day Two: Fowey back to Plymouth

seemed to happen much quicker. I've re-looked at the sums and actually I left Fowey around 8.30am and entered Plymouth Sound at 1.30pm so that was 28 kt over 5 hrs - so an average speed of just over 5kts. That feels pretty good to me I think. Then, of course, I entered QAB marina at low tide and had to wait a couple of hours for it to come up sufficiently to haul out Arwen. Huh, so much for having planned meticulously!! At least in the sunshine, it gave me an opportunity to dry out everything.....but wait, I've been remiss, and I’ve rushed ahead of myself - sorry!

the weather is closing in!!

8.30am saw us depart Fowey harbour entrance in a rising breeze of around 11 or 12 knots from the south west. As such, it was perfect, putting Arwen on a close reach for much of the journey to Polperro. We raced along at around 4.5 - 5.5 knots, surfing on some of the waves that came off the aft starboard quarter. The troublesome leeway current experienced the day before was non-existent and at no time did Arwen feel overpressed with too much sail aloft. White-topped waves, traces of spume whipped off their tops, troughs of water of translucent grey/green......a colour that reminded me of the serpentine rocks down at Kynance Cove in Cornwall.......perfect!

yep, it's definitely getting worse

Of course there was the rain. Torrential amounts in vertical sheets. The cliff tops shrouded in grey mists; walls of rain offshore rapidly making progress landwards. It cascaded off the sails in rivulets like small waterfalls, dripping onto everything below. Cushions became sodden; both aft and forward cockpits began to fill.

At what point do you start bailing out? Is it when there is an inch or two of water in the cockpit floor; five inches? Is it when it starts flowing from the forward cockpit back through the small drainage pipes under centre lockers and into the aft cockpit? Is it when you are suddenly caught by a squall, tipped leeward’s and the boat seems slower than normal in regaining its level trim as gallons of water slosh to one side and then back again?
New to me, the phenomena of too much water in the boat base, I discovered I was a three inches man! At that point when the water began to transfer across the centre line from one side to another I decided it was manual pumping time. This meant hoving to just off Polperro, between Polperro and George Island, just off George Island and just opposite Seaton between Looe and Downderry.......four times!! I pumped out gallons. My bare feet had turned to wrinkled masses of flesh; my waterproofs had leaked under my arms; everything was sodden.........and I learned a thing or two from the experience.......

1. I need to make up some sort of boat cover which can be put across the cockpit from one side to another when it rains; that can clip around the coaming and that has an opening slot for the downhaul; that stretches as far back as the end of the centre case so that only the aft cockpit is exposed........so I'll need to think this through over the winter

2. Along Arwen's rear thwart sides are openings to give access to under side deck storage. each opening needs to have a roll down waterproof canvas flap that can be buttoned down during bad weather so that the rain is kept out from under the side decks where I store much of what I may need access to during a day voyage

3. I may need to think about installing a simple, easily accessed, manual bilge pump

4. Having ballast sacks on the cockpit floor makes getting access to some of the 'bilge' water darned difficult!!

it's beginning to flow back from the front cockpit through the drainage pipes to the aft cockpit

After just passing Looe, I was cold; wet, stiff, miserable but interestingly, still quite happy and chirpy.....how strange. I managed to find a couple of dry towels to wrap around my neck, some dry waterproof sailing gloves and a warm hat and life picked up considerably. A large trawler was hauling scallop nets across one part of the bay and the crew waved to me. Probably wondered who the idiot in an open boat was out in some of the worst rain bursts we have had all summer! The little inshore lobster pot boats were noticeably absent. There were a few divers’ boats over the wreck of the Scylla - they seemed happy - well they were going to get wet anyway!
I looked more in vain hope for any signs of dolphins, basking sharks or sunfish....knowing deep down they'd have headed off shore and for warmer waters. Standing up became a slippy experience..........all that water!

oh boy did it rain or did it rain

And then it started to happen again. All had been going so well, a constant close reach along the coastline with barely any alteration of sails.......then that nasty leeway current pushing me further into the bay and towards the shoreline; before I knew it, Rame Head had loomed out of the rainy murk and it was clear I was going to have to tack back out to sea and towards Looe again if I had any chance of clearing it. Boy it was hard work...it was that 'going around in circles' feeling again. The more I tacked out to sea, the more I seemed to close more rapidly with the shoreline when I finally turned to face eastwards to Plymouth. At one point we came dangerously close to rocks - about 20m - but getting out of that tidal headland rip was proving almost impossible. Another larger yacht behind had fallen into the same trap and had immediately switched to motor sailing......filling me with that niggling dread.....would the outboard start?
No it wouldn't - for 30 minutes it was tack out as far as possible, try to start the engine, find myself back near the rock line again very quickly. It felt a desperate situation but eventually I managed to start the engine, move out to sea and we cleared the headland. Part of me was reluctant to switch off the engine now it was running (just incase it happened again) but I did and so we sailed along Penlee point and through the gap between it and the breakwater. The sun emerged, the rain clouds cleared and there was warmth - 19dC of warmth.....and clearing blue skies. I had time to admire the indented gullied coastline of Penlee point and on a broad reach we ambled down the sound towards Jennycliffe Bay.
The sound was a forest of white sails - everyone was out taking the opportunity of brightening skies and good winds. At Millbay docks - there was a flurry of activity....the preparations for the forthcoming 'America's Cup Heat [yes folks - in September American Cup fever comes to Plymouth Sound and the city is gearing up for what will be a truly momentous sporting event. As I write this now the container ship has arrived and unloaded all the containers at Millbay - containers housing the actual 9 catamarans, offices, crew quarters, workshops, everything needed for the formula one equivalent in the sailing world. We are anticipating thousands descending on our fair city and I will report events in due course....but exciting? Oh yes indeedy!]

bailer pump at the ready again

I shot across Plymouth Sound and into Jennycliffe Bay and heaved to. It took 2 minutes to start the engine with judicious use of the choke that helped me glide slowly back into Sutton harbour entrance(a little bit of water had splashed up over teh engine in a wave trough and I think it got slightly damp). Sailing into the south slip at QAB is impossibility - there just isn’t enough room in the channel between moored boats nor sufficient turning room at the end of the channel cul-de-sac. Sailing onto the north slip is easy - there is a huge expanse of water between the pontoon and the wall/rocks next to the marine aquarium. Get the approach wrong you can turn and try again.......but self launchers cannot use the north slip - that is where the QAB team operate and it is permanently busy with boats being hauled in and out by water crane etc.
I reached the slip at low tide. The concrete ramp ends and there is mud. If you try to drop a trailer into that lot - it's lost! The waiting time gave me plenty of opportunity to organise the boat; sponge out residual water in floor wells, assemble cushions along the pontoon edge where they could dry out in the sun. Waterproofs were slung over the furled sails which had dried nicely as we came down the sound. And then, I was taking my VHF out of its waterproof pouch to switch it off, I slipped on the wet thwarts, dropped the radio aerial first into the one remaining pool of water in the boat. It crackled, fizzed and died, the aerial hung limply at right angles!
One dead radio, one dead waterproof camera from a few trips ago. They say bad luck comes in three's - I hope not. I hope this is the end of some misfortunes......it had better be because it’s going to take some explaining to she what must be obeyed!!!!!

Steve

Postscript:

The boss hearing of my missfortunes has allowed me to upgrade to a new outboard engine by using the money I'd been saving for new boat covers and rubber rollers for the trailer....to fund a new four stroke Tohatsu 3.5hp. I got a good deal from the person I bought the original motor from 10 years ago!

The old engine is being serviced and then either he will broker it for me or I will sell it via ebay - so I will get some money back on it....which has paid for a new WATERPROOF VHF............sort of!

SWMBO was actually more understanding (or more resigned) that I first thought........I knew I'd married well!

Voyage summary: the statistics:

Day one: 29 nm

10 hrs sailing

Top speed 7.1 kts


Average speed 3.5 kts approx


Actual dead reckoning distance without tacks 24 nm






Day two: 28 nm


5.5 hrs sailing time


Top speed 5.8 kts


Average speed approx 5.3 kts


Dead reckoning distance estimated without tacks 24 nm






Total distance covered 57 nm