Vicki had been allowed to come home from hospital today, I had driven up to Truro in the morning and collected her. Patti had come down to help settle her mum in at home and the carer manager had come to visit at 1330hrs to arrange the carers package for Vicki.
Elektra was at anchor in Carne Creek because there had been a few days of east wind, but the forecast had now changed to strong southwest winds with rain and I had to find the time to move Elektra from Carne Creek out onto her swing mooring in Gillan Harbour over high water between 1600-1800hrs, I managed to leave home at 1630hrs, hoping it wasn’t going to take me too long. I had a bit of a problem with the outboard no running well as I motored the dinghy out to Elektra, it conked out on me twice and didn’t run well most of the way. But I got there anyway, once aboard Elektra, I quickly opened up and started her engine and switched on the insurments. I pulled up her anchor and before she got blown into the shallows, motored her over to the channel, I hadn’t put her anchor away, it was covered in mud! I just motored off with it dangling off the bow at water level, I couldn’t do anything about it now until I found a little shelter. Down the channel and out of the narrows into Gillan Harbour, I motored Elektra around into Flushing Cove, turned her into the cove and the wind, knocked her out of gear and walked up on the bow to clean the anchor. Before I had finish stowing the anchor in the locker, Elektra had turned and was heading out to sea. But once back in the cockpit, I took control again. Blowing the top end of a force 4, getting on the mooring wasn’t going to be easy. The first time, I had dropped her out of gear too early and by the time I had walked forward with the boat hook Elektra had already turned away from the buoy and so I had to go around again, 2nd time worked fine and I pulled the mooring strop aboard. I didn’t stop any longer than I had to, to put things away and lock up.
I wasn’t sure of the outboard and it would be a real slog against the wind if it didn’t work, so I topped up the fuel tank and hoped for the best, never missed a beat back to the beach at St Anthony? I drove home in the car, it had taken me 1.5hrs. Now Elektra was now safe on her swing mooring, my job is to look after Vicki.
Love Sailing 