Out at first light and got Elektra ready to leave, with it light but not quite properly light l switched on her navigation and steaming lights. Pulling up her anchor at 0600hrs and headed south down the Tamar River under the bridges and into the last of the incoming tide and into Sand Acre Bay and dropped anchor having logged 3nm at 0630hrs. Quickly as l could got Elektra ready to leave, locked up, filled up the outboard and headed for Saltash Sailing Club pontoon. Where l after mooring up, walked up the hill to the co-op fir shopping. Then retracting my step back to The dinghy and back to Elektra. Where l lifted the outboard off the dinghy and onto the pushpit, l decided to tow the dinghy.
At 0800hrs l pulled up the anchor again and pointed Elektra back out of Sand Acre Bay and south down the Tamar River past Devonport, remembering what l had been told about keeping to the Cornwall side of the Tamar to avoid any contact with the river navy police! I had also to keep clear of 2x navy tugs manoeuvring on the Cornwall side of the river. I seemed to time my arrival at the Torpoint Ferrers just right and passed easily. Things are going well l thought!
Bruce shouldn’t think these things because within 10mins it was raining! I saw the rain coming and went down and grabbed my coat before it arrived. It was that horrible misty rain and coming in head on, l really need windscreen wipers for my glasses in such conditions!
Down though the narrows and out though the bridge, then turn to starboard and head for Cawsands, the rain continued all the way, just stopping as l arrived to anchor in Cawsands at 0920hrs. I packed up and went below for breakfast. Within half an hour the sun was out and by the time l had put away the breakfast things the cockpit and decks were dry.
I had planned to stay in Cawsands and move west on Friday. But looking at the tides and the forecast. The stream was with us between 1040 and 1640hrs and the wind forecast of westerly force 1-3, picking up to a northwest force 4 later. So l thought that doesn’t seem to bad, l told you before about Bruce’s thinking!
At 1100hrs, l pulled up Elektra’s anchor and whilst motoring out of Cawsands pulled up her full mainsail. Once out around Daystone and heading west towards Rame Head l stopped her engine and she was logging 2-2.5kts with all the other yachts motoring past with full sail up. Once past Rame Head and not as tight to the wind, a southwest force 2-3, Elektra was logging 3.5-4kts but heading for Looe. It was the appearance of force 4 which made me think to reef the mainsail. For those of you who don’t sail, going into the wind quite often feels more like a force higher because you have to add your speed onto the wind speed. And Sadler 29s do have a big sail area for their size.
Having pulled the first reef into the main, Elektra was going half a knot faster than before, but the wind continued to increase and Elektra was getting over powder and wad rounding up. It was then l decided to motor into the wind to lower the mainsail but of course l needed to go on deck to do so. All was fine apart from skinned knee and blood over the foredeck! Once done, l turned Elektra south on her genoa and she was logging 4.5kts, after about 2nm in this direction, l tacked her into the west again. The wind by this time had veared into the northwest and wad a steady force 4, Elektra was logging 4.5k-5kts.
I wasn’t going to Fowey like most of the other yachts, l was planning to cross St Austell Bay to an anchorage l know north end of Mevagissey Bay. Crossing St Austell Bay it was northwest force 4 gusting 5, by this time Elektra had 2 reefs in her genoa and no mainsail, still logging 5kts. Sailing into the sheltered of the headland, l rolled away the genoa and started her engine. Motored into the cove and dropped anchor at 1645hrs having logged 25nm since leaving Cawsands.
Love Sailing 