Love Sailing

Wednesday 3rd October

We needed to be home by Thursday evening but the forecast was giving strong southwest wing on Thursday so we thought it wise to go back on Wednesday but with a forecast of westerly force 3 or less, it wasn’t looking good for a great sail home.

When we left Channels Creek there wasn’t any wind and we had to motor, only when we got south to Mylor did the wind fill in a bit but we were only sailing very slowly south to Pendennis Point where the wind died away and we had to start motoring again.

On arriving at Gillan we motored in very slowly (less than 1/2 a meter of depth under the keel) into Flushing Cove and dropped anchor for the night

In the morning on the high water we motored Elektra into Carne Creek because of the forecasted north-easterly which was set for Saturday.

After Saturdays wind had blown out we moved “Elektra” back to her mooring on Sunday’s high water ready for the next time we can go sailing.

Tuesday 2nd October

After a day with gas engineer sealing leak on cooker and gas safety record. Two other companies came to quote for a new cockpit enclose.

At 1630hrs we cast off and headed for a quite anchorage, having a great sail north up the sheltered waters of the Carrick Roads with slightly too much sail, Vicki was unable to cope with the stronger gusts so I took over the helm, we dropped anchor in Channels Creek at 1520hrs having logged 4nm

Monday 1st October

Having had a good sail on Saturday we went into holiday mode on Sunday, spending the whole day at anchor reading and relaxing.

This changed our plans for the week and on Monday I arranged with marine trades for some work to be done and some work to be priced on Tuesday. This meant going into a marina for 24hrs to give them good access to Elektra. I had passed this with Falmouth Marina a few weeks earlier but ringing them now they were telling me they had no room! So I phoned Falmouth Yacht Haven with were quite happy for us to arrange this.

It was late in the afternoon when we lifted the anchor and headed to Falmouth, the wind was now  a northwest force 4 which gave us a nice hour long sail to Falmouth Y H, mooring up on the east side of pontoon just north of the pilot boat at 1700hrs having logged 4nm.

I always wonder why other yacht owners would give up a night in quite spot at anchor for a marina like this. This was the 3rd night we had been connected to shore power since we left Poole on our delivery passage in March 17. With easy access to the town of Falmouth we had a evening and a lunch ashore, also showers before escaping in an anchorage “far from the madding crowd” the following evening.

 

Saturday 29th September

With the chance of a few more days away sailing we had planed an early get away on Saturday hoping to get to Polkerris, next day to Polperro and the next to Looe, but plans are one think and quite often don’t work out!

Elektra had been put on a mooring in Carne Creek by our boatyard because of the forecasted east wind and we went out and stayed aboard on the Friday night, it blew quite hard in the night and by morning it had seemed to of eased. Casting off before breakfast at 0830hrs we motored out of Carne Creek and out though Gillan Harbour into a lumpy sea before setting a reefed main and a reefed genoa and heading across the bay towards Falmouth. With the 4-5ft easterly swell and the wind blowing east F4 gusting 5 was making for a wild and quick passage but we couldn’t even make for the Carrick Roads, we had to tack under Pendennis Castle, now heading southeast towards a ship with pilot boat making ready to leave, so we had to tack again to keep clear. Now heading for St Mawes we decided to stop for something to eat, dropping anchor in Place Manor at 1020hrs having logged 7.5nm.

I had been in contact with another Sadler 29 owner Iain Bones who had left The Precuil River earlier and was now off Gull Rock saying the sea had eased. At 1200hrs we lifted the anchor and  headed out for another try, it was great sailing but we were not making much headway against the wind and the tide which had now turned, so after an hour and half of beating we turned and headed back to Falmouth again. it was great to reach back in after slogging into the easterly swell. We turned and motored Elektra up into our favourite anchorage in the Precuil River for the night having logged 16nm.

Monday 10th September

With the big spring tide I had decided it would be a good idea to dry out and clean Elektra’s bottom, I could see looking into the water there was weed growing on the bilge keels and the rudder. As it turn out  she wasn’t as bad as I first thought, just the weed I could see and she was quickly clean again. We just had to wait for the tide to come back in before we could put her back on her mooring.

Sunday 9th September

The spring tide had left us aground on the mud from 1000hrs, we knew we would be but that’s what bilge keels are for. So it was 1400hrs before we lifted our anchor and motored out to Turnaware Buoy before setting all the sail south down Carrick Roads, the wind was interesting, around westerly F3 gusting 5, sailing slowly and the next second flying along at 5kts against the incoming tide then back to sailing slowly again.

This continued all the way down the Roads until we got to Pendennis Point, from here the wind was more of a steady southwest F5 and a reef in the main was needed, after this things settled down a bit but our heading against the tide and the wind was pushing us in a south east direction so we tacked back in towards Falmouth Beach, our next making tack was much better from Falmouth Beach due south to Nare Point, we were making a steady 5kts hard on the wind. Arriving off the Nare Point we turned into wind and started the engine, rolling away the genoa and packing away the main as we went.

Motoring into Gillan and anchoring at 1645hrs having logged 11nm off Flushing Cove for the night ready to scrub Elektra’s bottom tomorrow on the low water spring tide.

 

Saturday 8th September

We had been told the Heron Inn at Malpas was good for food and we wanted to check it out, so at lunch time we set off in the dinghy for a pint and to see the menu and maybe book a table for Saturday evening. The beer was good and the menu ok but we didn’t find anything which we wanted to go out for dinner.

The only river we hadn’t explored by dinghy was the Truro River from Malpas so it being high water we decided to take a look. I know we were only in a shallow draft dinghy but we went up the river from chart memory and the aid of the channel markers. All the way into the heart of Truro, landing at the steps and heading into Tesco for some shopping before coming out the way we came a little later, may even try in Elektra another time. Back aboard we decided to motor back down the river to Turnaware with strong south-west wind forecast, we hoped for a more sheltered night.

Friday 7th September

With the chance of another weekend aboard, I had been out to Elektra on Thursday evening to fill up the water and top up the diesel. with a few home jobs in the morning of Friday and the tide out until 1145hrs.

After loading the stores it was 1345hrs before we dropped our mooring in Gillan having first pulled up the main, we motored out and set sail across Falmouth Bay. It seem a long time ago since we had had a proper sail, so it was lovely to get “Elektra” sailing well again. Just an hour to cover the first 4nm to Pendennis Point, then came the tacking up the Carrick Roads, we managed to sail north of St Mawes before our first cross tack. There were 2 other Sadler yachts sailing up the Roads at the same time, 26 and another 29, I was keen to know how we would fare against another S29, the answer was not very well but we were towing a dinghy and our hull is needing a good end of season scrub off.

The 2nd making tack took us north of St Just before we had to tack back across to Mylor, from here we were able to sail right up to Turnaware buoy before the wind died away and I rolled up the genoa, the time was now 1610hrs having logged 10nm. From her we motored up the river to the 2nd Truro River pontoon before dropping anchor on the side of the channel at 1655hrs having logged 12nm in total.

Sunday 2nd September

After a foggy/drizzle day on Saturday the sun came out for Sunday, the forecasters were giving SSE4-nil which didn’t look very good for sailing back to Gillan, low water was at 1628hrs so would be out if we rushed back on the engine.

We picked up the anchor at 1250hrs, pulled up the main and motored around Turnaware buoy and a little way down the channel before setting all the sail, we had quite a good line south past Mylor logging 2.5kts, all was good until south of the point where the wind died. Having tried to tack out to where others were sailing, we decided the engine was needed and motored back into some wind before stopping the engine again. Sailing again and logging 3-4kts we sailed over towards Pendennis Point but not on a line in which we would be able to sail pass without tacking again. This line took us into shallow water which was good as the bunkering tanker was coming into Falmouth and signalled to say he was turning to port after Governor Buoy, we were lucky enough to be over the shallows inside the buoy at the time so well out of the way.

After the tanker passed we tacked back out into deeper water and tacked again to pass Pendennis Point and out into Falmouth Bay at 1425hrs having logged just 5nm. Once in the bay we could let the sails out a bit and could sail the 4nm across the bay without tacking again. We finally gave up sailing as the wind died off August Rock Buoy at 1530, we motored into Gillan and picked up the mooring at 1545hrs having logged 9nm.

Not the fastest sailing but that’s how the sailing has been this summer, hot sunny days are nearly always windless.

Friday 31st August

After coming back from our last holiday aboard on the 13th August I had been busy at work and today was our first chance to go sailing again.

The forecasters were giving south-southwest F4-5 and so we left shelter of Gillan at 1315hrs on just a genoa thinking it would be a speedy sail but only logging 3kts we knew the main was needed so I hauled up with one reef but quickly shock it out as we realised we would need all the sail, with 6-8kts of wind. Not the quickest sail but enjoyable just the same.

Broad reach to Pendennis Point, goose-winged from there north of Falmouth, then broad reach north of St Just in Roseland and then goose-winged up to Turnaware point.

At St Just now low water I knew we should have sailed up the deep channel but I thought the shallow ground would be deep enough (1.02 above chart datum) and its a muddy bottom anyway! I was thinking least amount would be 0.5m under the keel. Our offset on our depth is set to allow for bilge keels going in deeper when healing, so 0.0 is really 0.3 when the boat is level. Well I knew it was going to be shallow but when the depth got to 0.3 I was getting worried, then it went to 0.1 and then 0.0 at 4.5kts! I was reading off the depth to Vicki as we went, then I said “its ok it’s getting deeper” Vicki asked “what is it now” I said “0.1” Vicki laughed! I am glad to say “Elektra” never touched the bottom but I expect she was very close! That’s when local knowledge can be a dangerous thing!

Now back into deeper water we were still goose-winged and heading for Turnaware Buoy, now the genoa was beginning to back so I rolled it away and sailing in on just the main, at the buoy we turned across the wind and I started the engine. Vicki on the helm now turned into wind and I let the main down before motoring in to anchor. We dropped anchor at 1530hrs having logged 8.5nm.