Love Sailing

Sunday 22nd July

Having got out late and lounged around in the sun nearly all day the time came when we needed to get back. At 1500hrs we lifted the anchor and sailed out of St Mawes, all was good until we got out into Falmouth Bay where the wind died away, there comes a time when we had to start the engine. We motored the rest of the way and picked up our mooring in Gillan at 1630hrs.

 

Saturday 21st July

With a forecast of variable 1-3, we were thinking it would be another slow sail and we were right, we had a easterly1-3 for the crossing of Falmouth Bay. I like sailing slowly sometimes, its nice to see how much speed I can get out of Elektra in not much wind, today we were getting 3-4kts in 6kts of wind across the bay until we got to Pendennis Point.

We were going to sail north 4nm to Channels Creek but with almost no wind now having passed Pendennis Point we decided to turn and go into St Mawes instead, we anchored off Place Manor having logged 7nm in 2.5hrs. We sat in the sun for a few hours until it went into the clouds.

Tuesday 17th July

On Tuesday I had arranged with the riggers at Mylor for them to refit the masthead light which came off during our passage back from The Isles of Scilly in June.

My sailing friend Roger had agreed to help me take Elektra in Mylor for the riggers to do the job, I had agreed with Roger to meet at St Anthony at 0800hrs for Elektra to get to Mylor by 1000hrs. As it happened there was little or no wind and we had to motor, I phoned the riggers as we arrived, they told us to moor on the eastern pontoon. Elektra was taken in rafted by the riggers launch to the pontoon under the crane.

The riggers used the crane to get to the masthead, they told me it was an old cable and one of the core wires was broken somewhere but they were able to get both the anchor light and the tricolour working again by using other cores and after replacing the anchor lamp. After the job was done the riggers took Elektra back out to the fairway and cast off, I thought it was a very good service.

Once out we were to late to get back on our mooring before the tide would be to low to get ashore so we decided to sail to Porthscatho, the wind had picked up from the southwest and a reef in the main was needed to stop her rounding up as we sailed down to the Carrick Roads to St Anthony Light. From there I let the reef out and we goose winged towards the Dodman Pt until we could reach into Porthscatho.

We stopped there for an hour, had coffee and a snack before heading for home, it would be a beat to windward, we sailed south for 3nm before tacking to the west, we were hard on the wind but we didn’t need to tack again, we had logged 23nm today. Back on the mooring in Gillan the tide was still out but with jobs to do and another cup of coffee saw us going ashore at 1800hrs.

Monday 16th July

Monday ended up being one of those days we sailors live for, the forecast was WNW4. We picked up our anchor and sailed out of St Mawes on just our genoa but soon felt we needed more sail. By barring away a bit I pushed out the boom and pulled up the mainsail without stopping, off we sped at 6-7kts SOG on a calm sea keeping up with a 60ft ketch which hadn’t raised her mizzen sail.

It was all over to quick, we had covered the 6nm from anchor to mooring at Gillan in just one hour, the GPS had recorded a max SOG of 7.8kts.

Sunday 15th July

Sunday is a day of rest and that’s what we did after a late start we motored our dinghy over to St Mawes and the sailing club for showers before looking at a few places for somewhere to eat lunch. After food there was some shopping needed, milk, bread and a bottle of wine for the evening. Then back to Elektra for a lazy afternoon, the plan was to move later when the tide comes back into deeper water for a easier get away on Monday.

Saturday 14th July

The plan for Saturday was more exploring, there seemed to be a bit of breeze from the southwest, we left Gorran just on the genoa to look at Porthmellon just south of Mevgissey. As we sailed around Chapel Point we could see a nice looking anchorage so sailed in slowly to check it out, this one looked good, nice sandy bottom, would be good in a northwest or settled weather.

Out from there again we rounded the point and sailed towards Porthmellon, this would be good shelter in any wind from the west but the green slimy seaweed on the shore put us off so we motored out again. We were going to look at Polkerris the other side of the bay but this would have been open to the southwest breeze.

So with a total change of mind we decided to sail back to the Falmouth area, Vicki asked how is the tide, I checked with us I said, as we rounded Chapel Point again I hauled up the main and coiled the lines, we motored west until west of Yaw Rock and set sail on a starboard cross tack until 2nm south of the Dodman Point, when we tacked onto our making tack our heading was due west towards Porthscatho, we now logging over 6kts. Elektra sailed well compared to the other yachts on passage out there at the time, keeping up with lots much bigger than our 29ft. From Porthscatho we tacked south again for 3nm before tacking onto the final making tack into the Carrick Roads, on rounding the St Anthony Lt the wind died and I packed away the main and rolled the genoa and motored Elektra into St Mawes and Place to drop anchor.

Friday 13th July

The tide was not going to be with us until 1540hrs but we didn’t want to wait that long, I know to early, we dropped anchor at 1100hrs and we set all the sail out of the Helford River and headed for the Dodman Point, to start with the sailing saw good but once off the Roseland the SOG slowed and we had to motor.

We nearly turned back but I suggested taking a look at Porthloe just east of Gull Rock, this we did, motoring up to the entrance but deciding not to stop as the breeze had picked up from the southwest, we thought it could be a good place in a northerly.

From there we set sail again and sailed east to the Dodman point until the wind died off the point. We then motored into Gorran Haven and dropped anchor at 1545hrs.

In the evening we went ashore and had great fish and chips from the local shop

Thursday 12th July

With the chance of a few more days sailing and still  with the good weather, we hoped to spend a some lazy days exploring some new anchorages.

Earlier in the day I had been out and filled the water tank and topped up the diesel ready for the off later.  At high water in the evening we loaded thee punt and went out to Elektra who was rolling a bit in the light northeast wind, we stowed the gear and stores and decided to move for a quitter night. At 1800hrs we dropped the mooring and motored over the Helford River to Durgan dropping anchor at 1845hrs.

Sunday 8th July

Sunday was much the same as Saturday, great hot and sunny weather, the sea was a lovely shade of blue we hardly ever see in the UK. The photos just don’t show the sea as I remember it.

It was lovely to be out on the sea sailing, we logged 8nm in 2.5hrs, getting back to our mooring in Gillan with time to sit in the sun and have lunch before we had to get ashore due to the tide.

  

Saturday 7th July

With only light wind forecasted but hot and sunny for the weekend, we just had to get back on the water after a week at work.

We could get out to Elektra after 2100hrs on Friday evening so stayed on the mooring overnight, in the morning there was no rush to get away as we were only going to sail across Falmouth Bay to the Precuil River just 6nm away.

It was a lovely slow sail in fantastic weather across the bay and into St Mawes, only just enough wind to sail, in St Mawes we put away the sails and motored up the river to our favourite anchorage having logged 6nm in 2.5hrs!