Day 13- Tuesday 31st may Padstow to Ilfracombe

I slept poorly in the night. I didn't want to miss the lock gate being open and had no alarm. I'm sure there is one on my phone but didn't think about that. I left the pontoon at 6.30 and there were a couple of boats ahead of me. The wind was blowing straight into the estuary and there was quite a chop, even down by the harbour. A boat was either coming in or was turning back. Its rough out there the skipper shouted. I carried on as I was encouraged by being able to see another yacht beyond the Bar. the waves built and I could imagine what it must be like to surf in. I decided I really didn't fancy that so I was committed to carrying on.

As so often happens,the swell reduced in deeper water. The North West wind was helpful in my making progress up the coast. Gyll had emailed me to say I hadn't mentioned the wildlife much. On previous trips I had seen dolphins, sunfish and basking sharks, So far I had seen nothing in the water, However, today I noticed the birds. The guillemots with their stubby bodies and thin wings were skimming along just above the water.They are not unlike swifts in their movements. Sometimes they would be on the surface and when I came close they would either take off or dive.I never saw then resurface. They must be able to swim quite a way. I must find out about their feeding habits. its hard to see what they do in such deep water. there were also gannets about. I know more about their feeding habits because of their impressive dives into the sea,

I had entered waypoints for Ilfracombe and Lundy. If there had been less swell I'd have liked to spend the night anchored off the island. However there was an outside chance Wendy might meet up with me if I stayed on the main land. It was a cracking sail, but other than the one boat I followed out of Padstow, i didn't see another one in whole 11 hours it took me to get to Ilfracombe. I seem to be the only one out here!

There are very few harbours, and with this onshore wind even those are tricky to get into, It was interesting moving into a new coast gaurd area. A very welsh accent introduced the weather update on behalf of Milford Haven and Swansea Coast Guard. The new art gallery is in the two structures which look like cooling towers close to the front.

About 2 hours from Ifracombe Joe phone me. he has his exam on Thursday morning and the will be the end of his degree, he's been feeding  his results into a programme and reckons he his a borderline 1st/2.1 It probably all rests on the exam. No pressure then.

As I came Ilfracome, the local lifeboat seemed to be helping a newly arrived yacht.Nobody seemed very worked up, so it can't have been a big problem It is a drying harbour so I bolted my legs on before coming ashore to find a pub with wifi.I have not worked out where I go from here.

On the row ashore I was taken aback by the scale of a development that was going up. I'm sure they put up a convincing case that the height of the building was no taller than others around it whilst ignoring the fact that the ground was being dug away to create more stories!

When I got back from updating my blog Hylgje was sitting upright on the sand. The family whose boat had been helped in by the lifeboat were hanging around under the boat. They said they'd picked up some heavy duty fishing net around the prop. The furling jib had jammed and the tide was against them. The two young lads said they were never scared!                                                                                                            

Day12- 30th May Padstow

Brian came up trumps and did a good job welding the rudder bracket.It didn't take long to put it back together and I used the time to mend other bits and pieces,I also found some time to read a bit more of Sam Steele's book on circumnavigation. She has a piece on fishing buoys and the hazard they are to leisure boats. I had my own problem with one as I came around Dodman Point. It was easy to cut myself free, but anyone with an inboard engine has much more trouble. That often means having to get into the water, As these things are often off headlands where the tidal flow is greatest that's something you want to avoid. I have  recorded them in 44m of water, so its not just in the shallows.They can also be quite difficult to see in fog or a swell.

Steve Sheppard had said he might Padstow. He texted to say he'd be in Cumbria in July. Who knows where I'll be then.

In the harbour the local lifeboat was showing tourists around the inside. I got talking to a couple of new recruits. The girl's father is a fisherman, so she has the sea in her blood. the young chap came from Evesham and was a carpet fitter, He said he dreamed of being in the boat every night. They both lived for the chance to go out in it. It covers about a 60m radius and can cover that distance in about 4 hours. That's a long time to wait for help, but that's sure moving. One of the lad;s most memorable experiences, so far, was surfing in over the Bar in the lifeboat. It was almost vertical he said.He had been out on 2 emergencies since January. In one of these the RNLI inflatable had flipped and dumped one of the crew in the sea. It was an embarrassing incident, but lessons were learnt.

At the end of a busy Bank Holiday Monday the pasty shop was selling its remaining stock at a £1 each. They freeze well she said. That doesn't help me much, but I bought 3. I chomped through one of them as I sat with my latop in the cabin

As I looked at the rotating symbol on the screen whilst the lengthy uploads took place I thought it was the modern day equivalent of watching the washing go around in the launderette,                                           

On the pontoons I got talking to a yachtsman who was on his way to Finland. He'd only come from Bristol and had been in Pastow for a month. He didn't have the courage for single handed sailing so was reliant on crew. Him and is mate reckoned they;d tackle lands End on Thursday. As a Scandinavian I asked how he would pronounce the name of my boat as it was Finnish for seal. He said it would be Hool-yay, which is what I thought, but I'll stick to Hill-gee. He said it is a particular type of Baltic seal, which I didn't know.

For the last couple of time I've done a radio check with the coast guard there has been no answer. I was reassured by the harbour master saying I came over loud and clear. That was a comfort. I had an early night as I wanted to get away early in the morning. the lock gates would close at 7 a.m so I needed to be away before then,

Day 11- 29th May Padstow and a broken rudder

I left Padstow about 9 this morning. the forecast was for the wind to moderate in the afternoon and for the rain to clear. The wind would be from the west which was favourable for my move up the north coast but I didn't want to wait until the afternoon because I would miss the north running tide.

The swell was a little lower than yesterday but was still significant. It was running up behind me but slightly on my port quarter. I sailed looking backwards so that if a large wave came up I could steer perpendicular to it at its peak so it wouldn't turn me side ways. After about an hour and a half of this and about level with Tintagel the bottom bracket of the rudder broke.There's an interesting problem to solve I thought. I had always thought that one benefit of an outboard over an inboard engine is that you can steer with it if the rudder breaks so I was confident I could salvage the situation, but I didn't want to lose the rudder completely. I decided the best course was to make my way back to Padstow. Motoring back against the swell was slow and very bumpy. My chart plotter was really helpful because the visibility was poor and I couldn't leave the tiller to check my position as i was using my body to absorb the movements of the tiller and so the pressure on the rudder blade. It helped going into the waves because there was less pressure on it.

Safely back in the harbour I met Brian Chapman the skipper of the local tripper boat " Jubilee Queen". he said he could weld the bracket if I could get it off. When the lock gates opened I was able to get onto the pontoon. motoring in backwards so as to be able to get to the stern of the boat from the pontoon.With so many people on the quay side was a little unnerving. However, it went perfectly and I expected a round of applause but it didn't come. I then set to getting the rudder off, which was not easy because the main pin had bent.

I spent the afternoon being alternative entertainment to crabbing and watching the brass band as I dismantled the rudder in order to give the bent and broken bits to Brian,

When all the work was done I did my usual thing of wandering around looking at the interesting architecture. I was very taken with  a pair of terraces separated by a narrow common pathway and  a passageway connecting two streets.

The passageway has a notice discouraging loitering or causing a nuisance.

The most interesting building for me is Abbey House on the quay. It is padlocked off and looks neglected but has intriguing details. The natural stone base slopes away from the front door so the rain would always drain away. There is a chain leading down from the gutter, which means the rain would dribble down it rather than pour over the frontage. There are some interesting stone figures and faces to protect the occupants. It says its a private house and I'd love to see inside.

The brass band played all day on the harbour. Even into the evening they carried on. they were very good and they deserved the applause.They were about 20m away from my boat and the chip shop was 15m. There was no need to go anywhere!

Day10-Satuday 28th May.-Padstow

I planned to continue up to Ilfracombe today. I awoke to drizzle and a strong wind (surprise surprise). What the hell I thought I'll go anway. Out beyond the bar the waves were too much for me. It is a long way to Ifracombe in those conditions. Going back up the channel guys were windsurfing and kite boarding as the water was calm in the shelter of the harbour.

Back on the mooring, every where looked pretty bleak in the drizzle. This is a Bank Holiday weekend, so I shouldn't really expect anything different.

I'd been to Padstow before,or Steinville as some call it, but never from the sea. The harbour is shallow and the channel is lined by lovely white sand. It reminded me of the scenery on the Scillies. Dressed up well for the blow, people were walking their dogs.I bet it looks fabulous in the sunshine.Liam Reading emailed me to say he was coming down here on Tuesday with Steve Forsey. It's a shame I'm likely to miss them. Steve Sheppard is also in Hayle from today. I'm probably too
 
far north for him. There is a pattern emerging of not quite meeting up with people.

There are several muscular speed boats in the harbour, which take people out around the estuary. They have names like Jaws,Fireball,Sea Fury and Thunder. They growl around with their Vloads of cyllinders but they didn't go out beyond the Bar today though. This is an ideal place for boats like that.

I went ashore to look for an internet cafe. I found one in the ground floor of what used to be the cinema. It is a coffee place called Java and the owner( Henry) reacts badly to coffee. It makes him go a little strange- not like other people: much worse he said. I pressed him on what happened, but he couldn't quite explain it. He gave me a cappucino with chocolate in it for my opinion. He couldn't do it himself. How many of us end up in unlikely jobs for us I wonder?

There is a lock in harbour in the town centre. It's convenient for things except its very limiting when you can come and go. I decided to put up with the inconvenience of my swinging mooring and the row ashore so as to be able to make the most of the tide when I leave.The quay makes a pleasant contrast to the gated development they have built at the entrance to the harbour.It is an ugly thing built off the old harbour wall and has taken in a little wharf wich I rowed into by mistake. There was no way to walk into the rest of the town unless you have a key to the gate.So this is anothr type of lock in harbour!

Justine emailed me yesterday to say people were enjoying the blog and were learning more about me than they'd done in the 10 years at work. What a shame, that it takes my leaving and starting a trip like this before people start to get to know me!

Padstow was heaving as people looked for something to do on a wet bank Holiday. Some were clustered on doorways eating pasties or ice cream. I don't think the speed boat owners will make much money today.

I had lunch in a Hotel called the Cross ways. It was very quiet and I heard the owner talking to the manager. Some people had arrived somewhere up the road (for some reason) about whom they had no record of a reservation. They were full so couldn't put them up. The owner tells the manager to go and tell them the bad news and to take the book with him. The owner said he'd follow on in a minute. I said that was canny to let the manager to take the flak. Years of practice he said smugly. Do we all know managers like that?

So to review how the trip is going I drew in my passages on my road atlas. When I look at the size of Britain its quite dispiriting. It seems like a big counrty when you are moving around it slowly!I obviously am so proud of the picture I posted it twice! How do you remove picures you don't want ?

Day9-Newlyn to Padstow

Going around lands End from Newlyn you go though almost 360 degrees, so there will always be a stretch where you will be going straight into the wind. In my planning last night, I judged that with the forecast for a force 4/5 from the WNW then it would probably be the bit between Lands End and Cape  Cornwall. For the first time for the wind should be  in my favour as I worked my way up the North Devon Coast.

Shortly after leaving the Scillonion bound for the Scillies came up behind me.I've spent a lot of hours on that boat. It has a shallow draft to be able to get into the islands and there's often quite a swell from the Atlantic. Many people get down to the sick bay straight away in readiness.

The north flowing tide took me between The Seven Stones and Lands End quickly and I was soon off Cape Cornwall. It is a rugged place , though so much of our coast is like that. What makes this place different from other headlands is that the tide sweeps up past it so if you plan it right you can come along the south side westwards against the tide and then you turn the corner and are then take with the tide northwards

This part of the coast is defined by the derelict mine working structures, which stand proud and exposed.

The trip up the coast was a great sail the wind was a constant force4/5 and I bowled along at over 6 knots most of the time. I was soon level with St. Ives and thought I'd carry on to benefit from these advantageous conditions. Then Newquay came and I Passed that to and aimed for Padstow. All the harbours along this stretch dry out at low water, so I wanted to go to one there would be some shelter if I needed to wait before I could get in.The final leg up and around Trevose Head passed very slowly as by now the tide was against me, so despite my speed through the water the flow meant that I was doing only a bit more than 4 knots over the ground. I arrived at the famous Doom Bar just after 9pm. It was low tide, but neaps so there was still water and I motored in and picked up a buoy.The log said I'd done 70 nautical miles, but the GPS said 62nm, so overall the tide had been against me.

Day 8- Thursday26th. Another day in Penzance.

It blew like they said it would during the night, but Newlyn is very sheltered. Dave the harbour master pleasantly relieved me of some more money. We're all called Dave down here he said. he told me about his first night as watchman and how the local Chinese owner came up and asked whilst rubbing his thumb and forefinger togther whether and fish ever go missing. Dave gave him short shrift, which is not a name for a local catch!

Well my list of things lost overboard now runs to:- a boat hook (Fowey), a fork ( falmouth) and a pair of scissors (Newlyn). So whilst having complained about the amount of stuff I have with me, fickle fate is trying to lighten my load.

last night I was reading some of Libby Purves's stories about her sailing life.She talked about the impossibility of planning a cruise. It took her and Paul Heiney 4 months to get around the UK. It comforts me that I am not making better progress. In the bigger scheme of things,it really does not matter whether I have to give up because I run out of time, money or something breaks, but at the moment there is an anxiety to get on. I knew it would be like this to start with. Its a bit like when you go on holiday and it takes a few days to get in the doing less mode. However, when you are at your mooring and others arrive or leave it gives me the feeling that they are doing this cruising thing better than me and I should be out there too.

So what do I spend my time doing when not at sea? Well as a potter and town planner its bound to involve a lot of looking at buildings and galleries. I had thought that a theme for this trip might be visiting the newish galleries at St. Ives,Margate,Ilfracombe and wherever else. As a start there is a great one in Newlyn. It's main gallery has now been made into a cafe and it has a fabulous panoramic view of the bay.

As I pondered the current laptop/smart phone life we have moved into I thought the audio visual installation by Pheobe Cummings quite interesting . It combined hydrophonic recordings from under the sea near landsend with a clay model of a tropical forest. The sound is meant to be symbolic of the importance of the use of the sea bed to lay telegraph/phone cables and the  forest the Gutta trees ,whose sap was used as a natural resin to provide insulation for the cables.I took a picture of the world map of such cables in 1876.

Her installation was less interesting than the ideas behind it:-

Another audio experience was by Chris Watson who had spent a lot of time in Australia recording the various noses the wind blowing in telegraph wires. Well how else would you spend your time in the outback?My impression was that the cafe now took more importance that the art.

 Outside there is a bronze of a fishermen trowing a lifeline as a memorial to the fishermen lost at sea. It looks right there and the line would be aimed at the entrance to Newlyn harbour,

The cafe served up a white ceramic spoon with chocolate in the shape of coffee beans. I felt it mad e a better picture than a lot of the other stuff there.I

Before returning to Drecklys for lunch I took some more pictures of the town. For the first tme I wandered into an area where there were some pleasant mews houses. Maybe if and when it is built Sherford might look like this !

There are some great litle terraces as well.

However they don't seem to want to upload. You'd have thought that if they managed to place several cables across the atlantic i would be able to put a photo in the right place wouldn't you?

There are alos to very defining buldings and sites in the town, which I will post for the benefit of those who haven't been here.

In the Guardian there today there were some pictures of Price William meeting Obama. What is it about the way that family hold there hands?Can't he or us dad bend his fingers?

Day 8- Wednesday 25th May.- Penzance.

Landsend is a real "tidal gate". You have to time things right so that you round it just as the northerly tide is starting to carry you up the coast.I was all set to leave this morning. The conditions were favourable to go around, but it is where I go afterwards that is the problem There are very few harbours in reasonable reach- St Ives, Newquay and Padstow and all are relatively exposed. A northerly gale is forecast for tomorrow, so none of them would be very comfortable. You have to think a couple of steps ahead.

I was moored close to a small transat boat. The young woman was earning her right to do the mini transat. These are special beasts: both the craft and their users. These long distance loners are a special breed.They have a resilience and a level of skill I can only but admire She had broken a stay ( the boaty kind not the ones you wear).I had come across half a dozen of these boats in Plymouth.

I was mentioning the Padstow Doom Bar yesterday. My pilot book says the local legend is that it got its name when a local fisherman shot a mermaid thinking she was a fish. Cursing him with her dying breath the shrew up a handful of sand which turned into the Bar, vowing that " henceforth the harbour should be desolate". With comments like that it's no wonder I chose to stay tucked up in Newlyn!

On radio Corrnwall they wheeled in Martin Bidney from the Coast Guard to give his update.He reports on the results of distress beacons being set off. One was in a container which git wet on a Russian ship and another was somewhere in Indonesia. They also had a mayday call form a French yacht, which had just heard the gale forecast and had taken it to be someone in distress. They must come across some great stuff!

Was it just me, but on Radio 4 this morning they were talking about Obama meeting the Queen, and later he would be meeting Cameron. I thought I heard the commentator say they would be getting the tongues out. Actually they were planning to have a barbecue! So its not going to be the mutual appreciation I was envisaging!

I spent the morning refreshing the blog in a nice little cafe called Drecklys. It was a new venture for Glyn, a young guy who and been employed in telecommunications and  in mining and was on a small retainer for when there was more work, though he was under no obligation to return and was enjoying his change in direction. I said I'd mention him on my blog. I was at last able to upload the pictures and some additional text I'd wanted to include in earlier posts. So if you can bear it it may be worth scanning back to see the changes.

This is the first chance I've had to use my folding bike.Newlyn is a longish walk to Penzance and so a bike is really useful. So this picture shows me on the Penzance front with the entrance to Newly harbour in the background. Bike with laptop on the back is going to be a regular image as I work my way around. The bike creates a lot of attention. Seems like a lot of people are thinking about buying one. Nobody asked me about my shorts though!

Penzance is a great town. I've known it for years as I've waited to catch the Scillonion to go to the Scillies for numerous holidays. There is some great architecture, magic views into the bay and loads of galleries.Sorry about the poor focus of this picture. It shows the bay above the roof tops. I don't know how to remove a picture once you have posted one!

No matter where you go its difficult to avoid the itinerant odd combination of Peruvian and wild west musicians. How many must there be in the country? And what would you call the genre?

Day7- tuesday 24th May- Newlyn

It certainly seemed like a student town when I hear revelry screams when i awoke at dawn on the mooring,! Managed to sort out my bank problems after a trip to Nat West. Seems my get started on this trip had caught up with me and i don't get paid until tomorrow.

Filled up with petrol at £1.85 a litre on the pontoon.I commented on the difference in price from the garage forecourt. He said it was £1.99 yesterday but they had reduced it to keep it under £2. I said it was already under £2. his answer was not illuminating. However my engine is very frugal using about 1 litre per hour so my four x 5.l tanks weren't going to break the bank. Not quite anyway!

Jane sent me an email entitled "Bloggin on the Ooggin". Great title. I'm beginning to welcome nice long emails-from followers -hint! This sailing lark can be a lonely business. Then just as I set sail Justine phoned me to answer a stack of IT related queries I'd left with her. Then I picked up an email from Gyll and managed to talk to Wendy so I began to feel connected again.I could probably have done without Joe's account in his email of getting so pissed a couple of days ago he slept in the yard outside his flat as he didn't manage to get through the door

The sail to Penzance was good overall apart from a lumpy bit around the Lizard. My outboard is positioned off centre on the back so when motor sailing and on starboard tacks its dug well into the water. however on port tacks it often leaves the water and screams until it re-enters. In certain strong waves it is also knocked sideways. The bit around the Lizard was rough and I was on a port tack.

Not surprisingly, being at sea involves a lot of time looking at the water. The waves that roll toward you never look much on photos. You need to be there to sense the difference between being in the hollows and rising to the crests. people who write about these things comment bout the difficulty in capturing this effectively.

In the way around I spotted the hotel where the management team went in February 2005 for a bonding session. I got to thinking that's the last of those I shall ever go on!

The waves smoothed out once around the Lizard and I savoured passing St. Michael's Mount. Its a very special and atmospheric place. It merges with the rest of the coast line so I was almost upon it before it stood out clearly.

It has such a presence and looks even more dramatic form the seaward side. It has been occupied by the St Aubyn family since the 1600s. it was once the main port for the Bay until penzance harbour was built.

And just to prove I was there:-

Moored in Newlyn.The Harbour master was a very friendly fellow. I commented that my Pilot Guide said that the mooring would be £4 rather than the £12 he wanted. We pondered on the effects of inflation since 2001! He also suggested that Cornwall has not got much to offer other than pasties and fish. Getting abit of money off tourists/ yachties probably compensates a bit.

Day6.Monday 23rd May. Yet more Fowey, and then Falmouth!

The mooring in Wiseman's Reach was just as peaceful as the night before.This was so much so that I started to think they had got it wrong about the Force 5/6 gusting7/8 south west wind. However, by the time I'd motored back into the harbour I realised they'd not been so off track!

Enroute to the harbour entrance i saw how they go about their garaging in thses parts!

As I'm still in familiar waters it doesn't seem like I've truly set off yet. The cheese and onion pasties in town are great, but they are not compensation for getting a bit further on.Radio Cornwall features the work of the Coastguard. yesterday 6 kids were rescued after their dinghy was washed onto the rocks near Falmouth. They had only one life jacket between them and one of their mothers was loath to call the emergency services because she thought she needed to pay!!

Without wishing to dwell on maritime accidents, a yacht just  came onto the town pontoon to drop off the 80year old guy who'd crushed his finger in a winch.His son told me he had insisted in going out instead of sheltering in the river. They were going to take him to Plymouth. He is a concert organist, so his son was concerned this would have a big impact on him. It's enough to take up gardening or maybe sketching!

Before setting out I wondered if it made any sense bringing my big vertical bike pump. Well it came in handy today putting extra air in my fenders. The constant pounding on the pontoon was flattening them.

The wind dropped a bit and set moved into the WNW pretty much as the forecast predicted to I set off at 4 bound for Falmouth. It was still gusting force 6 after rounding Dodman Point and it was a long tack to get there. The setting sun broke through as i approached putting all the cranes into silhouette.

I went for a pint and a Chinese takeaway. the price of a pint of Doombar seems to decrease as i work my way west. £2.50 is best so far.It's named after a sand bar at Padstow I think. Perhaps a pint should be free for anyone who crosses the bar.

Falmouth has turned into a real university town now. Dartington College moved down here as part of the university expansion last year. Falmouth' gain is Totnes's loss. The place has taken on a more studenty feel than when I was last here.There were some great earnest conversations going on in the pub.

Day5 Sunday 22nd May-Fowey for a bit longer.

The swell was heavy in the harbour last night and much larger boats than mine were bouncing up against the pontoon. I decided to go up river a bit and found serenity in Wiseman's Reach. On one side is the Imrys quay, which is where boats are loaded and the other side is just a beautiful Cornish river. I felt very smug as I ticked into my pasta washed down by a Cabernet-Shiraz-Merlot.

i awoke early at 5.50 and the place was silky smooth. There were only the sounds of owls and sea birds.

I was moored next to a lovely classic boat and I took many pitctes trying to optimise the composition of boat and reflection. I toyed with the idea of sketching it but I wanted a bit more sleep and it would still be there later.

The forecast was for a stong south westerly decreasing and veering to the south. This meant that later I may stand a chance of getting to Falmouth. In order to benefit from the west running tide. I went to the cashpoint first and was shocked to see my balance, It shouldn't be that low. How was I going to sort that out on a Sunday, particularly as I'd forgotten to bring my on line banking details with me.

 I set off at midday. I had the main sail fully reefed and started off motor sailing.However I made the mistake of towing my iinflatable.Within a short time it went airborne and then turned upside down. Its nose started to dig into the water and I believed the strain would rip the rope off it. I decided I should return and wait for better conditions, I was also rattled by my bank account situation. how can a day start so well and deteriorate so quickly?

Back in the harbour the wind continued to drop and I felt tempted to restart my journey. proper yachtsman wouldn't piss around in harbour! Get out there again my inner voice said, but I knew I'd lost the tide and didn't fancy trying to get around Dodman Point with the tide against me.

I now had time to wander around the galleries in town. There was a large sculpture of a wolf howling at the moon. What sort of frame of mind would you need to be in to spend a couple of grand on a subject like this?

The weather continued to improve and I savoured the sites as I made my way back to Wiseman's reach. there was the shabbiest wreck of a boat I'd ever seen on a mooring. there was also a wonderfully narrow proportioned house that was little wider than a boat shed.I took photos of both but gave up waiting for them to upload despite taking them on a low resolution setting.I'm finding this very frustrating and will probably post fewer photos in future. My laptop is also refusing to charge on both my mains and 12v leads!