In search of fair winds!

The return from visiting the Isles of Scilly was somewhat challenging for a solo sailor. While on the islands we study the many weather forecast models continuously and, when looking at the forecasts around the time of Ruth’s planned departure by Skybus to Exeter, I could see just one particular day which would give a reasonable opportunity, out of a general pattern of days with strong winds, to leave for the mainland. Leaving any later was going to be troublesome so that had to be the day.

At that stage we were anchored in our favourite location – the delightful Green Bay on Bryher. We had already had some strong winds but we were well sheltered there from the dominant SW winds and taking the ground for 7 hours out of 12 had given us some very settled conditions! The benefits of a yacht with twin keels!

Of note is that between Bryher and Tresco there are some very shallow sand banks. At high spring tides it is quite possible to walk on dry land between these 2 islands! Several times each year parties are arranged on these sand banks with music and drinks. For me, on the day in question, it meant leaving Bryher at a time that would give me sufficient depth of water to motor over these sand banks. That was early on the relevant day so I took Ruth ashore (very early!) and motored to Watermill Cove to wait a short while so as to benefit from the most favourable currents to help speed me on my way back to the mainland and around Lizard Point.

That’s when the fun began! The long running SW winds had built up quite a swell which, added to the currents around the archipelago, created some tubulant conditions. On arriving back home I created a video which shows some of this as well as showing the remainder of my return passage which improved considerably.

I used the opportunity of this video to share something of the setup on Thalmia for the information of other sailors. If you’re not a sailor some of the commentary on the early passage may be rather alien and may make you feel sea sick!

https://youtu.be/nf0-JeWh8lE

And so to my next voyage:

Turning left out of the Exe (heading East), is a great variation on my usual cruising grounds to the SW or across the Channel. The passage across Lyme Bay is quite long however and getting to Portland Bill at precisely the right time to use the ‘inside passage’ requires skilled planning and execution. The ‘inside passage’ is very (VERY!) close in to the headland but at slack water, or rather the start of the fair tide, you can have a safe passage in relatively calm seas compared with the “race” which lies just off Portland Bill which is famous for its strong currents, overfalls and tales of woe for yachts and larger vessels. The “Island” of Portland and Portland Bill jut out into the English Channel interrupting the ebb and flow of currents in the channel and has an uneven sea bed which accentuates the turbulence. Once past the Bill however there are some delightful cruising areas at Weymouth, Lulworth, Swanage, Studland, Poole and then the whole of the Solent.

In September, when I might normally set off on a voyage after the end of the school holidays, there were family and other commitments so I left during August. This meant that marinas and locations I visited would be very busy. Lulworth Cove for example is a beautiful spot to take a yacht but the crowds were out in force on a lovely sunny day. Nonetheless I inflated my SUP (Standup Paddleboard) and paddled around alongside dozens of other paddlers and swimmers and amongst numerous yachts and motor boats anchored for the day or longer.

I then spent a few days in Poole Harbour but had very mixed weather for those few days!

After that, I considered myself fortunate to secure a pontoon berth in Lymington Yacht Haven. This facilitated a particular objective for this trip which was to take my nephew out for a sail. He has been progressing well learning to sail in small boats but this would give him a chance to develop his sailing skills and knowledge on a bigger boat. In the event we had an excellent day for it: in a good breeze we sailed downwind towards Cowes and the Beaulieu River and then returned, beating our way back to Lymington.

Following this I fulfilled the final objective of the trip to which was to visit again the lovely Newtown River on the Isle of Wight. This is a national nature reserve and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Here I flew my drone to get some memorable shots of the river and adjacent lake and also paddled around on my SUP on flat calm waters, watching seals basking in the sun. I also enjoyed a swim in the very warm waters we currently have in the UK at the end of summer: much warmer that when I swam briefly in the Atlantic seas in the early summer on Scilly!

On my return passages to the Exe I stayed for a night in Studland Bay where, although crowded with boats, I was fortunate enough to find a vacant “Eco Mooring”. These are mooring buoys fixed to the sea bed in such a way that they do not cause damage to the sea grass and the habitat of some rare sea horses that populate this particular spot. They are free to use but a donation is requested for their maintenance and to increase the numbers.

Returning from Portland I had to sail offshore from Portland Bill because the tides and currents to use the inside passage were in the hours of darkness and as a solo sailor this would be unsafe as there are many marker buoys supporting lobster and crab pots which get dragged under by the currents and need good visibility and ideally a second pair of eyes to spot. Getting one of them wrapped around the boats keel or propeller is a recipe for disaster in such a challenging location. This detour added an additional 2 hours to my return passage and led to foul tides at the later stages, which, added to the headwind during the passage, slowed my speed down frustratingly.

As I say in the video title however, there is often a price to pay for the enjoyment we get from sailing and we have to take the rough with the smooth. As the sailing season draws to a close, and during the winter while the annual maintenance progresses, I will remember the good times and forget the difficulties along the way!

https://youtu.be/DLFMwolJgvQ

In years to come I will have these videos to help me reflect on this season’s experiences.