Looking on the bright side of storm "Francis" - August weather - don't you love it - returning to the "new normal"?

Following a very hot road trip to London, we waited out the, anticipated but non materialising, thunderstorms in Somerset, using the opportunity to replace the car before returning aboard "Susan J" in the week before the August bank holiday.  

A wet day sail to Carrick Roads, set the scene and gave Julie an opportunity to try out her new oilskins, which didn't leak! It also enabled us to re deploy the jib with the new Wickham Martin top swivel and untangle the wrongly reeved port sheet off Falmouth docks!  Pilotage at low tide was further enhanced by a massive rig apparently under her own steam and a barge being towed by two suitably marked tugs!  We decided to retain our reef and return back to our mooring to sit out storm Francis.

A night spent on her home mooring in a named storm, is at once instructive, frightening, exhilarating and also rather reassuring.  "Susan J" with the riser shortened and set on the bull rope, hardly touched the mooring buoy, while the rudder slightly set to port, kept the riser off the inner bobstay most of the time.  Compared with nearby vessels our halyard frapping was relatively effective and despite the torrential rain, a combination of spray hood and cockpit cover kept us and her cockpit reasonably dry.  

By the morning the sun appeared and the wind rose further, recording a steady F 7 and 49 knots / F9 on a couple of occasions.  

 By now the mate was getting restless and the "all weather"  Helford ferry, in Nick's capable hands, got us ashore, so we could have a socially distanced swim in the pool and Julie a walk.  The upside of this, apart from eggs for breakfast, is that the skipper has had an opportunity to update the blog and start this post and reflect on our good fortune in being able to enjoy the 2020 sailing season despite Covid.

It seems that "Roxanne" is already sitting out storm Francis in the Fal, "Lizzie Dripping" is hoping for VHF help in the Percuil River, while "Arriane" and "Periwinkle" may be heading west from the Tamar, as the wind veers to the north.  An impromptu, socially distanced, gathering of a few SW gaffers may happen in the days ahead!  While the new What's App group - "South West Gaffers at Sea" - may be coming of age!