After 80hrs of work over the last eight days it was time to get out and use “Elektra” again, some sailing and hopefully some R&R which I needed.
With high water not until 1400hrs the tide was not going to be high enough to get “Elektra” out of Carne Creek until 1300hrs, the wind was from the east and we planed to leave our punt on our mooring in Gillan Harbour before sailing across Falmouth Bay. The HW not being very high, I suggested Vicki motor out the south channel with more water under the keel (we normally use the north channel). I was on the bow stowing the anchor when Vicki motored over the submerged mooring line which stopped the engine dead! I quickly dropped the anchor again and jumped over into the dinghy to find out what the problem was.
With the aid of a boat hook, I found “Elektra’s” prop was fouled on a line, pulling on the line it parted and Elektra swung around on her anchor to face the wind, then to get the rest of the line off! I had hold of the end of the line and asked Vicki to start the engine again, started ok, I then said put her in reverse, the line un-fouled itself and I had hold of a big wad of twisted, cut and mangled rope, we were free again! We motored slowly out of Carne Creek and headed for our mooring.
The mooring was another problem, stopping to pick up the buoy in the 3-4ft swell, I quickly moored the punt and let go again before we motored out and set sail across Falmouth Bay. I had thought of setting a reef in the main but the mooring was no place to do that, so we motored out of Gillan and set just the genoa.
As it happened, it was plenty of sail on its own as we crashed off across the bay though the swell at 5-6kts with quite a bit of slamming! At times Elektra was will above 6kts pushing 7kts none of the other yachts out there at the time could catch her (Moody 376, Hallberg Rassy 34 and a She?) or just didn’t want to in the conditions. Arriving off Pendennis Point we could ease out the genoa for a more leisurely sail north up Carrick Roads. As we sailed north I went down in the cabin and could hear a bump, bump from the stern, we must still have some rope on the prop! Putting the engine control lever in to reverse stopped this, looks like we will have to dry out somewhere to clear the prop I said. We continued to sail north slower and slower until the wind died altogether just south of Turnaware Point Buoy, we rolled the genoa and motored in and anchored close to Turnaware beach where I knew I could drop the anchor on a muddy bottom, we had covered the 9.5nm in 2hrs.
Love Sailing 