Love Sailing

After a cold night, both Vicki and I were glad it was warm in bed, but we had to get out and warm the cabin! I am always out first and as soon as I got out I started the cabin heater, but it blows cold at the start! I got dressed quickly and put kettle on for a coffee, by the time Vicki got out the cabin was warm. Looking out in the cockpit, I could see it was icy! A frost after a clear night, good job we have a cabin heater!

We had anchored well in under the bank and tree line to the east for good shelter but not that was working against us, as by 10am the sun hadn’t showed itself. We had stayed in the cabin and eaten a cooked breakfast, done the washing up and stayed warm. When the sun did show itself it was warm and the cockpit seen started steaming off and drying out. Time to open up and sit in that sun, out in the cockpit I wiped down the surfaces and puller the cockpit cusions out, wow! It was nice to have the sun on my back again, I even put some shorts on!

We seemed to have almost everthing and hadn’t forgotten very much, but just when you think it’s all good, you find out there’s no bog roll! Not the end of the world, there was kitchen roll, but before the end of the weekend we found a roll in the fore cabin, must have been moved there back in the winter when I replaced the black water tank vent skin fitting. A few other things went on the list, before the end of the weekend, USB charger cable for my lap-top, tiny screwdriver set were two of them.

I had to open up the mainsail dry lube the sail sliders to hopfully help the mainsail go up and down the mast track easier, after doing my jobs l sat in the cockpit and enjoyed the sunshine some more right up to early evening. But the forecast was giving heavy rain for Saturday, so before dinner at the end of the day we put up the cockpit encloser and sat down for dinner, closing up to keep the cabin warm. This turned out to be a muck warmer evening and we didn’t need the cabin heater but we still had a hot water bottle for the bed. The rain came in during the night and continued into the day, but you have to take the rough with the smooth in this sailing life. By lunch time the rain had stopped and we left the encloser up to dry out and at the end of the day we removed it and stowed it below.

The plan was to leave earlish tomorrow and sail back to Gillan and wait for the tide to get into Carne Creek because the forecast was saying north-westerly becoming south-westerly though the day, and north-westerly is a broad reach and south-westerly is a headwind.

It was time to find out if we could remember how to sail again after 5-6 months off! It was Thursday 10th of April, we had a forecast of easterly force 3-4. With a few more bags going out to Elektra and Vicki and I in the dinghy, it certainly felt like a strong easterly wind blowing into Gillan Creek as we crossed to the narrows into Carne Creek, but once into the creek it was nice and calm. Out at Elektra, I climb aboard at the shouds, then once in the cocpit, I find it easier to unloop the stern starboard bridle which has to go though the boarding onto the starboard stern cleat. Once I had done this I can lower the ladder and Vicki can climb aboard, then I get back in the dinghy and hand up the bags and Vicki opens up the cabin turns the power and fridge on. I lift the dinghy engine onto the outboard braket on the pushpit and let the davit lines down and hook onto dinghy before climbing back aboard. I have a link line which I use to hold both fore and aft mooring together so once I pick up one buoy I have both. I need to let the stern go to get the dinghy onto her davits, but before I let go I die the joining line on, I make the line off to the port genoa winch. Then I can pull the dinghy out on her davits, making sure I lift it above Elektra’s tiller, I then check the outboard clamps and refit the padlock. By which time Vicki has restocked the fridge and stowed most of stores, but I go and help with the remainder.

I alway keep an hourly writen log and normally it’s one of the first things I do to get ready to leave, I have used the same format printed sheet since the beginning of 2011, before that I used to buy logbooks but they didn’t seem to fit my needs. Once I have jotted down the day, date, weather forcast, passage from/to, total log for this season, tide times, hight and range, engine hours and passage remarks, I start taking the covers off the instruments.

I uncovered the mainsail and clipped on the halyard, then I started her engine and switched on her instruments and VHF. Once ready with lifejackets on while I walked up onto the bow with the link line inhand having untied it from the winch, I tied it to the bow pickup buoy. Vicki was uncovering and unlashing the tiller, checking she was ready, I let go the bow buoy. Vicki took Elektra slowly down the channel and though the narrows into Gillan Harbour, while Vicki helmed Elektra, I pulled up the main with one reef, because of the sea crashing on the Dennis Head, Vicki took her east of the Carock east cardinal buoy instead of going though the gap which we normally do.

Once around the buoy Vicki turned her towards Falmouth and I set the sails and stopped her engine. With quite a lumpy easterly swell and what seemed not much wind, it was obvious we needed to shake the reef out, which I tried to do but for some reason the sail didn’t want to go up properly, so it looked really poor with a slack luff, there was a lot of tension on the halyard but it wasn’t going up! We had to tack by August Rock starboard buoy and then headed back southeast for a while before we tacked again northeast towards St Mawes, now a good line this took us all the way and I started the engine just short of the mooring and rolled away the genoa. The mainsail had slowly gone up as we sailed across the bay and was set very nicely when it was time to pack it away! Lol. While Vicki motored Elektra into the Precuil River, I packed away the mainsail and we motored in and anchored in our normal spot, there was one other yacht at anchor. Evenings this time of year are on the cold side so when we were motoring the river I put the cabin heater on, so once I had done my jobs and got into the saloon it was nice and cosy. With clear skies that night was very cold and we ran the heater moor during the evening and filled a hot water bottle for the bed.

We normally play Scrabble in the evening, but because we had a late dinner, we sat down with a glass of red and listened to music. We like the radio but sometimes the signal isn’t good or if it’s not the type of music we like, we also have a smart speeker to stream music. These days, we almost never listen to news, it’s all bad! We weren’t too late going to bed.

Later the same day as Elektra was launched after brunch about 1100hrs.

Being that we are planning to be away for three months this season, I hadn’t arranged for Elektra to have a seasonal mooring, but I had asked for a mooring for the sholder months of April and October. Since it was showing east wind for the begining of April I suggested ao Anthony the boss the gale proof mooring we have used since buying Elektra in Carne Creek and he agreed.

There is a mooring block and ground chain but I add to this a stern anchor, ground chain and bridal making it a trott mooring, I change the mooring strop for a nice clean one. Later the same day as Elektra was launched, I loaded up the car with anchor, chain and strops and head back to St Anthony. My idea had been to use the dinghy to transport this heavy chain and anchor to the mooring, but I was running a bit behind time and as the saying goes “time and tide wait for no man” I pushed the dinghy down to the waters edge and carried the strops down to the dinghy. Then I lifted out the anchor and the chain and dragged it down to the dinghy. Just then Anthony comes out of the boathouse for a chat and all the time I’m thinking the tides going out! After the chat, I loaded up the chain, anchor, strops and tools and start rowing, the tide was already too low to use the engine! The dinghy goes aground and I get out and tow it a little was until it get too deep for wellies, and so on. I knew in the narrows it would be deep enough for the engine, and it had to be because the tide was coming out of there at about 3kts! Now with the engine going just fast enough to make it though the narrows, I land on the bank the far side of the channel. From here I would have to walk upsteam, too deep for wellies and not deep enough for the engine, so I walked in the edge of the channel towing the dinghy by its painter.

When I got to the right spot I pulled the dinghy onto the bank and walked over to the mooring, there I removed the dirty strop and attached the clean one. Then I pulled the mooring out straight upstream from the mooring block. Then I lifted the chain and anchor from dinghy and dragged over to the mooring, attaching a link line, I pulled the anchor out straight upstream and set the anchor in the ground, with a added pull from strop end, I was happy it would hold.

Then I loaded the dirty strop and tools into dinghy and headed back to St Anthony, rowing back down the channel with the outgoing tide and out though the narrows until the dinghy grounded, then I got out and dragged the dinghy by its painter as far as the water would allow me, then left it and walked over to to get the trolly. I lowed the dinghy onto her trolly and pulled to the top of the beach, left it there and went home.

Then at 1730hrs I drove back to St Anthony, now with the tide coming in I could launch the dinghy and motor from St Anthony across to the narrows, the east wind had built up though the day and was braking white out in the entrance to Gillan Harbour. Once though the narrows the water was calm and I motored over to where Elektra was anchored and climbed aboard, I switched on her eletrics, started her engine and got a boat hook out ready, walking up onto the bow, I emptied the spare gas bottle and bucket from locker and pulled up chain hand over hand (we have a hand windless, but I find pulling by hand easier if anchored in a depth less than 8m). The anchor was dug in well, and took a bit of braking out, and at the surface was covered in mud, so I plunged it, in and out a bit to clean and pulled it aboard. I had to stow in the anchor locker because the bow roller was to be used for the mooring strop, and I need to turn the anchor end for end to get in the locker. Once done I restowed the gas bottle and bucket.

Then back to the cockpit and motor slowly over to the mooring, getting Elektra’s speed right coming into the mooring takes a bit of practice and I must have been a bit rusty! The first 2 times, I just never got close enough to hook the pick up buoy before Elektra was pushed off by the wind. I pulled the bow strop onto the cleat on the 3rd try, my next problem was the link line was very tight and I couldn’t undo the bowline, in the end I got the knife and cut it! I was really impressed with the knife, just 3 slices and the line parted. Holding the end of the line I walked aft and pulling the stern strop, but the strop was too far away to get on the cleat, so I made line off to the cleat instead (not right but OK for now).

Then I stopped her engine switched off the eletrics and shut up the cabin, bank in the dinghy to St Anthony and drive home, it was now 1900hrs, it had been a long day!

The next day Paul my friend picked me up from home at 0745hrs to give me a lift pack to Gweek for the pick-up (Paul works in Falmouth, so on his way) Thank you Paul if you are reading. I had then to take my pick-up for its MOT, the garage lent me a car to get home.

The next day at low water, I went back to St Anthony and walked out across the beach towards the narrows, it was blowing a full easterly gale now and the closer I walked to the narrows the colder the wind chill felt, I had pulled a fleece on after leaving the car and I needed it even walking down wind! Out at Elektra, I pulled the anchor out and attached the bridal strop to her stern cleats and pulled the anchor astern and reset. I didn’t hang around because it wasn’t very warm and it was only once I got back to the narrows that I thought I didn’t take a photo, I wasn’t going back to her now!

With east wind Elektra would be staying here for a while and from Sunday 6th to 9th she will be neaped, so no sailing yet!

Vicki having had a opperation a few weeks ago and unable to do herself, had arranged for Elektra to have her internal cabin cleaned, this was done on the 21st of March.

With the cabin now clean, on the 22nd I loaded up her cruising gear ready for the season. This is normally something which we do together after Elektra has been launched but since Vicki wouldn’t be able to help me, I thought I would get it done myself while Elektra was still in the boat yard.

Adam, the yard boss had given me a new launch date and time of 0630hrs on the 31st March, so the sailing season will soon be here!

It had been a bit of a marathon getting all Elektra’s winter jobs done and at times I wondered if I would complete them in time for the new season. But almost suddenly at the end of February things seemed to come together. On the 27th, I scrubbed out her cockpit and on the 28th bent back on her sails and attached her sheets. On the 1st of March I refitted her dodgers and summer sprayhood and on the 2nd finished painting her boot top line.

This left me with a few jobs at home getting the dinghy, launching trolly ready, servicing running up the outboard for the season.

I also ordered some new safety equipment, dosen’t take long to spend £700, these days.

There are still a few little jobs to do before Elektra is relaunched on the 31st of March. I have a new Echomax control box to fit, a new LED tricolour bulb to fit. Vicki has arranged for Elektra’s cabin to be professionally cleaned and once cleaned I am going to load her cruising gear while she is still in the boat yard.

The plan is to motor her back down the Helford River to Gillan Harbour on the 1st of April.

Though November I gone on with cleaning Elektra’s decks and free board, the deck has always been a problem to clean, with black spots engrained into the non-slip GRP decking, with the help of “Grunt” and stainless scowering pads I was at last able to remove the black spots. When Elektra was built in 1984 her deck had been pourly laid up, her light gray non-slip had not covered the mould properly, thus there are areas of no pigment and other areas where the white pigment around the windows is there instead of the gray. I have wondered for a few years if I should paint it or not? The free board was eaiser to clean having been polished most years.

Then on the 9th December Chris the surveyor arrived to do a full survey for my insurance (I had increased her sailing area for 2025 and beyond). Later that week the survey arrived in my email in box, and of course the insurance wanted all the recommeded work to be done before relaunch. Among the items were new guard wires, extra bracing for solar frame, new anodes, rerun some pipework under the sink to ease access to stop vavles, aliminum tape on sound proofing around engine, sort out some wiring problems, service the engine(this had already been serviced), the mast had resently been liffed on again, I had rerun the cables and sealed the deck fittings but not connected internally, the mast lights arnt working! The list went on, most were small jobs and easy solved. Then there were the missing bits mentioned in the survey. The boom was at the riggers having a new outhaul fitted, the tiller was home being revarnised, and almost all her running rigging had been removed for the winter. Also her sails and canvas work had all been removed for the winter(Chris did say this was good practice).

On the 15th I was back down to Elektra looking and mesuring to order bits to get all the extra jobs done. On the 18th I removed her stanchions guard wires to take over to Falmouth to the riggers for them to renew. While I was over there, I picked up Elektra’s boom and some new mooring lines. On the 19th I got on with some of the jobs, aliminum tape over instation in engine box, rerun the pipes under the sink, clips on the cooker and removed her rudder for work at home. on the 20th and 22nd I was at home varnishing, machining timber for water tank straps and cleaning up the leading edge of the rudder.