Midweek from Plymouth September 27-October 1 2021  – report by Sue Fowle

Boat - ‘Anodyne  ’, Bavaria 36 from QAB.

Skipper - Gordon Ogden  , Crew - Ewart Hutton  , Chris Watts  , Ginny Watts  and Sue Fowle  .

Whether the weather be wet or fine.....

In July I found out there was a week's charter available on September 27. In the sun and heat of July it seemed a good idea to book it as plans for a week in the Solent or Plymouth or France had had to be discarded one by one.

In anticipation of good weather we drew up possible passage plans for Fowey, Falmouth /Helford River. There was a possibility of a slightly earlier handover so we arranged to meet at 11 and have a quick lunch on board before heading off. The flags were flying briskly but the Sound was bright and it was sunny with only a few black clouds around. Spirits were high.......but as the hours ticked by they gradually sank towards our seaboots and it was after 3 pm before we loaded up our gear and victuals. Miranda, a Hanse 385 had taken precedence over our old Bavaria...

As the forecast had deteriorated to high winds and heavy rain we rejigged our plans so, oilied up, we headed up the Tamar towards Saltash. With 1 reef in the main and a slightly furled genoa in 20 knt winds, with Ginny on the helm, we dodged 3 Torpoint ferries and caused not a smidgeon of interest to the MOD police. No doubt they are used to seeing Anodyne. Gordon had not been able to contact Saltash sailing club to ask to use their pontoon so we headed just under the bridge to the public pontoon. This is perfectly adequate, normally has a locked gate to the shore and if asked costs £25. We had planned some meals on board in anticipation of our original passage plan so after celebratory G and Ts we tucked in to fresh salmon and veggies, strawberries and more alcohol.

Tuesday dawned, if you could call it that, wet and windy. It was hard to see past the stern of the boat but we eventually stirred ourselves to motor to Cargreen to check it out for future use. We picked up a mooring buoy and spent several hours relaxing with regular food and coffee replenishments, reminiscing over past sailing exploits. In the late afternoon, Gordon and Ewart offered to motor us down to QAB in the driving rain. Ewart had hired oilies from Liberty and looked very fetching in grey but he was disappointed that the label was not as high end as he expected. Safely tucked in Miranda's berth we headed for the marina restaurant after drinks and nibbles. By this time the rain had moved away and the lights around the Sound looked very welcoming.

We woke to a clear sky on Wednesday but to the news that Chris was in a lot of pain and had been advised to return to BRI so he and Ginny sadly left us, after such a short taster. Though we were somewhat deflated Gordon decided that he, Ewart and I could have a day sailing as the weather was ideal. The wind was still from SW about 20 knots gusting up to 30 – we never found the wind reading on the plotter....but with a reefed main we had a sparkling sail through the western breakwater around to the Yelm entrance. I had done some nav but dropping the main on the heading to Wembury church took longer than expected so it needed more calculations (imagination) to get back onto the transit into the channel. Unlike my last visit in July there were no other yachts to follow! It was quite tricky to pick up the low lying buoys in the distance.

We had been given permission by Liberty to use the inside of the pontoon in the river but chose instead to pick up a buoy but whether it was loose on its mooring Gordon on the helm found us speeding back towards another yacht! We picked up another buoy and had a lazy lunch languishing in the sunshine but somehow we never got out of the wind.

Returning on our track using back bearings on the transits we decided to have 2 reefs in the main and to furl some of the genoa. Out of the river the Mew Stone now had a high white frill of surf around it. Trying to tack away from the Mew Stone proved an interesting experience with Anodyne going around almost 180 degrees so after several attempts we gave up plans to use the western entrance. However we had an active, sparkling sail into the Eastern channel almost as far as QAB, managing to avoid a sailing school doing MOB practice. With 3 of us on the boat the brisk conditions made for a good work out for muscles unused for about 2 years.

QAB now have a system of booking a slot to fill up the fuel tank so we headed to the pontoon only to find Simon bringing in Miranda who had had several problems out on the water. It was after 5 pm so fuel not available but as always there was a cheery, helpful welcome in PYH for the small amount of fuel needed.

With Thursday's forecast sounding like a repetition of Tuesday's we hurried to tidy the deck before dark but leave the inside until Thursday morning before packing up to return home a day early. In fact the forecast was very accurate and the Sound looked very stormy in the morning and no boats were out. Sailing was cancelled for the weekend. Having found the hired oilies were waterproof and fitted him well, Ewart decided to make an offer for them as it was the end of the season and with the rental price being deducted he thought they were a good bargain, despite the E European logo! Once a Scotsman.......

We felt very thwarted by the weather, particularly as the previous week had been calm and sunny but all of us benefited from getting back into our oilies and lifejackets! The feel of a boat under the feet takes a lot of beating. Thanks to Gordon for skippering and Ewart as First Mate. Best wishes to Ginny and Chris whom we hope will soon rejoin our happy crew. Here's to the next time.