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Log of Babaj’s second UK circumnavigation 1998. Friday 22 May - Disaster! Arrived at Tide Mill Marina to find refrigerator temperature 22°C, and due to sail 0900 tomorrow. Ian, friend of a friend of Geoff Doggett arrived as crew; he promptly made excellent job of replacing ring-pull in cabin floor, especially necessary if we have to use for food storage at sea temperature. Alison and family came for goodbye tea. Called Woodbridge refrigeration engineer who was in Frinton, but promised to come after dark. This he did with Margo and crew already turned in, found the leak with Fairy liquid and sealed it (hopefully) with melted plastic and regassed - another £47 gone! Saturday 23 May and Sunday 24 May - Woodbridge to Brighton, (charts 2052, 1183, 1828, 1892, 536, 1652) 120 NM, 24 hours 20 minutes Second crew Mike Perkins (Woodbridge Cruising Club) arrived, having just returned from the C.I. in his own boat. Crossed sill at 0930 when gauge read 1.35m, and didn't touch, so we are not too heavily loaded! Glad to have Mike to pilot us over Deben Bar. What a contrast to last year when we had the roughest sea here of our entire cruise to Russia; with a light Northerly wind the sea was smooth. But not enough to sail, so motored out past Roughs Tower, south through the Gull Stream, close past Dover, rounding the brilliantly lit Dungeness power station at midnight. Managed a few hours sailing before loosing the wind off Beachy Head, then short spells when wind exceeded 10 knots, arriving Brighton 0945: inter-waypoint distance on chart 120NM. Fueled at 29p/litre, and offered day-stay at £5 or overnight at £17.50 less CA discount. Margo did super fry-up breakfast, all hungry despite porridge at 0630. Office offered telephone socket and desk to post this message and update web (Hanns) Monday 25 May, Brighton to Bosham, (charts 1652, 2045, 3418) 40 NM, 8 hours 25 minutes Up 0330 and left Brighton Marina 0400. Advised to keep to mid-channel since LW and had only about 2m. Set sails and managed 3 hours sailing with 12kts NW, but then motored to make the Boulder/Street buoys passage at slack water and enter Chichester Harbour on the flood. Entrance on this Bank Holiday was like the M25 but without a central reservation, with all manner of craft with wide range of speed. David Gestetner had kindly offered us Grumpy Skipper’s vacant mooring off the end of his private jetty. Identified our welcoming party of Margo's sister and husband and the Langhornes and couldn't understand why they were not on the end of the jetty until closer approach revealed it flooded and covered with a six inch carpet of slimy green weed! Grumpy Skipper’s huge buoy was likewise surrounded with a floating island of weed later estimated 1 foot thick! By the time we'd inflated Avon and rowed to the jetty our welcoming party had cleared a path through the weed and led us to the Gestetner's french windows for a drinks party. Apparently the weed is the worst ever known and blamed on hot weather and farm effluent. Then taken in two cars to Langhorne's home in Bosham for lunch in the garden, followed by walk back to jetty and tea and cake for all on board. Nick and I cleared the weed from the buoy, Nick using our Avon to push it clear of the next mooring. The Prices (RCC) had meanwhile returned in Lectron and I rowed over to meet them making frantic preparations for departure to Azores next Monday. Later checked the strainer to find it clear but it wouldn't go back. Turning the seacock on produced nothing, and much hooking out with stiff wire was necessary to remove the mass of weed. Eventually inserted a warp-protecting polythene pipe and blew it clear, with a gusher of clear water at last! Tuesday 26 May, Bosham to Swanage, (charts 3418, 2045, 2615) 59 NM, 7 hours 5 minutes Left Bosham 0900 after again clearing weed which had long trailers at water intake level. What a contrast to yesterday when we couldn't see the beacons or buoys for other craft! Smooth exit in heavy rain and made for gap in Horse Sand submerged barrier, then NE Rye Middle off Cowes, Hamstead Ledge, and Hurst Castle, being spewed out of the Needles Channel at 10kts over the ground. Good crossing to Swanage Bay, anchoring in a sandy patch at the third attempt only to have to move as an fishing vessel returned to an unlikely buoy too close. Crew went ashore to shop while I typed and Margo read. We changed our minds and after a fish and chip dinner ashore continued on to Brixham during the night ending with fresh NE wind. Swanage to Brixham, (charts 2615, 3315) 66 NM, 10 hours 10 minutes Uneventful night passage, passing 3 NM south of Portland Bill at 0200, and berthing in marina at 0900. Charge £15.70! Thursday 28 May, Brixham to Salcombe, (charts 1613, 28) 21 NM, 5 hours 45 minutes We were now a day ahead of schedule for crew change so stopped at Salcombe which did not seem to have changed since last visit many years ago, although I suspect the buoys at £1.05 per metre have gone up! We had to share a buoy; it must be terribly crowded in season. Lovely place. Friday 29 May, Salcombe to Plymouth, (charts 1613, 30) 15 NM, 4 hours 25 minutes On today to Plymouth where VHF calls found QAB, Mayflower and Sutton all full. Fortunately the new Plymouth Yacht Haven had plenty of space and will be very nice when finished. HLR Cartner found us quite by chance, and gave us great welcome! Saturday 30 May, Plymouth to St. Mawes, 39 NM, (chart 1267) 7 hours 50 minutes Dick Blamey arrived at 10 with Jenny and his mother to inspect Babaji. Left Plymouth 1120 and made a good 6 knots under double-reefed mizzen and half genoa in NE F6-7 and prolonged gusts of 40 knots, towards the Lizard. Sea became very rough, tide would turn against wind off Lizard, and due to late start we were not going to round the Lizard before tide turned against us and wind we would arrive at this rate before daybreak, so gybed NW and entered St Mawes, giving blissful shelter. Schooner Phoenix was anchored there, taking us back some centuries! 2018 Navtex forecast little better so will listen at 0535. Delightfully sheltered anchorage with theatrical backdrop of illuminated house windows seeming very close after dark. Our son's email dated 30 May read "hope that it's warmer when you get to the Scillies than it was when we went past - it was only 12°C and very rough - no fun at all!" Sunday 31 May, St. Mawes via Falmouth and Mylor to Helford River, 15 NM Forecast no better so into Falmouth Town Marina for diesel, water and provisions. Lunched off Mylor, once a quiet anchorage, now crowded with moorings. Watched Dart 18's racing at great speed. Leaving the harbour for Helford showed how rough the sea still was. Once again tranquility on entering the Helford River and picking up a visitors mooring. Ashore to the Shipwright's Inn with its palm trees and outside tables overlooking the creek. The Inn and surroundings hadn't changed since our last visit many years ago, and beer and food still good. Monday 1 June, Helford River to St. Mary’s (Scilly Islands), (charts 777, 1148, 34) 61NM, 11 hours 35 minutes 0525 forecast much better, so left at 0710 with 16 knots SSE wind. Cleared Lizard by 3 miles to give overfalls a wide margin, before turning on virtually due West course for St Mary's. Wind dropped to 8 knots, so motor-sailed from 1100. Easy entrance into St Mary's with its smart rows of moorings on colour-coded buoys). Tuesday 2 June, day off in St. Mary’s Beautiful morning with occasional showers. Good showers (£1 for 8 mins). Mike left on 1130 flight for Penzance and would be back in Ipswich 1930. Brought Babaji alongside harbour wall after fueling (30p/litre) and water (50p). Updated CA web site from harbourmaster’s office, courtesy HLR. Terrible night on the new moorings which are very exposed to Atlantic swell, which the wind was making us take broadside. The roll gradually builds up until you almost fall off the bunk then dies away before repeating the cycle. Moorings are so close (claimed 15m) that if the next is unoccupied it bumps against boats more than 10m in length. Dick has been diving in each morning, so Margo and I tried in the shallow Porth Hellick bay and found this not too bad. Wind has turned NNW, the course to next port (Cork) NNW, so will leave tomorrow, but spend the night against the quay where with neaps we will remain afloat. Robin Mawer, HLR St Mary's, who had arranged for me to use the harbourmaster’s telephone socket, came on board for a drink. They are still talking about the M/V Cito that ran into St Mary's March 1997 (on autopilot with watch asleep!) bringing dozens of containers of tyres (all the islands cars have new tyres), sports clothes, computer parts (thousands of mice!), etc., and have recently had approval that they can keep their spoil! Wednesday/Thursday 3/4 June, St. Mary’s to Crosshaven (Cork), (charts 1123, 2049, 1765, 1777) 139 NM, 27 hours 45 minutes Very uncomfortable night with NNE wind holding us abeam to Atlantic swell entering harbour; noticed that unused moorings were bumping yachts on upwind moorings at LW, a point to note when selecting one of the 38 visitors buoys. Came alongside wall again, when the 0535 forecast gave no indication of early change to NNE headwind, and had lovely walk past lighthouse and airstrip to shallow Porth Hellick for quick swim in not too cold water. North wind much lighter by 1755 forecast which at last gave wind becoming SE so got away at 1815. Excellent visibility showed Scillies at their best as we finally cleared the last hazard Mincarla. Became calm around sunset 2130 with uncomfortable swell but SE wind began before spectacular sunrise with many brilliantly lit contrails across the sky. Cut engine 0930, and got Concorde's sonic double boom to full effect as fitting jib pole! Spoke to two ships approaching from our port beam on steady bearing to ensure they were aware of our presence! Crew most impressed! Cleared the Kinsale Head gas rigs at 1440 and sighted land 1615. With wind dropping motored into Cork harbour berthing on a RCYC pontoon at 2200, with time to do the Murphy/ Beamish comparison at the friendly YC bar. Friday 5 June - Free day in Crosshaven Cycled along path alongside Owenboy River and Drake’s Pool where Drake hid his fleet from the much larger marauding Spanish fleet, to an attractive market town with excellent supermarket. Saturday 6 June, Crosshaven to Kinsale, (charts 1777, 1765) 17NM, 6 hours When we arrived the harbourmaster greeted us with long-term forecast of Force 8 Monday, 9 Tuesday, 8 Wednesday, and advised against going into one of the anchorages on Sunday as these are exposed. We should really have gone in that Sunday window, but after all people come to Kinsale on holiday, so are enjoying a rest. Used the Met Office service and spoke to a forecaster; the Irish forecast seem right for direction but overstates force. Anyway nearly all the other yachts are waiting and few have come in - mostly charter boats with deadlines to return. wam briefly today in Sandy Cove (2 miles), but at LW very shallow, and got wet again cycling back in heavy rain. We had seen it the previous night at HW while Margo did a painting in Kinsale, two teenagers then diving in off the wall. Spoke directly to a Met Office forecaster (£17) who confirmed the dismal three-day forecast, although not with force 8/9! Nevertheless we had to wait here for four days. Thursday 11 June, Kinsale to Crookhaven, (charts 1795, 2681, 2092) 60 NM, 11 hours 45 m. The 0525 forecast gave NE 6-7 decreasing 4-5,mainly fair, mainly good, so we left at 0715 which gave the beginning of the ebb at Old Head of Kinsale. Sailed for a while with double reefed main and 5 rolls in genoa but soon motor-sailed to make the most of this off-shore wind. Rounded Clear Island, as the tide would have turned in Gascanane Sd. It then became rough as the fetch for the N wind increased to about 10 miles and combined with the Atlantic swell which we'd had all day. Fastnet appeared looking like an approaching frigate from the East until becoming unmistakably Fastnet. Two yachts that had passed us earlier had rounded Fastnet and were on their way home. Fortunately we had rounded the Fastnet in 1991 so didn't feel the urge to do this again. Sea gradually subsided as we approached Crookhaven and Margo emerged to hand sails in the entrance. There are now many visitors buoys off the village and we decided to take one. Unfortunately the strops dangle from the buoys. and are almost impossible to pick up with a boathook from our height, but someone seeing our plight rowed over (in 20 plus knots) to attach a rope to the strop which he handed to us. With the spring tide HW and strong wind it took both of us to get the strop attached. We were amazed to see Grumpy Skipper here (we had used their mooring in Bosham) here! The wind is now forecast to go to the SE so we should we able to round Mizen Head tomorrow and make some progress Northwards. Continued in Part 2 ©Raymond Glaister 1998 |