Love Sailing

Monday 10th August

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It was time to head back, the forecast was for NNW force 4 today but dropping very little wind on Tuesday. The tide wasnt with us until 1330hrs so there was no hurry to get going so after a lazy brunch we lifted our anchor at 1310hrs and motored out of the cove, set all the sail and goose winged our way south across Mevagissey Bay until the wind died away off Chaple Point and I started the engine again. We motored from there and around the Dodman Pt before the wind filled in again and we could sail.

It was another lovely sail from the Dodman to Gillan coving the 14nm in 3hrs and the total passage of 19.5nm in 4hrs again.

Once back in Gillan we decided to anchor closer the creek for the night to save rolling on our mooring. It being low water we finally dropped anchor with the sounder saying 0 under the keel.

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Vicki and I love sailing but rest aboard is every much part of our yachting as the sailing its self, its the only time we take away from work to sit in the sun.

The weather was great and while Vicki sat in the sun I rowed the punt ashore and walked along the coastal path in each direction, lovely views and almost no one around, only a 1-2mile walk to the west was Pentuwan Sands which was crowded with visitors, no social disancing there!

After walking it was time for a sleep in the cockpit and so our R&R continued.

I had been extra busy at work though the winter and when the lockdown had started for Covid 19 in the UK on the 23rd March I was just coming into my normally busy time at work. As my job cant wait I got on to my MP and was told I could continue to work as long as I stricly followed social disancing rules which was easy in my line of work. I am normally very busy though April and May but buy June or early July I am looking for a weeks holiday but this year staying away from home then wasnt allowed. Then from mid July until the end of August I normally need to be home for work. But I needed a holiday this year!

Friday 7th August

With some work still to do and Vicki having shopping delivery set for Saturday morning, it looked like our get away was going to be delayed! But before l went off to work l suggested staying aboard Friday night to get us in the holiday mood. Arriving home later after work Vicki had come around to the idea and we set off around 1700hrs carrying stores aboard, the weather was fantastic and l was overdressed with long trousers and sailing wells, once aboard l could change. After a very restful night aboard Elektra on her mooring we jumped back into the dinghy and headed back ashore.

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Saturday 8th August

Vicki waited home for the shopping and l went to collect lunching trolley wheel from our local tyre garage. When l got back Vicki went for hot pasties from our local farm and l got on with cutting a ply sheet for under the fore berth. Things came together quite quickly and by lunch time we were heading back out to Elektra. We sat in the cockpit eating pasties in the sunshine before setting off.

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We were heading for Mevagissey Bay which would be against the tide by the time we dropped the mooring but with plenty of wind. The forecast was for NNW3-4 but it soon became obvious l needed to reef the main with it gusting force 5. Crossing Falmouth Bay Elektra seldom dropped below 6kts SOG with Vicki on the helm, when l took a turn l thought her very heavy and decided to reef the genoa as well. Now a lot easier and still logging the same speed over ground, it was a great sail, we were both loving it. Off the Roseland the wind eased a little so we let the genoa out again keeping our speed up, in the first hour we logged 7nm and covered the 14nm to the Dodman Point in 2.5hrs. After rounding the Dodman the wind moved to a head wind so we motor sailed to Chaple Point before motoring north across Mevagissey Bay into Polwyn Cove just west of Black Head. We had used this cove lots of times but this was the first time we found other yachts anchored there. Finding a space we dropped anchor having logged 19.5nm in 4hrs.

Saturday was a better day and the dinghy went into the water to take some photos, as Nigel Stokes was also anchored near by in his Sadler 26 “September Sky”, I rowed over to say hello. Nigel base has been Exmouth but he was moving her via Lands End to her new base in the Bristol Channel very close to Nigel’s home. After chatting a while Nigel and I rowed ashore in our own dinghys and took a walk up the side of the river.

Sunday 2nd August

With no hurry to get back to Gillan as it was an evening tide, more chatting with Nigel and swap of sailing mags.

At 1530hrs we lifted our anchor and motored slowly out of the Precuil River, with a forecast of west force3-4 I set all the main and a reefed genoa, I soon realised we had to much mainsail with Vicki at the helm, she was having a problem keeping the corse so I took over. At well over 6kts most of the time I was finding helming hard work, we should have stopped and put in a reef but with only the 4nm crossing we just carried on. We picked up the mooring at 1640hrs having logged 6.5nm.

Friday 31st July

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Getting out aboard by lunch time the forecast wasnt looking very good but sutch are the British summers! We dropped the mooring at 1430hrs and sailed off into the gloom with only Elektra’s genoa set with a southwest force 4 pushing us along at 4-4.5kts. The fog was think at first but cleared a little the nearer we got to St Mawes, we entered the moorings at 1550hrs having logged 5.5nm and started the engine. Motoring into the Precuil River and dropping anchor at 1615hrs.

Still raining Vicki and I started putting the cockpit encloser up for the first time, not everthing going very well but we got there in the end. I expect it will be easier next time!

Back at the end of the 2018 season we decided to get some quotes for a cockpit encloser, to say the quotes varried would not be telling the whole story, the cheapest was less than half the cost of the dearest. In fact the deposit for the dearest was more than the total cost of the cheapest quote!

In November I ordered the new encloser from Neal at Kernow Covers after getting lots of remcomendations of Neal’s work. In April 19 Neal took the template for the new sprayhood and fitted it in May (I asked Neal to remove until the encloser was finshed) but there was a problem with a brace bar for the radar pole being in the way and it took a while to got this moved, it was August before I did get the bar moved. Neal needed a calm dry day to take the template for the encloser but by mid September the winter rain started and continued until March. By which time the Colvid lockdown started so it was the 10th of June 20 before Neal got to take the template.

On Monday 20 June Neal of Kernow covers came to Elektra and fitted her new encloser, we are very pleased with the end product, well worth the wait.

After a day at anchor doing some maintance, cleaning more teak and sealing.

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Sunday 19th July

With a forecast of Northerly force 4-5, at least the trees seemed to be blowing about a bit today, the plan was to go for a sail and get back to St Anthony for just after high water (1716hrs) as we were going to put Elektra on the beach for Neal of Kernow Covers to fit the new cockpit encloser on Monday.

With no hurry to get going we lifted our anchor at 1415hrs and motored slowly out of the Precuil River, once out though the moorings off St Mawes I set just the genoa out past St Anthony light house, after which we gibed and headed east with Elektra very quickly logging 5-6kts SOG. With no where really to go Vicki and I took in turns to get the very best speed out of Elektra, we continued east for 1.5hrs before tacking at 50*0705N 04*5534W and heading back towards Gillan, the sailing was great and we loved every min of it.

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Arriving back at Gillan and sailing right into the moorings at 1710hrs having logged 14nm just using the genoa. I started the engine and rolled the genoa away, we motored Elektra into a mooring of the beach and started getting mooring lines and keg anchor ready to dry Elektra out on the beach.

Once ready I lowered dinghy and took lines ashore and attached to a tree, back at Elektra we dropped mooring and morored her into dry out on the beach, attached, ajusted lines and set the keg anchor off her stern.

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Friday 17th July

With jobs to do in the morning it was 1400hrs before we could get aboard, the plan with the forecasted NW/W4-5 to have a good long sail to Mevagissey area and find a nice anchorage.

Dropping mooring at 1440hrs the wind seemed good but the wind wasnt as forecasted, only about W3, we continued across Falmouth Bay slowly before a change of direction into the Precuil River, dropping anchor after 2hrs we had logged 7nm.

Sunday 12th July

With light winds forecasted for Sunday we knew the best sailing would be in the Carrick Roads. Motoring out of Channels Creek into a southly force 3 at 1200hrs pulling up the main and setting the sails, our first tack took us from Pill Creek across the Roads before tacking again across to Mylor. Our next tack took us nearly to St Mawes before tacking back to Falmouth Harbour, the next tack fadded away as the wind dropped off so we started the engine and motored across Falmouth Bay to Gillan, it had taken us 3hrs to cover 10nm.

Saturday 11th July

I suggested a barbque on Turnaware beach on Saturday evening so we could talk and still keep our distance, some tiked the idea but others didnt, one of the SL35s left to go to St Mawes because they needed to get back to Plymouth on Sunday with work to do on Monday. The SL39 went for a sail to Helford and back for the evening barbque, the rest of us chilled out in a lovely anchorage though the day.

In the evening arround 6pm we all headed for Turnaware, all with our own barbeque, own food and own drink. Being able to chat was great. While we were there another S34 arrived, they hadnt heard of the rally.