Love Sailing

The Sadler and Starlight Owners Association Rally was set for the bank holiday weekend 25-27th May, Vicki was going to be away with family and I was thinking of sailing to Fowey to the rally if I could get all my work done in time. Apart from a few problems with my brush cutter, I got though the work in time. The weather forecast for the following week was poor so I thought I could do a day with the brush cutter then.

On Friday 24th of May, I was aboard by 1030hrs having done a little shopping first. This was a bit of a first for me, I had done a lot of day sailing alone but never sailed before in 18 years of cruising to another port alone. The forecast was for very little wind, west-northwest force 2-3. I pulled up the main on the mooring and cast off at 1125hrs, set all the genoa and set course for The Dodman Point 14nm to the northeast. Having logged 2.5nm in 1.5hrs I decided it was time to start motoring! I was heading east against a west flowing tide which didn’t help, but I knew that would be the case and I didn’t want to wait until 1620hrs for the tide to be going my way. Now motoring northeast Elektra was making 4.5kts on 2500 revs, once we started to cross Gerrans Bay the wind picked up from the north and Elektra was motorsailing at 5kts on 2000 revs. Once we got to the Dodman Point the wind died away and we had to motor again. Motored in and picked up a swing mooring at 1630hrs having logged 24nm. Robert very kindly invited me aboard for a beer when I was ready and Mandy made a sausage sandwich.

Next morning, l motored Elektra over to the pontoon which had been reserved for the Sadler Rally, Miles and Julia were there to help me with my lines. Robert and Mandy came in and moored up aft of Elektra about a half hour later. The rest of the Sadlers, Starlights and interlopers (the SSOA are quite happy to take money from and yacht owner to come on rallies) arrived at the end of the day after a good sail from Plymouth direction. The plan had been to have a pontoon party wind music and singing in the evening but heavy rain came in soon after they arrived. So the chilly which Chris had made was taken back and eaten in cockpit enclosures around the pontoon. I was invited aboard Chris and Julia’s SL39 and a great evening of talk, stories followed.

The next day Chris had organised a walk to Gallant to a beer festival, food and later music. It was quite a walk and l think a few found it a little too much. In the evening a lot of them went to an Indian restaurant for evening dinner but Mandy Robert and me felt we had had a good feed at lunch time, so we stayed had a few beers and chatted.

On Monday the plan was for us all to head home but Robert and Mandy were also heading east with most of the others. Which left only me to head southwest against the forecasted was west force 4-5, becoming southwest force 5-6. The tide wouldn’t be with me until 1500hrs but I didn’d want to wait that long so planned to leave about 1200hrs and hoping for slack water around Dodman Point. It was quite easy to slip lines but Robert and Mandy were still there and able to help. Motoring Elektra into wind in the harbour on tiller pilot, I pulled up the main with two reefs and headed towards Fowey entrance, with all the fenders and lines to stow I hadn’t seen the steam coming from the cockpit locker until we were going though the entrance with other yachts by which time I thought we would soon be sailing. Soon after that I pulled out the genoa with 2 reefs and stopped the engine, I soon found I needed a bit more sail so let out one of the genoa reefs. There was a lumpy 4ft swell and Elektra was getting stopped a little by the swell, logging 3.5-5kts, she was going quite well in the conditions but my best heading was due south. What played on my mind was the engine, what if I need it later? After 1.5hrs heading south, in the end I decided I would be better turning around and heading back into Fowey, which is what I did. The sail back to Fowey was very quick, now on a broad reach, my problem came sailing though the entrance against the tide, with Elektra’s speed dropping off to 1.5kts, it took a while to get though! I was trying also to keep clear of the racing dinghies but not without getting a mouthful from one of them. When it looked like I was going to be in the way of the finshing line, I chanced starting the engine and motoring out out of the way and onto a swing mooring. I had logged 10nm in 3hrs.

Now it was time to find out what was wrong with the engine. The impeller casing was cold, so water coming thought there but there wasn’t any coolant in the top up bottle, must be a broken pipe. Then I remembered the the steam coming out of the cockpit locker, I lifted the lid and investgated the area of the stream, there it was a split pipe about 30mm from the end, it was an easy fix but without any coolant and it being a bank holiday, I wasn’t going to get any until tomorrow and with strong southwest winds forecasted for the next two days, I wouldn’t be going anywhere until Thursday.

So I decided to ring my wife Vicki who was on her way back to Cornwall from Lester and ask for a lift back home, she agreed and expected to get to Fowey about 1830hrs, I had a little time to tidy things away and when the harbour master came by I paid for 2 nights and said I exspected to be back Wedensday and would sort out with the office when I knew what I was doing. At 1745hrs I left Elektra and motored the dinghy over to the town pontoon, found a space, picked out my bags and walked to the carpark where I had agreed to meet Vicki. As normal the satnav which Vicki was following bought her down the wrong side of the river, it might have been the shortest route but took longer and cost £5 more to use the ferry to cross the river, shortest isn’t always the best route!

Now Elektra was back on her mooring, l wanted to go sailing again, so on Sunday l was out early and down to St Anthony before the tide went out, it was a lovely day but the forecast was for light winds.

At around 0845hrs I pulled up her mainsail on the mooring before mooring her out and setting all her genoa, sailing north across Helford River at about 2kts, when we neared August Rock buoy, l tacked her and we headed southeast, now doing 3-3.5kts SOG with I expect a little tide helping. It was lovely to be out sailing in what seemed like the start of summer in shorts and poloshirt. Sailing on southeast until the wind died away, so I turned Elektra and we headed north towards St Anthony Light House, logging anywhere between 0.8-3.5kts, all other yachts were motoring. But I continued to sail Elektra, Almost to St Anthony Lt, I then turned her south-southwest for Gillan, arriving back there at 1345hrs having logged 11nm in 5hrs!

After our plans to go to Scilly were aborted because of a bad forecast, we had come back from a weekend away and moored Elektra on her gale/east wind trot mooring in Carne Creek. The forecast turned out to be wrong, there had only been one windy wet day not the three-to four days. But we still couldn’t go sailing because Elektra was neeped until Saturday. On Friday I used the day to try and seal up a leak we still had from a U bolt fitting on the side deck, I had resealed both port and starboard fitting during the winter but only the starboard U bolt sealed.

On Saturday I needed to take a template of our alterered bow roller for another S29 owner, being that it would be easier to do while Elektra was high and dry, I went to her early around 2.5m of depth I rowed out from St Anthony to the narrows and up the channel to where Elektra was aground, I pulled the dinghy up the side of the bank and made a cardboard template of the bow roller. The tide was coming in but being neep tides, quite slowly. I climbed aboard to find a line for the dinghy, attached the line to the dindhy painter and made the other end off to Elektra, then climbed aboard and started getting Elektra ready to leave. It was going the be very little spare depth to float Elektra, I normally think we need 4m for her to float here, but of course depth is afected by bar-pressure, today the high tide was 4m and the pressure 1012, so I was hoping we had enough water to get out! She sinks into the botton a little when she dries there is floating, but we need enough to clear her over the bottom, to mover her. I started her engine half an hour before high water, the ground ahead of her is slightly heigher, so I needed to reverse her out into the channel. I linked the two buoys togerther before dropping the bow mooring strop, then pulling aft with the stern strop I dropped over the side and put the engine control lever in reverse. Elektra was moving astern but her port side bilge keel grounded, so she turned to port, turning her bow towards the channel, so I moved the control lever to forward and gave her a blast of forward, she quickly moved into the channel and the sounder was showing 0.3m, I had managed to get her out.

I had thought a sail would be nice but I hadn’t made her ready, so I motored her out to her swing mooring thinking I would pick up the mooring and then get her ready before leaving the dinghy attached to the mooring. But when I arrived another yacht was on our mooring, the skipper was aboard, I explained it was our mooring. I said he could stay but could he take my dinghy and attach it to my mooring as I was going for a sail. Then I pulled up the mainsail and went sailing for 2hrs before returning to the mooring as I needed to get home

With a possible weeks holiday coming up, I started looking at the forecast for where we could sail, the more I looked the better the weather looked to go out to Scilly. We hadn’t ever made it out to Scilly in May before, at work grass was slowing after 2 weeks of dry weather and ible to take 2 weeks off. To this end we made our plans and I continued watching the forecast. One day it was looking good the next not so good and so on!

I got though the work I had to do by Thursday lunch time and showered, the tide wasn’t high enough to get aboard until 1630hrs, packing the pick-up in the afternoon, I had bought 30lts of deisel to top up the fuel tank, had mixed 5lts of petrol for the outboard and filled 2x 25lt cans of water. There were about 14 bags for life of stores plus holdall of clothes. At 1530hrs we left home and drove to St Anthony, driving round the bend where Elektra came into sight we could see she was still hight and dry, but I need to talk to Anthony the boss in his office first and then was allowed to park on the pressure washing bay to unload. I launched the dinghy and carried the first lot of bags down the beach to load, having loaded as much as I dared, Vicki got in and I pushed the dinghy out and climbed in, started the engine and we motored out to Elektra, passing though the narrows with the tide into Carne Creek. Once at Elektra she had about 2ft of water around her and it was a bit of a problem to get aboard until I removed the mooring line which went though the boarding ladder in the up position, which I had to do from aboard. I then climbed back into the dinghy and Vicki climbed aboard Elektra while I held the dinghy steady in the 3kts of tide. I passed the stores aboard and went back to St Anthony for another load while Vicki started packing Elektra. Going out though the narrows back into Gillan Harbour the little 3.3hp Mercury 2stroke was just enough power to make headway against the 3-4kts of tide! Once though I headed into the beach for another load of supplies, one filled back to Elektra and so on three times, on the plus side the tide flow though the narrow slowed down nearer high water. With Vicki in the cabin stowing supplies, I started topping up the diesel tank, I have a water filter funnal for this and over the 7 years since buying Elektra the filter had got slower and slower, I gave a treatment of Marine 16 before hand and it must of taken about an hour to filter 30lts into the tank! Good job we don’t use much, used only 30lts in the last 10 months. Once I had done this, it was time to empty the water cans into the water tank, I am glad to say this is a lot quicker to do, Vicki gave me 2 empty bags. So in was fill up the dinghy and back ashore with the empties cans and bags. I moved the pick-up to the carpark and motored the empty dinghy back to Elektra and climbed aboard. Then we settled down in the evening for a rest.

Another look at the forecast which suggested a nice weekend and then wind and rain most of the week to come! We have been in Scilly before during high winds and rain and it’s not a nice place to be in such conditions! We then decided to forget Scilly for now and stay local.

Next morning at 0750hrs we cast off and motored Elektra out of Carne Creek just after high water. The forecast was easterly force 3-4 so I pulled up the main with a reef going out though Gillan Harbour and set all the genoa as we turned and headed for Falmouth. There was quite a lumpy sea but almost no wind, after letting out all the main Elektra was only making about 2kts in an uncomforble sea, didn’t take long for me to start her engine again and roll away her genoa. We were thinking we would of had to motor to Scilly in no wind if we had gone! About a mile from the Carrick Roads the wind filled in and we could sail, it was nice sailing into St Mawes before starting her engine and motoring her up the Precuil River, we dropped anchor at 0940hrs having logged 7nm. It was lovely sunny weather and relaxing in the cockpit seemed the order of the day.

The next day we met up with Maddy and Robert in St Mawes, they own a Sader 34, normaly moored in Falmouth but they had anchored at St Just in Roesland and walked to St Mawes. We had lunch and a few beers in “The Rising Sun”, they are great company. Then after a bit of shopping it was back to Elektra for another relaxing afternoon.

With strong wind and rain forecasted for Monday, Vicki and I wanted to get back home before it came in. With low water at 1520hrs, we needed to get out before then or we would be aground, so I pulled up the anchor at 1340hrs and Vicki motored Elektra out. The new Rocna anchor had dug in well, it came up with about 3″ of mud on it, I didn’t want it to make the side decks muddy, so gave it a good wash before pulling onto the bow roller, we hadn’t been sailing with it on the new altered bow roller yet. The forecast said west-southwest force 4, but like always, more wind inside the Carrick Roads. I had pulled up the main with one reef in and once out past the moorings set the genoa with its first reef in. Elektra was soon logging over 6kts out of the Carrick Roads with the tide. It was a lovely sail with the wind southwest force 4-5, south on the starboard making tack and west on the port cross tack towards Swanpool, then south again towards Porthallow, as far as the Nare Point before tacking northwest now inside Helford River the wind was from the west. We tacked again off August Rock Buoy, then heading southwest towards Gillan Harbour. We motored in until Elektra grounded, I dropped the anchor and enough chain for 3m of depth, the anchor set itself as the tide came in. Vicki made a hot choc and I packed away the mainsail, we had logged 9.5nm in 2hrs. We had to wait there until the tide was high enough to put Elektra back on her gale/east wind mooring in Carne Creek. I ferried some stuff ashore in the dinghy and loaded the pick-up, but we mainly lazed around in the afternoon, evening sunshine. At 1900hrs I pulled up the anchor and Vicki motored Elektra back onto her mooring in Carne Creek, in by dinghy and home by 2000hrs.

Now as I write this on Tuesday 14th, there was over an inch of rain on Monday morning with a dry afternoon. And today was ment to be raining all day but mainly sunny with an odd light shower. I always say if the weather forecasters got paid by results, they wouldn’t be very rich!

On Friday 3rd of May I was able to get out for another sail. I was limited by the fact I needed to be back in Gillan before 1400hrs so I could move Elektra onto her gale/east wind mooring in Carne Creek because of forecasted strong easterly winds on Saturday. So I thought, if I got out early, I could have a nice sail before then.

The tide was out when I arrived at St Anthony, so I had to pull the dinghy quite away to the water and back up the beach with the launching trolley afterwards. Out on Elektra, I got her ready to leave, pulled up the mainsail and dropped her mooring at 0800hrs, I hadn’t started her engine and just sailed her out of Gillan between Car Crock and Dennis Head, once clear we turned east and goosewinged out to the Nare Point. There was very little wind, the forecast for today was west then west-southwest force 2-3. Having given the Nare Point a good offering, I turned her southeast for the Manacle Buoy, now on a reach she speeded up and we were soon doing 4-5kts. We past the Manacle Buoy at 0850hrs and headed south hard on the wind, I pulled the first reef in the main and a roll or two into the genoa. The wind had picked up to a southwest force 4 and the sea was a little choppy with whitehorses showing.

We continued south, must be going to warm up soon I thought! I was wearing fleece top with waterproof trowsers and I wasn’t hot yet! A cruise linner had come around the Lizard Point from the west and had turned towards Falmouth, we looked like we were heading towards each other, so I desided to tack Elektra towards Coverack, we continued on this tack until we closed on the cliffs under The Coverack headland hotel, when we tacked south again. By which time the cruise linner was passing the spot were we last tacked, now heading south again for a little while. I knew I should head back by 1100hrs but I didn’t want to be late so at 1030hrs we had made it as far south as 49’59.14N 05’04.29W, I tacked Elektra around and we headed back north again towards Manacle buoy, I shook out the main reef and let out all the genoa.

This was a very plesent sail, running down wind in the sunshine, I started to overheat and removed my waterpoofs and the fleece. I later pulled the fleece back on when the sun went behind a cloud. We past the Manacle buoy at 1130hrs having logged 12.5nm. Then things hotted up as we turned towards the Nare Point, too much sail! Elektra was rounding up, so I pulled the first reef into the genoa, I was then able to hold her on course, she was doing over 6kts upto and passed the Nare Point. The tack would have taken us over the other side of the Helford River but I had enough by then, so I rolled away ther genoa, started her engine and motoring into wind on the tiller pilot, I then lowered the mainsail. I motored Elektra into Gillan and picked up her mooring at 1230hrs having logged 18.5nm.

Later at 1330hrs, I started Elektra’s engine again and motored her into Carne Creek and onto her east wind mooring. This was a little more of a problem than normal, as I had to pick up her stern mooring line from the bow and then turn her around under my feet because of the strong southwest wind blowing the wrong way down the creek, but I managed, once I had made off the stern lines to the stern cleats, I walked forward the end of the joining line and pulled aboard the bow strop and made off. Then it was time to pack up and leave Elektra until next weekend.

On Wedensday 1st of May looked good for another sail. I was down to St Anthony soon after 0800hrs, launched the dinghy and out to Elektra by 0820hrs. Getting Elektra ready to leave, I dropped her mooring at 0845hrs and motored her out between Car Crock and the Dennis Head. I set all the genoa with a reef in the main stopped her engine and logging about 4.5kts headed out in a easterly direction. The forecast said southerly force 3-4, dropping off later, but once clear of the Nare Point was a southeast force 4-5 which decreased as we sailing east. So in the end, I shook out the reef in the main and we speeded up to 5.5kts, before slowing down again. After 1.5hrs we tacked but by this time the wind had died away quite a bit and Elektra wollowed up and down making only 1.5-2kts in a southwesterly direction.

15mins of that, changed my mind and I decided to sail Elektra west back towards Helford River, now on a reach Elektra picked up speed to 3.5-4.5kts, this was a nice sail and after passing the Nare Point heading into the river at about 1050hrs, I left the tiller pilot in control, lowered and packed the mainsail, while Elektra continued to sail into the Helford River on just her genoa. When we had sailed upto the main moorings, I rolled away the genoa and started her engine. I motored her in though the moorings as far as Tremerlin Quay and back without stopping. Once back to the narrows, I stopped her engine and I set just Elektra’s genoa to sail back out the river, this not being a great sail patten for sailing to windward, I had to tack Elektra 8 times before getting back into Gillan. I didn’t really mind this because it had been seven seasons since I had last tacked a yacht out of the Helford River. Our last yacht “Gala” swing mooring had been in the Helford for 11 seasons. Back in Gillan I started her engine just to get Elektra back on her mooring. We had logged 15.5nm over 4hrs. Now it was time to pack up, get back ashore and home.