The alarm went off at 0330hrs and I climbed out of the bunk, dressed and put on my waterproofs, Vicki said do you think you will need them? I said I expect the decks will be all wet with due and it might be cold at this time! Out in the cockpit, the Durgan anchorage was calm as we got ready to leave, we picked up our anchor and motored out of the Helford River at 0355hrs, I sent a text to our shore contact with our plans and eta of 1600hrs and we headed for the Nare Point which we passed and headed Manacle buoy which we passed at 0448hrs, from here we set the genoa and stopped the engine, sailing down wind at 5kts. We had a forecast of NE-N4 which is excellent for out passage south down the side of the Lizard to Lizard point and west to Scilly.
At 0630hrs we reached our waypoint off the Lizard Point having logged 15nm, now we turned for Scilly 44nm away. Vicki went down below to make a coffee, she poked her head up and said I think the gas has run out! Vicki came up again and took the helm while I went up on deck to the anchor locker (Elektra was logging 9kts SOG at the time) to get the spare gas can, back in the cockpit now to change the gas over, not the best place off the Lizard Point! Gas changed, I took the helm again and Vicki went back to make the coffee.
We soon decided more sail was needed and up went the mainsail with one reef and off we sped at 6-7kts, all was good until we got as far as Wolf Rock at 1035hrs, from there the sea became rough for crossing the entrance to shipping lanes, we were sailing and keeping up with a Southerly 45-50 footer with a ship south of us lining its self up for the north bound lane. I felt he waited for us to cross because his bow wave didn’t show until after we had crossed his line.
Soon after passing the ship we reefed the genoa as will, watching another ship coming down the south bound lane but this one turned sharp to port after exiting the lane passing north of us in the opposite direction.
The islands came into view from around 8nm away at 1300hrs, shortly before entering The Cove, St Agnes, I sent a text to our shore contact to say we had arrived as I know there isn’t any mobile signal in The Cove. We dropped anchor at 1430hrs having covered the 60nm in 10.5hrs, our best ever passage time to Scilly. After checking we were holding we both climbed into the bunk and fell fast asleep for a few hours.
When we awoke Vicki started to cook dinner and I pumped up the roll-up dinghy ready for getting ashore in the morning. It was early to bed that evening.
Love Sailing 