Love Sailing

From Saturday the 4th July we have been allowed to sleep aboard, of corse with the luck we have had this summer, it turned out to be a stormy weekend so we stayed home. On the SSOA facebook page I suggested a local rally, this seemed to take on a life of its own with owners from all along the south coast of Devon and Cornwall saying they were coming. Set for the weekend 10-12th July to meet and anchor at Channels Creek, may be a barbque, by a week before 11 owners said they would be bringing their yachts, I have found out from the pass experance if you divide the number by 2, thats normally the number that turn up.

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Friday 10th July

We needed to get aboard on Friday by 1300hrs due to the tide going out, I needed to go and see Mum and chat with her in the morning first. It was a little late by the time we had loaded the punt on the beach. Not enough water to lower the outboard, to deep for Wellingtons and a dinghy to loaded up to row! Only one thing to do and that was to use an oar as a punt pole to get to deeper water.

Out at Elektra we transferred the gear and store, while Vicki was stowing it away l got outboard off the punt and onto Elektra’s rail and the punt lifted up on her davits.Then getting Elektra ready to sail before sitting down in the cockpit to eat lunch.

At 1350hrs we droped the mooring and sailed out of Gillan with a forecast of NNW4-5, slowly at first but once out of the shelter of the Dennis Head into the Helford River the wind got us moving. We were close on the wind but we had a good line for Pendennis Point with reefed main and reefed genoa Elektra was making between 5-6kts SOG into a NW5. Our first tack came just south of the southly cardinal buoy of St Mawes having logged having logged 5.5nm in an hour and 5mins. The starboard tack took us over to Falmouth Harbour before we tacked again heading for St Just in Roseland. Tacking again this time heading just north of the Mylor moorings into shallow water. I knew we were pushing it just after low water there wasnt going to be much depth but the sailing was good. Logging over 5kts our least depth was 0.2m under the keel, but all adds to the joy of sailing. Our next tack took us over just south of Turnaware Buoy, I wasnt going to risk going over the bar so we I started the engine and furred the sails before motoring into Channels Creek and dropping anchor at 1620hrs having logged 11.5nm. we had only been there about an hour and the wind dropped of to a flat calm.

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In Channel Creek there was a Sadler 26 our S29 a S34 and a Starlight 35 at anchor, around the corner of the river on a visitor pontoon were another 2 SL35s because they liked lines and fenders, later in the evening a SL39 also arrived and moored to the pontoon.

Vicki and I like a quite anchorage “away from the madding crowd” it can be lovely in an anchorage alone but the down side of this is the need for a dinghy to get ashore. With our last smaller yacht we had a 8ft flat bottom roll-up which we stowed in the quarter berth when not in use. Being flat bottomed we could get very wet going ashore in strong winds.

Also with Elektra being on a swing mooring we needed a dinghy at both ends of the passage.

Our last yacht was on a deep mooring in the Helford River and we used a 10ft Boston Whaler to get from HRSC pontoon to our mooring. Having bought Elektra and moved our mooring to Gillan Harbour we found the BW to be far too heavy to pull out on a launching trolly and pull up a stoney beach. So I saw and bought a 10’6″aliminum RIB which was great. Later on that summer a customer sold me a 9ft inflatible RIB, things were getting mad, though the year I had gone from two punts to four! So I sold the Boston Whaler on ebay, getting what I paid for it 10 years before.

We were still using the roll-up on away trips and the ali RIB as a punt to and from Elektra’s swing mooring. We liked the inflatible RIB but it was to heavy pull out the water and roll-up, we had towed it on a few passages but we didnt like doing so. We had gone back to using the 8ft flat bottom roll-up. The inflatible RIB had eyes for davitts, this got me thinking as we have friends who have also fitted davitts.

Looking on the internet I found davitts to take 120kg for £300, the dinghy was no where near as heavy as that! I have never been very quick at making up my mind and it was the end of Feb 2019 when I ordered them. It wasnt until they arrived that I could see I was going to have to get a pair of davitt holders made to bolt though the stern. Having enquired about these I found this wasnt going to be early enough to fit before the 2019 season. So we continued as before for another sailing season.

In October 2019 having made a template I ordered the davitt holders to be made, another £280 plus nuts and bolts and sicoflex took the total bill just over £600.

Then came the wet and windy weather of that winter, it wasnt until Feb 2020 I thought of doing any winter boat work. With Elektra being pulled out for her new engine to be fitted at the end of February now seemed a good time. I needed a small person (Vicki) to get in the cockpit locker to hold the nuts as I turned the bolts in from the outside, we had to reverse rolls for the starbroard side as Vicki’s arms were not long enough when lying on her back on the quarter berth.

It was then I noticed my blunder, I had told the guy who made the holders the location pin 90 degrees out! Being a carpenter by trade I used wood plug extentions to get them to work the first time. These were never going to be strong enough and broke durring first use but I needed to work out heights over the rudder. Then I took them to my stainless guy for them to be lengthened by 60mm, another £40! It seems the davitts are made of 40mm tube but british size is 38mm! Anyway the extention was hidden inside the davitt holders once fitted so didnt matter in the end.

It was a long winded job to do but now having sailed Elektra out in force 6 wind with our dinghy on her davitts without any problems, I am more than happy with the final finished job. I think if I was to do the job again I would have the davitts and holders made together locally.

I have now just sold my aliminum RIB via facebook marketplace for £700, so that paid for the davitts then.

Friday 26th June

My wife Vicki and I are getting fed up with day sailing, something normally we never do. By the time we have made the effort to get ready to go, driven down to the beach got the punt down to the water, loaded the gear and stores. Then motored punt out to Elektra and climbed aboard, lifted the gear and stores aboard and stowed away. Then get Elektra ready to go sailing half the day has already gone by.

Most of our sailing in normal sailing seasons is more laid back, if staying aboard was allowed we might go aboard the night before we sail, next day we will have already agreed what time to leave and done jobs towards that end at a more slower easier pace. We would have a passage plan, would be going somewhere, have a mission, have a port or anchorage in mind for our nexts nights stop.

Vicki had been under the weather the weekend before, had been to the doctors and been given antibiotics which hadnt completetly cleared her infection and she had another stronger abtibiotic which had to be ordered in and by Thursday (a lovely sunny warm day) the day we had planned to sail, they didnt arrive at the doctors until 2pm so that day slipped by and we planned our sailing for Friday 26th June instead.

With Vicki still not 100% we took it slow and it was midday before we were ready to go sailing, Vicki said she didnt want to be out long and get cold. Friday was a cooler day, overcast, we had a forecast of westerly force 4 backing southerly 5 gusting 6 later.

We dropped the anchor at 1300hrs and Vicki had the helm, I had put one reef in the main and let out all the genoa and as the wind was already in the south we set off in a easterly direction. Vicki was loving it, Elektra was in her grove and logging 6.7-6.9kts SOG very quickly once we had rounded the Nare Point. With no real place to go Vicki was working Elektra to get the best possible speed out of her, we were sailing on about 117-120 degrees. There not more the a mile to the south was the Manacle Buoy which we hadnt seen from the sea since July 2018 which was the last time we sailed this way going to and from Scilly. The sea was calm but the wind was picking up, I agreed with Vicki we would turn for home after an hour and I would helm back to Gillan. Elektra was about 5nm east of Manacle Buoy when Vicki took us about, once I reset the sails and then it was my turn to enjoy the helm.

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Setting up for our return to Helford River I could see we were on a closing corse for a trawler who was steaming north from the Manacles, from 1/2mile I couldnt tell if she had her traw down or not so decided to give her good clearance astern. Once past I altered corse again for the Nare Point, then things started to hot up, with the wind increasing and now against the tide stream Elektra was still logging over 6kts, closing on the land and the Nare Point the wind picked up a bit more, now gusting force 6 and Elektra started to sing, she would have broched if I had let but I held her true as she came around the Nare on her ear. Once in the shelter of the land things eased a little but Elektra was still logging over 6kts. Sailing right in to Gillan entrance before lowering and furling the sails and motoring in to the mooring.

Wow! What a sail, arriving back on our mooring having logged 12.5nm in 2hrs. Now back on the mooring it was low water so we had a 2hrs wait for the tide to get back ashore, Vicki went to sleep in the fore berth and I in the cockpit! We just managed to get back ashore before the forecasted rain.

Friday 5th June

Not the best of weather for our next sail, the weather men were giving north west force 4 gusting 5 or 6. I raised the main with one reef before dropping the mooring, turning in Gillan on the engine and motoring out between Carcrock and the Dennis Head, l soon stopped the engine as the wind took over in the Helford river entrance.

Vicki was on the helm as l went below to write in the log, then all hell broke loose as Elektra tried to broach! I looked back up at Vicki who was getting back on her feet, she said she was okay so l set about picking up all the pans which had flung them selves across the cabin floor when the cooker door opened. Once sorted l headed back into the cockpit.

Elektra was racing across Falmouth Bay at over 6kts and Vicki was trying to hold on to her so l set about reefing the genoa more to get her balanced more. That’s better Vicki said there were still a few gusts which were knocking her over a little bit to far and l said l will reef it more. Vicki said she was okay now but l said we will be further off the coast in a bit with more wind.

We were heading for the bow of a anchored ship which was taking on bunkering fuel, we slipped by her in a few minutes and then things started to hot up! Elektra was in the grove with half the genoa out and one reef in the main she was still logging nearly 7kts SOG against the tide. We weren’t the only mad souls out sailing, a sailing school yacht came out from the Carrick Roads with small a jib and a well reefed main. We also past another yacht heading in our direction who just had her genoa out.

The wind eased a bit as we got closer to Pendennis Point which left us needing to go to starboard of Black Rock, we sailed on to the south cardinal buoy off St Mawes before tacking, with the wind a bit lighter l let out a bit more genoa and the starboard tack took us over to Falmouth Harbour before we tacked again on a line towards St Just in Roseland. Arriving there we rolled in all the genoa and motored north up the channel because it was low water spring tides. As we motored l lowered the main and packed it away.

We anchored in Channels Creek now lunch time, we stayed for 2hrs or so before heading back south again. This time just sailing on Elektra’s genoa and against the tide she was still logging over 5kts SOG. More yachts about now, we even saw a friend heading north, both of us waved.

Heading out into Falmouth Bay again, this time with no other yachts about, we had slowed a bit passing between Black Rock and Pendennis Point but we were soon off again logging 5.5kts across Falmouth Bay, 4nm to Gillan seem to fly by. When we picked up Elektra’s mooring we had logged 23nm in 4.5hrs.

With a forecast of more strong east wind for Thursday-Friday we waited for HW and then moved Elektra back up to Carne Creek and dropped anchor.

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Sunday 24th May

With a good forecast Vicki and I had decided on a days sailing, with food and stores we were low in the water as we headed out in the punt to Elektra, our little 3.3hp 2 stroke just pushing the punt though the water.

Out at Elektra with Vicki aboard the stores quickly filled the cockpit, then for stowing them away and getting ready to sail. After that we had lunch before setting out for a sail.

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Out in Falmouth Bay David our friend came by in his yacht and we managed to get some photos of each other. Sailing across the bay slowly we arrived off Black Rock and the wind died so we dropped sails and motored into the Precuil River and anchored.

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It was a lovely day and I set about fitting the davitts, they worked ok but more work was needed to get them realy right.

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We would have stopped the night but thats not allowed so later that evening we lifted the anchor and morored out of the river, sailing a little bit out passed St Mawes but out in the bay there was no wind so we started the engine again and motored back to Gillan.

There was a forecast of east wind for the coming week so we needed to take her back up Carne Creek, this time to be anchored as our friend David would be using his mooring for the east wind.

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We had logged 13nm on our first days sailing/motoring.

20th May 2020

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After an easy day at work I was home early, I suggested to Vicki to move Elektra out to her seasonal swing mooring on the evening high water. Vicki was happy to do so and we set off down to St Anthony.

Out in the punt to Elektra, she was already floating, I decided to pick up my winter anchor and line and leave in the dinghy, the anchor had dug itself in very well but I did get the anchor to release in the end!

Motoring slowly out of the creek, though the narrows and out though Gillan Harbour to a swing mooring the boatyard said we could use. I picked up the mooring and attached punt before dropping again and we headed out into Helford River, trying the engine at differant speeds. There was almost no wind but we did let out the genoa for 10mins before deciding to motor up the Helford River.

Like Gillan there were almost no yachts on the moorings Helford River, very strange for the time of year but Boris had only just let us out to play! Motoring up though the empty moorings there were some yachts on the inner moorings. Then we spotted Gary a sailing friend who lives in Scilly, we motored over for a chat. Gary told us he was moving to the Falmouth area if he could get any of the pro’s to get on with doing some work. Gary had sailed his yacht over from Scilly and now has a mooring in Falmouth.

After our chat we turn Elektra around and headed back out of the river, it was getting chilly now so vicki sheltered behind the sprayhood as I took the helm and headed back to our mooring.

Picking up our mooring we had logged 6.5nm in 1.5hrs, the engine was working great, it well push Elektra along at a steady 6kts at 2,500 revs with plenty of spare power if needed.

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Elektra is now ready to go sailing.

On Sunday the 10th May the news from Borris was for the lifting of the lockdown from Wednesday 13th for all outside sports as long as social distancing rules were followed. Also we found out later in the week that staying away from home woundnt be allowed which kind of defeats the perpose of a sailing yacht!

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We thought we can go sailing at the weekend, I gets the tide tables out at to my dismay I saw Elektra would be neaped until Sunday at the earlest! We carried gear and navigation equipment aboard on Saturday and stowed away with a plan of moving Elektra out to her seasonal mooring on Sundays high water.

On Sunday with food and drink in a bag we headed out to her again but at high water she only had 50mm of water under her keel, so in the end we didnt think it would be wise to try to move her out of the creek. We spent a few hours sitting in the sun instead with our picnic before heading for home again later in the afternoon.

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We are hoping to move Elektra to her seasonal swing mooring durring the coming week ready to sail next weekend weather permitting.

From the 10th of March I got busy at work and by the time I could not get back to work on Elektra again until the social distancing for the Coronavirus was in full swing. With Elektra isolated on a mooring away from other boats and owners I continued with her work hoping to get Elektra ready to sail by the 4-5th April. Then came the lockdown but it still seemed walking was allowed as long as the social distancing rules were followed so I continued working to get here ready.

The talk on facebook and the like was not to go sailing and the RYA was also advicing against. Elektra was coming on but still wasnt ready to sail by the end of March.

Because of the cost of owning a yacht and paying out the adverage yearly costs of £2,500 for moorings ect (not forgetting I need to turnover twice this amount) I always want to use Elektra as much as possible avoiding the bad weather and I was beginning to think we wouldnt be allowed to.

Elektra in the season is on a swing mooring which we access via a punt from a beach and the beach is only a drive of 2 miles from home. When sailing we normally sail to a nice spot and anchor away from others for a night without going ashore, my feeling was how was this not social distancing.

Then came the final blow when the boatyard contacted me and asked for me to remove my punt leaving me with no way of getting out to Elektra if the tide was in.

It looks like Elektra will be staying put until the lockdown is lifted.

With the need to get out to check Elektra’s mooring from time to time and some jobs still to do, I pumped up another dinghy I owned and took it down to the creek, launched off the side of the road and rowed it the length of the creek. I must say it was nice to row down the creek as part of my exercise, once I had checked Elektra I rowed ashore to a isotated beach and turned dinghy over above thre tide mark and made the painter off to a tree. Then a nice long walk along the side of a wooded creek back home, we are so lucky to have this area on our doorstep.

The forecast was poor weather for the planed 2 weeks out of the water, on the 24th of February I phoned Anthony our engineer to ask what he thought, his reply was “go for it, you cant take any notice of these weather men!” So on the 26th Elektra was pulled out at Sailaway, St Anthony for two week to stay their yard trailer, Sailaway needed the trailer again by mid March to move other boats.

With Elektra out Anthony was there as soon as possible to remove Elektra’s old Bukh DV20 engine, we were lucky to have two dry days following each other to get one engine out and the new Yanmar 3YM20 aboard ready for fitting.

We were away over the weekend but I was down there Monday 2nd March washing her freeboard and preping for antifouling, then antifouling on Tuesday. Anthony was also there on Tuesday fitting the engine. Wedensday was heavy rain all day but Thursday came good again and I was able polish the freeboard and paint the bot top line. Anthony was also there finishing the engine fitting, near the end of the day he fired her up for the first time, he had a few eletrical problems to sort which delayed him so by the end of the day he still had a few things to do, so said he would come back on Sarurday.

I had been trying to keep out of Anthony’s way while he was fitting the engine, so it was our turn to fit the davit holders on Friday. But in the morning it was raining again! But it dried out later and we were able to fit the davit holders.

Anthony was there to finish off on Saturday morning and l refitted the hand bilge pump in the afternoon. On Sunday I scrubbed her decks and cockpit, on Monday got our tender (10′ 6″RIB) down from the shed roof, added some air and took with launching trolly to St Anthony, while there arranging for Elektra’s re-launch on Tuesday.

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The tide was high enought to get back to Elektra’s winter mooring but by April we would have to wait 7-8 days to get her out again. The weather forecast was still poor for the rest of March, my friend David said I could use his bad weather mooring above the narrows in Carne Creek until his yacht is re-launched (April). David’s drying trot mooring is set up for east wind (chain to east and rope to west) but this winters wind was all from the west so I wanting Elektra to be facing west. So I set one of my winter mooring anchors up to the west as will (just in case the rope mooring parts in the strong winds).

I asked my sailing friend Roger to help move Elektra from St Anthony to Carne creek. After a slight delay getting away because the stern line getting stuck between skeg and rudder we were then able to start engine and motor Elektra though the narrows into Carne Creek and onto the mooring. Once moored up l stopped the engine checked a few things before returning in the dinghy to St Anthony.

With Elektra moved from her winter mooring, it was time for me to pull winter mooring anchors out of the mud and pick up her lines. While I was there Anthony our engineer came along in his loader tractor heading to Elektra to remove her old Bukh engine.

I had to go to work after that but on looking at Elektra next day the engine was gone.

I was taking a few photos and Anthony arrived with Elektra’s new Yanmar 3YM20, l was able to help get her new engine aboard. Anthony is busy this time of the year and after fitting the new stern shaft and fixing new engine barriers down he was off to his next job. But now the rest of the fitting can be done whatever the weather.