Love Sailing

The Isles of Scilly we the place we had been trying to get to since the last time we went in 2013 but each year the weather had other ideas. Now this season with our newer bigger yacht we were determined to go, the weather was looking good for the Monday 3rd July, I had to work until afternoon of Saturday 1st.

We had planned to, spend the Sunday loading ready for a early start on Monday but looking at the weather again in the early evening said that Sunday would be the better day. This meant we had to rush around getting things ready and loading the car. Down to the beach and two trips out by punt to “Elektra” on her mooring meant it was nearly 2200hrs buy the time we were loaded and stowed. The tide stream was with us between 0415-1015hrs which meant we had to cast off at 0300hrs so it was early to bed. I didn’t sleep well and then over slept!

We cast off at 0450hrs and motored in the flat calm until we rounded Manacle Buoy at 0530hrs, over an hour late. I had text my shore contact on the way out the river with our plans. From the Manacles we sailed well until we got to out waypoint off the Lizard Point at 0710hrs. We then turned to the west for Scilly 43nm away and into a light head wind and started motoring, it was a quite lumpy sea off the Lizard but soon calmed down as we moved west. We knew before we left it would be a light head wind but with the draw on the Isles of Scilly we were going on holiday. When the CG shipping forecast came on they were saying force4-5 west of the Lizard, the internet forecast I had said force 3, f4 later. An hour after rounding the Lizard there was no wind, we were motoring in a glassy sea with a big swell from the wind the night before, as we motored west this swell fell away.

Just after 1000hrs we were joined by a huge pod of Common Dolphins which stayed with us for nearly an hour, they were lovely to see.

At 1215hrs we past the Wolf Rock lighthouse, 2hrs later than the plan, a big container ship had passed between us and Lands End 1/2hr before, apart from that we didn’t see any other ships between Wolf Rock and Scilly. At 1500hrs we cleared the shipping lanes and the Dolphins joined us again this time riding the bow wave.

The sea was now like glass with no swell and we decided to head for The Cove, St Agnes for our first night, now just 11nm away. At 1600hrs and just 3nm from The Cove the wind increased to a west force 4, we just motored on. We arrived at The Cove at 1640hrs and dropped anchor having logged 59nm. There were three other yachts anchored there.

Then in the cabin I fell asleep for two hours before inflating the roll-up dinghy and going ashore to find mobile signal to text my shore contact with safe arrival, my SC had not heard anything from me so had contacted the CG. Once back aboard I contacted Falmouth CG on the VHF to say we were safe in Scilly.

It was early to bed that evening and I slept solid for 10 hours before waking to a brite new day.

Saturday I had scrubbed Elektra bottom as she was dried out in Place Manor, I also had a good look at the anchorage and the best places to drop anchor, took some transits for next time. There was a wedding at the Manor and we enjoy evening music and fireworks with front row seats!

On Sunday being spring tides we had decided to stay until we floated again in the afternoon, we went aground at 1100hrs and floated off at 1500hrs.

At 1510hrs up came the anchor and we motored out the river and set sail, reefed main and all the genoa making 5-6kts, we only had to tack twice and got into Gillan at 1730hrs

After the last weekend we were looking for a weekend doing nothing and not to far from Gillan.

Tony and Sandra the last owners of “Elektra” had got hold of me though this blog and said they had her cruising chute which I could have . There mooring is in the Precuil River and we had arranged to go and pick it up in the evening.

Having had the Monday off I had to work on Friday and only got back home at 4pm, so it was a bit of a mad panic unloading the work gear, getting a shower and loading up the boat gear and going to the beach loading punt and heading out to “Elektra”

We dropped the mooring 1750hrs with a forecast of WSW5, I set just the genoa and we sped across Falmouth Bay into the Precuil River, 7nm in 1.25hrs. we picked up a mooring near Tony and Sandra new yacht and Tony came over in the punt for us both. we enjoyed a very nice evening chatting about yachts with drinks and nibbles. Tony handed over the sail and we headed back to “Elektra” dropped the mooring and motored into Place Manor to anchor for the night.

 

 

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.