On Wedensday 1st of May looked good for another sail. I was down to St Anthony soon after 0800hrs, launched the dinghy and out to Elektra by 0820hrs. Getting Elektra ready to leave, I dropped her mooring at 0845hrs and motored her out between Car Crock and the Dennis Head. I set all the genoa with a reef in the main stopped her engine and logging about 4.5kts headed out in a easterly direction. The forecast said southerly force 3-4, dropping off later, but once clear of the Nare Point was a southeast force 4-5 which decreased as we sailing east. So in the end, I shook out the reef in the main and we speeded up to 5.5kts, before slowing down again. After 1.5hrs we tacked but by this time the wind had died away quite a bit and Elektra wollowed up and down making only 1.5-2kts in a southwesterly direction.
15mins of that, changed my mind and I decided to sail Elektra west back towards Helford River, now on a reach Elektra picked up speed to 3.5-4.5kts, this was a nice sail and after passing the Nare Point heading into the river at about 1050hrs, I left the tiller pilot in control, lowered and packed the mainsail, while Elektra continued to sail into the Helford River on just her genoa. When we had sailed upto the main moorings, I rolled away the genoa and started her engine. I motored her in though the moorings as far as Tremerlin Quay and back without stopping. Once back to the narrows, I stopped her engine and I set just Elektra’s genoa to sail back out the river, this not being a great sail patten for sailing to windward, I had to tack Elektra 8 times before getting back into Gillan. I didn’t really mind this because it had been seven seasons since I had last tacked a yacht out of the Helford River. Our last yacht “Gala” swing mooring had been in the Helford for 11 seasons. Back in Gillan I started her engine just to get Elektra back on her mooring. We had logged 15.5nm over 4hrs. Now it was time to pack up, get back ashore and home.
Love Sailing 