Month: August 2016

St Mary’s,Scilly,Bay of Biscay to La Coruna 410 nautical miles. 23.8.16 to 27.8.16 Under Water fireworks and hovering helicopters!

ST MARY’S, SCILLIES, BAY OF BISCAY TO LA CORUNA 410 Nmiles. 23.8.16 TO 27.8.16 UNDERWATER FIREWORKS AND HOVERING HELICOPTERS! We had a clear 4/5 day weather window of variable force 3 to 4 winds, not great for sailing, but safe for Biscay. A beautiful afternoon, we were fuelled up and had plenty of food and water in readiness for our next leg. We were a bit nervous, and this made us a bit snappy with each other, we’re very similar in our behaviour! We understood why the other was a bit tense, this was unknown territory from now on. Once we get going, we focus and work well together. A big hug makes all the difference! We slipped our mooring from St Mary’s on the 23rd August at 1315hrs. Sparkling Dolphins!! The Scilly Isles were disappearing, and soon out of sight. We hoisted our main sail but there was very little wind early on in our journey, so it was a case of motoring and when there was any sign of wind, we’d haul out the headsail and use what little wind we were given. Darkness began to fall and the winds became more and more variable. We had to keep adjusting both sails to catch the wind which was coming from all over the place, and the seas became more confused and lumpy, nothing to worry about, just frustrating as Sisu loves to sail! Terry took over from the autopilot and steered. We had planned to commence 3 hourly watches from 2000hrs, but due to the wind and sea state, Terry said he’d carry on steering for the time being and I could rest and come on watch later. Around 2200hrs, it was cloudy, no moon was visible and we had phosphorescence in the sea. This is the effect of a certain type of plankton which glows in the water when disturbed. It’s so beautiful, making the wash and wake of Sisu sparkle as she broke the sea’s surface. Then…. suddenly there was what appeared to be a white hot bolt of phosphorescence streaking our way! Our brains were trying to make sense of what we were witnessing! We looked over our starboard side, suddenly this long glowing torpedo twisted under our hull, it was a dolphin! She was quickly joined by her friends, 2,3 and 4 of them streaking across the sea towards us. The dolphins left long, long vapour trails of searing, white stars and sparkling diamonds under the water, it was absolutely phenomenal!! Trails of several dolphins would flow in a line, then, in one simultaneous decision, they would twist around and under each other, the magical sparkling trails winding round each other under our hull and across our bows! The Red Arrows are pedestrian compared to the choreographed flights we were seeing! We could even distinguish the size of dolphin by the size of the “fireball” he or she was creating as they flew around Sisu! These trails were easily 15/20 feet long, so solid too, close by us even the sides of each dolphin was lit up, their cream sides and underbellies sparkling within their sheath of shooting stars! The dolphins would break the surface regularly, and, as they drew breath, they created an explosion of fireworks, often 2 or 3 would surface, the star trails flourishing off their backs and dorsal fins, we’ve never, ever seen such a sight, what an absolute joy and memory to treasure. This honour lasted a good 30/40 minutes! I do wonder though, dolphins look at each other and look at us too in our boats, surely they must know they are glowing when there’s phosphorescence around, how can they not? Do they get a thrill too from seeing themselves sparkling? What must a young dolphin think, when for the first time they experience phosphorescence, a total sense of wonder and laughter too? Perhaps I’m being fanciful, but we know dolphins are highly intelligent, thinking mammals with a genuine sense of fun, I believe they enjoy the effects of the phosphorescence upon their bodies as much as we do, surely? It’s a memory that will remain with us for ever. What we get up to on passage, well this passage anyway, it’s a work in progress! The plan was whilst on passage and doing watches, to sleep in the quarter berth, a little tucked away berth on the starboard side of Sisu, hot bedding during watches. Not as racy as you think, we would be sharing the same bed, just not at the same time!! It became extremely clear this wasn’t going to work for one of us, me. Terry can sleep on a clothes line for hours, whilst I’m a night owl and a morning lark, sleep doesn’t come easy, though according to Terry when it does, his little princess snores like an ancient wart hog with a heavy cold, I don’t believe him…… The quarter berth is cosy, comfortable with a mattress topper and warm, a promising start to slumber, but…… Terry was on first watch and I would sleep till it was my turn. I bunged in my earplugs and lay there waiting for sleep to come whilst the sea rushed past my ears, whooshing and bubbling off the hull, god it was loud and it was rolling so much from side to side I had to grip on! Then we had the engine running on the other side of the bunk, it was even louder!!! Sleep was never going to happen. By 0200hrs I was clawing at my hair with tiredness and frustration that if I don’t sleep, I’m of no use to Terry and our watch system when it’s my turn. I stared wild eyed at Terry, stood in the cockpit steering. “I can’t sleep here, I’ll go mad!!!!!” At this point, relatively early on in our journey he may have thought I’d lost it already and wanted to go home! In fact the whole night didn’t go to plan, thus can be the nature of sailing! Terry had to steer through the night due to the misbehaviour of the seas and in between keeping him company I would lie in the quarter berth going quietly insane. T’was indeed, a dark night of the soul! However, another day dawned, we sorted out a bed in the cabin, in the middle of the boat, put up a lee cloth, a long length of cloth which is attached to the edge of a berth, thus creating a narrow cot which stops you falling out, and sleep was possible, hurrah! It’s simply a case of adapting and hanging on to a sense of humour, or at best, a sense of the totally ridiculous……. Cooking A routine of sorts became established during our passage. Food is the highlight of the day and tasty proper meals important. It’s amazing how many calories are burnt up, bracing yourself, as with the constant flexing of the boat, even whilst asleep your body is adjusting to the movement. As Terry was doing the bulk of the steering and checking the auto pilot each day, I was more than happy to be chef. On the first day of our journey I was hurling over the side before we’d lost sight of Peel, and couldn’t stay below for long, now I was cooking, in my opinion, rather good meals! I say cooking, it’s actually cooking whilst riding a bucking bronco at times! The galley area, which includes the oven, hob, sink and fridge is narrow, running alongside the solid side of the steps leading out of the cabin. There are numerous handholds alongside the sink, walls, cooker and fridge. Also, storage on a boat really has to work, so the fridge lid is a worktop, the cutlery, knives etc and tinned foods are under a work top space next to the sink. Under the sink are the pots and pans. So…. Planning is essential. Get out from under the nooks and crannies all the food and utensils you need out before you start to prepare and cook, otherwise you’re moving food, plates, utensils from one space to another, then back again, all the time the boat is either pitching or rolling! You do get used to it! It’s when you start sailing overnight that you discover what needs tweaking. In the case of the galley, it was a fiddle, a wooden raised ridge which runs along the edge of a table or worktop. This stops food etc from rolling off. The sink and cooker have fiddles, no problem. Preparing our evening meal the first evening was a learning experience being the first time I’d cooked during a passage, and bit of a comic farce as, whilst wedging myself against the back of the cabin wall, my feet braced against the fridge……. I had to use my elbows to hold the chopping board, my hands to chop stuff, in the meantime, tomatoes, onions, cloves of garlic, were gleefully escaping off the fridge worktop and gambolling round the cabin, it was just ridiculous and hilarious! I told Terry tea would be ready when I’d caught it! Next day, Terry fitted a fiddle to the fridge worktop, sawing the length of fiddle outside in the cockpit and using his battery charged drill, screwed the fiddle onto the worktop. Perfect! Tomatoes, onions, garlic, eggs, you are now restrained, no more shall you laugh at the chef as you run towards the furthest corner of our cabin! We would eat about 7pm to 8pm, depending on the conditions and what was happening. Meals from the Sisu restaurant included garlic chicken, with peppers, tomatoes and onions baked in the oven with savoury rice, chorizo in a spicy tomato sauce and pasta, minced lamb with sun dried tomatoes, rice and peas, very Moroccan! At home in Ramsey we have a great spice shop called Suzy Wong’s Spice Emporium, run by (another) Terry and Alan. Thank you boys for your tasty range of spice mixes you made up for us, these fragrant spices really expanded our culinary range and imagination. The rice blend including sweet paprika, smoked paprika, garlic salt, coriander and cayenne pepper is fabulous! The fragrant North African Ras-El-Hanout spice blend of rose petals, allspice berries, black pepper, coriander, mace, paprika, cardamom, cayenne pepper, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and turmeric really boosted poultry and rice, it’s fun experimenting. There’s also the added challenge of adding these mixes in to a pot whilst sailing. A teaspoon of spice mix can, in a frolicsome wave, become a very large double table spoon!!!! It adds to the excitement of cooking in a galley! I’m looking forward to us catching fish en route so we can use the fish seasoning mix of ginger, lemon salt, black pepper and dill. As we travel we will be picking up local foods so our diet will vary the further we go, exciting! Watches. For now, we’ve found that 3 hour watches work. Terry sleeps 2000hrs to 23000hrs, I watch. Being a night owl, I can’t sleep then. At 2300hrs, Terry makes a cuppa for both of us if we feel like one, he takes over and I sleep till 0200hrs, making him a cuppa, so it goes on. I’m happy to stay on till after 0500hrs. As there’s only two of us, doing a longer shift if either of us feels like it works and lets the other sleep for a bit longer. The last couple of nights when it’s been a bit cooler, I’ve tended to sit under the sprayhood, with my feet resting on the steps leading down to the cabin. When the hatch cover is pulled over my knees, like a travelling rug, it’s cosy, out of the way of the wind, the GPS close by on the left, our hamster hoard on the right! We have a wonderful lady, Bernadette, in Ramsey who’s sewn innumerable pieces of kit for us, nothing we bring to her to be sewn has fazed her. The sprayhood, bimini, and wind sock for our forward hatch, all she was given was a stapled together tarpaulin pattern! Bernadette put extra windows at the sides and front of the sprayhood. This gives us all round vision, in all weathers. At night, tucked up under the hood, we can clearly see what’s going on when the weather’s not ideal for sitting in the cockpit for hours. Also at night, we always clip on, never going out of the cockpit alone. The person on watch will wake the other if any activity outside the cockpit is necessary. Before nightfall, we reef the sail too, the smaller area of sail slowing the boat down through the night. It’s wiser to put in a reef at that time, even if it’s not needed than to try to reef in the middle of the night in rough conditions. We check the sea all round regularly together with keeping an eye on our chart screen on the GPS. We have AIS, this way we can see what vessels are around us, what they are, and its speed and direction. We set an alarm too which will go off if any vessel could cause a collision. It was fascinating to see that we weren’t alone! Heavily laden tankers were steadily ploughing their path to Rotterdam, Egypt, Felixstowe etc, carrying hazardous materials or dangerous goods amongst other things! We also had plenty of fishing boats and sailing boats. Of course when a sailing boat is on the same route as us it’s a race! It was interesting to see boats we’d been watching, and they us on their own AIS, moored up in La Coruna. During the night shifts we have our “hamster hoard”. This could be chocolate, liquorice allsorts, breakfast bars, or cookies. Treats to keep us going through the night, a reward if you like, for each hour, or in Terry’s case, half hour, that passes. We’d read too, every few minutes casting a look around us or at the screen, the cockpit took on an orange glow at night from the soft lights of the compass in the centre, radio, engine and autopilot screens port and starboard. You couldn’t see much of the sea, just a small margin, though you could hear the hiss and tumble of waves as they broke around us. It never goes truly dark either, your home is really quite small as you see the horizon about 14 miles away! The days passed by quite quickly, we play music on the ipod, we’ve speakers inside and out. Our tastes are eclectic, ranging from Terry’s rhythm and blues, rocky stuff to my traditional Celtic mix and pop songs. Some he likes, some he doesn’t. What’s wrong with “I see you baby, shaking that ass, shaking that ass”? It’s a modern, iconic classic……. and has to be played loud, and I’ve got to sing along. Got the extended version on the ipod……. more cheerful than Van Morrison when he started mumbling rather than singing……….. The days passed by, our time taken with watching the ever changing sea state and wind speed and direction, sailing when we could. Watches worked, we ate and slept well. We even kept each other amused! By Friday 26.8.16 we could see Galicia! Seeing the miles ticking off was such a mental boost. But then the fun began as we neared La Coruna! On the contour line of the Atlantic deep, the continental shelf, about 20 nautical miles away from La Coruna we were surrounded by fishing boats. If fishing, they are limited in their manoeuvrability, so can’t easily change direction. However, one clearly wasn’t fishing and kept coming on to our course. We just made a deliberate turn off our course, it wasted time for us, but it’s better than having a fishing boat on your tail. It would be dark when entering La Coruna harbour and we’d studied the Pilot Book and made notes. However, you can’t prepare for the unexpected. About 2300hrs we were at the mouth of the ria, the wide river leading to La Coruna port. We could see on our AIS we had a Search and Rescue vessel approaching us. It crossed our bow safely but hung around nearby, we couldn’t make out its pattern of lights. Each type of vessel has its own “signature” of lights, so you can identify them at night, it’s useful to know a tanker from a small fishing boat. We could see a port light and a white light in addition to other white lights, but the pattern was wrong. We slowed down as we didn’t know what the vessel was doing. Suddenly, there was a pulsating roar of engine noise and the port and white light took off into the sky! We were watching a helicopter taking off from the deck of the Search and Rescue vessel!! It flew overhead, lighting up our boat then circled round and landed on the S & R vessel, they were undertaking an exercise!!! Then we were further tested. We could see what appeared to be a buoy with a circle of yellow lights. On our AIS we could see we had a tanker and 4 tugs on our port side. As we got closer, we could see the buoy was in fact one of the tugs towing the tanker! We hung back again and waited for the tugs to shunt the tanker to her berth, it didn’t help that the tanker was completely obliterating the green starboard light we needed to guide us. After that we gently motored onto a mooring berth at 0035hrs Saturday 27.8.16. A good four days passage. We hugged and kissed each other, opened wine, cooked an omelette and collapsed into bed! What a relief to stop!!!!! A good start to the next leg of our journey, but first we were going to spend some days relaxing and seeing what La Coruna had to offer.

22.8.16 TRESCO TO ST MARY’S, ISLE OF SCILLIES

We decided we were fed up with the bad weather, the rolling and lack of sleep, so in a light drizzle at 0730hrs, with a light wind we left Tresco and it’s £5 a pint for the nearby island of St Mary’s. Terry had carefully plotted a course through the rocky channel, where without the navigational aids we now have, a number of sailing ships have foundered in stormy conditions. In a light, early morning mist, we tentatively motored our way between rocky jagged teeth which extended into and along the channel. The current was running in our favour and before we knew it, we were motoring safely along St Mary’s Path, passing a beautiful old schooner. As we passed close by we shouted to the Captain “You’ve got a beautiful boat!” He answered, “Is that a Rival, she’s a beauty too!” Such is the reputation of Rivals!  Sailing past her we really did feel as though we were in a Poldark episode!

 

Picking up a mooring in the busy little harbour at 0900hrs we had a quick bite and slept till 11am, we were still dog tired from our rolling around Tresco Bay. Then up and get the dinghy out. Terry had rigged up a “handy billy”, running from the spinnaker halyard. This is a 4 to 1 reduction rope and block system which makes hoisting heavy items such as the outboard, water and fuel containers etc from the dinghy on board and vice versa easier, a real boon! We had laundry to do, our next leg would be a few days sailing so laundry has to be done when and where possible. Here’s a thought; when you’re stood at the quayside and see people sailing and living on boats you may envy their freedom and simplicity of life, however, rest assured, we still have housework to do plus very regular maintenance on the boat itself, it’s not quite as glamorous as you think! We scrub down the outside, top and hull, which can be a big, laborious job, check rigging, check the engine etc. We sit in laundrette’s, if we can reach one, waiting for our washing to finish, sometimes there’s a queue, there’s no popping your washing in to your own machine whenever it suits you! I’ve been known to be traipsing back and forwards all evening washing and drying clothes, mind you, it’s often a nice way to catch up with folks doing the same thing and exchanging stories of where they’ve sailed from. There’s a mutual sharing of the monotony of laundry whatever the language and country!

 

St Mary’s mooring was £18.50 per night, a bit cheaper than Tresco at £20. The Harbour Master scotted out to our boat in his dinghy, he was a keen MotoGP and Rossi fan, so Terry was able to catch up on the latest MotoGP news, Cal Crutchleow, a local Manx rider had won the last race in the rain.  Wet conditions suit him, so we were very pleased to hear his excellent result.

 

St Mary’s had a service wash, for £13.50, good value as it can often cost around this in marinas. We handed over our grubbies and by 4.45pm we could collect our fresh clothing, what a total luxury! We ate pasties sat in a pretty little park were surrounded by a square of elegant houses and quaint cottages. The streets are narrow, full of character and exotic succulent plants, you really can imagine people in the 1700’s going about their business, coming out of the cottages with the low doors, alongside the elegant ship’s merchants houses. We also took ashore our 25 litre water container, not impressed to find that we had to pay for water though at a £1 a fill, usually water is included, and if in a marina, electricity included too. We didn’t get the most for our £1 as we couldn’t fill our boat water tank which holds about 300 litres. However, a pint of Cornish “Proper Job” which was slightly cheaper than Tresco in the sun overlooking the harbour whilst watching the Scillonian ferry disgorging a fresh crowd holidaymakers mollified us…….. a bit. A lovely day getting straight and relaxing in readiness for the next few days of sailing across Biscay and reaching La Coruna!

 

 

 

19.8.16 – 21.8.16 SCILLIES

Hang on folks, it’s going to be a bumpy ride!

Rival sailing boats have an excellent reputation as ocean worthy vessels, Sisu had the opportunity to prove herself early on in our journey! We read the local forecast which indicated by 7pm on the 19th conditions would not be “evening meal and glass of vino relaxo in the cockpit” weather. With winds of 25knots gusting 30knots with waves of 3 to 5 metres out at sea, our olives would be taking flight and returning to their groves in the Med. We decided to make the best of the sunny weather, walking round Cromwell’s Castle round to Old Grimsby Sound, where at the Ruin Café,  we had a beautiful and generous meat platter to share, washed down with “Proper Job” Cornish API, overlooking an azure sea and white beach, the only indication of what was to come was the increasing wind. Planes and boats around the Scillies were about to be cancelled. We going to be in for a bumpy ride so those who, like us, had come ashore to Tresco or Bryher in their dinghies, beat a hasty retreat to batten down our boats. The winds were rapidly increasing as we pulled alongside, hoisted our supplies on board followed by the dinghy, deflating her as quickly, clearing our detritus, clothes pegs, bits of rope, sunglasses etc which always collects under the sprayhood, double securing the boom, cable tying deck brushes, boat hooks, petrol cans, also doubling up the rope on the mooring, ensuring one lot was slightly longer, so, if one rope snaps the other takes over. Inside the cabin, we removed anything that could fly, loose objects in the cabin can become missiles in rough seas! We decamped the bed to the middle of the boat, the most stable area, had an early and delicious tea of chicken, oven roasted veg and rice. Hanging on to our wine glasses we listened to the winds, like an opera chorus gradually swelling in volume and building up in drama, the wind steadily increased, as it was a new experience, I found it exciting, a thought I’ll hold when faced with it out at sea! We were fortunate that evening, the wind conditions and direction were as predicted, so we, and the other 3 boats moored by us pitched with the waves rather than rolling across them. We settled down to sleep, the winds shrieking around us.

 

We slept quite well considering, the winds continued to scream through the night, and the morning dawned sunny with high winds. The boat behind hadn’t brought their dinghy on board and it ended up on the rocks by Cromwell’s Castle to be rescued by the local Harbour Master! We decided to go ashore for a couple of hours, taking in a walk around the top end of Tresco, once again the forecast showed we were to be in for a bit of fun. By 4pm, though sunny, the winds were whipping up spray from the top of the waves, it was going to be an interesting ride back and I’d bought a frangipane tart so had the added challenge of keeping it dry…… We had an audience alongside the quayside, holidaymakers sat in the final ferry before the return of the storm conditions.  Their hilarity was undisguised, we waved and grinned as we bumped past them, the waves crashing over our bow and sides, completely and utterly soaking us, there was nothing we could do! This time, the skies were threatening, the waves were now crashing high over the big rocks at the entrance by Cromwell’s Castle. We had to time getting on board as the swell rose and fell. No time to get dry, the winds were building, and we were rolling vigorously. Once again we battened down our hatches, this time stuffing t shirts into food and crockery storage cupboards to stop, or at least lessen the noise of containers and plates hurling themselves against the cupboard doors.  And the tart? A bit battered, the wrapping paper was certainly dampened, but it tasted all the better for it’s journey! By 7pm winds were predicated to be gusting 37knots wave height 6.2metres, by 10pm 6.4 metres, averaging 31 knot winds. We rolled and corkscrewed even more vigorously. Terry decided to get his self made “flopper stopper” out. I should explain to those who may be wondering the direction this blog has suddenly taken. This is 2 sheets of stainless steel, hinged in the middle, with heavy duty straps at each of the 4 corners of the sheets. It’s then suspended over the side of the boat under the water. As the flopper stopper goes downwards, it closes, then, the clever bit, as it rises simultaneously with the boats rise in a big wave, it opens up, like an oblong metal butterfly taking off, the effect is almost immediate, dampening the motion of rolling, it helps break the gathering momentum at the highest point of roll when side on to the waves, lessening the heaving yaw of the seesaw swing. We looked at each, holding our breath, it was working!! By co-incidence, we are listening to songs of the sea! That evening, we didn’t get a wink of sleep, the wind really threw itself into his job, roaring and screaming all night, occasionally sucking in breath, giving us a couple of seconds respite before expelling his full might. What a long, long night, between the cupboard contents still stamping their feet against the doors, the wind, as the tide would change direction, Sisu would naturally move round, but then the mooring buoy would bump our hull. Terry went on deck to adjust ropes, there’s really only so much that can be done. However, nothing got thrown out of it’s space, including us! It was too rough even for our morning cup of tea, so, adopting the style of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, we stayed in bed for the rest of the morning, reading and let the last of the gale blow itself out. By lunchtime, Terry made bacon and eggs, the eggs requiring no scrambling, they simply raced from one side of the frying pan to the other! We were very pleased with Sisu, she took on a big storm, completely unseasonal for the time of year and handled it well. During the peak of the storm, I lay in bed and felt Sisu was like Dame Maggie Smith in a costume drama, at a picnic, and with that wonderful sense of unflappable regality she has, flicking a rather tiresome fly away from her sandwich and carrying on with her conversation. We coped well too, after all, it’s times like these that can test a relationship! Onto the next leg of our journey!

 

La Coruna, Galicia Saturday, 27.8.16

What a beautiful city! We’re moored at the Royal Coruna Nautical Club, at the Marina Real, on the quayside. The quay front stretches along one corner of the Ria, with the marinas on one side and the tankers on the other. A few minutes walk and we’re in the heart of the city, streets of excellent tapas bars, restaurants, shops and a local market. An elegant square with the city flanked by restaurants and the city hall takes us through to the streets which seem to run off each other in a grid fashion. The atmosphere is very family orientated and lively. It’s taken a couple of days to adjust to Sisu not constantly moving, and to stop swaying when we walk! Around us are local sailing boats, fishing trawlers, our neighbours change regularly, all nationalities, Swedish, German, French, Canadian and local, it’s a friendly environment, we’re all in the same boat, as it were! La Coruna is a stopping off point, a re fuelling, stocking up place for those sailing south. Many are heading for Portugal, the Canary Isles, Madeira, and many, like us heading further. There’s a lot of big yachts here, we feel like a dinghy, however, there’s a lot of interest in Sisu, as she’s a classic seagoing boat. Folks ask to have a look inside and of course they’re very welcome to have a tour and share a beer, it’s fascinating to hear where they’ve sailed from, the story of their boat and where they’re heading to, it’s a sea gypsy life! We’re booked for a week, 7 nights for the price of 5, and as we’re member of the Ocean Cruising Club we get an additional 25% off. We’ll be catching up with a small number of folks who are sailing the same route as us, the East Atlantic Rally and over the next few days, they’ll be arriving. There’s also those who are part of the huge Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. We’re all here, migrating south!

 

You’d be surprised at how mucky boats get, and usually the first thing that gets done once moored up is scrub the outside down, get the bedding out and air it, lift up the foam that makes our bed in the fore cabin and air that too. There’s always masses of laundry too. There are two washing machines here, and a tumble dryer, Euros4 for a wash, bargain, however…. The wash cycle is 164 minutes!!!! Unsurprisingly, there’s a queue. The monotony of laundry crosses all languages, especially as the washing’s going to take 2 and a half hours per wash! In sailing though, there’s a courtesy, we leave our bags in a line, if your washings done, then you take it out and put in the next bag, or if you know where that person’s boat is, you swing by and let them know. I find washing can take all day, took a bit of getting used to, but it’s also a great way to make friends and swap sailing and family stories. I’ve found it a bit of a challenge to be honest, having to adapt, go with the flow. Jobs can literally take all day, unless you’re due to sail, having a timetable of things to do, means very little. I’m getting better, but certainly in the first couple of days, it wasn’t easy!

Another job to be done was fit a mast head light, we need to be able to see when we’re changing sails or reefing whilst sailing in the dark. La Coruna has a great chandlery so, with the aid of drawings, mixed Spanish and English and much laughter, we got exactly what we needed! As this job involved wiring, I hoisted Terry up the mast, the temperature’s even hotter at that height, but so much more pleasant a job than winter in our home marina at Peel!

Internet here is poor, we’ve got a wifi booster which helps, but we can’t both be on the internet at the same time! The Nemo bar has good internet and beer, a great combo! We’re picking up some useful Spanish words and phrases, and the food, especially tapas is delicious, for me, you can skip the “pulpo” the octopus though Terry loves them! In the evenings, the townspeople “parade” along the quay and through the town. They dress in their best clothes, the children are immaculately turned out, they love to be seen, young and old, they all gather together, noisy, arm waving, cheek kissing and baby hugging over tables pushed together in and outside the restaurants and bars, it’s a wonderful sight. Their evenings start at 9pm and can go on well into midnight and beyond. The weather helps with this ambience, it’s lovely to sit out at 11pm when it’s still warm, couldn’t do that at home! One of our first meals has been a huge plate of different types of fish, salmon, cod, languoustines, garlicky potatoes and pimientos fritos, little green peppers fried in garlic, gorgeous. Big bags of these small peppers can be bought in Gadis, the local supermarket. I’ve become adept at cooking them the same way, and we often have them on the boat, a big bowlful! The dessert was something else. Terry asked for the whisky tart, a big slice of beautifully sweet but not sickly sponge flan, over which the waiter poured, and poured, and poured whisky! The measure must have cost more than the dessert! All washed down with local beer and wine, the food here is excellent and very reasonable indeed. Think we’re going to enjoy our time here!

 

 

 

 

 

ISLES OF SCILLY New Grimsby Sound,between Tresco & Bryher 57.47N 6.20.5W

Gardens & rock n roll!

The Isles of Scilly are a group of about 50 islands, 6 of them inhabited. They’re very similar to the islands of the N and W coasts of Brittany, we could see that by the rock formations, which I’ve seen on the Rose Granite coast in Brittany.  According to the Pilot book the Isle of Scilly have the most unpredictable and rapidly changing weather conditions, oh oh…… as I read on…. The average frequency of gales is one per month.  On checking XC weather we could see a change coming for the week ahead, however, on our first day it’s a beautiful day! In a couple of days we were to appreciate how lovely our first day was…..

 

As we’re on a mooring, we use our dinghy for transport, a mode of transport which as we bump and jump through the waves always brings out the inner child & big grins, and the odd shriek as spray gives you a healthy dousing before you’ve got ashore or back to the boat! We had the dinghy loaded up with containers for diesel, water, a dry bag with shower gear, shopping bags etc plus spare petrol & the vital foot pump. New Grimsby Sound is pretty, the plants and flowers lush and exotic. Good to find diesel cheaper than at home, however food and beer is not!

 

We visited Tresco Abbey, built on the site of the original Benedictine priory, with it’s world famous sub-tropical garden and collection of figureheads from ships wrecked around the Scillies. I’ve always had a soft spot for figureheads, what stories could they tell us?! The creation of these incredible gardens began in 1834 around the remains of the 12th century St Nicholas Priory, Augustus Smith with the help of master mariners worked to bring together an extraordinary collection, with zones and themes such as Higher & Lower Australia, Mexico and South Africa Cliff, as well as Mediterranean and South American, California, New Zealand and the Canary Islands, over 4,000 different species, I could identify about 12………! Still, even for a non gardener, the colours and sheer size of some of the trees and plants are utterly stunning and the ambience tranquil and thoughtful as we wandered around appreciating the legacy of Augustus and the team of gardeners who continue his work.

 

The good thing about not having wifi on board, well, here at least, is that to get a connection, we have to make a connection ourselves, with the local pub, the New Inn. The trip to shore in the dinghy is great fun, though damp, which on sunny days is no problem, feet and bottoms dry out quickly. However…….. the weather is changing, high winds, fog and rain. A trip in the dinghy is wet, very wet. Still, this is the nature of being boat owners, we laugh as the rain soaks us from the head down, we laugh as the sea soaks us from the feet up. No……. I don’t. I whinge and Terry bless him puts up with my 5 minutes, he would of course argue the length of whinging time…… Grumbling about frizzy hair, how to dry out our increasing pile of wet gear, etc etc. It doesn’t mean anything and the wonderful experiences and freedom of a sailing life easily outweigh the temporary discomforts. A pint of Trelawney helps, now I’m wet on the inside too. That’s better! Laptop charged up, we beat a wet and hasty retreat back to Sisu. Just in time, the weather has closed around us, a taste of what may yet come. The few boats remaining rolled all night, and we all rolled together! The mooring banged against the hull, not causing damage, just noisy. We’d moved further into the bay, a good move as we looked at the swell entering the harbour. Last night and this morning were pretty uncomfortable, Terry was up during the night sorting out the mooring, I recaptured the dishes as they frisbeed themselves across the cabin! Breakfast and getting dressed resembled an episode of It’s a Knockout or those fairground Crazy Houses, we lurched around, hopping into clothes and brushing our teeth between waves, gripping onto the many handholds in the boat,  a bowl of cereal even had a swell! Thankfully by mid day all was calm, the sun came out,  and we caught up with jobs, Terry fixing a leaking hatch, sorting out anchor lines and snubbers whilst I wrote the blog, and caught up with drying clothes, “plus ca change” whether it be on a boat or in a house!

 

 

 

 

FISHGUARD TO ISLES OF SCILLY 14.8.16 135NM

DOLPHINS & SHOOTING STARS!

After a reasonable night’s sleep, we checked the forecast, good to go! This stretch would be good experience for me, all day and all night sailing, this would include watches, something I hadn’t yet done. An easy anchor up at 0845hrs and out into very light winds and the promise of a good day. We motored in wall to wall sunshine, so good to shed some layers, down to t shirt by mid-day, last time we could do that was in the Hebrides last year! We reached Ramsey Sound, this has a fearsome reputation similar to our Calf of Man at home, last year we went through it in dense fog and boiling seas, this time, Neptune was having a day off and I could see the rocks on either side of us which we couldn’t see last time, but with the sun shining on us and just a few gentle corkscrews of current we had a pleasant passage through. Then, the magic was just warming up, a couple of dolphins cruised past us, too focussed on feeding to demonstrate their muscle, nevertheless we were happy to see them. Once we got into the Celtic Sea, the dolphin magic rolled its sleeves up, and put on a show for us! Every half an hour we were greeted by 6 or more dolphins bow riding! From a distance, we would see them, splashing, then….. then…. they would come, muscle bound grey sleek torpedoes, skimming over the sea, within seconds they were showing off, with a flick of their tails, some tails and backs scarred, perhaps from earlier bouts with propellers, who knows, but they danced and jostled with each other, babies with their mothers, teenagers outracing their elders, one or two almost white dolphins, the rest dark grey and beautiful, their minds fully engaged playing in the froth and foam of our bow waves. We were making 6 knots, these dolphins could so easily outpace us, but they just cruised along, doubling back behind Sisu, coming back in for another play at our bow. The thrill of seeing these mammals never goes away, the magic never dims, we saw throughout the day. This, for us, is why we sail.  We put up with cruddy weather, being sick, cold and often tired, despite all the perceived “glamour” of sailing, the reality,sailing around our shores , can often be a challenge! Then, you get the rewards, be it dolphins, or a cracking sail on a close reach in the sun, racking up the knots, the excitement of reaching your destination, meeting like minded folks, sharing stories, all this is and more is why we sail, because you know that there are days like this, and they might, just might, outnumber the so so days! This day would be one that would be banked for when we needed a reminder of why we sail! I filmed and photographed the dolphins, with the volume of appearances, surely there had to be some good shots! From around 1900hrs the dolphins play changed, this time there was a lot of fluke slapping, far more boisterous activity, pushing each other out of the way, teenagers out for a good time? Who knows, by 2100hrs all went quiet and we thought the show was over, not so…….. A tremendous burnt orange sunset gave way to a starlit night, shooting stars giving us the opportunity to makes wishes, and we did….. Even then, at midnight, the dolphins joined us! Their dark shapes sliding along the boat, I was on watch so couldn’t leave the cockpit, as if they knew I couldn’t leave my post they stayed by my side at the helm, perhaps I’m being fanciful, and had been a long day after all, the mind plays tricks, but like faithful dogs, they cruised alongside, quietly, the jousting of late evening giving way to the peaceful, easy feeling of a perfect night just keeping me company for a while. It never goes dark, the horizon about 14 miles away had a deep blue edging where it joined the sky, a full 360 degrees of nothing but sea, exciting! This was our world, 38ft by 12ft out in the sea underneath the stars, I love it! But back to reality, a watch had to be kept out for ferries, fishing boats and other sailors coming and going across our path. The sailing books have pages of shapes and colours of lights different boats use to let you know which direction they’re sailing and what type of craft they are. In real life situations, it’s not always so easy, is that really a red port light? Do those lights really mean one boat or two close together? Is that ferry moving or not? If so, how fast?! All good experience! The evening passed quite quickly, changing watches every couple of hours, we watched the moon check out her shift and the sun came slowly up, another beautiful day dawning, we had a fabulous sail, past Cromwell’s Castle guarding the entrance to New Grimbsy Sound between Trescoe and Bryer in the Scilly Isles, we picked up a mooring at 0838hrs, a great 130 mile sail in  24 hours as they say, it is the journey not the arriving that matters !

 

9.8.16 We’re off! Peel to Holyhead

9.8.16 – 12.8.16

Sailing down towards the Calf
We’re ready for warmer seas!
Steve & Dave doing our rigging check, Holyhead Marina
Terry fastening on the self steering gear, Holyhead
Fynn, my son, dropped us down to Sisu, Peel, the night before we set off.
Happy days!
Sailing through the Calf, Isle of Man

Our blog will aim to be an honest account of our sailing together. Many of our family & friends are not sailors, so the blog will be a mix of sailing conditions, technical info and our daily lives on board & ashore. The good times & more “interesting” times will be shared! I hope you’ll find it interesting enough to carry on reading our entries, I’ve never written a blog before so here goes!

Finally, after months of preparing Sisu for her journey, finalising in a hectic week of loading up Sisu, last minute jobs, paperwork, storing provisions & seeing our families, my family on the Island, Terry’s in & around Macclesfield, quick catch ups with friends & apologies to those we simply ran out of time to see, we  were ready! You never get to the end of the To Do list, but we knew there’d be days ahead to do those jobs & others.

It’s said, the hardest part is casting off and that’s so true. We’d been watching for a weather window for a week or so and now the time was right. We were both mentally ready to get going. On Monday evening, my son Fynn dropped us down to Sisu in Peel Marina. I gave him the biggest hug and said “See you”. At 4.30am Tuesday morning, I slipped the bow rope from the cleat holding us to Peel and it really was quite emotional, at last we were finally on our way!

The weather conditions according to XC Weather said Force 4/5, NW winds, sunny. In the breaking light of day we were having a lively bounce in Peel’s outer harbour! My Dad, 79, had come down at 4.30am  to see us off! It was wonderful to see him waving on end of the quay and wishing us well as we see sawed through the waves, Terry hoisting and reefing the sail, whilst I kept her into the wind, Dad being there meant a huge amount to us and it was very moving, and encouraging! Dawn was starting to break, and the winds were rather more than the 4 or 5 predicted, but Sisu enjoyed herself, the extra weight of our possessions and extra gear suiting her well, she surfed down the waves, really getting into her sweet spot. We kept a steady 5 to 7 knots, occasional 8 plus, put on the auto pilot and settled into a good sail. Going through the Calf of Man was exhilarating, the seas calming slightly once we were spat out the other side.

Gannets, Manx Shearwaters, Guillemots, pretty little Artic Terns & gulls kept us company. A temporary distraction from the queasiness I was feeling, always on the first big sail, I did a quick launch across the cockpit to the port side, (away from the windward side, I learnt the hard way!) to enjoy my breakfast for the second time! I felt queasy for the duration of the trip after that, but the sight of 2 porpoise was a tremendous pick me up! We kept our distance from The Skerries, skirting past them, with the tide now heading North, our speed slowed and the last hour seemed a long one, it often seems the way, you can see the welcome entrance to a port, which doesn’t seem far way, and the tiredness of a long sail disappears, but those last 2 miles sometimes seems like 20! We moored up in Holyhead Marina around 3.40pm. The first leg of our journey completed! A good days sail, brisk seas, relatively sunny and straightforward, a good start! We had booked a rigging check for Thursday, as we weren’t going anywhere for a couple of days, we celebrated getting away with an excellent meal in Langdons Restaurant on the marina, we can highly recommend it, and we rounded the evening off with a couple of pints in the Holyhead Yacht Club, making the most of the opportunity for a pint, they’ll be few and far between soon!

Rigging check.

Steve Owen, PD Riggers, and Dave blew down the pontoon on a very blustery Thursday morning. Undeterred by the high winds, Dave was up our mast like a monkey, giving our mast, mast head, radar, lights and spreaders a thorough inspection. Steve went round every piece of standing and running rigging, including the boom, gooseneck and boom fittings and confirmed all in good order. Another box ticked and very reassuring to know, thanks Steve and Dave!

Terry took the opportunity to scrub, anti foul and fit our self steering rudder. It doesn’t take long for a forest of weed to take hold, even with anti fouling, scrubbing the hull and rudder will be a semi regular maintenance job throughout our journey. A job that will become more fun as we head south to warmer seas where we can dive over the side to inspect and scrub our hull!