The Sadler and Starlight Owners Association Rally was set for the bank holiday weekend 25-27th May, Vicki was going to be away with family and I was thinking of sailing to Fowey to the rally if I could get all my work done in time. Apart from a few problems with my brush cutter, I got though the work in time. The weather forecast for the following week was poor so I thought I could do a day with the brush cutter then.
On Friday 24th of May, I was aboard by 1030hrs having done a little shopping first. This was a bit of a first for me, I had done a lot of day sailing alone but never sailed before in 18 years of cruising to another port alone. The forecast was for very little wind, west-northwest force 2-3. I pulled up the main on the mooring and cast off at 1125hrs, set all the genoa and set course for The Dodman Point 14nm to the northeast. Having logged 2.5nm in 1.5hrs I decided it was time to start motoring! I was heading east against a west flowing tide which didn’t help, but I knew that would be the case and I didn’t want to wait until 1620hrs for the tide to be going my way. Now motoring northeast Elektra was making 4.5kts on 2500 revs, once we started to cross Gerrans Bay the wind picked up from the north and Elektra was motorsailing at 5kts on 2000 revs. Once we got to the Dodman Point the wind died away and we had to motor again. Motored in and picked up a swing mooring at 1630hrs having logged 24nm. Robert very kindly invited me aboard for a beer when I was ready and Mandy made a sausage sandwich.
Next morning, l motored Elektra over to the pontoon which had been reserved for the Sadler Rally, Miles and Julia were there to help me with my lines. Robert and Mandy came in and moored up aft of Elektra about a half hour later. The rest of the Sadlers, Starlights and interlopers (the SSOA are quite happy to take money from and yacht owner to come on rallies) arrived at the end of the day after a good sail from Plymouth direction. The plan had been to have a pontoon party wind music and singing in the evening but heavy rain came in soon after they arrived. So the chilly which Chris had made was taken back and eaten in cockpit enclosures around the pontoon. I was invited aboard Chris and Julia’s SL39 and a great evening of talk, stories followed.
The next day Chris had organised a walk to Gallant to a beer festival, food and later music. It was quite a walk and l think a few found it a little too much. In the evening a lot of them went to an Indian restaurant for evening dinner but Mandy Robert and me felt we had had a good feed at lunch time, so we stayed had a few beers and chatted.
On Monday the plan was for us all to head home but Robert and Mandy were also heading east with most of the others. Which left only me to head southwest against the forecasted was west force 4-5, becoming southwest force 5-6. The tide wouldn’t be with me until 1500hrs but I didn’d want to wait that long so planned to leave about 1200hrs and hoping for slack water around Dodman Point. It was quite easy to slip lines but Robert and Mandy were still there and able to help. Motoring Elektra into wind in the harbour on tiller pilot, I pulled up the main with two reefs and headed towards Fowey entrance, with all the fenders and lines to stow I hadn’t seen the steam coming from the cockpit locker until we were going though the entrance with other yachts by which time I thought we would soon be sailing. Soon after that I pulled out the genoa with 2 reefs and stopped the engine, I soon found I needed a bit more sail so let out one of the genoa reefs. There was a lumpy 4ft swell and Elektra was getting stopped a little by the swell, logging 3.5-5kts, she was going quite well in the conditions but my best heading was due south. What played on my mind was the engine, what if I need it later? After 1.5hrs heading south, in the end I decided I would be better turning around and heading back into Fowey, which is what I did. The sail back to Fowey was very quick, now on a broad reach, my problem came sailing though the entrance against the tide, with Elektra’s speed dropping off to 1.5kts, it took a while to get though! I was trying also to keep clear of the racing dinghies but not without getting a mouthful from one of them. When it looked like I was going to be in the way of the finshing line, I chanced starting the engine and motoring out out of the way and onto a swing mooring. I had logged 10nm in 3hrs.
Now it was time to find out what was wrong with the engine. The impeller casing was cold, so water coming thought there but there wasn’t any coolant in the top up bottle, must be a broken pipe. Then I remembered the the steam coming out of the cockpit locker, I lifted the lid and investgated the area of the stream, there it was a split pipe about 30mm from the end, it was an easy fix but without any coolant and it being a bank holiday, I wasn’t going to get any until tomorrow and with strong southwest winds forecasted for the next two days, I wouldn’t be going anywhere until Thursday.
So I decided to ring my wife Vicki who was on her way back to Cornwall from Lester and ask for a lift back home, she agreed and expected to get to Fowey about 1830hrs, I had a little time to tidy things away and when the harbour master came by I paid for 2 nights and said I exspected to be back Wedensday and would sort out with the office when I knew what I was doing. At 1745hrs I left Elektra and motored the dinghy over to the town pontoon, found a space, picked out my bags and walked to the carpark where I had agreed to meet Vicki. As normal the satnav which Vicki was following bought her down the wrong side of the river, it might have been the shortest route but took longer and cost £5 more to use the ferry to cross the river, shortest isn’t always the best route!
Love Sailing 