Love Sailing

After over a week in Greek Bay, Bryher, supplies were running low and with a some calmer days in the forecast, we planned to get over to St Mary’s the main island to restock. The wind was forecasted to die away on Saturday, l thought by Sunday morning morning the swell will have eased.

While we had been in Green Bay, l had managed to get the depth sounder to work on the older chart plotter which was mounted on the chart table. Not exactly where the information needed to be but at least we had some idea of the depth which was truly necessary in the islands. At high water, l pulled up Elektra’s anchor and Vicki took Elektra back out of Green Bay and turned south down New Grimsby Sound over the shallows. An hour later we were looking at Porth Loo thinking it was a bit rolly! The swell hadn’t died away as much as l thought it would. But inside the harbour the yachts on the moorings seemed to be rolling just as bad at £30 per night! It wasn’t dangerous to anchor but wouldn’t be comfortable. We decided we would anchor and go ashore to get away from the rolling which is what we did.

Back in the winter l had bought a folding sack trolley which we took with us for the shopping. We left Elektra to her rolling and went ashore, landing at the dinghy pontoon. Vicki finds walking very difficult, normally l aid her with my arm for support and walk slowly. We did this to the Co-op and did our shopping. When we left the Co-op with a full sack trolley and l also carried a bag, Vicki had to manage as best she could. With the “Atlantic Inn” open for Sunday Roast, we stopped there on the way back for lunch and a beer. Then with Vicki rested it was back to the dinghy pontoon and back out to Elektra.

Elektra was still rolling, but not quite as bad. We stayed there overnight and the swell never really calmed down. But we were back ashore early next morning for more shopping and take washing to the laundry. We had breakfast from a cafe. Once back aboard we moved to Porth Cressa, the south side of the island for a calmer night! From Porth Cressa it was easier to pick up the washing and Vicki bought me afternoon tea from next door cafe. Porth Cressa had filled up from the 4 yachts there in the morning to 14 by evening.

We sat enjoying the surroundings in Elektra’s cockpit well into the evening, a French yacht had arrived and the 4 guys went ashore, when they came back later on, while the skipper was climbing aboard the dinghy upset and the other 3 ended up swimming! They seemed to take it all in good spirits, there was a lot of laughter as they saved the bags and the shoes from floating away!

Like l said before we love Scilly but there isn’t any around shelter for yachts with deep keels and can’t take the ground. The lsles of Scilly is the one place where yachts which can take the ground come completely into their own. In deep water your normally a long way off the little shelter the islands can provide in a blow. If you can find sheltered anchorage or mooring, quite often in unsettled weather there will be a ground swell and yachts will roll badly.

Our last yacht a Hurley 22 had beach legs which worked well most of the time but they needed a quiet anchorage with no swells or boat wash. One of the reasons we bought Elektra was she had twin keels for Scilly.

The forecast for the week following our arrival in Scilly was strong west and southwest winds and Green Bay, Bryher inside New Grimsby Sound is ideal. So the morning after our arrival we moved to Green Bay. This year the Bay was very busy  but we found a spot close to the shore with the other 25 yachts there. There we stayed for the whole of the next week. For the main the weather warm and was dry, with some sunshine.

Lots of walking for me and the occasional meal ashore for Vicki, lots of R&R for both of us.

We had heavy rain, thunder and lightning around 0800hrs, but l am glad to say it didn’t last long.

On Saturday at 1030hrs which was about 2.5hrs after low water l pulled up Elektra’s anchor and Vicki turned Elektra towards New Grimsby Sound south entrance. We motored north across St Mary’s Roads to our way point. We were quite early but other yachts were following us. When we reached our way point, we slowed right down to 3kts and motored in. We of course didn’t know what depth we had as our new instruments, still weren’t working but as l have said in the past 2″ under the keel is floating, and floating is floating!

Only by looking back and watching the yachts behind, could we tell there wasn’t much depth! They slowed to an almost stop.

Anyway we continued on and turned into Green Bay, found a spot just west of Charlie and Jackie on Tantrum who we had met last season. I dropped anchor and 10m of chain, walked back to the cockpit and put Elektra in reverse, when her bow turned towards the anchor, l knew the anchor had bit. Then l looked for transits and could see Elektra was moving forward if anything, so not dragging. At high water we had just over 2m under the keels, we would touch bottom at about 2.7m with low water being 1.3m we would be on the bottom between 1730hrs and 2230hrs. But with strong west and southwest winds forecasted for the next 7 days, if you are aground it’s impossible to drag anchor.

What followed was a lovely summer’s day, which we lazed away in Elektra’s cockpit.

After a sleepless night on Elektra’s swing mooring in East winds, not really ideal conditions to be aboard but we ran out of time yesterday.

By 0200hrs, l had enough and got out, we had planned to leave at 0330hrs. The night was black as l got Elektra ready to leave, fitting her tiller pilot and switched on her instruments and nav lights. Elektra was bouncing up and down on her mooring and my biggest concern at the time was dropping her mooring and getting back to the cockpit and tiller before Elektra was blown back into the yacht on the next mooring in!

But it worked out fine and l engaged forward in time having dropped the mooring at 0230hrs, l knew there was another motorboat on a mooring ahead of us but couldn’t see it in the blackness of the night, as we passed by l could just make out the waves breaking around it. After that l turned Elektra northeast out of Gillan Harbour between Carcroc and the Dennis Head as l knew from the evening before there was lots of pot markers by Carcroc Cardinal buoy and l wouldn’t see them in the blackness.

Once out clear of Carcroc l turned Elektra east into the swell and the Nare way point. I was having problems with the tiller pilot, in the dark, l couldn’t see the controls so couldn’t put it into action. Knowing Elektra was in safe ish waters l went below for a torch. Once back in the cockpit, l let the tiller pilot take control, so l would be free to set the sails. I waited until we had reached the Nare Point and turned towards Manacle Buoy and then set a reefed genoa, from here we motor sailed to Manacle Buoy, which we passed at 0330hrs. Then turning south-southeast l stopped the engine and pulled out all the genoa, Elektra was now logging 5kts towards Black Head.

We passed Black Head at 0430hrs as it was just becoming light. Turned Elektra southwest for the Lizard Point and she speeded up to 6kts and turned west at the Lizard Point for St Mary’s at 0530hrs 42nm away. Elektra was now logging 7kts SOG for the next 2hrs in the east-southeast 20kts of breeze. The forecast was for east or southeast force 4-5 for the Cornish coast but little or no wind out in Scilly. So l was thinking we would be sailing to Wolf Rock and then have to motor.

As the hours passed the sea became rough and l had to reduce sail so the tiller pilot could cope. At one point we had 2 reefs in the genoa and still logging 5-6kts. But then the wind began to ease and as it did l would unroll a bit more sail

As we slowed l checked the engine and found the coolant level low again, so l topped it up. I started looking for the problem and thought l found it when l discovered the water heater tap was turned off in the cockpit locker so the water couldn’t circulate. I was glad we had plenty of wind to sail. But the wind continued to die away and for 3/4hr around 1000hrs we only logged 2nm. So l knew we had to motor the last 20nm.

To start with we motor sailed but the wind completely died away so l rolled the genoa away and motored, not wanting to press the engine we only logged 4.5kts SOG from here.

As Wolf Rock disappeared behind us we normally expect to see Scilly from 8-9nm away but for some strange reason not today. It wasn’t long before we found out the reason was fog! Scilly was covered in fog and it eventually cleared enough for us to see the islands for the first time from 1-2nm.

We motored into the islands via Crow Sound and having missed the tide to get north into New Grimsby Sound we anchored at Porth Loo on St Mary’s at 1530hrs having logged 58nm.

I drank a bottle of larger and promptly fell asleep for 2hrs in the cockpit sunshine 🌞By then I had been awake 33hrs, after something to eat, I slept very well that night!

Ever since we first visited Scilly by yacht, back in 2009 we had wanted to visit again and again and again! The problem was work always got in the way, with my max holiday 9 days from leaving work and on with it again. Then taking the weather and passage planning into consideration, it quite often only left us with 3-5 days in the islands before heading for the mainland again. We had 2 exceptions to this, one in 2013 when we got gale bound in Scilly and we were then away 11 days and another time in 2023 after I became semi-retired we stayed for 12 days.

This season we had planned to sail to Scilly in May, wait there for the weather to cross the Celtic Sea to Ireland, then port hop around the southwest and south coasts before heading for home in August. But Vicki’s doctors found a cancer in February which was operated on quickly and she had the all clear. But then she had radio treatment for a week in June which stopped our planning, there is always next year.

We had a problem with our engine over heating, every time l thought l had solved it, it would get hot again! My engineer suggested coolant level was down and that seemed to be the problem, because it was low. On Thursday l dropped over to the engineer for extra coolant and engine oil just in case it was needed.

So by mid June we had the time to get out to Scilly and we didn’t have anything we needed to rush home for, so providing Vicki was feeling well enough we planned Scilly for a 3-4 week holiday before the schools break up for their holidays and the islands get too busy. Idea wind is northerly force 4-5, but wind is weather and you have to take what comes. Vick’s treatment was to finish late in the afternoon of the Wednesday the 18th. On Thursday and Friday the weather forecast was giving east winds. With the shopping not coming until midday l when to St Anthony to move Elektra from Carne Creek to her seasonal mooring in Gillan Harbour. By the time l had motor Elektra to mooring about half an hour, l phoned Vicki and said we aren’t going with this engine, it had overheated again!

By 1600hrs l thought l had solved the engine overheating problems but the tide was going out, l phoned Vicki looking OK now, l will come back and pick up you and the stores. At that point we weren’t sure if we would get away on Thursday or not. But once loaded, l had to carry the stores from the pick up across the beach flats to the dinghy which took me 4 trips. By the time l arrived out at Elektra with the 2nd dinghy loaded it was 1900hrs. So we decided to stop there for the night.

After strong west winds during the weekend, Mondays forecast was for NW force 3/SW4/SW4-5.

The plan was to go back to Dartmouth and pick up Vicki’s prescription, and camping gaz refill and a bottle of rum. We left early knowing the tide stream would be against but motoring anyway, it didn’t really matter. It took us 1.75hrs to cover the 12nm back to Dartmouth. I went off to get the supplies and Vicki got breakfast really, too early for all the shops so l had to hang around until they opened, then l found out the camping shop did sell camping gaz in our size and the off licence wouldn’t opened until 1100hrs, so it was just the prescription l could pick up. Back to Elektra for breakfast. After that we got ready to leave, l wanted to get to Start Point by 1315hrs as l didn’t want wind against tide there!

We cast off at 1035hrs, while Vicki was motoring Elektra back down the river to the sea l pulled up the main with a reef. Then set the genoa off the entrance and we sailed along at about 5kts until we got further out and the wind died away and our speed to 2.5kts. So l started the engine and rolled away the genoa. Motoring towards Start Point l passed a racing yacht with storm sails just coasting along, almost dead in the water. Looked odd with nobody visible, l wondered if they were sleeping after a night sail.

Motoring on we passed Start Point ahead of schedule at 1210hrs and briefly we could sail again. But somehow it always seems to happen the wind turned onto the noise again! And we continued on motoring to Pawle Point. With the new heading towards Bolt Head, we started motor sailing, so instead of turning into Salcombe we continued on passage to Plymouth. Not wanting to slow l continued motor sailing from Bolt Head way point to Plymouth east way point. The forecast was for the wind to pick up in the evening and it did about an hour before Plymouth east WP, by which time l had two reefs in the main and the genoa. Hard on the wind pushing on with the engine to get to the WP, l was really pleased to be able to bear away in towards Shag WP and stop the engine at last.

From Shag l sailed Elektra though the east side of the breakwater and across Plymouth Sound and though the Bridge and then started her engine again to motor into and dropped anchor in Barn Pool. Elektra had logged 45.5nm in 8.75hrs.

Having been limited to a week at a time aboard, this had always hampered going to far from home, once we were 3 day sails from home we would always turn back. Although we had been to Dartmouth twice before it had been aboard our last “Gala” and we hadn’t got past Salcombe with “Elektra” in the last nine seasons.

So coming out of Dartmouth and turning north along the coast was a new experience in new waters for us. There seemed a nice wind when we exited the Dart and to start with we were sailing at about 5kts but then the wind died away and l started her engine again. Motoring up the coast towards Berry Head, the wind filled in again and l unrolled the genoa and stopped the engine.

From there we had a great sail, passing in close to Berry Head and then turning towards Torquay, with the big wheel a nice land mark to aim for.

Having called up the harbour master and asked for a visitor berth, we motored in and moored up to V pontoon having logged 12nm in 2.75hrs.

We spent 3 nights there, met friend for a drink on the Friday evening and other friends for dinner another evening and watched the air show which was on over the whole weekend.

After a horrible 24hrs anchored in Cawsands, wet, windy and rolly! The electronics company had got hold of me to say Garmin hadn’t posted the units until Friday before the bank holiday weekend and they weren’t expecting them before Thursday. So we said we would carry on east and arrange something on our return west in about a week.

The forecast for Wednesday was westerly force 4 gusting 6. We thought that looked less wind than the last 2 sailing days. The plan was to sail to Salcombe, l thought about 4hrs away. I pulled up the anchor about 0610hrs and Vicki motored Elektra out of Cawsands while l stowed the anchor, cleaned the deck and did the first log entry. There didn’t seem much wind as we headed across Plymouth Sound towards Bolt Head, but only 10mins later l had stopped Elektra’s engine and logging 5kts on just her genoa. Things hotted up by the time we passed the Mew Stone off the  Yealm River, Elektra was logging 5.5-6.5kts SOG, the sea was big and rolling in from the southwest even with the westerly wind.

With in 2hrs of leaving,  l had decided with this southwest swell and Salcombe halfway through the ebb tide, l didn’t fancy going in the entrance, so had decided to carry on to Dartmouth.

We were seeing speeds of as much as 8.5kts at times, the tiller pilot couldn’t cope, so alot of the time l had to helm. Once past Salcombe the swell died away a bit but the wind was still blowing, 26-30kts! I had kept well south of the land from Bolt Tail to Start Point and it looked like l was sailing into the path  of a oncoming ship as we neared Start Point, but with a jibe and some adjustment to the sail, l showed her my intentions to keep clear. I expected Skerries Bank to be breaking white, but the sea had calmed down by then, even if the wind was still blowing!

On along beside the Skerries Bank and even when we turned towards Dartmouth the wind was still good into the Dart entrance. We were there by 1200hrs and started the engine having logged 34nm plus another 2nm to get moored to a pontoon by 1230hrs. I say what a passage, one to go down in my memories as to why we love to sail!