Love Sailing

Getting on with the winter work in readiness for the 2018 sailing season, outwardly nothing much has happened but internally I have been getting on with new woodwork which has now reached the varnishing stage. I have also ordered the new S/S support pole for the new solar panel.

Elektra is now on her winter mooring, here she will only float about 1.5hrs either side of HW of over 5 meters. Now when I have the time I can get on with the winter work.It looks muddy but only 3-4″ on top of stone

We had bought “Elektra” in November 2016 and spent extra money on new standing rigging, new cabin heater and generally getting her how we wanted for sailing this season.

Then came the delivery passage in March, not without its problems with the engine but mainly due to not knowing our new yacht very well at the time. The engine has since proved to be very reliable.

We have lived with the electrics as they are this season but it is clear now we will have to increase the battery power before next season. She had been set up for shore power which is good if you have it but on a swing mooring we do not. She has 2x70ahr batteries for domestic and a 70ahr for engine. I am going to remove the 70ahr for the engine and fit 2x new 110hr batteries instead as a 2nd domestic bank plus fit a fixed solar panel charger. Also changing all the cabin lights to LEDs.

I will also be doing some carpentry, little things really but all of which will make living aboard easier.

We used her lots though March-mid July, delivery in March, Fowey in April and May, Yealm River one weekend in June and The Isles of Scilly over the 1st week of July after that the weather turned poor and we only sailed locally. In the end logging 715nm this season.

Elektra has bilge keels, I have always been told bilge keels yachts don’t point very well, this is not true in the Sadler fleet, our Sadler 29 points very well indeed and fast with it. She will sail in almost no wind, true we do have to reef early as the wind picks up but she will still look after us in a blow. Vicki and I are delighted of how well our Sadler 29 sails, she hasn’t disappointed us.

The numbers are, days aboard in the 2017 season were 70 of which we sailed for 43 of them and logged 716nm, we slept aboard 49 nights and 28 of them were at anchor.

It seems the winter gale have arrived early, there seemed a day I could go sailing before the bad weather arrived so I grabbed a day on the water.

It had been blowing from the east overnight but was forecast to go south today, Gillan Harbour is very sheltered except from the east and Elektra was jumping about on her mooring when I got out to her, making getting aboard a job in itself. Once aboard I went about doing the jobs ready to leave, I decided to motor out and use just the genoa which would make things easier.

Out in Falmouth Bay there was quite a swell running 4-5ft high and about 15-20ft between crests, we were logging about 4kts but I thought a bit more sail would be better so raised the main with one reef in, this speeded us up to 6kts but I found the tiller pilot couldn’t cope so in the end I pulled the main down again.

Once inside the Carrick Roads it was calm and I was heading north for the Fal River, it was LW springs so I kept her to the channel, rounding Turnaware Buoy I started the engine and motored up past the King Harry Ferry up the river to where the Truro River starts, here I turn around and motored back to Turnaware and dropped anchor for lunch, nothing fancy just a Pot Noodle and a Hot Choc drink.

Picking up the anchor was interesting, normally I can clean the anchor and deck while Vicki slowly motors out but being on the bow with nobody else aboard we were soon drifting out so I put things away quicker than I would have liked and headed for the helm. Motoring around the point and south down the channel into a southerly wind and a in coming tide.

Once clear of the point I set the genoa and stopped the engine, there was another yacht tacking south as will, I know I don’t like racing but its always nice to see how well you fare against another yacht. I couldn’t understand how could I be keeping up with a 33-35ft yacht with full sail when I only had the genoa up? After a while I thought he must be doing something wrong so I studied him and in the end decided his topping lift was holding up the boom so his mainsail was flapping.

South of Mylor a ship was getting ready to leave, knowing my next tack I would be sailing across his bow I kept a good eye on him.  Before I got across his bow his port anchor was up but he still wasn’t moving only passing across his bow could I see his starboard anchor was still down, I was over the shallow water again before he got underway, I tacked again at Falmouth Docks which took me across to St Mawes Castle where I tacked again across to the Governor Buoy at which point I decided to motor out past Pendennis Pt.

Once out in Falmouth Bay, the wind from the south and the swell from the east made for a very confused sea which was difficult to make headway in, that with the daylight fading I decided to motor back to Gillan. This looks like being the last sail this season, we had logged 24nm today and 715nm over the season.

 

 

 

This was going to be another solo sail but my friend “James H” who I know though my Hurley days, we both owned a H22, James had long since moved up to a bigger 34ft yacht. James had a friend who was looking at a Sadler 29 in the Helford river and he asked me if it was ok to pass on my contact details so he could talk to me about them. Yes I said that’s ok and if he wants to sail one before he buys, I was going out on Saturday.

That’s how met up with Gareth and Mary on St Anthony beach and took them out for a sail, as it turned out there wasn’t much wind but Sadler yachts don’t need much to sail and we set out into Falmouth Bay at 2-3kts in a southerly 2-3.

After 1.5hrs we were back on the mooring having logged only 5nm, but it was to meet and talk to them over packed lunch and a cup of tea.

 

My wife was taken ill a fortnight ago, spending a week in hospital and another in bed at home, Vicki was feeling a lot better but not able to go sailing, she was happy for me to go out for the day on my own.

Never having sailed on my own other than in dinghies when I was much younger, this was a bit of a first for me, it was clear I would have to be much more ready to drop the mooring than I might have been with crew. I got the hand held VHF in the cockpit and the tiller pilot set up and ready for use. Going though the jobs which need to do before setting off to sea, at last the time had come to let go the mooring (my last thought was as I let go was will I be able to pick it up later on my own?).

Motoring slowly out of the creek I set sail across Helford River, there was not much wind, the forecast had given a Var1-2 but she was logging 2.5kts SOG, it was nice to be out sailing again. Using the tiller pilot I thought I would try a tack, this didn’t go very well, with very little wind the genoa didn’t go across very well but I wasn’t in a hurry and got sorted out in the end. Back across the river again, another tack which went much better, as we got to the centre of the river for the second time the wind died. I decided to motor into the Helford River (always wind in the river) and pick up some wind before sailing out again. This ploy worked and I was soon sailing again, tacking out of the river into an easterly 1-2, slow but sore, once out again to August Rock the wind had picked up a little to a south-easterly 2-3 and we were making 3.3kts SOG. I thought I would turn back before the wind died again and slowly made my way back to Gillan.

Nearing the creek I rolled the genoa turned into wind and let the main down before motoring slowly back into Gillan. It was now over an hour after low water but with spring tides I knew it was going to be shallow, we have had problems with the engine not coming out of gear this season, I was going to take this really slowly. I could see some boats aground in Gillan and decided to turn earlier than I might other wise do with only 0.5m under the keel. I made the turn and moved the gear lever out of gear with three boats lengths still to go into tide, Elektra glided up to the mooring and I ran up to the bow to grab the mooring (all worked fine, what was I worried about?).

Back on the mooring now, we had logged 8.5nm in 3.75hrs, not fast sailing but I had enjoyed it non the less. Time to pack up again and head home to see Vicki and cook tea.

Sunday turned out to be sunny and warm, it was time to try out the wet weather gear, the dinghy had about 6″ of water in it!

The forecast was NE3-4 which would be great for going home but like most forecasts this season not very good!

We picked up the anchor at 1320hrs We tried to sail but no good, it was a S1-2 we were making 2kts and we had to get back by 1700hrs, so we started the engine and motored all the way back to Gillan, mooring up at 1510hrs having logged 8nm

We decided a meal out would be nice so we booked a table at the Pandora Inn in Restrogret Creek just a mile by dinghy to the WSW, there had been some heavy showers so we put full wet weather gear on and lifejackets to go down there, arriving on the pontoon in sunshine it seemed a little to much.

Within 1/2 an hour it was tipping down with rain but we had ordered our food and were drinking a pint when a group on small motorboats also arrived, they had been out in the rain, it was very interesting talking to them.

We waited for the rain to stop before leaving, heading out the Creek again down came the rain again and the engine stopped! So I started to row, these roll-up dinghies are not built to be rowed are they, I tried the engine again but no joy! My legs were in the way, trying this and that I found the best way was to kneel with my bottom on the seat, the problem was my knees couldn’t stand the pain so Vicki grabbed a buoy and I looked at the engine again. I tried a few things and then it fired, next pull started, we were off not stopping now, still raining with the engine cover off, I put it back the best I could. No more problem we were soon back on Elektra, we got into the cabin and left the wet weather gear under the spray hood, then the rain set in through that night and all the next day! We even started up the cabin heater in the evening to warm us up!

 

 

We had been on holiday since the 9th of September but one gale had follow another and today looked like the first possible day we could get out on Elektra.

Today the forecast was NW7-8 easing off to a NW4-5 later, the plan had been to sail to Fowey tomorrow but the forecast had changed and we didn’t think it a good idea. So we were going to cross Falmouth Bay and head up to Channels Creek and drop a hook for the weekend.

After loading and stowing the gear we dropped the mooring at 1715hrs, I had raised the main with two reefs and we motored out of Gillan and turned for Falmouth. Setting sail with all the genoa we set off across the bay and were soon logging over 6kts SOG, the wind was stronger than we expected about NW5 gusting 6 we soon reefed the genoa which never slowed us, after 20 mins or so Vicki on the helm had quite a bit of weather helm so I put three reefs in the genoa which helped the weather helm but never slowed us any. It was great to be out sailing but looking around not another sail in sight, Elektra was in the grove romping alone with very little sail. We sailed in past Pendennis Point at 1800hrs having logged 4.5nm. As per normal we lost the wind here and let out all the genoa again expecting to need to reef again when crossing Falmouth Harbour.

Heading north up the Carrick Roads against the tide we would have to tack but we had a good line for St Just in Roseland, as we passed St Mawes a group of racing yachts came out on the other tack, turning to follow us up the Roads, with full sail they couldn’t catch us! At St Just we tacked west towards Mylor, the wind wasn’t as strong now but we did have to roll in one reef in the genoa just to help the weather helm. Tacking again at Mylor with 0.8m under the keel, the tide was still going out but being a neap-tides we would be ok everywhere in the Roads. We now had a good line for Turnaware Point but the wind was easing so we let out the reef in the genoa.

We started the engine just south of Turnaware Bar to avoid having to tack again, we motored into Channels Creek and dropped anchor at 1900hrs having logged 10.5nm. Not that I saw that speed but the GPS was saying our fastest SOG was 7.8kts, which must have been in Falmouth Bay because of being against the tide in the Carrick Roads, anyway just great sailing!

Having spent two nights at anchor in Channels Creek we decided to head back to our mooring for Sunday night to avoid getting out early on Monday.

Quite a bit of the Carrick Roads is shallow, my rule to myself is keep to the deep channel 2hrs either side of LW springs, the rest of the time is ok anywhere.  At 1500hr about an hour before LW we lifted the anchor and motored out down the channel to where the channel turned back to St Just in Roseland, from there we set sail into a S3, we were able to follow the channel past St Just but once we tacked we were heading back towards the shallows just south of Mylor. It was a nice slow sail logging about 3kns, our old Hurley 22 couldn’t have sailed in so little wind. Over the shallows the sounder told us there was 0.9m under the keel so we kept going into deeper water again. It took us 2hrs to tack down the Carrick Roads to Black Rock where the wind died and we started motoring.

We picked up our mooring at 1750hrs having logged 10.5nm