Bank Holiday Swailing Blues

As predicted the weekday weather was scorchio last week as we returned to work and true to form it deteriorated rapidly into heinous rain and winds just in time for the bank holiday weekend.

Having been cabin bound for a week on our hols we didn't fancy that again so all swailing plans were abandoned for the weekend although das captain is off there today to catch up on some boat maintenance. Me.....catch up on some house maintenance and have a purge.

Hope the weather picks up for the annual Dartmouth regatta next week which is always a spectacle and a huge gathering of boats in the most beautiful setting. The sail into Dartmouth is one of my favourites, past the infamous Start Point and then down through up into the entrance past the castle with the Naval College in full view...stunning...we can but dream at the mo.

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All Packed Up

Yep we took on the old boxing expression yesterday and threw in the towel. Any excursion onto dry land made us feel we were jumping up and down like lunatics after a wk of being tossed around like sardines!

The wind and gales finally stopped but was followed still by large swells and total wipe out with fog and mist...time to go home. At least we had some some great sailing in wk one to console ourselves with.

Here's to an Indian September.....

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Hunkering Down With A Good Book

After a bright start yesterday, as forecast the wind picked up and rain came lashing and lashing down....rock n roll, rock n roll. Wind over 40 knots plus at the breakwater.

So what to do when cabin bound.....hunker down to some good old reading. I have blasted through some books in the last 48hrs which has been some great r n r.

No boat books though have been reading all things cycling...Brad Wiggins, Mark Cavendish and the rise of British Cycling. Have thrown in the odd chick flick book here and there for good measure.

Wind is dropping, still raining outside, it's supposed to dry out later this am and then allegedly dry for the next 48hrs with civil wind and a heat wave.....we,ll see. Might get in a final sail before packing up for home and work on Monday!



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Rock A Bye Baby

Hmmmmm.....this bot didn't half rock last night from a hooley and a half! The wind gradually wound itself up over the course of the afternoon to a point where I hadn't ever seen the pontoons sway and ripple like they were.

Through the binoculars we could see the waves crashing over the breakwater and the sea just getting angrier and angrier. The rain held off but it wasn't pretty out there despite the beguiling sunshine.

It's fair to say its been an uncomfortable night and although the wind has dropped this am, there still is a very large swell so we are still rocking n a rolling.

Still waiting to here what the outcome of the mayday call was over the radio yesterday afternoon where someone jumped off the back of the Tamar ferry. Didn't sound good by all accounts.....despite the heroic efforts of everyone.

So it may be a swelly calm of sorts...but bracing ourselves for the winds to pick up again later today before they finally blow themselves out.

Million dollar question is will we be getting any more swailing in before the end of our hols?


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Whoosh.........Malade!

Not a great day in paradise yesterday for me. The plan was to take the inlaws out for the day on their boat to get them used to the feel for her.

Nice and sunny light winds this am perfect......The calm before the storm.

Instead of cereal this am I really fancied an egg sandwhich.....it's my holiday too so with das captain up I made him a bacon buttie and duly indulged myself in an egg one. Quick pack up and we were off across the other pontoons to drop the lines.

No sooner than they were dropped than I began to feel all peculiar, a cold sweat and I mean a cold sweat dripping from me, down below I went not to return for some time. I shall spare everyone the gory details but needless to say the sail was shortlived and I returned to shore totally wiped out and back to our boat where I crashed...literally.

The rest of the day was spent wiped out, perking up to test out some supper and then crashed out again.

Feel fine today but that was weird and have never experienced anything like that before. For the record the eggs were still two weeks in date but that is all I can put it down to, don't think I,ll be eating them again in a hurry.

That was my storm for the day, shame as Mairadon was enjoying her jaunt out on the water. A other storm has brewed here overnight, the rain started about seven, the wind about eight and its been blowing a hooley ever since.

We are in for a treat today up to a force nine, batten down the hatches time. I shall be defiant though I am still going to wear my shorts!

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Mass Exodus

When there is a decent weather window the masses depart and that's exactly what happened yesterday in Fowey.

A huge flotilla left one by one making the most of it before the new low front hit last night.

We had a cracking sail back in a moderate sea with big swells as we approached Rame Head. The skyline was littered with boats in full sail, a lovely sight.

The only blot on the landscape as far as das captain was concerned was the sight of Nowhere Island being towed towards Cornwall and her home for the next few days as part of the cultural
Olympics. Tax on being stupid more like according to das captain who lost his Olympic spirit for a moment.

We arrived back mid afternoon and after a quick sort out and some lunch we both crashed...knackered after a brisk sail.

Last night was spent watching the closing ceremony aboard the inlaws bot Mairadon....cracking and quirky what a magical two weeks it has been for Blighty.

Going back to das bot after midnight the new low front was well and truly in, it's been a rocky and rolly night aboard RedSnapper....at least it's now stopped raining and the wind has dropped for now.







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Adios!

The fleeting visit was over in 12hrs and we didn't have to set the crew from the pirate ship onto them!

Quite gracefully it pulled up its anchors and made its way up the river and back out to sea with its passengers waving madly from their balconies as though they would never see land again!

We watched from the yacht club and then headed back into a now very peaceful Fowey for supper.




















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