Falmouth Parade of Sail

The Parade of Sail on Sunday morning was shortened but at least not cancelled as feared. Yawls adopted a jigger rib while "Susan J" lowered her mainsail and went the course under staysail and jib.

Here is "Tregatreath" a smaller Heard 23, who managed with a reefed main and staysail, with "Annabelle" a rare Cornish Crabber yawl behind.

We were joined for the parade by, Peter, Diana's brother, even older than the skipper and arguably "Susan J" 's oldest crew on our watch!

By now the sun had come out!


After the prize-giving at the Maritime Museum, in which both "Mat Ali", "Aberrare" and "Mischief" did well, we had a rest, checking fuel and water and replenishing the ice.

The evening was spent in the restaurant of the Chain Locker enjoying first class pub food and joining "Anchors Aweiegh" a shanty group from Mortehoe /Woolacombe in shanties.

Falmouth Classics and Shanties

"Susan J" definitely failed to cross the start, within the allotted 4 minutes, for the final race on Saturday - so no prizes.  However, the strong SW wind continued, the skies cleared and we had a cracking run up Carrick Roads to Turnaware Point and a challenging beat back to Falmouth Haven, with Sarah L on the helm and the skippers beginning to improve their sail handling!

Back alongside, after a brief visit to the Maritime Village stalls on Custom House Quay, we enjoyed the Classics bbq, at the RCYC  with "Bonita" and "Calismarde" crews, now including Deirdre, as well as Jenny, Goff's (aka Steve) wife.  Julie and David enjoyed some shanties at a distance and found an invite to Douarnenez 2020 (July 15-19) in their cockpit on their return, from Moel & Hélène!

The Parade of Sail on Sunday morning was anticipated with some trepidation, given the forecast!

Two Races one completed!

A damp grey start with plenty of wind. Diana and Sarah joined us at Falmouth Haven to join ship, while Peter Haa brief look aboard!

We reefed almost immediately, in the face of chaos of collisions and near capsizes ahead of us. Glad we did, with reports of a dismasting before our start.  Despite this the wind varied between 15 and 24 knots steady from WSW.

We still crossed the start and completed race one, with Sarah expertly helming and the rest of us slowly establishing a routine for sail trimming.

After a break to sort out the tangled Wyckham Martin furler and a quick lunch, we managed to miss our start slot by 1 minute.  Wesstill had a glorious sail around the course, despite David developing cramps in both arms due to dehydration!

Mainly "Bonita in improving weather.

After a busy day on the water here are Geoff and Geoff, of "Calismarde" dressed appropriately to face the Shanties ashore after sampling rum and tonic in the library!  It was nice to see Goff again after our foggy, North Sea crossing in company with "Bonita" in 2016.

Across Falmouth Bay

A rising south-westerly p,as so often, provided a smooth sea, which allowed "Susan J" to broad reach on alternate gybes straight up to Black Rock.

 We were accompanied by this lovely fishing yawl, PZ9, seen here between rain showers.

A damp arrival on the inside of the North arm of Falmouth Haven. Tricky,but accomplished with the able assistance of the shore team taking our lines and warping us alongside "Calismarde" a Buchanan bermudan sloop who has, arguably, sailed the furthest from Kent via Scotland and Wales en route back to the  Faversham.

 The view from "Susan J" 'cockpit!

Many large traditional craft on the outside! 

A damp afternoon was spent catching up with Steve on Heard 28, "Aeolus",  Martin on"Cariad"and Mike on"Mischief" both Crabber 26' s.  Brian and Estelle on "Annabelle", a Crabber Yawl.   Martin and Jan on "Roxanne" another Heard 28.   Nina, last seen on "Myvonne" in Lezardrieux, was here with "Tiger" her Folkboat.  "Storm Maiden " nearby at Ponsharden, her skipper will be on "Curlew" a 1910 Falmouth Workboat owned by the National Maritime Museum and kept in commission. and  "Mary Ritchie" a modern wood constructed Falmouth workboat, with Paulineaand Don, Classics vice chairman, who is running the event this year. 

Back aboard for Falmouth Classics!

Back aboard "Susan J" after a week of domesticity and paperwork in Somerset.  

A glorious evening on the Helford River, preparing for Falmouth Classics in the morning. Hopefully, won't be too wet!

After two Classics in perfect weather and very light winds, the forecast is for moderate southwesterlies on Friday and, possibly, stronger southerlies for Saturday.  So promises to be a rather different experience for "Susan J" on the water but at least it might become relatively dry on land, for the Sea Shanties.

Pleased to see that "Bonita" has made Falmouth last night, after two very long day Sails from Lymington, this week. We look forward  to meeting them later.

Final leg to Helford Passage and summary.

The weekend was spent in Plymouth, laundering, airing and generally sorting out.  With eyes half closed, Julie walked to Forde Park cemetery, returning via the convenient Lidl's just 10 minutes away, while David sorted the boat.

The Mayflower Marina lends it's self to this, has excellent facilities available round the clock, as well as having a pleasant outlook to the narrows and Hamoaze beyond.

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Here, local boat, "Tectona", can be seen, from our cockpit, sailing up the Tamar. Originally purchased and sailed from the Mediterranean by a retired Somerset GP, she is now run by a Trust who continues Richard's ambition to help disadvantaged young adults, including recovering addicts, through sailing this imposing, all teak, craft.

A walk to Mount Wise, enabled Julie to view the marina from an unusual angle -

- and admire the memorial to Robert Falcon Scott, who was born in Milehouse.

The downside, as other readers will know, is that this marina can be a little uncomfortable in a westerly gale, which was the case on Sunday!  It was still rather lively, although dry, so we decided on an early Monday morning start, taking on fuel before milling around while a destroyer left and her tugs returned. 

Once off Rame Head, it transpired that this was a Portugese vessel and was declaring a 10 mile firing zone that included most of the land to our north.  The centre of the exclusion zone was shifted a further two miles to the south  just before the appointed time of the excersise, possibly as a result of our, unacknowledged wireless call, that we would be too slow to leave the area!

This meant we had to tack inshore out of the best of the tide. By the time we reached Udder Rock, east of Polruan, we gave up and motored with our already reefed mainsail straight into the F5 wind and tide. The latter turned and reduced the sea state considerably.

We picked up our mooring, covered in marine growth, just as the brief showers consolidated, after a 13 hour passage.

A final night aboard and we returned ashore, very soggy, the next morning and are now back in Somerset.

"Susan J" logged 691 nautical miles, over 26 days and nights.  5 non sailing days ashore in Lampaul, Douarnenez, Brest, Ploumana'ch and Plymouth.  We used the engine for 100 hours.  And used about 90 litres of diesel.

in largely benign conditions, she has, as always, looked after us and her crews.  Her new Beta30 engine has proved reliable and economical.  We can motor sail more effectively than we realised, making planned longer crossings much more feasible.  A worthwhile investment.

As skippers, we have gained considerable experience of pilotage in strong tides, manouvering at close quarters and using her various systems. The appetite for further extended cruises is not dulled!

"Susan J" will now have a well deserved rest on her mooring, until departing for Falmouth Classics, then the
South West Gaffers Helford Rally next week.

Crossing back Fog!

A 06:30 start to catch the ebb out of the River Trieur and the west going tide.  The promised force 3-4 south-westerly never materialised but warm sunshine eventually did!

Bretagne and French courtesy flags shipped, as we enter international waters!

The little wind there was was from behind and negated by the engine.  We sailed for just two hours of the twenty four. Although "Otto", seen here on the right, steered tirelessly, while the crew read!

At one point, a four foot long, writhing, very black snake was seen slithering along the surface of the sea after being disturbed.

I see no ships!

"Otto" still going strong and basking in the sunset!

By dusk, the Start Point light was made out and, after a short, peaceful night, with a very bright Jupiter behind us and some phosphorescence as we disturbed the oily swells, the lights of Plymouth were bracketed by recognisable cliffs at dawn about 10 miles away with the Eddystone to port.

As the dawn coloured, and we could see well into the Sound, it became apparent that the horizon had got much nearer, the land and lights dissolved and we were in dense fog!  With the engine idling quietly, we just about heard three vessels pass within 0. 2 M, according to the radar which was used for the first time in anger. Fitted by previous owners, we had regarded the radar as a rather "over the top" accessory, only useable on shore power. We were grateful that David had spent some time playing with it while motoring the previous day.  AIS is also useful but would not have helped in two out of these three "close quarters" situations, wherewe had to turn to starboard. The aerosol foghorn, already aboard, was useless, subsequent analysis revealed it should be pumped to 100 psi at a garage, if you wished to indicate you are under sail rather than power. Our humble £5.00 affair, once we realised that it was not a flute, was more effective!

After half an hour in the fog, the radar and plotter also confirmed that the tide was setting us only a mile off the Mew Stone. Entering Plymouth Sound was out of the question but the sun was shining with blue sky above.  The safest thing to do seemed to be to sail in the slight breeze to the southeast towards Falmouth, across the entrance and hopefully avoid fewer boats and away from the land.  In the event and much to the relief of all, the fog cleared revealing several nearby targets including the breakwater, which had eluded the radar, being near high tide.

 A relieved Julie!  As we, belatedly, headed through the western channel and the Bridge to the Mayflower Marina, where David docked sprit first, as advised  after trying to back in to the allocated pontoon, against the tide.

Our intention had been to restock with provisions at Treguier.  However, apart from two dubious bagguettes from the bar, nothing was available, it being Ascension Day !  Despite this, a one pot meal from tins and leftovers, supplemented the marmalade baguettes and sustained the whole crew.  Who, after the wonderful "ensuite showers" (bath in Julie's case) found the mandatory breakfast at "Jolly Jack" 's all the more welcome.

We said goodbye to Matt and Rosie, who faced a nine hour journey back to Poole by train.  They had been excellent crew and experienced a wide range of cruising under sail, including a Channel crossing, in a very few days and, hopefully, are not put off!  Credit to Rosie for many of today's photographs culled (at last!) from "WhatsApp".

This was taken by a friendly neighbour at the Mayflower Marina.