On Friday 3rd of May I was able to get out for another sail. I was limited by the fact I needed to be back in Gillan before 1400hrs so I could move Elektra onto her gale/east wind mooring in Carne Creek because of forecasted strong easterly winds on Saturday. So I thought, if I got out early, I could have a nice sail before then.
The tide was out when I arrived at St Anthony, so I had to pull the dinghy quite away to the water and back up the beach with the launching trolley afterwards. Out on Elektra, I got her ready to leave, pulled up the mainsail and dropped her mooring at 0800hrs, I hadn’t started her engine and just sailed her out of Gillan between Car Crock and Dennis Head, once clear we turned east and goosewinged out to the Nare Point. There was very little wind, the forecast for today was west then west-southwest force 2-3. Having given the Nare Point a good offering, I turned her southeast for the Manacle Buoy, now on a reach she speeded up and we were soon doing 4-5kts. We past the Manacle Buoy at 0850hrs and headed south hard on the wind, I pulled the first reef in the main and a roll or two into the genoa. The wind had picked up to a southwest force 4 and the sea was a little choppy with whitehorses showing.
We continued south, must be going to warm up soon I thought! I was wearing fleece top with waterproof trowsers and I wasn’t hot yet! A cruise linner had come around the Lizard Point from the west and had turned towards Falmouth, we looked like we were heading towards each other, so I desided to tack Elektra towards Coverack, we continued on this tack until we closed on the cliffs under The Coverack headland hotel, when we tacked south again. By which time the cruise linner was passing the spot were we last tacked, now heading south again for a little while. I knew I should head back by 1100hrs but I didn’t want to be late so at 1030hrs we had made it as far south as 49’59.14N 05’04.29W, I tacked Elektra around and we headed back north again towards Manacle buoy, I shook out the main reef and let out all the genoa.
This was a very plesent sail, running down wind in the sunshine, I started to overheat and removed my waterpoofs and the fleece. I later pulled the fleece back on when the sun went behind a cloud. We past the Manacle buoy at 1130hrs having logged 12.5nm. Then things hotted up as we turned towards the Nare Point, too much sail! Elektra was rounding up, so I pulled the first reef into the genoa, I was then able to hold her on course, she was doing over 6kts upto and passed the Nare Point. The tack would have taken us over the other side of the Helford River but I had enough by then, so I rolled away ther genoa, started her engine and motoring into wind on the tiller pilot, I then lowered the mainsail. I motored Elektra into Gillan and picked up her mooring at 1230hrs having logged 18.5nm.
Later at 1330hrs, I started Elektra’s engine again and motored her into Carne Creek and onto her east wind mooring. This was a little more of a problem than normal, as I had to pick up her stern mooring line from the bow and then turn her around under my feet because of the strong southwest wind blowing the wrong way down the creek, but I managed, once I had made off the stern lines to the stern cleats, I walked forward the end of the joining line and pulled aboard the bow strop and made off. Then it was time to pack up and leave Elektra until next weekend.
Love Sailing 