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It was a warm muggy night and the springs snatching with the continual slight movement made  for a restless sleep. Will pick up a buoy or anchor next time!

0715hrs Departed Dale for Lundy Island motor sailing, expecting to take 8 hours to cover the 38 miles. The forecast is for light W or NW winds until 12 noon and then NW or WNW 7-11 knots. So probably a motor sail for the morning. Because of tidal races around Lundy it is recommended to approach at slack water which today will be around 1725hrs when the East going stream starts. A bright morning with patchy low cloud and fog patches, visibility 1-2 miles. My route will take me along the Eastern side very close to the main marks and buoys for ships approaching Milford Haven so I shouldn’t be in their way but close enough to tick them off as they appear to confirm my position in poor visibility.

A grey bright start but the sun is trying to break through. A couple of porpoises hunting in my wake as ‘St Gowan’s’ mark approaches. A large black seal also appeared a few minutes later, but other than that it is a motor sail in a slight sea and moderate swell.

1100hrs Lundy in sight on the bow 15.6 miles away and its a flat calm sea now with a very light southerly breeze, but not enough to sail. As Lundy draws closer there is a large dark cloud sitting over the island, but its blue sky t-shirt and shorts weather out here. Wind moves around to WSW for a while and becomes light and variable again. Looks like the whole passage will be done under engine. 1443hrs Lundy harbour in sight at the end of spectacular cliffs. Cloudy and cooler here, back on with the trousers and fleece. The race off the NE of the island known as the ‘White Horses’ is quiet and just a big ground swell for a couple of miles as I pass between it and a smaller race inshore. A gentle breeze from the WNW off the land for the last couple of miles as you pass the stunning tall cliffs.

I turn up into wind 1\4 mile short of the harbour to drop and stow the main in the lee of the huge cliffs. The paddle steamer ‘Waverley’ is entering the harbour close to my port side as it lines up on the local transit marks. Lundy Islands own ship the ‘Goldenburg’ which works between Lundy and Bideford is also alongside the quay. Tourists embarking and disembarking, I think I have hit rush hour. The paddle steamer is not a regular visitor and does a few trips and then on to other areas of the UK. I motor into the anchorage and there is a small ‘dragon fly’ like trimaran anchored off the shingle beach and a small 24ft yacht closer in (almost as small as mine). There is also a 48ft yacht on a buoy with a vacant buoy next to it. Two older man are aboard the small yacht and confirm to me the holding is good when I ask. They are also heading for Padstow tomorrow and have come from Milford Haven! I decide to pick up the vacant buoy and wait to see if anyone appears. They are not marked as visitors buoys so I will be staying aboard in case a boat appears to claim his mooring back. The view along the high cliffs and the back drop of the sheer hard rock faces around the quay are imposing and impressive. There are very few local boats here, just two small outboard powered day boats. You can imagine it gets pretty rough around this harbour when the wind goes due north or anything with east in it. You can anchor around the other side of the island in easterlies apparently but not many do. This high but small island definitely attracts its own weather system as a cloud seems to permanently over the island. It was certainly calm for my visit and the island was only just providing shelter from the now light NNW wind, but a slight motion is still evident at high water. A real rugged anchorage that needs to be experienced.

Unfortunately I cant spend much time here as I have a tight weather window to get to Padstow and need to set off from here at 0200hrs tomorrow, an hour after slack water when the SW stream starts at Hartland Point (-0440 HW Dover). Glad I took the opportunity to split the passage to Padstow with a stop at Lundy, it conveniently splits the trip into two manageable legs of 38 and 40 miles instead of a direct passage of 70 miles from Dale to Padstow.

Fate played its hand once again and I did manage to get ashore for two hours. A dive boat appeared to claim his mooring but then kindly allowed me to tie off the back of him. They were a dive club from Appledore and come to Lundy most weekends and had been diving all day. They were going ashore for a drink and some food but would be back in 2 hours as they needed to depart for home by 2000hrs. They invited me to join them and I accepted. They were very friendly and not at all bothered I was on their mooring. I was most welcome to go back onto it when they leave. I couldn’t be bothered to get my own dinghy out earlier when I arrived as I wasn’t here for long, so jumped at the chance to see the island. It would still get me back in time for 5 or 6 hours sleep before I departed. By the time we had all been ferried ashore in an inflatable and then climbed up the steep and windy path to the ‘Marisco Tavern’ there was only just time for a drink and and a bowl of chips. The views were amazing from the top of the Island and I am really glad I went. What a spot of luck, they were a nice bunch of guys of all ages and envied me living on Scilly. They bring the boat down to Scilly some years to spend a week diving and hope to do it again in August.

A great end to a great day, now must get some sleep!