Scilly!

Every year we plan to get out to Scilly but with my job restrictions and finding the weather to go we only manage it one year in three. I don’t like to say we are going until on passage. Over the years of our cruising since 2006 we have managed to get to  Scilly 2009, 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2018. We would have gone in June last year but Covid restrictions stopped us.

Saturday 26th June

Running up to our holiday the forecast was looking good to go but l wasn’t saying anything to soon. Friday  was north-westerly then going north and east on Saturday, l was getting more hopeful.

On Thursday evening we moved Elektra from her Carne mooring to her seasonal mooring in Gillan Harbour, topped up the water and diesel.

On Friday after 1430hrs we drove down to St Anthony with a pick up full of stores and started to ferry out to Elektra on her mooring, by 1700hrs all was stowed and l lifted the dinghy onto her davits ready for passage. We dropped mooring and motored Elektra into Flushing Cove for a more quiet night at anchor.

On Saturday the wind had died away. The tidal stream wasn’t with us until 1100hrs so we were in no hurry to leave, it was 0830hrs when l pulled up the anchor and Vicki turned Elektra and we headed for the sea. Flat calm as we motored out past the Nare Point and turned towards Manacles buoy, l came up with the tiller pilot and set going.  We rounded Manacles buoy at 0905hrs and headed for Black Head, now pushing quite a lot of tide we slowed but l was surprised to see the tide was going our way when we got to Black Head at 0945hrs

Now heading for the Lizard Point with the tide or was it an eddy? We turned for Scilly off the Lizard at 1030hrs with the charge on we were now making over 9kts SOG so not slack water as l expected! Very lumpy sea off the Lizard but no breaking overfalls.

The sea calmed down again once clear of the Lizard but no real wind to speak of, so we continued to motor west, passing Wolf Rock lighthouse at 1400hrs having logged 37nm. We couldn’t believe how fast this passage was going but of course speed slowed and we arrived at Hats way point, Scilly at 1730hrs having logged 57nm.

We then made our way slowly north west towards Tean island where we thought we would find good shelter for the coming blow on Sunday. Weather was forecasted to improve from Tuesday. So once we had dropped anchor we started to get Elektra ready for the coming blow, cockpit enclosure up, sail covers on,