 | 12 th to 13 th of July 2016 - The Isles of Scilly (At last) |
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| Crew : | Helen and Andy | |
| Destinations : | The Cove, Isle's of Scilly. | |
| Distance : | 58 miles |
Finally we have reached the Isles of Scilly after trying several times to get here since 2008. We set the alarm clock for 4am and were off our mooring in the Helford River by 5am, at first light. We sailed initially until past the first headland. Unfortunately the winds were westerly so on our nose once we started to head west. The swell picked up as we passed the Lizard. We were able to motor sail which made the going more comfortable. Unfortunately the North Westerlies only arrived for brief periods as squalls passed overhead. I managed to make 6.8 knots under sail for about 5 minutes as we passed from behind the lee of Lands End. Unfortunately the wind died and backed to the west again before Andy was able to get up on deck.
It was a fairly uneventful passage, with a bit of collision avoidance as a couple of big ships exited or entered the TSS off Lands End as we passed Wolf Rock Lighthouse. As I was passing across the south end of the TSS a container ship was heading parallel to our course. I was pretty certain it was going to turn north and hence crossing our path, so we briefly turned on our AIS transmitter. The ship then turned to starboard passing behind us. It is quite gratifying seeing a large ship give way to our little yacht.
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| WOLF ROCK LIGHTHOUSE |
We arrived at The Cove, an anchorage on the south side of The Scilly Isles, between Gugh and St Agnes, by 16.30 and chose a spot in 11 metres depth, outside of the other yachts, with views out to sea the way we had just come.
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| VIEW FROM OUR COCKPIT |
The following morning we went ashore to explore Gugh which is uninhabited, apart from the birds and two holiday cottages. We got our first good views of The Isles from above.
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| OLD MAN OF GUGH |
We then walked across the sand bar which separates the north bay from the cove and walked up to the village church on St Agnes and go our first taste of some of the flora the Isles are known for. We found the Turks Head for a pint and I had my first plunge in the sea. Needless to say this didn't last long as it was very cold! Although it was windy, the sky and seas were blue.
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