Love Sailing

An early start saw us motoring out of Fowey at 0700hrs with a forecast of easterly 4 for our passage to Gillan in the southwest. But no wind again so out with the tiller pilot again and we motored to the Dodman Point, from there we sailed for a while until we got fed up and started motoring again. We got into Gillan at 1200hrs having logged 24nm.

It had been a lovely weather for the weekend but not much wind, cant have it always, it had been nice to have been on the water in the heat wave.

After a lazy start to the day we headed out of the Yealm River at HW, not bothering with the transit around the bar we just sailed over it instead with 2m under the keel. we set the sails and were sailing at over 5kts out of the bay, as we turned around the Mew Stone and headed for Fowey the sailing speed slowed but it was still quite good.

All was good until we reached Rame Head when the wind died and we had to motor, I got the tiller pilot out and set it working, it had the helm from there until we reached Fowey. 25.5nm

We had decided to fill up with diesel and water in Fowey, there is a 24hr card payment diesel self service supply so we went there first and filled the tank. Then we went back to the town pontoon and filled the water tank. After that we decided to get a take-away from one of the pubs, getting a beer while we waited. After eating in the cockpit we cast off and went and found a visitors mooring.

On the 17th of June after lots of relaxing and sleeping in the cockpit we headed in the dinghy down river to the other pontoon for the SSOA bar-b-q, explaining that we were on the quite pontoon up river. Six yachts had come, thirteen sailors altogether talking Sadler yachts and sailing though the evening.

Vicki and I left the party still in full swing and headed back to our pontoon and Elektra at 2200hrs before it go to dark.

David Penn of the local SSOA was hosting a Bar-B-Q in the Yealm River on the evening of the 17th of June, we decided we would like to go and the weather forecast was looking good.

I finished my work late on Thursday having worked non stop for the last eleven days, Vicki had packed the gear for the weekend and we left home at 8pm to stay aboard that evening for a early start the next morning. We had booked a table at the Ship Inn in the Yealm River for the Friday evening.

I raised the main and dropped the mooring at 0545hrs and we sailed out Gillan and headed for the Yealm 44nm to the east. I had a play with the radar which had only just been made to work after since we bought “Elektra” we had found the negative wire was off behind the main switch panel. We sailed for about 1.5hrs at 3 to 4kts before deciding we needed to motor as the chart plotter was telling us we wouldn’t arrive before 2100hrs, the table was booked for 2000hrs. This was a downwind sail which was showing about 2-3kts of wind speed. We continued to motor east until about 1200hrs when the wind had picked up enough for us to sail again. We sailed right into the transit for getting into the Yealm river before starting the engine again. We motored in near low water with 0.9m under the keel. Moored to the higher pontoon at 1530hrs having logged 43.5nm.

In the afternoon after I had a sleep I managed to get the tiller pilot working at last, this was another until which had seemed not to be working. Both Vicki and myself love helming when sailing so the tiller pilot was not top of the list of needed items.

In the evening after blowing up the roll-up dinghy, Vicki and I set off to the Ship Inn for a great evening meal (we think the best pub grub in Devon and Cornwall) or maybe just the best we have found.

The outlook next week was looking very poor but for today the weather men were giving SW3-4, looks like it will be another sail into the wind back to Gillan.

I lifted the anchor and cleaned the decks while Vicki motored Elektra out of Channels Creek and south past Turnaware buoy, I came back to the cockpit and hauled up the mainsail, rolled out the genoa. We found we could sail south hard on the wind which was good and would save us from tacking.

We were heading for Pendennis Point, when level with Mylor we could see a ship with three tugs and pilot boat coming into the Carrick Roads from the south, not knowing where she was heading we turned east over into shallow water and passed astern of her as she headed up the channel to Turnaware, she must be going to be laid-up. Between Pendennis Pt and Black Rock there were loads of RIBs, keeping clear of them we headed out into the bay and the wind died. I started the engine and started to motor across the bay to Gillan, the wind filled in again after a mile or two and we could sail again, We started the engine again as we entered Gillan and moored up 2hrs after leaving Channels Creek. We have now logged 353nm so far this season.

Having had dinghy problems on Friday, I had blown up the roll-up on Saturday, we had not bothered stowing the dinghy again and had towed it home to see if there were any problems (not something we had done since towing a dinghy to Fowey with our H22 years before) I have to say we didn’t know it was there on the back of Elektra. Vicki helped my lower the engine from the push pit and we motored into the beach with our gear, we took this dinghy and the engine home to roll-up later. On the Monday I swapped the basket for another air RIB I was checking at home before use.

I had seen forecast for next week and decided to get away for the weekend while the weather allowed.

In the morning I changed our 8ft dory punt for 8ft RIB, we had found the dory to be too heavy to pull out of the water up a stony beach, the RIB would be easier. We came back home with the dory picked up our bags headed back to the beach and set out in the RIB for Elektra, we only found out that the RIB was a basket not a boat after we had loaded all the gear and left the shore! Vicki had to bale out as we went! arriving at Elektra, I quickly picked up the bags onto Elektra, Vicki got aboard and I set off back to the beach before the RIB sunk! I pulled the RIB out and up to the dinghy park and asked one of the boat boys to run me back to Elektra, excitement over I could think about getting Elektra ready for sea.

The forecast was NW4, something I have learnt already is that Elektra dose not need loads of sail to get her moving, I decided to put one reef in the main. we motored out of Gillan and set sail heading for Channels Creek 8nm away into the tide and wind, great to be out on the water and sailing again. We enjoyed every mile of the 14nm and 3.5hrs it took to get there, good sailing all the way.

We dropped anchor and Vicki soon had the hot drink on, not the warmest of June days.

Having looked at the forecast, looked like Monday was going to be on the nose for us, so it was better for us to leave on Sunday, the tide stream wasn’t with us until 1130hrs so we didn’t have to rush off. Bit more chatting with members before the off.

The wind was forecast to increase from E3-4 to E4-6 later, not wanting to have too much sail again we set just the genoa out of Fowey at 1100hrs, we were soon logging 5-6kts SOG, the swell built from the east, all was good until the wind died 1.5hrs into passage. With the swell we had to motor until we got west of the Dodman Point and the sea motion eased and it started raining. We then sailed on again for a while until we neared the Roseland Peninsula and the swell built up again, so on with the engine. We continued to motor across Falmouth Bay and moored up in Gillan at 1530hrs having logged 24nm.

 

The tide stream was with us 0400-1000hrs, I lifted he anchor at 0615hrs and Vicki motored us out of St Mawes to where we could set sail, it was raining, still motoring into wind I raised the main with one reef. Now heading south I could set the genoa but it wouldn’t un-roll, I went out on deck to find out why, my fault I had wrapped the spinnaker halyard around it after lowering the anchor ball, that sorted sail out and we were off.

Leaving St Antony Lt behind we started sailing goose winged, not quite the direction we wanted but good enough, we were soon logging up over 6kts in a westerly 4. Vicki dose not like the helm when goose winged so I had the helm, the wind picked up a bit more now over 20kts low cloud and rain with visibility down to about a mile we were making between 7-8kts SOG which was great but there was also a big swell and we were rolling a lot. At this stage I decided it would be better and safer to tack down wind. On the starboard tack we were heading SE when we wanted to head NE and on the port tack we were heading for the cliff.

I said to Vicki it would be better to lower the main and sail on the genoa only, Vicki took the helm on a starboard tack and I went out on deck to pull the main down, it took a while to sort out things safely but we got there. Back in the cockpit we turned down wind again just on the genoa still making between 5-6kts SOG, much easer sailing for Vicki. After passing the Dodman Point the rain stopped and the visibility improved to 5-6 miles, it turned out to be a lovely sail for the rest of the passage.

Passing Cannis cardinal buoy we were still making 6kts SOG, I expected this to slow as it was half tide in Fowey and going out, of coarse the sea would get steeper, I wasn’t expecting the breaking waves in the entrance, one of those days you don’t look back!

Starting the engine we motored to gain a bit more way, we motor in and moored up on the pontoon with the other four Sadler yachts already there, now 1015hrs having logged 23nm in 4hrs. Looking at the GPS the max speed was 8.8kts.

Before the day was over another three SSOA members had arrived with their yachts making a good rally of eight, I also had two emails from members who could not make the weather due to the weather.

In the evening we had a pontoon party before going over to the Gallant Sailing Club for a Bar-B-Q and more Sadler chat.

The idea today was to sail to Fowey so a SSOA Rally which I had arranged for the bank holiday weekend, weather was a bit iffy, the forecast was ESE 4-6 easing later and forecast to blow from the W on Saturday. We thought it would be possible to get to Fowey on Friday as long as long as it wasn’t to strong.

In Gillan Harbour there was a fresh easterly, we motored out into a 4ft swell but found no wind to sail by and the engine continued as we headed across the bay to St Mawes, we again headed for Manor Place and this time anchored in the shallows drying out for 4hrs overnight.

Early to bed because it would be an early start tomorrow to catch the tide to Fowey.

We have found Elektra to be a great sailing yacht in all kind of conditions, the down side of this is we rarely use the engine for going anywhere and as we like the being aboard as much as the sailing its self we are finding we need some way to generate power. With our last yacht we used to motor a lot more because she needed a lot of wind to make her sail well. We think we will fit a good sola panel next winter.

Having been anchored all weekend I used the windless to pull up the anchor, weed! I am not sure I have ever seen so much seaweed before, must have taken me 1/2hr to clear it all, as soon as the anchor was up we were sailing on the reefed main, I cleaned the anchor and stowed it as we went. Decks cleared, back to the cockpit to unroll the genoa, out past St Mawes, it soon became clear a reef in the genoa was also needed. We would be close on the wind across the bay but would be able to do without tacking. That’s a Rassay 32 and we are going faster! Wow! Now between 5-6kts with a little slamming, I thought maybe a little less genoa which slowed up down so I let it out again. She behaved wonderfully and ploughed on though the waves, just a great sail from start to finish, as we neared Gillan I rolled away the genoa and we sailed in on the main and picked up our mooring, 6.5nm in 1.25hrs.

The end of week forecast was saying east wind again so we moved her back up Carne Creek on her anchor again.