Every plan we had for this season already changed, and it's only May. However, we are rolling with each new development and enjoying the journey. The original plan was to go around the west coast of Ireland during April and May, and then off up to Scotland from the middle of June. We are currently sat in Salcombe with a new plan of going to the Chanel Islands and Northern France for the next five weeks.
Having departed Penarth later than anticipated due to some land based issues, the original plan was to go to the Scillies. The first day went well, however, the forecast for the swell around Lands End was not great, and was confirmed as a concern when the maritime forecast labelled the conditions as 'rough'. We carried on through the night, looking at the various options and discounting a night entry into Padstow. The second day we found ourselves tacking up wind in 30 odd knots with the tide against us. The sun was shining but we were making very little progress. We admitted defeat and made for St Ives bay instead. Here we sat in Carbis bay, whilst the wind blew 20 knots and the rain passed over.
After two nights we set off in miserable weather to round Lands End, relying on the forecast that said the rain would stop by lunch time. On this occasion the forecast was matched reality and the sun came out for a lovely afternoon sail around to the Helford river. We had never made it into the Helford before as the wind had always been from the east which makes the anchorage very bouncy. It was worth the five year wait and we enjoyed a lovely weekend there.
At this point I had to return to Chesterfield for the best part of a week to help my mum. I left Phil at the top of the river Fal, near Malpas. This is a beautiful area. The anchorage is very sheltered, with easy dinghy landing and shower facilities in Malpas. Truro is only 3 km down the road and has all the amenities you could need.
During this week we had finally managed to line up an engineer and a boat lift to replace our dripless seal and the cutlass bearing on the propellor shaft and sort out the engine alignment. All these things had been worrying Phil since we got the propellor wrapped on a fishing buoy a year ago up in Shetland. Organinsing the logistics around this had taken the best part of six weeks but we finally had all the ducks in a row and 8th May in Plymouth was the agreed date. We therefore hung around Falmouth for a few more days before we departed for Plymouth sound to hang around there until it was time to lift.
During this time we developed a better appreciation for Plymouth and surrounding area. The town centre remains run down and a good example of how not to rebuild after WWII bombing. However Cargeen, surrounding beaches and rivers are really very pretty. We spent the week exploring.
On the morning of lift day the engineering company contacted us to say that part was delayed by a day. This may not seem like much, but it meant that we would need an extra day or two in the yard, as they were squeezing us in in the first place this was not possible. Therefore, the whole event needed to resceduled. The yard were really helpful and did their best to accomodate us, but 12th June was the eariest possible availble date. We went into the marina for one night to pick up all our deliveries, do the washing and generally have a think about what we going to do and where we were going to go.
After a few beers, we decided on the Chanel Islands and Northern France. As I remember it, the thinking was that, it would be eaiser to get back to Plymouth from there and more likely to be sunny. It may not have been the most in depth planning session ever, but the decision survived the cold light of day and so now we sit in Salcombe waiting to depart to Guernsey tonight. If our plans change over the next five weeks like they have over the last five, then who knows?
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