Well, it wasn’t quite such a big step leaving Kilmore as we thought it would be – once we decided to call in at the Scillies on the way down it was just another overnight passage. We left just after 10 o’ clock on a beautiful calm morning and motored in company with Jackie in the Ballad and Nigel in Eager Vega – they saw us safely to the Brandies then bade us farewell and headed back to Kilmore. At noon we had 125 miles to go to our waypoint NE of the Scillies, and we were motoring at just over five knots. Some Irish dolphins paid a brief visit as the Saltees dwindled aft.
Mon 14th / Tues 15th August – Ireland – The Scillies (144 nm)
We had put the Navik down before leaving, and I was a bit worried about motoring for long periods with the blade in the water, so shortly after Jackie and Nigel disappeared back to Kilmore Quay we hove to and raised the paddle to the upper position before continuing on our way under engine. At noon our waypoint for the Scillies showed 125 miles to go. We saw our first dolphins, playing with us for a few minutes before they headed off to look for lunch.
By four o’clock in the afternoon the breeze was up to 8 knots from the West and we switched the engine off and engaged the Navik for the first time. It worked perfectly, and steered us all the way to the Scillies. We motorsailed for an hour or so in the early evening, and the Navik continued to steer flawlessly. We had fitted cam cleats and rings to the tiller in Kilmore Quay as per Jim Hall’s advice, and it certainly makes the lines easy to adjust. Apparently Jim was shown this method by some guys in La Rochelle who all use Naviks.
Having seen no traffic since The Brandies it was inevitable that a collection of trawlers would appear as darkness fell, but there were no problems and the Aerogen was spinning merrily, keeping up with the power drain of the 25W tricolour light at the masthead. At midnight we had 70 miles to go to the waypoint, Navik steering, me on watch and Kathy sleeping. Kathy then did the 2-5 watch before I got up to watch the dawn over an empty sea. At 10 o’clock we sighted Lands End, and after breakfast switched the engine on again as the wind dropped, motor sailing at six knots to get into Hugh Town before the rain arrived. The barometer was down to 1005 and dropping rapidly.
We picked up a mooring buoy in Hugh Town at 15.45, having used the magic of Maxsea to ensure a stress-free entry into the rock strewn waters of this mini archipelago. We promptly blew up the dinghy and went ashore for a wander round and a meal, but forgot to take jackets and got soaked on the long dinghy ride back to Fairwinds. An early night – we were tired after the night passage, not sure we have worked out the best the best watch system yet.
Weds 16th August – St Marys
Went ashore for a much needed shower – excellent facilities, showers cost £1. I checked out the synoptic chart and it looked as though the low over Biscay was not going away in a hurry. There was a gale warning for Fitzroy, so we wouldn’t be going anywhere today. Back to the boat for breakfast, then back ashore with the laptop for our first successful encounter with a WiFi network in a local deli/cafe. A friend had given us a BT Openzone voucher before we left, and it and the new wireless card (from the same friend) worked perfectly.
We decided to hire bikes for the afternoon, and after picking them up I ran back to the boat in the dinghy with the PC then we set off for a quick tour of St. Mary’s. The island is tiny – you could cycle round it in forty minutes, but we dawdled and took a couple of detours to a wee cove and a burial chamber, then got the bikes back at five and had a Cornish ice cream cone and watched the world go by before going shopping in the Co-Op.
Back to the boat for Thai prawn curry and poppadums, then a quiet evening reading, doing Sudoku etc. Not missing any of the home comforts so far.
Thurs 17th August – St Marys
Gale warnings for Fitzroy and Sole today, so we will be staying here and continuing to contribute to the Duchy of Cornwall’s coffers to the tune of £14 per night. There was a tremendous thunderstorm during the night, lots of rain and wind. One of the mooring ropes chafed almost through overnight, but the main mooring rope – secured with a hitch to the massive chain – is unscathed. I replaced the back-up rope and Kathy bailed six buckets of water out of the dinghy.
Went ashore to shop and Wi-Fi the blog up to date, back to the boat for lunch then ashore again for a walk round the garrison walls – a fortification that encloses the whole S. end of St. Marys, with various gun emplacements for knocking lumps out of the French (no longer effective – their yachts manage to reach St Mary’s Pool in considerable numbers these days). Had a pint of Natural Beauty (locally brewed and a lot less villainous than the ‘Scuppered’ we had tried previously) then back to the boat where we hatched a plan to leave early for Tresco with a view to saving a day’s harbour fees. £28 for three nights on a mooring with no proper dinghy landing seems reasonable for a 27ft yacht, £42 doesn’t. Maybe the St. Marys harbour master would care to comment, or maybe he will just send me a bill – but there is a big difference between £14 for a modern 40-footer with six people on board and a wee boat like ours on a modest budget. More socialist mooring policies, that’s what’s needed!
Fri 18th August – St Marys – New Grimsby, Tresco
With less than half the tide remaining when we left, we wimped out of the direct route over Tresco Flats (all dark green on the chart – most of the Scillies are just one island at LWS) and went round the outside of all the jaggy bits using the electronic charts, entering New Grimsby Sound from the N. and picking up a mooring. There was quite a lot of swell rolling in – like St. Marys, a bit uncomfortable if the prevailing wind is in the North.
We went ashore for a rummage around with the intention of visiting the famous Tresco Abbey Gardens, but declined when we saw the admission price – £8.50 a head. Instead we walked through quaint Shire-like countryside on neat concrete roads, passed by the occasional electric vehicle, up to picturesque Old Grimsby where we had a half pint in the Island Hotel. Tresco is privately owned and the tourist market is aimed at well-heeled families. Lunch at the hotel would undoubtably have been a treat – the food we saw being served looked great – but it was too rich for our modest cruising budget, so we walked back over the hill to New Grimsby and treated ourselves to a huge ice cream each by way of lunch.
Walked down to the fantastically well stocked Tresco Stores and bought a disposable barbecue, then back to the boat to prepare some food . . . I have vowed to take more active role in domestic matters on this trip, so I made burgers with some mince Kathy had bought in St Marys (mince, finely chopped onions, pepper, egg and oatmeal), chopped some peppers into large pieces and put them in a plastic bag with some olive oil, then marinaded a couple of pork chops bought at the same time as the mince. (Just done in a food bag with soy sauce, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then taped up with the endlessly useful duct tape). We also took the bottle of pink Cava Tim and Jenny had given us when we set off. Suitably prepared, and with novels and newspaper, we dinghied up to a small and deserted beach below a Cromwellian castle near the top of the sound. Blue sky, hot sun, swimming trunks with the Cava cooling in the sea – hopefully a taste of the tropical treats to come. The food was delicious, the Cava excellent and the sand didn’t get into too many crevices – altogether a first rate beach barbecue, and hopefully the first of many.
We went ashore again later to the pub in New Grimsby for a pint and a quidsworth of broadband access to check the synoptic charts. It was looking as though things were deteriorating where we were and improving further South, so a tentative plan was made to leave the next day – subject to a last minute check on the latest predictions in the morning.
Sat 19th August – New Grimsby towards La Coruna, Spain
The New Grimsby harbour master was round to collect our harbour dues around ten o’ clock, and by mid morning the wind was getting up as foretold in the inshore forecast. We took a last run ashore and checked the net for weather info, then headed back to the boat to stow the dinghy and get ready for departure.
By two thirty we were heading out of the Sound into steep three metre waves raised by the twenty knot wind from the NNW. Two reefs when hoisting the main had been a good decision. We roller-coaster motored our way out until I thought we were far enough out to sea to clear all dangers, then went onto a very uncomfortable starboard tack to take us out well clear of Bishops Rock. We had to stay hard on the wind to be sure of missing all the jaggy Scilly bits, needing to give them a safe margin on our small-scale passage chart as it was far too lumpy to have the laptop out for electric charts.
Slam, crash, bang. Green water over the boat and into the cockpit. Wet, windy thrashing to windward. At last we are clear of all dangers and could ease the sheets a little. I inspected the bilges and found more water than expected. Shining a torch over the engine towards the stern seal reveals water running in from somewhere – could be out of the port locker, but it could be a leak round that anode bolt I replaced. We heave to and get the cockpit floor up for a closer look – no leaks apparent. Conclude it is just a bit of the green water we are taking over the decks finding its way below, bolt the cockpit sole down and resume our wild ride away from the UK.
Suddenly Kathy is flung across the saloon and cracks her arm and head . . . the arm looks weird, a big dent in it, and I think we are about to have to head back to Falmouth with a casualty, but she insists is OK, just bruised and a bit shocked. Crash, bang, swoosh, dollop . . . on we go.
Haggis and beans for tea, prepared by Kathy in very difficult conditions. As darkness falls with no sign of the wind or seas abating we decide it might be prudent to take a third reef in the main, By midnight we are still surfing along at anything up to eight knots with triple-reefed main and six rolls in the genoa. Kathy seemed to be sleeping well, but I knew I probably wouldn’t the first night out, and with there being quite a bit of shipping about in the Western Approaches I decided to do a double watch and leave the first mate in her bunk. I had to alter once for a ship – easy to do with the Navik as long as you don’t have to tack. The new crew member coped perfectly all night with the big beam seas – certainly more consistently than I could have in the dark. What a great piece of kit!
Sun 20th August – At sea – towards La Coruna, Spain
An uneventful day – the wind was now SW, so we were unable to lay a direct course for La Coruna comfortably. We ended up sailing a course of approx. 170 – 180 degrees for most of the day most of the day, still with the triple-reefed main, but later in the afternoon we unrolled the full genoa as the wind was down to under 20 knots most of the time. Still big seas though, and making 5 – 6 knots even with three reefs in the main. Late afternoon found us one hundred and thirty miles out from the Scillies and 275 from La Coruna. We were overtaken by yacht Delta from Portland, Oregon, and spoke with them on the radio briefly. They are Rick and Joyce, southbound from Newlyn for Finisterre and the Spanish rias.
Got the shipping forecast from BBC LW 198 – didn’t realise we would be able to get it out here.
Mon 21st August – At sea – towards La Coruna, Spain
Just after midnight we entered the shipping lanes between the Ushant and Finisterre TSS. The wind veered round to the West, so we could comfortably lay a direct course. Kathy was unfazed by her first watch at night amongst shipping, and by morning we were running parallel to and about a mile to the E of the main Southbound shipping lane. From about midday the winds fell light and progress slowed under all plain sail. I had a minor panic when we started the engine to motor sail for a bit and the oil and temperature warning lights and temperature alarm came on . . . but I suspected it was a wiring problem, and after some judicious shoogling of the rats nest of wires behind the control panel the problem went away.
In the early afternoon we were slowly overhauled by a Swedish-flagged Naiad 48. We motor-sailed for an hour or so and left them astern, then switched the engine off and drifted quietly southwards at 3 knots or so while the Naiad decided it was time to make some progress and motor-sailed past us and over the horizon.
We missed the Shipping Forecast, so I connected the laptop up to the Navtex and downloaded the latest forecast from Niton. The system appears to work perfectly, meaning good weather info as far as the Canaries. I think the Navtex PC Pro is much better than the stand-alone displays, as we can filter out the screeds of unwanted data and just download the information we want.
Tues 22nd August – At sea – towards La Coruna, Spain
Got the shipping forecast on LW at 11.55 (now 340 miles South of Scillies) – it was giving NE 4-5, occasionally 6 in SE Fitzroy (where we are!). By early afternoon we were broad reaching in steep seas and sunshine in a blustery 20 knots. Very rolly, but the Navik coped admirably. We had two reefs in the main at this point, but with darkness coming on and the wind if anything showing signs of increasing I decided the comfortable option would be to get the main down now and run under full genoa instead. Getting the sail lashed on the boom on the lurching cabin top provided an interesting few moments, then we were running more comfortably under full genoa with the wind almost dead astern now.
As we closed the Spanish coast we began to encounter shipping again, and just before midnight Kathy called me up on deck when a ferry got rather close and the bearing was not changing. I could make out her starboard light to port, so I made a small course alteration to port to ensure we passed astern of her comfortably. Of course, you should never alter course to port, and here’s why . . . suddenly I can see green and red together, coming straight for us. I swung the Navik through 90 degrees while Kathy gybed the headsail; now we can see her port light and our courses begin to diverge in a reassuring manner. She must have just seen us and embarked on a dramatic course alteration herself at the exact moment I decided to alter to port. So – colregs work, never turn to port . . . lesson learned, I hope.
Weds 23rd August – Arrival at La Coruna, Spain – 431nm
We had been expecting to arrive during darkness, but the wind dropped and as a result the watch system got a bit screwed up, but we each managed a couple of hours in our bunks before arriving off the Torre de Hercules and commencing our entry into La Coruna. As dawn broke we motored into the sheltered waters of the ria and rounded the massive breakwater with its impressive control tower.
Now where do we go? There was definitely space on the pontoons at Club Nautico, but we felt a bit too tired for our first ever attempt at a med mooring so decided to go up to the Marina Darsena Deportiva, mentioned in the 2003 almanac and the Atlantic Crossing Guide as maybe there maybe under construction. As we stuck our noses in a guy in the marina launch beckoned us in and led us to an empty finger berth. A huge modern marina, right in the centre of the city – and very reasonably priced as it turns out, €6 for Fairwinds (8m) with free showers, free electricity and ten minutes free internet access each day if you want it.
We showered, had a beer, then slept. When we got up we went for a wander into the Ciudad Vieja (Old City) then down to the Club Nautico for a beer on their terrace. Sitting in the warm sun looking out at the sails on the sparkling waters of the ria, sipping excellent local lager at less than a pound a pint . . . yes, we made it! The trip has begun. . . . Back at the marina we meet some of our fellow travellers . . . David and Kathy from Belfast on ‘Roamer of Carrickfergus’, a Sun Odyssey 32.2, and Bart, a singlehanded Dutch travel writer on ‘Orca’ , a 30ft steel Van der Stadt design he mostly built himself.
We enjoyed a few beers on board Roamer, then went out to look for something to eat. I really wished we had learned Spanish as we wandered up and down peering uncomprehendingly at menus and getting hungrier and hungrier. Eventually we managed to order a plate of mussels and a plate of sardines, with bread and ‘papas aliole’ – basically chips and garlic mayonnaise – with a delicious bottle of red wine. Total bill €20. On the way back to the boat we caught the end of a jazz concert on an open air stage in the main square.