After the passage back from Polgwyn Cove the day before, l had slept well and hadn’t got out early.
After breakfast l decided to go for a walk and refitted the outboard to the dinghy. On the way to the beach, l stopped at Gary’s motor boat for a chat. I had know Gary since 2009, back then he was the fork lift driver on St Mary’s harbour for the Scilly steam ship company. And a fellow owner of a Hurley 22. The day we met Phil B and myself had just sailed our H22s into St Mary’s harbour having crossed from the mainland that day.
Gary a self tought sailor, had bought his Hurley 22 in the channel islands earlier in 2009 and did his delivery passage over 2 days via Falmouth. Over following years Gary always impressed me with his travels! One year he left Scilly and went to Cork, hopping along the south coast of Ireland, crossing to Melford Haven, then Lundy and Padstow. From Padstow to Falmouth and then Salcombe before crossing to the channel islands. Crossing back from the Channel islands to the Yealm River, he had to leave his yacht there and go home by bus, train and ship to Scilly because of a relative funeral. Gary returned to his yacht afterwards and sailed her on back to Scilly via Falmouth.
Gary did many more similar trips in a number of different yachts over the years, moving to the mainland, somewhere near Falmouth in 2020 after the lockdown. He bought a bigger sailing yacht here, but with the hike in Falmouth mooring fees after Covid he sold his yacht again. And we lost touch until Gary was persuaded to buy a little Hurrwind motor launch which came with a mooring later in 2024, so since then have seen him from time to time.
After chatting with Gary, l headed on into the beach for my walk. There on the path was a footpath closed sign. But l headed in the opposite direction, l took a wrong turn and ended up on top of the hill, l was going to double back, but decided to find out where it came out. It had lovely views of the Precuil River, looking southeast.
After finding where the the path came out, l walked back down the main road to the path heading back along the creek. Of course l eventually came to the other end of the footpath closed sign, but just kept going around the barricade to the problem on the path. There had been a landslide and the path had slipped into the creek, but it was obvious that folk had been crossing anyway. And it wasn’t any problem for me to also cross over. Back along the path to the dinghy and back out to Elektra.
Later on Robert came to visit, he was keen to find out what depth of water there was where Elektra was anchored. Elektra draft is about 1.2m and she had 0.6m under her at what was now, low water on spring tides, he was surprised there was as much as that. He stayed for a chat and a drink. We chatted for about an hour before he when off again to his wife Mandy aboard their yacht anchored off St Mawes.
After dinner l listened to the radio for a while and turned in at 2200hrs, l then slept like a log not waking before 0800hrs next morning. I got out for breakfast, Robert and Mandy invited me for coffee at 1100hrs, they are good company and l probably stayed longer than l should have, they were heading back over to their Falmouth mooring and then home.
I went back to Elektra and my own thoughts, that afternoon and evening dragged for some reason. And l ended up going to bed early, l slept for a bit but woke again at 2300hrs and was still awake at 0240hrs.
Love Sailing 