TripSailor.com® Sailing Blogs

Tuesday 27th July

0500hrs Got a few hours rest but couldnt get to sleep. Damp cloudy morning with showers forecast for the day. Make some breakfast and a flask and secure everything for a bumpy motorsail home. Its 58 miles from the Cove here to St Mary’s harbour on Scilly. Need to push a bit of tide out to Lizard Point to catch the tide as it turns west close inshore at 0912hrs. If you cut close inshore at Lizard point you can avoid the worst of the overfalls in the tidal race and pick up a west bound steam an hour earlier than going outside the race. Not looking forward to it, spring tides, a head wind and rain with moderate to poor visibility. But it won’t be the first time I have done it.

0600hrs depart Penarvon Cove, motorsailing at 5 knots full mainsail. Heavy cloud, damp air but only a light breeze off the land from the NW. 0717hrs Engine off, full sail Manacles Buoy. Looking foggy at the Lizard ahead and to the west into Mounts Bay. another yacht a few miles ahead motorsailing towards the Lizard. 0815hrs Abeam Black Head 4.2 miles to Bass Point near the end of the Lizard. Wind dropping, engine on again motorsailing 4.5 knots. Only slight sea and swell so far but heavy cloud still sitting on Lizard Point, clearer out to sea. 0917 Rounding Lizard Point close inshore, 7 knots, slight overfalls last mile, moderate sea and swell. A west going stream alright, getting a good sling shot past the Lizard.

0932hrs Blasted around the Lizard down to 5.5 knots now and a moderate sea and swell. Wind W 1-2, visibility 3 miles, 40 miles to Scilly. An excellent rounding of the Lizard, thankfully winds havn’t picked up to the 3-4 forecast yet. 1056hrs Five Dolphins with me for 15 minutes in Mounts Bay, wind W 1-2, lots of heavy cloud sitting over the land and shore but clearer out to sea. Tide setting me south now but will turn SW and then NW and N in a few hours time. Wind continues to move around from SW to W but just able to keep mainsail full. Moderate sea and swell. 1358hrs beam Wolf Rock lighthouse, 1.5 miles south of my track but tide will be setting hard to the N as i close the islands. Moderate to rough sea last couple of hours, 3 miles visibility but looking very grey ahead. Seem to have missed most of the rain but getting some patchy light drizzle. Not a good day for views of the coast, Lands End completely obscured by cloud down to sea level.

1615hrs Heavy patchy drizzle islands shrouded in cloud but appear momentarily through the murk. Hats Buoy waypoint 8.65 miles. Overfalls for next couple of miles through a tide run off the islands. 1735hrs heavy rain 3.1 miles to run, wind WNW 2-3. 1818hrs Passing Hats Buoy in Crow Sound, rain stopped and visibiity improving fast. Sun trying to come out and wind goes NW 2-3.

1840hrs At anchor Pentle Bay on Tresco. I often anchor a couple of miles from the harbour to stowe sails and sort out the boat instead of rolling around in the swell off the harbour trying to do it. Also gives you a good chance to relax and reflect on the passage before heading ashore. Lovely sunshine breaking through the cloud. Phone home to announce my arrival in the islands. Finish my last couple of rolls as I motor up to the harbour and pick up a very weed covered mooring strop thats been in the water since I left in May. I had already arranged for my punt to be put on the mooring by a friend.

Thats it, its come to an end, the longest cruise I have ever done is over. The best part of 900 miles (the blog mileage total calculated by Google  isn’t accurate). It didn’t go as planned for the last month because of family illness, but quite a trip for a small boat and a great experience. The weather was kind which enabled me to experience some of the best sailing waters in the UK.

The blog was mainly done for my own record and to keep my family informed of my exploits. However it seems to have had a large number of visitors and I hope some of you have found it interesting. Perhaps it might inspire other small boat owners to do an extended cruise.