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!