Elektra had been pulled ashore on Wednesday 28th of Feb for a week, mainly to allow me to give her a coat of antifouling. The forecast can only be described as changeable, I was looking for a dry day. The forecasters were showing some dry over the weekend but each time I looked it was different, I did some cleaning on Thursday and partly filled the water tank only to discover a joint was leaking, then I broke one of the joints taking the pipework apart! Friday was heavy rain, with rain also forecasted for Saturday, Sunday looked better. Friday during the heavy rain I went out and got a new pipe joint.
After getting out on Saturday the looking drier than the forecast so I drove down to Elektra to start the antifouling. After a night of rain Elektra was mainly dry but where the cockpit drains, anchor locker drains and deck run off were she was wet. I started by bunging all the holes and drying the wet areas, then sticking on masking tape so any water would drip off instead of running down the antifouling. Once ready I gave the antifouling a good final stir and applied to the areas most likely to get wet if it rained first, I am glad to say the day had turned out to be sunny! But the weather didn’t last, it was while I was between Elektra’s keels that the havens opened and it tipped down with rain! It seemed very strange antifouling with rain lashing down around me, but I and Elektra stayed dry, once I was finish, I chucked everything in the pick-up and drove home, thinking that’s the end of work today!
At home I sat down with Vicki for late lunch, the rain stopped and the sun came out. So after lunch I drove back down to Elektra again and masked her water line and applied her boot top line. As it turned out Sunday and Monday it tipped down with rain all day, so I had used the best day to get the work done.
Anthony the yard boss had talked about putting Elektra back in the water on Monday but the tides were wrong, the earliest day looked like Wednesday. So on Tuesday, the best day so far I refitted the pipe connection, partly filled the water tank again to test. I cleaned the cockpit area, I also fitted chain markers on the anchor chain and set the anchor up ready for use on the bow roller. Once all the jobs were done, I packed up removed the ladder and drove home.
The next day David from the boat yard phoned up and said “they wouldn’t be launching Elektra” because they didn’t think there would be enough depth because of the neep tides, 4.1m. I said “she won’t be going back in this week then!” David said “tomorrow” I said “it’s strong east winds for Thursday to Saturday!” So in the end the launch was pushed to Monday 11th March and I got on with earning some money over Thursday and Friday. With rain again on Saturday, it was Sunday before I went back aboard to tidy up and get Elektra ship shape again.
On Monday the 11th the yard pushed Elektra back out at low water to float off on the next tide. I had been working in the morning but arrived down at St Anthony about 1500hrs just as Elektra was getting her keels wet. I carried the punt down to the water, rowed out and climbed aboard. As tide tide neared floating height, I started her engine and removed the anchor from her bow to stow in the anchor locker as it wouldn’t be needed. Elektra floated off in about 3.6m of depth, I needed at least 4.6m to get back up river to her winter berth. So I motored her out of Gillan Harbour and around into Helford River to test the engine, It had seemed quite a mild day but out on the water it was chilly, I was glad I had my sailing jacket! I didn’t go far before turning around and heading back in, motoring up and picking a mooring up to wait for the tide. The boat yard were pulling out the trailer, I watched for about 15mins before dropping the mooring again and heading up river.
The time was about 1630hrs as I steered Elektra though the narrows between Gillan Harbour and Carne Creek, turning to port (the channel runs either side in Carne Creek with a level drying area in the middle). With 0.5m under her keels we slowly motored in, there is a bit of a dog leg in the channel just before Tregithy Quay, where the channel turns to starboard. The pole I had placed here just 12 days before was gone and I must have gone out of the channel as the depth was now 0.1m but I found the channel again as it got deeper. The next pole was still in place and the depth stayed the same the rest of the way until I turned Elektra into her berth, she came to all stop as her keels made contact with the mud. Still not yet HW, I picked up the bow mooring buoy and hooked the lines over the cleat, then I walked back aft with the port stern line in hand and made fast. Walking back the to bow I then took the starboard stern line aft and made fast. Back up on the bow I a just all three bow lines in turn and make off to the cleats. All these line where covered in mud and had made Elektra’s deck muddy, so I spent the next 30mins washing her decks again! Once happy, I locked up and got into the dinghy and pulled myself ashore via her mooring lines. Then I had to walk back to St Anthony to get the pick-up to drive home.
Love Sailing 