion.

“We access all areas of the market to try and come up with what the client wants,” Sennett says. And the cost? “It very much depends on the service the client requests, but for home finding we work off a daily [fee] system,” Mr Sennett says, but declines to disclose the rate.

When you know, you know. Funny old saying that. It’s one my mother has relayed to me and my friends many times over the years about meeting my dad. Little did I know that the same applies to buying a house.

For many, buying your first home is something you do when you are ready to “settle down”. But I am part of a generation who, for some reason or another, are choosing to not settle, in the traditional sense, but rather travel, learn, experience the world, chase that next job, that next thing. The idea of being tied to anything, let alone a 25-year mortgage, was something I wasn’t so sure would be for me. But recently, I found myself wanting to have bricks and mortar to call my own.

I am a 30-year-old working in tech in London. I entered this third decade of my life and suddenly had an urge to find a little corner of this world that would be mine.

I’ve spent the past 10-plus years travelling, living in several different countries, gathering ideas and experiences that one day last year, led me to the notion of buying a 200-year-old structure in the town I went to school in.

Whiling away the hours on social media one day in June 2016, I stumbled across an article with the headline: “The most spectacular lighthouse lodgings on the market in Ireland”.

Nothing but sea

I grew up on a farm in a beautiful and very remote place called Claddagh, in Co Cork. I have since lived in built-up cities for most of my adult life, so the idea of a house on a cliff, looking out at nothing but sea, drew me in.

I wanted to make something of the money I had worked hard to earn – and my parents had worked hard to afford my education to get me this work – instead of filling my wardrobe with more clothes I didn’t need, more make-up and more spa breaks. I wanted something to call my own, a project to work for, a focus.

The following month, I won the bid on a lighthouse keeper’s house in Claddagh. Following a few delays, the contracts are all signed now and the sale should close in a few weeks, when I’ll get the keys to my very own home.

A lot of my colleagues talk about investments, properties, buying shares, investing in start-ups, remortgaging. Living in London, you are often reminded about making your money work for you, and when I started out on this journey, I didn’t know the first thing about it.

Here’s my list of the 10 things I wish I had known about buying a home from abroad before I started out. Hopefully, they will be helpful to others.

1. Check if the property is listed: A listed property brings with it certain limitations on design and changes that can be made. Check is it listed both internally and externally.

2. Maps: You will see an outline of what the auctioneer is putting up for sale on either their website, or the property site you are using. If you don’t, ask them for it. I would recommend checking this against the ordnance survey map online, as that is really the only map that matters and will show you what you are entitled to buy.

3. Solicitor: Your solicitor will become your best friend. You might laugh, but I spent more time speaking to and engaging with my solicitor, David Keane, and his secretary, Nora, than I did most of my friends this past year. Choose one who has dealt in property; ask friends who have bought in the area and get an idea of their rates. It is their attention to detail that can either cost you or save you in the long run.

4. Structural survey: These are an investment, and although the property may look fine on the outside, you never know what lies beneath. Ask your solicitor for recommendations on who has been doing these surveys well in the area, they will know. They cost about €1,500.

5. Builder: Ask a local builder to take a look at the property. They can assess if there is much work to be done and advise, in general, what state the property is in, from a first glance.

6. Electrician: I was lucky that my cousin, uncle and younger brother are all electrical wizards, so I had them check the electrics for me to see if there were any major issues. Tap into that social media network you have been nurturing to find someone you can trust to check out the property for you.

7. Do you sums and set your limit: You can see how much the property is being sold for, but rarely is that the amount properties sell for in Ireland. Normally, people bid about 10-15 per cent under the asking price, though in the cities, especially Dublin, it can go much over. What amount are you able to bid?

In the case of private treaty, you are bidding. Think auction style. There will be many people bidding against you (normally, in demand properties are sold under private treaty), and there may be people with much bigger bank balances than you. Be wise, set a limit and stick to it if you can.

8. Mortgage: If you aren’t sitting on a lump sum, or didn’t recently win the Lotto, you will need finance. Getting mortgage approval should be top of your list. I have a friend who was able to give me solid advice on buying from overseas, and her bank, EBS in Athlone, offered the best rates for a “holiday home mortgage”.

9. Deposit: If like me, you are not living in the country you wish to buy in, then you will need to have been taking care of the piggy bank that is all but forgotten for most of your twenties. Although I am a first-time buyer, I am classed as a “foreign investor”. This means you will need in the range of 30-50 per cent deposit. In my case, just over 40 per cent deposit was required. Gulp.

10. House insurance and life assurance: In order to get a mortgage, you will need to have house insurance. I recommend getting some quotes as not every house can be insured (due to location, age, if it is a holiday let and so on). Budget about €600-€700 per year for this and it is normally an upfront payment.

You will need to have life assurance before your mortgage can be drawn down. This involves a health interview where they go through any past or present illnesses or family illnesses. Basically, if anything happens to you, the bank needs this in place so they know they will get paid.

You will also be asked if you would like to have income protection. This is in case you get sick and are unable to cover the repayments. I thought to myself, ‘ah I never get sick’, but my dad reminded me that it is better to be safe than sorry in the case of large repayments, so I have opted to include that. Budget about €40-€50 per month for this. I used an insurance broker, Ken Roche, who my family has dealt with over the years, and I’d highly recommend using a broker, as they shop around for you.

My final bit of advice is this: try to enjoy the process. There are lots of decisions to be made, but you will get through it, and hopefully with a home to call your own at the end of it all.

If you would like to follow my journey transforming the lighthouse keeper’s house, my Facebook page is called ‘The lighthouse keeps her’.

This article is part of an Irish Times Abroad series on "Finding a home at home". If you would like to share your experience of applying for a mortgage from overseas, or buying a home or renting in Ireland on your return, email abroad@irishtimes.com.

The study, which reviewed the comparative cost of more than 200 items across 400 cities worldwide, identified cost pressures associated with housing as a key factor in Dublin’s relatively high ranking.

The finding comes in the wake of several other reports warning about the potential loss of competitiveness from rising property prices here.

The Irish capital was only ranked 66th in global terms, however, 19 places lower than last year on account of the relative strength of the dollar against the euro, albeit this pushed all euro zone cities down the rankings.

“The strength of the dollar against the euro means that it is now more affordable for global companies to relocate their expatriates here,” said Noel O’Connor, senior consultant at Mercer.

“It is also interesting to note that once again Dublin is the second-highest ranked city in the euro zone, behind Paris.

‘Key factor’

“The survey identifies cost pressures on expatriate rental accommodation as a key factor in maintaining Dublin’s relatively high ranking when compared to other euro zone cities,” added Mr O’Connor.

Mercer’s latest cost-of-living survey found Asian and European cities – particularly Hong Kong (2), Tokyo (3), Zurich (4), and Singapore (5) – topped the list of most expensive cities for expatriate employees. The costliest city, driven by cost of security, was the Angolan capital Luanda (1).

The survey uses New York as the base city and all cities are compared against it, with currency movements measured against the US dollar.

Other cities appearing in the top 10 were Seoul (6), Geneva (7), Shanghai (8), New York City (9), and Bern (10), while the world’s least expensive cities were Tunis (209), Bishkek (208), and Skopje (206).

Only three European cities remain in the top 10 list of most expensive cities for expatriates, according to Mercer.

Most costly

Zurich (4) was still considered the most costly European city on the list, followed by Geneva (7) and Bern (10).

Moscow (14) and St Petersburg (36) rose 53 and 116 places from last year respectively, due to the strong appreciation of the ruble against the US dollar and the cost of goods and services.

Meanwhile, London (30), Aberdeen (146) and Birmingham (147) dropped 13, 61 and 51 spots respectively as a result of the pound weakening against the US dollar following the Brexit vote.

“While historically mobility, talent management, and rewards have been managed independently of one another, organisations are now using a more holistic approach to enhance their mobility strategies. Compensation is important to be competitive and must be determined appropriately based on the cost of living, currency, and location,” said Ilya Bonic, senior partner and president of Mercer’s career business.

John Cunningham (38), who has been undocumented in the US since 1999, was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials at a private residence in Boston on Friday.

Mr Cunningham, a native of Glencolmcille and a prominent member of the Irish community and the GAA in Boston, is being held in a detention centre in the city awaiting deportation to Ireland.

A spokesman for ICE said that Mr Cunningham had breached the terms of the US visa waiver programme by staying beyond the 90-day limit in which visitors can remain in the country without a visa.

Mr Cunningham had a high public profile in the Boston area as an undocumented immigrant and an active member of the Irish-American community in the city. He was interviewed in an RTÉ Prime Time programme broadcast last March on life as an undocumented immigrant in the US.

Sweeping crackdown

His arrest and impending deportation has alarmed other unauthorised residents in Massachusetts who fear a sweeping crackdown by the Trump administration on illegal immigrants.

Since taking office, US president Donald Trump has taken a more aggressive stance on illegal immigrants by signing executive orders that expand the authority of individual immigration officers.

Under president Barack Obama, immigration officers prioritised enforcement against undocumented immigrants who threatened public safety or committed serious criminal offenses.

Mr Trump has expanded the definition of “criminal”, handing more power to individual immigration officers to take enforcement action and expanding the pool of potential targets for deportation.

Seeking to reassure Irish living in the US, the Department of Foreign Affairs said that the Irish embassy in Washington had been in close contact with US authorities and that the number of deportations of Irish citizens by ICE agents to date this year has not increased compared to recent years.

The department advised concerned Irish citizens to stay in touch with their local consulate and immigration centre and, if necessary, to consult with an immigration lawyer.

Consular assistance

Mr Cunningham is receiving consular assistance from the Irish consulate in Boston.

“We are aware of a number of arrests of Irish citizens who have come to the attention of the US immigration authorities,” said the department in response to queries from The Irish Times.

“We are conscious of the understandable concern amongst the Irish community in the US, as there is in others, given developments under the new administration.”

Illegal immigrants can, in certain so-called “sanctuary” cities and states, lead relatively normal lives, buying property, starting businesses and applying for driving licences as city and state officials are directed not to report unauthorised immigrants if caught for minor offences to US federal immigration officers.

Mr Trump has pledged to crack down on these cities and states, which include Boston.

Coming to terms

Mr Cunningham’s parents, John and Mary Cunningham, live at Teelin, near Glencolmcille. John’s younger brother Brian said they were still coming to terms with his arrest.

Brendan Byrne, who was a year ahead of Mr Cunningham in school in Donegal, said: “He was always a person committed to causes and there are so many Irish people in limbo as illegal immigrants out in the US that he probably felt he should speak out. He was always a very brave person.”

Mr Byrne, a former Donegal county councillor, said Mr Cunningham gave “a big chunk of his life” to America.

“When you give so many years of your life to a city as he did to Boston, you would think there may be some way you could get citizenship.”

The native of Glencolmcille had been living in the US since 1999 and had not returned to Ireland in 16 years. He featured in a RTÉ Prime Time programme broadcast in March, in which he talked about living undocumented in the country.

His arrest and deportation is the first Irish case to come to public attention since Donald Trump took office and announced a clampdown on immigrants living illegally in the US.

Below is a selection of comments we received. To add yours, email abroad@irishtimes.com.

Shibeal O' Flaherty: 'Since the election, there has been anxiety and fear'

As a dual Irish-American citizen with friends and family who are or have been undocumented, it is quite shocking to hear that an arrest of this manner has been made. The Irish Pastoral Center (facebook.com/IrishPastoralCentreBoston) here in Dorchester has been offering free clinics on immigration and legal matters, and it seems as though the popularity for these types of supports here in our community has surged in the past six months. Since the American election, there has been anxiety and fear that undocumented Irish immigrants here in Boston would start to be detained. Despite Mayor Walsh's affirmation of Boston as a sanctuary city, this recent news makes it seem as though under the Trump administration, undocumented Irish immigrants are not safe here.

Sean Rogers, Cambridge: ‘These incidents happened regularly in the 1980s’

The account of why and how John Cunningham was arrested is not clear and my immediate reaction is this is an isolated case and not part of any stepped up enforcement by the immigration authorities (ICE) against the undocumented Irish community. Although he appeared in a recent RTE documentary, I find it hard to believe that ICE would be trolling through the news media and taking action against individuals based on these sources.

In the mid-1980s when I arrived in Boston, these incidents happened on a regular basis and were usually the result of a tip-off or a basic mistake made by the individual concerned. I would not encourage any overreaction to this individual case, which I’m now beginning to see.

Emma Linnane, Boston: 'People are trying to stay under the radar'

While I can understand that rules are rules when it comes to immigration laws, John Cunningham has been living here for 16 years and has made Boston his home. 

People are nervous and are trying to stay under the radar. The Irish have had a huge influence on American culture and it's quite sad to see the authorities implementing these strict rules. I'm lucky to have dual-citizenship and I personally don't have to worry about immigration laws, but it's quite worrying for other family members and friends here in the US. 

Brian Hickey: 'The US is no longer a welcoming land of opportunity'

I have been here for three years, fully legit with a Green Card, married to a US citizen. I received my Green Card in 2010 but was then employed to manage a small factory outside London. Frequently on my visits to my wife, I would be hassled by the immigration officers which also included on one occasion an hour-long interview. The US is no longer the welcoming land of opportunity that I envisaged in my younger years. In my opinion, the opportunities, which are already limited by being an illegal, are no longer worth the sleepless nights and looking continually over one’s shoulder.  I do not think we should be surprised that the Irish illegals are being targeted – Trump is an equal opportunity bigot. I personally do not know anyone who is undocumented but I can imagine for them that living here has become a lot more uncomfortable. 

Anonymous: ‘Illegal Irish in Boston are fully aware of the need to obey the law’

Boston enjoys a wonderful Irish community spirit with the Irish Professionals Network, Irish Cultural Centre, and of course an Irish mayor. I have many friends who are here illegally and they know the consequences of this. The recent arrest has not had the effect that it was reported to have. Illegal Irish in Boston are fully aware of the need to obey the law, pay their taxes and stay "under the radar". The Trump administration has been worrying not only for Irish but for the many nationalities that occupy the city. Many are now making plans to return to Ireland or have returned in recent months so that they can raise their families without constantly "looking over their shoulders”, but this has always been the case for such undocumented, even in a sanctuary city like Boston.

Marty Loughlin, Boston: ‘I’m sad to see the society that welcomed me in 1990 turn towards xenophobia’

I am from Ireland, and have lived in the Boston area since 1990. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to come here legally on a Donnelly visa and I became a US citizen in the late 90s. Most of my Irish friends and peers are professionals who also came here legally, so the crackdown on immigrants under Trump has not impacted us directly. However, I am deeply saddened to see the diverse society that welcomed me in 1990 now turn towards xenophobia. Trump’s rhetoric and more aggressive immigration policies have legitimised expression of these, apparently, latent feelings. This has spread fear among immigrants, legal and illegal, and will ultimately hurt the future of this great country built on the ambition, drive and hard work of those who came here for a better life.

Aidan Fitzpatrick, Boston College: ‘People like John have made me feel at home across the Atlantic’

I moved to the US in August to attend Boston College on a four-year student visa. There is a strong Irish presence in both the city and the college, with a handful of people hailing directly from Ireland. Every other person claims heritage. This helped me massively in my transition period. The best decision I made to combat homesickness was getting involved in the GAA.

I play for the Boston College Gaelic football team. We train weekly throughout the year, and have the occasional game against other colleges and football clubs. The GAA community in Boston is huge. Many of our games take place in the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton, just outside Boston. It is just like any football club you’d find at home, complete pitches and a clubhouse. We also receive coaching from members of the GAA community. They do this voluntarily, as we have practically no funding.

It is people like John Cunningham who have made me feel at home across the Atlantic. Hearing this news has deeply upset me. Enda Kenny raised the question of undocumented Irish when he met with Donald Trump in March. It is clear that this issue is as relevant now as it ever has been.

Nadine Gallo, Hadley: ‘This region is up to its neck in undocumented people from all over the globe’

I live in the western part of Massachusetts, an agricultural area with a few colleges. I am the daughter of a Kerry native and an undocumented Liverpool fellow who had to re-enter through Canada at the border in 1930. This region is up to its neck in undocumented people from all over the globe. Nobody asks them for their green card as far as I know. I doubt the powers that be will deport any Irish as the Irish voting bloc is a serious threat. We have Irish congressmen from the Blaskets here.

Old Irish is taught at university level in the state flagship college. I know as much about Cuchulain as I know about George Washington. One of my sisters married a Walsh from Dublin. I wrote a novel published by a local press featuring a girl who became a rebel in 1916, Impetuous Heart, named after the words of Yeats. I’m writing a sequel where she goes to Trinity College and learns Greek.

Don’t let Trump concern you. We’re trying to persuade him to relocate to Siberia.

Still living in Perth, Australia, the 29-year-old electrician is among a growing number of Irish emigrants who are buying homes “at home” in Ireland, in advance of moving back.

“I always thought I was in Australia for good,” says Kane, who left Ireland for Sydney, then Perth, following a few months on the dole after his apprenticeship finished in 2009.

“But I went home for Christmas about two years ago and fell in love with the place again. That feeling didn’t go away after I went back to Australia. I started to really miss my family too, and my friends, and the Irish way of living.

“I heard about the economy picking up again in Ireland, which was a big factor as well, that there would be work to go home to.”

About six months ago, he started looking at the property market in Ireland online from Perth. He wanted a three-bedroom apartment - he plans to rent out two rooms - within walking distance of Dublin city centre, with a parking space, a balcony and central heating.

His parents took time off work to drive up from Monaghan to view one he was really interested in, but it disappointed.

He couldn’t keep asking them to travel to view properties for him, and flying back from Australia wasn’t an option, so he employed the services of an agent - Shane O’Connor of Eldron Property Consultants - to do the work on the ground for him.

O’Connor found an apartment close to Connolly Station that ticked all the boxes, viewed it, and represented him in the bidding process when Kane was happy to proceed. The sale was agreed with the vendor, and the contract will be signed this week.

Kane admits he has put a lot of trust in O’Connor, but is “very happy” with his purchase, which is near where he used to work.

Rising prices

Kane has been working in the mining sector since mid-2011, on fly-in, fly-out contracts, which are known to pay very well.

“I have managed to save quite a lot of money here, which is the reason I was able to get a mortgage, because emigrants living in Australia need a 40 per cent deposit with the Irish banks,” he says.

“I’m employed here in Australia. If I wait until I go home, I would have to wait about a year after I find a job before I would get a mortgage. It is easier for me to do it from here.”

Rising house prices in Ireland were “definitely a factor” in his decision to buy now rather than later.

“I see the Daft.ie report on RTÉ News every couple of months,” he says. “I could see the prices going up very fast. Even since I started looking, they have gone up about 10 per cent in Dublin.”

Depending on how his current job goes - he is working on the Wheatstone gas project in northwest Australia - Kane hopes to move back to Dublin early next year. In the meantime, he will rent out the apartment he has just bought.

“The majority of Irish I know here are going home and are looking at properties. They have the funds to do it, especially after working in the mines. For a lot of them, that was their goal, to come out here, do a couple of years in the mines, and go home and buy.”

This article is part of an Irish Times Abroad series on "Finding a home at home". If you would like to share your experience of applying for a mortgage from overseas, or buying a home or renting in Ireland on your return, email abroad@irishtimes.com.

Data from the Department of Foreign Affairs show that on March 28th, when the document triggering Article 50 was signed, the Irish embassy in London was inundated with passport applications.

Figures released in response to a Freedom of Information request show the Irish embassy received more than 700 applications on that day alone, leaving staff struggling to cope.

On March 21st, senior embassy official Donal O’Connell said in an email that “urgent sanction” was required from the department for paid overtime to deal with the backlog, pointing out that the embassy had “over 1,700 unopened emails requiring attention”.

‘No turning back’

On March 28th, 722 passport applications were received by the embassy and a further 578 applications were received on March 30th — the day after Mrs May declared to Westminster that there “can be no turning back” .

Demand for Irish passports from people with Irish heritage in the UK rose by 94 per cent in March of this year compared with the same month in 2016.

However, the 8,297 passports sought during March may represent only a trickle compared to when Brexit comes into force, as it has been estimated that there are are 6.7 million people in Britain and Northern Ireland who are eligible to apply for an Irish passport.

When we left Ireland by sailboat on 27th September 2016, we had no idea what we were letting ourselves in for. Neither my partner Nick nor I had ever sailed offshore before and the voyage ahead was full of absolute unknowns; I’ll never forget the sheer and uncertain terror I felt, sailing off into the dark on that first evening when we departed from Crosshaven.

Indeed, there were several events along the journey wherein we felt completely out of our depth. We learned a great deal as we went along, but there is no doubt that our voyage’s success is thanks in no small part to the various crew members that helped us make our way.

A mighty 29 rogues, of seven different nationalities, helped us to sail our boat half-way around the world. Of these, we only knew about half before they stepped aboard. Spontaneous, adventurous and mostly downright mad, we have met some wonderful people through sailing.

It seemed fitting then, on the eve of the final departure of our journey, to celebrate the Rogue Trader crew in its entirety with a painting on the pontoon in Horta. A time-honoured tradition - sailor superstition in these parts advises boats to leave their mark to ensure a safe onward journey. We marked down the name of each and every sailor that joined us on our round trip from Ireland to the Caribbean, and with that, slipped our lines, crossed our fingers and headed out into the open ocean for what was to (hopefully) be our last time.

Everything about this departure felt so different to our first. Unlike that initial 500-ish Nautical Mile trip from Cork to Spain (which, tellingly, was clumsily diverted to Cornwall) this time we felt ready, we felt rested and we had an idea of what was ahead of us. Remembering the constricting pre-departure anxiety we both often experienced in those early days, we now remarked on how casual we felt about this last trip - a mere 1200NM ‘hop’ towards home.

We sailed away from the island of Faial, bound for Ireland, on the afternoon of May 27th, 2017, exactly eight months since we first left home. It was a pleasantly warm evening, with a rare, clear view of the volcano on the nearby island of Pico; the scant cloud clinging to the top of the peak like a doffed cap. I went down for an early rest like I usually do, leaving Nick to take the first watch, anticipating a long night ahead as the crew got settled into the rhythm of the sea. We made our course carefully between the islands of Sao Jorge and Graciosa throughout the night and were clear into the open sea by the following day.

The sunny warmth and clear cloudless skies that bade us farewell from the Azores were unfortunately not to follow with us, and for those first few days we had nothing but grey, grey, grey all around. The sun did not rise so much as the morning transitioned from a dark to a lighter shade of grey. The benefit of travelling north however, does mean that we have more daylight hours, which helps for visibility and ease of mind when standing watch alone at night.

The winds, though flukey and inconsistent at first started to settle in nicely a few days into the trip; a steady 15 or so knots on the beam, ensuring good boat speed. However, the swell in the open Atlantic is impressively huge and obnoxious, causing the boat to roll from side to side incessantly as it pushes in from the side, underneath and beyond us.

The other notable change we have encountered on our progress northwards is the cold. Our lives have been undeniably cooler ever since we were only a few days out from Antigua, but we are now experiencing full-on hat-and-gloves weather. Despite the scoffs I received when I first bought it (given we were then en-route to the tropics) I am now only too glad to have my trusty hot-water bottle to hand, with which I am developing a close marsupial bond.

There being five of us, our watch system works out as two hours on the helm each in turn, followed by a generous six hours off. But the cold and the rocking makes it difficult to feel rested, as you’re constantly moving, tensing against the motion of the boat, even in sleep. Appetites amongst the crew are varied; sometimes we aren’t up to cooking or eating much with all the rolling around, but we make an effort to make warm and hearty dishes, like stews, to stay nourished. Personally, I am absolutely famished, most of the time.

It’s been a tough old slog to the start of this leg, the lack of sun having a discernible effect on the ease of the passage. However, we remain resolutely upbeat, and the crew are getting along famously. This is lucky, given our close circumstances. It often strikes me as peculiar how ‘normal’ this life has become; living in a tiny room with four men for weeks on end, sleeping in stints on a couch, always one ear awake for changes in the weather.

But if I can get used to this, as I try to convince myself amidst the irregular pitching of the boat, I can get used to anything. Because, like it or not, we still have about 1000 NM to go.

Claire McCluskey is writing a weekly diary from the sea for The Irish Times for the duration of their journey. Follow their progress at facebook.com/sailingroguetrader