Launch had been arranged for 0630hrs on Monday 31st of March, the boat yard picked up Elektra and moved here to the slipway ready to launch in daylight on the Saturday to be ready for Monday as they didn’t want to be pushing across the road in the dark on Monday.
So I was early out of bed on Monday morning and just had a quick mug of coffee and out the door, durring the 8 mile drive to Gweek I didn’t see any other cars for the first 5-6 miles and arrived in Gweek at 0545hrs, the yard guys were already there getting on with jobs. Adam the boss was taking a fishing boat out on the high tide raffed beside his RIB. I found a set of steps and climbed aboard Elektra via her stern ladder. The yard guys were changing short pole for long launching pole on the launching cradle. I unlocked the lockers and cabin, climbed in and got things ready and put on my lifejacket. When we were all ready the guys slowly pushed Elektra backwards into the water and when deep enough I started her engine and turned on the instirments and nav lights as it was still dark. The yard guys said check you haven’t any leaks before we let you go, I checked and all good!
The yard guys gently pushed Elektra back and I engaged reverse, she has a bit of a mind of her own in reverse, but she was slowly turning to port with a little bit of port helm on. But she didn’t turn to face down river until I put engine into foreward with starboard helm. With no wind the wind instirment wasn’t showing anything and the depth didn,t seem to be working either! But I could follow the channel by the buoyage and we aid of the chart plotter.
I would have taken a photo of the red sunrise, only my phone was on the chart table and I couldn’t leave the helm. About 100 yards back another boat was following us out down the river, she was an old timer, a gaff wooden working boat, but after a few bends in the river she dropped behind and I didn’t see her any more. Once out of the buoyed part of the upper reaches of the Helford River, I could leave the helm on the tiller pilot and get my phone for some photos. Then the depth decided to work now we were in 6m of water!
It was a lovely morning (the calm before the storm) with no wind and brite sunshine. My problem came as I started past the head of Frenchman’s Creek, I was heading east and the sun rises in the east, I wish I had thought to bring my sunglasses! Now just approching the moorings in Helford River, I was being blinded by the sun which was very low in the sky! I was happier once we had passed east of the moorings and I could leave the tiller pilot steer again. Before we reached the Dennis head the breeze picked up from the east (the forcast was for wind picking up from the east and easterly gale tomorrow). Motoring Elektra in around the Dennis Head and into Gillan Harbour, I had already decided to anchor Elektra up above the narrows in Carne creek. The day before I had attached my dinghy to a mooring off St Anthony to make it an easy pick up. But when I arrived I found Adam had attached the fishing boat to the same mooring! But lucky for me David was just coming out to move the fishing boat, so very kindly passed my dinghy painter to me on Elektra. Then very slowly I motored Elektra along the shore and though the narrows into Carne Creek and dropped anchor. Back to St Anthony in the dinghy and walk the 2 miles home. I told Vicki the day before I would phone when I was back in the Creek and she would start a cooked brunch, but I had left the photo app on and the phone had gone flat!
Love Sailing 