Having worked for 2 days, Sunday 14th looked a good forecast for a sail, the tide was high in the morning and if I timed it right I could go for a sail and get back before the water was gone from St Anthony.
I left home at 0830hrs and launched the dinghy about 15mins later after filling the outboard fuel tank, it was suprising how much I had used this engine in the last week! Out in Gillan Harbour Adrian was at anchor in his cat “Swallowtail” I had to stop and say “happy new year” lol, I had last seen Adrian before my last sail in 2023 6 months before. He had been in Gillan a a few days but was heading back today to the Precuil River before the westerly blow forecasted for Monday.
Out on Elektra, I got her ready to leave the mooring. The forecast today was for light westerly force1-2 incresing to force 3-4 later which was ideal for a first sail. I had the new reefing lines to cut off to the correct lenght, so pulled up the main, cut and sealed the ends, I was now ready to leave the mooring. I started her engine and walked up on her bow to drop the mooring having attached the dinghy to it first. Turning to port she sailed off the mooring without me putting the engine in gear, so I stopped the engine again. Adrian was also sailing out and we stayed together until I unrolled the genoa. As Sadler yachts sail very well in light airs, Elektra just sailed away from Swallowtail, not fast, there was almost no wind, she was doing 2.4kts SOG. We were most of the way across Falmouth Bay before I turned her around, now hard on the wind her best heading was southeast, there was a big empty oil tanker anchored almost in the way, the wind is always flucky around ships and this one was just the same. As we past the stern of the of the ship, I saw Adrian was now motoring Swallowtail towards Falmouth. Once arround the stern of the ship I tacked but then Elektra’s best heading was then west! This heading was far too close for comfort to the ship so I tacked again and headed south. The breeze picked up to a force 3-4 and with a Bavaria 32 beside us Elektra headed south at 4.5kts under full sail, she was heeled over quite far but on a calm sea there was no slamming. My problem was, there was too much weather helm for the tiller pilot to cope, so I was at the helm and enjoying myself. I might of carried on like this but I wanted to try out the new reefing lines. So I released the main halyard and pulled the first reef into the main, then tighten the halyard. I also rolled the first reef into the genoa, reset the sails, she had lost some ground on the Bavaria but Elektra had picked up speed to 5.5kts and was back up beside her very quickly at which point the Bavaria decided to turn about! It was really suprising how much extra speed Elektra had with less sail, sailing more upright.
We sailed on south towards Porthallow before tacking west towards the Nare Point. Of coarse in the Helford River a southwest wind becomes a west wind, so once past the Nare Point her best heading was northwest, halfway across Helford River I tacked again and headed for Car Crock cardinal buoy. At the buoy I started her engine, rolled the genoa and motored into the mooring. we had logged 10.5nm in 2.75hrs.
Packing away the mainsail and getting Elektra ready to leave took a while, trying not to forget anything, but I was back to the beach before the water completely left St Anthony, I got the trolly and pulled the dinghy out to the top of the beach and drove home.
Love Sailing 