We had spent a remarkable day at sea, travelling from Valentia Island to Kerry Head and back again. Now, halfway between Valentia and the Blasket Islands, the long journey home still had one more moment waiting for us.

The western sky had become a world of fire and shadow. Great banks of cloud burned orange and gold above the dark Atlantic, while Inishnabro stretched across the horizon in silhouette. Beyond its jagged eastern end, the distant shape of Tearaght appeared through the light.

After a day filled with ocean, islands and adventure, it seemed impossible that there could be anything more. Then the sun found a gap in the clouds and transformed the entire seascape.

Some days are remembered for the places they take us. This one saved something remarkable for the journey home.