Love Sailing

Saturday 20th July

With my work still on a go slow, I got the chance to have another week away on Elektra. The weather forecast was changing all the time with strong winds in the week, in the end we decided to stay local and have some quality R&R aboard.

I had needed to top up the diesel, water and replacement gas before we could go so was up early to load pick-up and out from St Anthony in the heavy low in the water dinghy to Elektra to top the tanks. Back in with the empties and home, we live about 2 miles from St Anthony. We had planed to leave on the evening tide but it looked like we could go earlier if we got packed up quickly. We made back to St Anthony by 1200hrs which gave us plenty of time to get out and aboard before the tide went out. With no hurry now we stowed the stores and got ready to depart at ease. Once done we had a bit of lunch and sat in the sun for a while.

At 1620hrs we cast off, the forecast was west 4-5, I had reefed the main and set all the genoa. I think the wind was more like northwest 4 and steadily picked up as we crossed the bay, it was great to be out sailing again! We were logging over 6kts and as we neared Pendennis Point a bunkering tanker was also heading into Falmouth on the other side of Black Rock, thinking she would be crossing from east to west I eased the sails a bit to slow us down. The other yacht which was with us was having none of it and closed tight on the tankers stern as she headed for the docks. The wind was rounding us up across the entrance to Falmouth so I reefed the genoa which helped. Still logging 6kts tight on the wind going north up Carrick Roads, Elektra was in her grove and was passing other yachts which were motoring. Nearing Turnaware Point we tacked back towards Restronguet, nearing the entrance I stowed the sails and we motored slowly into the creek with the in coming tide and dropped anchor at 1750hrs having logged 9.5nm.

Sunday 14th July

With no need to rush home and a lovely sunny day we stayed a while longer, picking up our anchor at 1400hrs and motoring out of the river. Not much wind so we needed all the sail to get her moving at 3kts. There was quite a bit of easterly swell running in Falmouth Bay which was ok when still sailing but as the wind died away the motion started to get at me. So I started the engine and motored the rest of the way back to Gillan.

 

Friday 12th July

After a busy week at work the weather still looked good for the weekend so we decided to go somewhere local and rest in the sunshine. With the tide not being high enough to leave St Anthony beach until 1100hrs it was a lazy start.

Once aboard we got ready stowing stuff and ready to sail, at 1215hrs we dropped the mooring and motored into Gillan (into wind) to pull-up the mainsail, I had thought of reefing the main but in the end decided to use all the main and reefed genoa. Exiting Gillan there seemed very little wind under the Dennis head but once out into Helford River the wind showed up! Creaming along at over 5kts it soon became clear that a reef in the main would have been a good idea but with Vicki on the helm enjoying herself I didn’t push the idea.

I always thought Sadler 29s don’t go over far enough to get the side deck under the water but this was soon to be proved wrong! I was watching this 40 footer behind us and not able to catch up (I was very pleased). Vicki started feeling tired so I took the helm just before the wind rounded Elektra up at which point I suggested reefing the genoa a bit more. Now rolled away to 3rd of the genoa Elektra was easier to handle but the 40 footer had closed up a bit but still behind, arriving over Falmouth Bay to Black Rock I now eased off a bit and headed into St Mawes at which point the GPS speed reached 6.9kts! The other yacht turned and headed to Falmouth under engine. On reaching the moorings we turned to wind and stowed the sails before motoring into the Precuil River.

We motored slowly into the river and anchored at 1325hrs having logged 6.5nm

This weekend is about R&R and catching up with my blog which I have now done, I think its time for a beer!

Sunday 7th July

The tide stream wasn’t with us until 1300hrs but we were looking to get back the St Anthony beach before 1400hrs because of not wanting to be late home with work to do tomorrow this meant going against the flow.

We dropped the mooring at 0730hrs and motored to Cannis Buoy before sailing, with the wind being NW2-3 our SOG soon slowed so we started the engine and motored. At 1030hrs I noticed a problem showing on the batteries monitor, showing overheating somewhere at which point we started sailing again. I stripped out the cover boards to get at the batteries but the ones I could reach were cold to touch, not sure what the problem was and not wanting to be late we started motoring again.

We picked up our mooring in Gillan at 1245hrs, with jobs to do and packing we got off Elektra and headed for the beach at 1400hrs so the tide had dropped to low to get the tender in all the way. I walked up the beach to get the trolly and after loading pulled the tender up to the edge of the slope before walking up to the car park to get the car.

Car loaded tender pulled up beach we headed for home after a lovely sailing holiday

Saturday 6th July

We had hopped to use the showers in the Yealm River but they seemed to have a coded lock on them which having anchored in Cellar Bay overnight we didn’t have the code, so we decided to go to Fowey for showers today instead of Gorren Haven.

The weather forecast was Nil/ NNW2-4 later. We picked up our anchor and motored out of the Yealm River, continuing to motor until Rame Head when the wind filled in and went to SW3 which allowed us to sail on a port tack to Looe Island, the next tack was due south for 5nm before tacking again on a port tack we were heading for Polperro, thinking this is going to take forever, I had already decided to motor when I reached the coast again. But the wind went NW3-4 which allowed us to sail on a starboard tack to Fowey entrance. We motored into Fowey and picked up a small boat mooring having logged 25.5nm in 5.5hrs

In via dinghy for showers at the sailing club and then dinner ashore in town, getting back to Elektra just before dark , Vicki helped me stow outboard on pushpit before I deflated the roll up.

 

Friday 5th July

The plan was to leave at 0730hrs 1hr before high water, which wasn’t liked by Vicki as meant getting out early, I got first and went on deck to do some jobs. It was then I discovered a problem, our dinghy which had been left floating on a long painter was under Elektra between her bilge keels and Elektra was just starting to float, there was no way to get it out now!

This delayed our leaving by one tide as I had to wait until low water or until Elektra dried out again to get the dinghy out from under her! All was well and our dinghy was still ok after Elektra dried out again later in the day.

It was 1900hrs before Elektra floated again, not wanting to waist anymore time we were already to leave and once the sand filled water cleared again we started her engine. High water wasn’t until 2045hrs but with a passage to the Yealm River still to do we moved off quickly and headed out the River Avon into the flow. The tide was strong and coming in with it was a bunch of 15-20 swimmers, we needed to keep to the deep channel which meant not leaving much room for the swimmers between Elektra and the rocks. At the narrows the channel is only 7 meters wide, I am glad to say these swimmers got out on the rocks to give us room, now passing though the narrows at full engine power Elektra was only making 0.5kts headway with 1.5m under the keel. With the narrows behind us the depth under the keel became 2.2m and our SOG increased to 3.5kts.

Once out of the river we headed out of Bigbury Bay under engine, the bay was like a mill pond and as we neared the Yealm River a wonderful sunset for the end of the day. We anchored in Cellar Bay for a very settled night.

It was nice to of been able to visit the River Avon and with a few lessons learnt will visit again when weather and time allows.

Thursday 4th July

In holiday mood with a few boat jobs to do, the weather was great so we stayed another day, the plan was to leave on the next mornings high water and go to the Yealm River for meal in the evening at the Ship Inn.

Wednesday 3rd July

First rest day, I spent looking at the channel at low water and seeing the best places to anchor, I also booked a table at the Sloop Inn for an evening meal

The River Avon has a level sandy bottom with good holding, is fast flowing up to 4kts, the ebb runs for about 7.5hrs and the flood for about 4.5hrs

Its a good place to get away from the office, no phone signal on the river but once up in the village of Bantham you can get a signal if you want.

Tuesday 2nd July

There was no need to rush away from Salcombe so in the morning we went ashore for showers and cooked food before getting back aboard Elektra. we picked up our anchor at 1350hrs and motored out and set the genoa for the run down wind back to Bigbury Bay. Off Bolt Tail the wind died away and so we motored over to the Avon River and anchored at 1600hrs, the swell from the day before had now gone. Vicki asked “where is the river” I had been looking at maps and pilot books so I knew but the river wasn’t easy to see looking from the sea so I explained.

I set off into the Avon in our dinghy and motor around mid flood tide (I should have looked at low water) By the time I got in as far as the narrow the stream was moving at around 4kts and it was all the outboard could do to make an exit back to Elektra. Once back aboard I thought an hour before high water would be good for going in (wrong). I learned later from a local its better to go in after the tide has turned and started to ebb, only then do you have control and steerage.

Not knowing it at the time we started into the river at 1730hrs which was an hour before high water, the depth under the keel in the outer channel was 2.2m but as we were swept along with the tide and once in past the narrows had no idea where the channel was! At times the depth was only 0.3m under the keel but went deeper again before we found somewhere to anchor. Once north of Bantham moorings we dropped anchor at 1800hrs.

What a lovely River the Avon is

Monday 1st June

A place we had always liked the sound of but not visited because our last yacht had a fin keel was the River Avon in Bigbury Bay. Its a sandy drying river with fast flowing tides, we wanted to try getting in there this holiday. The pilot book suggests anchoring off at low water and going in via dinghy to look at the channel.

To get there for low water meant going against the tidal stream which would be running our way up to 0820hrs. We picked up our anchor and headed out of Cawsands at 0815hrs, the forecast was north-westerly 4. The stream didn’t seem to make any odds as we were still able to log 4kts SOG. Arriving off the River Avon entrance at 1130hrs having logged 13nm the northwest wind had seemed to have kicked up quite a swell and it didn’t seem like a good idea to anchor off the river, we decided not to stay and motored to Salcombe for the night.

We dropped anchor in Storehole Bay on the west side of the entrance but being outside the harbour speed limit meant we had speed boats speeding in and out of the bay so after Vicki had woken from her kip we moved Elektra into Salcombe and anchored in Sunny Cove.