From today's Scuttlebutt:

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HALFWAY 'ROUND IRELAND

The two Brits sailing around Ireland on beach cats (Shadows, designed by

Yves Loday built by Reg White) are the first to make halfway on these type

of craft - but the whimsical Irish weather has made sure that's as far as

they're going this August.



Digby Fox and Tim Swinburn have sailed from Dublin, on the eastern Irish

seaboard, to Galway, on the opposite Atlantic side, heading south and

clockwise, completing 530 nautical miles.



"We're happy to get this far," says Digby, "in one piece and in good

spirits. The physical and navigation challenges have been hard, but the

Irish weather this August has humbled our record setting dream."



The sailors lost six days sitting out two gales and zero visibility, which,

compounded with light winds in the Irish Sea, has forced them to pull out at

Galway Bay Sailing Club.



"The 21 days available to us was always tight and relied on favourable

winds, says Tim. "But I'm delighted to make it unscathed to Galway. It was

amazing to meet so many wonderful people and to sail past such spectacular

scenery."



The aim of the challenge was to make the first complete rounding in beach

cats, and to raise cash to build a hydrotherapy pool in memory of Digby's

son, Harry.



"Sailingwise," says Digby, "we've achieved half our dream. In terms of

fundraising though, we've had a great success with the online charitable

donation scheme on our website http://www.harrys-hydro.org. Thank you to the

many who've chipped in, and, ahem, there's plenty of time to whip out your

credit card if you haven't!"



Hydrotherapy is physio in a heated pool, and Digby's pool, which will help

disabled kids in the UK, is a brilliant way of passing on the joy of water

to others.



Digby: "It does kind of feel like unfinished business. I've got a horrible

feeling that we'll down a couple of pints of that black Irish elixir, and

decide that Galway to Dublin would be just grand..."