Now to get back home!

After strong west winds during the weekend, Mondays forecast was for NW force 3/SW4/SW4-5.

The plan was to go back to Dartmouth and pick up Vicki’s prescription, and camping gaz refill and a bottle of rum. We left early knowing the tide stream would be against but motoring anyway, it didn’t really matter. It took us 1.75hrs to cover the 12nm back to Dartmouth. I went off to get the supplies and Vicki got breakfast really, too early for all the shops so l had to hang around until they opened, then l found out the camping shop did sell camping gaz in our size and the off licence wouldn’t opened until 1100hrs, so it was just the prescription l could pick up. Back to Elektra for breakfast. After that we got ready to leave, l wanted to get to Start Point by 1315hrs as l didn’t want wind against tide there!

We cast off at 1035hrs, while Vicki was motoring Elektra back down the river to the sea l pulled up the main with a reef. Then set the genoa off the entrance and we sailed along at about 5kts until we got further out and the wind died away and our speed to 2.5kts. So l started the engine and rolled away the genoa. Motoring towards Start Point l passed a racing yacht with storm sails just coasting along, almost dead in the water. Looked odd with nobody visible, l wondered if they were sleeping after a night sail.

Motoring on we passed Start Point ahead of schedule at 1210hrs and briefly we could sail again. But somehow it always seems to happen the wind turned onto the noise again! And we continued on motoring to Pawle Point. With the new heading towards Bolt Head, we started motor sailing, so instead of turning into Salcombe we continued on passage to Plymouth. Not wanting to slow l continued motor sailing from Bolt Head way point to Plymouth east way point. The forecast was for the wind to pick up in the evening and it did about an hour before Plymouth east WP, by which time l had two reefs in the main and the genoa. Hard on the wind pushing on with the engine to get to the WP, l was really pleased to be able to bear away in towards Shag WP and stop the engine at last.

From Shag l sailed Elektra though the east side of the breakwater and across Plymouth Sound and though the Bridge and then started her engine again to motor into and dropped anchor in Barn Pool. Elektra had logged 45.5nm in 8.75hrs.