 |
| The Castle at the entrance to New Grimsby, Tresco |
Having arrived in Cornwall by road with ConTTentment for our summer holiday, the last opportunity for a practice run of any length was a trip to visit friends at New Grimsby Harbour on Tresco. Again, weather watching becoming a recurring theme, we waited for a two day window, and set off early Tuesday morning, 8th August. Conditions had been variable in the days leading up to the trip, but we cruised out of the Carrick Roads in nearly perfect conditions. However, once off the Manacles, sea conditions were definitely more challenging, with a steady westerly, south-westerly blowing at force 4-5. The day previous to our trip we had spent a long time on navigation and our chosen route took us wide of the race off the Lizard, but even so conditions at the edge of the race were lumpy. Taking half hourly shifts at the wheel was necessary as the inevitable fatigue and resulting loss of concentration was repaid in spades with a back jarring reminder to focus! Having passed just north of Wolf Rock, the distant sight of the Scilly Islands on the skyline was very welcome, and we had an exhilerating run into New Grimsby with the Atlantic swell on our stern. Our journey time was 3.5 hours averaging 15kts.
 |
| New Grimsby, Tresco |
We were lucky enough to be staying with friends at New Grimsby, and spent a wonderful afternoon getting a taste of the island with its lovely scenery and superb beaches. Waking up the following morning with muscles already stiffened from the jarring ride over from Falmouth, I was very keen to avoid another bumpy journey if possible, and after checking weather conditions first thing in the morning, we decided to head home straight away as a severe wind warning was issued for later in the day, with the morning conditions forecast to be better, when we would have wind and waves on our stern. We exited the islands by heading south and then east out between St Mary's and St Agnes Islands, on smooth seas but with very little water in places, and then reconnected with our route from the day before just west of Wolf Rock. Once out in open sea we had the waves behind us which made for a more comfortable ride and much more entertaining job for the helmsman!
 |
| Cadgwith |
The weather forecast had been for force 4-5 winds with force 5-6 later, so we decided to make the most of our early start and stop in at Cadgwith for some lunch as conditions were comfortable and we were well on with our journey. Just as we were wondering how to make a landfall, a local fisherman gave us a lift onto shore and we spent a very happy hour exploring this delightful fishing village. Lunch at The Cove Inn was well worth the stopover, after which we continued back into the more familiar waters of the Manacles and home to our mooring at St Just Creek. Total journey time, including our stopover, 5.5 hours, with an average speed of 17kts.
VERDICT:
Tresco: A delightful island, with plenty of opportunities for more exploring by land and sea.
Crew: A good getaway from our mooring, being much more organised with stowing our gear and downloading the route plan onto the Garmin. We are also getting more experienced and confident with our boat handling, with this trip providing the most sustained period of difficult driving conditions so far on the outward leg.
Navigation: Very pleased with the route we plotted. Really enjoyed the parts of the journey which were close inshore, and the unscheduled stopover in Cadgwith.
Boat: Affectionately known as "The Beast", ConTTentment continues to attract complimentary comments about her true handling and power. She felt really solid in all conditions.
No comments:
Post a Comment