As we left the Isles of Scilly we had a 60NM journey ahead of us to sail back to Falmouth where we were having some more work done on our autohelm – hopefully to fix it once and for-all! We decided to test out Hilda The Hydrovane (NB: Steve hates this name, so it may well change later in our travels!). We were slightly dubious whether Hilda would cope, as the instructions for setting her up and using her were so simple we could not believe it really would be that easy. If all worked well, all we needed to do was set the sails, balance the boat, tie off the helm and relinquish control to Hilda. The advantage of using the Hydovane instead of an autopilot is Hilda operates using none of our precious power, she just reads the wind.
It was blowing up to 20knots with a bit of a swell, but we decided to give Hilda a go. Much to our surprise and joy, Hilda excelled! It really was that simple! She held a steady course, keeping the sails filled while we sat back and sheltered from the wind and occasional wave that came crashing over the bow. In total contrast to the journey out where we hand steered all the way and arrived tired after being at sea for 12hrs, Hilda averaged 6.2knots and sped us back to Falmouth in 10hrs, giving us time to relax and enjoy the journey while keeping a good lookout for other traffic.
We found a lovely sheltered anchorage in Helford River and decided to wait there until we knew BT Marine had time to sort out the autopilot. While waiting we decided to investigate why our grey tank pump had stopped working. On Cerulean all water which goes down the drain, goes into a grey water tank before it is then pumped overboard. This isn’t normally a problem as we always operate the pump and empty the tank while on passage. However, when the pump stopped working and the tank filled up, it was a problem! We rolled up our sleeves and took off the inspection cover on the tank. Years of build up of fat and congealed soap was stuck to the side, bottom and pipes of the tank. Using our hands and a large bucket we scooped up numerous bucket loads of the gooey, smelly sludge which must have built up over many years. It was a disgusting job but very rewarding when, once clean and put back together, the pump worked perfectly, in fact better than it had before! We were rewarded with a (much needed) hot shower!
The next day was Thursday and we had a call from BT Marine confirming they could remove our autopilot computer later than day, so we headed into Falmouth and met up with Chris, the engineer. It only took 30 minutes for Chris to remove the computer and take it away to update the software. As he left Chris told us there was no way they would be able to refit it until after the weekend. While we understood how busy they were, I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed as we were hoping to leave Falmouth at the weekend. Resigned to staying put, we picked up a mooring buoy and went to stay with Bea and Andy again while I sat my final exam for my YachtMasters qualification.
Next day we celebrated me passing by returning our big bag of (now clean) laundry to the boat and, much to our surprise and appreciation, picked up Chris who re-installed and re-calibrated our auto-pilot which now seemed to be working perfectly. A huge relief and we were very grateful that BT Marine were able to shuffle some other jobs around to accommodate us.
We left Bea and Andy’s again and, with full diesel tanks, full water tanks and lots of provisions, headed up The River Fal to wait for a good weather window to start heading south again ready for our next big trip.
We motored up the river towards Truro passing large stately homes with manicured lawns sloping down to the rivers edge. Trees lined the river as it gently wound its way north. Several rivers flowed off the River Fal and we anchored between two tributaries tucked in close to the shore in a secluded spot surrounded by trees, birdsong and clear, calm water. It was a perfect place to give Steve time to heal his strained back and to celebrate my birthday.
We spent two perfect days in the anchorage doing very little except resting, reading and soaking up the sun in a couple of hammocks we attached on the forward deck. A small, pure white, Egret stood, statue-like on the banks of the river close to us and large herons would swoop in and disturb its peace every now and then – that was the most activity we saw for two days!
With a good weather window approaching, we motored out of the River Fal and set our course for Penzance. The auto pilot worked well and gave freedom for both of us to confidently move out of the cockpit and focus on other things while the boat continued to head in the set direction.
Penzance is located in the far south west of Cornwall and appears to be a forgotten corner of England. It has a walled off harbour which dries out at low tide, and an inner “wet” harbour which opens its gates 1hour before, until 1 hour after, high tide. Space in the wet harbour is limited with yachts and fishing boats rafting up beside each other in a fairly tight space. We arrived after the gates had closed so chose our preferred option of anchoring near by. We try to avoid paying mooring fees, which has proofed difficult in Cornwall. The Duke of Cornwall (Prince Charles) takes a levy from yachts anchoring or mooring in most bays and rivers in Cornwall. Fortunately that doesn’t apply in Penzance so we dropped the hook in 5m of water close to the seawall, between Penzance and neighbouring port, Newlyn. Our anchorage looked across the bay to St Michaels Mount and we could just pick out the castle on top of the Mount as we enjoyed sundowners and soaked up our new environment.
I love arriving at a new destination and getting familiar with our new vista while having the familiarity of being in our home. It’s an odd feeling waking up in a familiar bed but with a different view out the window to enjoy. We had breakfast in the cockpit watching morning swimmers getting their daily exercise as they swam between buoys in front of us, occasionally one would swim over to where we were anchored and pass comment on us being a long way from home!
We went ashore and walked through Penzance, getting lost in the narrow streets with old stone houses lining each road. The weather had deteriorated and a thick fog gave the town a mystical, although damp, feel reminiscent of Poldark or French Lieutenants Woman. We also explored Newlyn which I loved – more of a community, old Cornwall feel to it than Penzance and hasn’t been spoiled by tacky touristy shops selling cheap rubbish in the belief that visitors lose any once of taste they may have had before they arrived in the place!
We remained the only boat anchored in the sweeping bay and, as the fog continued to linger we decided to stay until the forecast improved. The anchorage was comfortable without too much of a swell and the hold was good, so we felt confident the anchor would not drag if the wind did get up. After three days a moderate weather window opened up and we started planning our departure. Our next journey would take us around Lands End and continue north across the Bristol Channel to Wales. As this was our first over night passage we wanted to make sure the conditions were kind for an enjoyable experience.
As we left Penzance dolphins once again joined us – we have been so surprised by the number of dolphins we have seen – one pod that joined us and played in our bow wave, had four babies – one very young – that entertained and delighted us for some time. As the afternoon wore on the fog descended again and we found ourselves alone in the middle of the channel with little wind, no visibility and a damp mist surrounding us.