Chapter 7 - Journey In A Glass Bottom Boat

Journey In A Glass Bottom Boat

A novel

By Paul McCann

 Chapter 7

The Half Moon Festival At Claddagh Bay  

The wind roared like a lion across the port side of the yacht filling the sails of the yacht that cut through the tide like a pair of  scissors creating a divide in the passage through the open sea . The sea sprayed against Harrys face as he wiped his eyes and squinted as the sunlight made sight hard to find.,

Passing by a small island he noticed a crowd of sea dogs basking in the sun on the rocks . He could faintly hear the stranded sounds of their calls of moans to impress their attempt to secure some romantic interludes at this time of the year . The sound of the sea dogs thrills were like the breath of the lion that still roared over the tide and Harry moved around the deck making the most of the wind in the sails of the yacht and deep in his heart he felt the thud of excitement as the boat raced like a wild galloping horse across the water . He had to keep his mind sharp and remain as tough as steel for in the moments of racing with the wing a lack of concentration could throw you the wrong way and the sling of the catapult would be lost and gone . Momentum an awesome force out there on the water with the wind filling your sails .

He saw another yacht out there sailing and it was too long befo0re they came close , only a cats whisker  away . They exchanged a glance a friendly wave before parting company , The other yacht seemed to lose momentum and came to a stop as if it had run aground  . Harry maintained his course with the wind roaring still over the water , He saw a high coast approaching to the entrance of a bay that hungered a visit and somewhere there in the sea he had found that oneness with the wind and sea that had brought him here to this place . The landscape before him seemed like another world empty of humanity from the eyes of a sailor who had discovered his place in the water where fools dare not go and land lubbers would never know  .

Between the pleasure and pain on the watery plain Harry made a decision to take a break in the bay where the wind became silent and the waves eased and dropped to a mirrored reflection of the blue sky that threw itself like a blanket over the bay , He saw several longships anchored near the shore and chose a spot to settle . The wind had dies and it was a nice time to stop for a visit  Maisie and Harry took the dingy boat to the shore .

Looking around at the longships in the bay you would have thought that the place was invaded by Vikings until they were welcomes by Tanna , one of the Celtic community who lived there , They had been living an alternative lifestyle for many years cut off from the world . They had come from all walks of life , teachers and builders, writers and architects .

Unlike the Vikings from the past who were wild and ruthless this Celtic community lived peacefully together in the world but not of the world . They had designed and built their own longships to fish and explore . In their attempt to leave the world behind they had chosen to map out their own  destiny . The people of Claddagh Bay were part of a global Celtic culture who were following the path to living an alternative lifestyle .

The longships had gathered for a music festival with different people from other Celtic Communities around the world .

Call them dreamers or gurus , but they have chosen another path through life and Harry and Maisie were fortunate enough to have met them and be part of their community for a brief moment in time . They had something in common.

With each other on similar journeys of exploration to discover something unique on a mystical pathway floating away , drifting downstream , watching the clouds pass by . Living as such can be inspiring and as a result open windows in the open spaces .

If dragonflies carried saddle bags , I’m sure they would be filled with the dreams of people like Harry and Maisie and the members of the Celtic community ,

From a yacht on a bay to spot on the earth to a planet in the cosmos during their time on Claddagh Bay Harry and Maisie were able to get a bigger perspective about life and see how small we all really are in the great big picture of creation .

Most of the members of the Celtic community enjoy chasing away moments in the sun until nighttime comes and then they become night owls sitting around a campfire telling stories or sharing dreams .

While the world and all its demands are far away there’s time to adapt

new ways of thinking  and welcoming an appreciation of life .

When nothing really matters anymore you can begin to explore life through an escape hatch that will lead you to a mystical place in the universe .

Living the dream means there’s no rush to get things done , no greed or want to get rich quick , time to get the focus right and see the colour of the flowers and become one with nature in harmony with the world and with God .

That is the way of life in the Celtic community . Seeing God through the creation of life , the river and stream’s , the animals and trees , the stars in the sky and in appreciation of everything that exists around us ,

Harry and Maisie enjoyed listening to the stories shared by the Celts at night .

Some of the stories became so real that people began to believe them like the thousand year old salmon who lived in a pool at the bottom of a stream where a waterfall cascaded down from above in Watergate Mountain , The legend of the very wise and knowledgeable salmon was famous and widespread and it was said that if you were lucky enough to catch the wise old fish and cook it and eat it that you would inherit all of the knowledge that it possessed .

So everyday many from the community would spend their days trying to catch that salmon around the pools on Watergate mountain As yet no one had been successful but many had told stories about the one that got away and assured everybody that it had been that wise old salmon , too smart to be caught and too slippery to hold .

Living the dream also means you have to believe in them as well so it’s a walk in the mystical world while being part of the material world and discovering  something lost that has been found .

Harry and Maisie stayed for the music festival at Claddagh Bay and listened to the songs from the mystic that drew them to a world where nothing really matters anymore and you can let yourself just drift away under a half-moon at  Claddagh Bay   .

During the festival there was frequent activities with archery , wrestling , heavy stone lifting , high jumping and long jumping , tree climbing and. tightrope walks over the river, tug of war , wild flower picking and singing and storytelling . There was something for everyone at th4 festival .

Harry and Maisie were invited to join in with the cry of the celts on the last day of the festival . This was how the festival always closed with everyone  gathering together to make a noise for three minutes . You could do anything you wanted to do , sing or shout , cry or scream , whistle or wail . as long as it made a sound from your mouth .

After that the longboats would leave the bay and return to where they had come from .

Harry and Masie returned to their yacht and headed out of the bay under a half moon to discover another adventure somewhere not too far away .

 End  Of Chapter 7

Link to chapter 8

https://www.abctales.com/story/mcscraic/chapter-8-journey-glass-bottom-boat

Journey In A Glass Bottom Boat

A novel

By Paul McCann