Voyage on theJeanie Johnston/Day 2:The scariest thing that happened here in Rathmullen yesterday was when it emerged that the captain of the Jeanie Johnston had slipped ashore to buy large quantities of sea sickness medicine which were distributed to us all before we even untied the ship, writes Seán Mac Connell.
While there is no doubt at all that the earls of Ulster, whose voyage we are commemorating, did suffer greatly on their trip 400 years ago, we look likely to suffer a similar fate on our way south.
"There are two known cures for sickness," the captain, Michael Coleman told us, during his pep talk prior to departure. "A day in the bog is one and a day in the pub is the other," he said, adding that he had no doubt that with the kind of weather we face, with winds of up to 80km/h (50mph), that we were likely to be sea sick.
Indeed, it was almost like being back in the Gaeltacht here in Rathmullen yesterday when Captain Coleman gave us his eve of sailing talk.
Having confirmed that this boat is to be an alcohol detox unit for the next five days, a kind of floating St John of Gods, he went on to issue his sternest warning of all.
"Anyone caught smoking below deck will be dropped off at the nearest port. We cannot and will not allow smoking down below because there is so much wood and varnish. We have put people off before and we will do it again," he said.
I had a clear recall of such pep talks in the Gaeltach when the greatest crime of all was speaking English and for that crime you would be placed "ar an chéad bus maidin amárach" (sent home on the first bus in the morning).
Then Captain Coleman got on to the really serious business of the day, what route the earls were forced to take to France because of the weather.
He explained to us that the Atlantic route was almost 90 miles longer than the one we will be taking, down the Irish Sea, because it would take us at least nine days to get to France in the weather we face if we turned left rather than right when we get to the top of Ireland.
For a time today it looked as if we might not get away at all because the weather reports are so poor for tomorrow, and for the 20 or so people who are making the voyage it seemed that it might be a good idea to stay here altogether.
There was no sign of the Mac Swineys either. They were the crowd that attacked the earls as they left Ireland 200 years ago, according to a report of the time.
The Ó Cianán report said the earls sent two boats' crew to get water and to search for firewood. "The son of Mac Suibhne of Fanaid and a party of people of the district came upon them in pursuit. With difficulty, the party from the boat brought water and firewood with them. About the middle of the same night they hoisted their sails a second time. They went out a great distance in the sea.
"The night was bright, quiet and calm with a breeze from the southwest. Then they proposed putting into Ara through need of getting food and drink.
"An exceedingly great storm and very bad weather rose against them, together with fog and rain so that they were driven from proximity to land," concluded that part of the account.
As we left the pier last night, I had a strange sense of history repeating itself, but I hope not.
More tomorrow