A Cháirde! Pádraig anseo arís ... i (g)Cochin. Bhí turas crua agus dainséarach againn ó Cape Town agus tá áthas an domhain orm bheith anseo leis an bhfoireann - slán agus sabháilte. Ní dhéanfaidh mé an turas sin "trasna na tonnta" san Fharraige Theas arís, geallaim duit!!

Mes amis, je suis arrivé a Cochin, tres fatiqué après une grande aventure de mer. Jamais, jamais! Je ne vais jamais repeter cette aventure, je vous assure! Maintenant je resterai ici avec l'équipe de Green Dragon ou je peux dormir pour une semaine!!

Dear Friends, It's great to be on solid ground. I really thought I'd never see dry land again! The experiences of the Southern Ocean would fill an entire book so I'll leave that to another time. Enough to say, well done to the great sailors of Green Dragon who managed to survive a broken boom and still make it to their destination in India.

I thought I'd have lots of time for sightseeing and wildlife trails with elephants but the boom issue overtook all other activities. I helped Johnny and the Shore Support team to ensure a new boom arrived in time so that Green Dragon could be as good as new again. The relief on Johnny's face when the new boom arrived was great to see. He treated me to a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice to celebrate - we hadn't time to go shopping for ice cream during this stopover. (Theresa and I will make up for that little oversight in Singapore - with plenty of pictures to prove it!)

Once the worry of replacing the boom was over I did manage to have some free time in the Race Village. Everyone wanted a picture with me. I just wondered where the red carpet was. And of course, not a movie producer from Bollywood in sight! Typical - I travel half way around the world for a screen test and what do I get? - a huge fan club and no speaking parts! Ah well, maybe Theresa can set me up with a Hollywood agent when she returns to the USA. "Pigs in Space" has been done but "Bears at Sea" - now there's a novel idea. (Whoa ... slow down Pádraig, old boy, you've been too long in the Doldrums with too much time on your paws. It's back to reality now for a while. Dream time can wait.)

But seriously girls and boys, I did meet some wonderful people in Cochin. Everyone was so excited to see the magnificent yachts and meet the crews and the support teams. Needless to say, a furry bear in a green Ireland geansaí went down very well too and I had to deal with a lot of very difficult questions for the local radio stations. I hope I got all the nautical terms correct - Eddie English, my sailing mentor in Cobh, would never forgive me if I failed a sail quiz.

So, it's on to Singapore next. Theresa and I will do a lot more sightseeing there and we'll amaze you with some fantastic photos. I hope she remembers to bring my new t-shirt - my geansaí really needs to be laundered and the humidity is getting to me. After all, I do have a certain image to uphold. I'm not just any old stuffed bear, you know! Besides, it's nearly Christmas and this young bear must look his best at all times, especially during the Festive Season!

Ps - Here's a little secret, so don't tell anyone ...... I've started to call Theresa ... wait for it .... Mrs. O'Bear!  Good eh? Nothing like a good sense of humour when you're doing a tough job. I think she likes her new name, but she'd never admit that to me. My only worry now is that she'll think of a pet name for me too - I hope she won't be too creative with it. Perhaps you boys and girls might like to suggest a special name for me. Send some of your suggestions to padraigthebear@gmail.com Who knows, maybe your choice of pet name will appear at the end of my next blog!

Until next time - keep following the Green Dragon adventure with me Pádraig the Bear.

Slán go fóil agus Nollaig Shona daoibh go léir.  Hó-hó-hó!!!

Pádraig and the Green Dragon Team