From the Helford River, we sailed into Carrick Roads, and past the busy Falmouth Harbour and docks. Our intention was to just pick up a visitor buoy off Mylor but a call to the marina said that all the buoys were taken but they could provide a marina berth. This did give us the opportunity to do more cleaning and wash the sand dusted decks from our time in Gweek.
The Chandler did exchange our exceedingly rusted empty gas bottle for a pristine replacement but they didn’t have a Cornish courtesy flag which disappointed me as I feel somewhat ‘underdressed’. All in all, Mylor was such a nice, relaxed place that we booked again for the following week.
There is a short ‘walk ashore’ visitor pontoon in Malpas, up the top of the Fal which can accommodate three or four boats. We hoped to get a place for our crew change but when we arrived in the late afternoon, there was no space and no suitable mooring buoys so we anchored downriver having discussed our request with the Harbour Master. We took the dinghy ashore for a meal in the Heron Inn, and when we returned to Hejira, we received a call to say that they had shifted some boats and that they thought there would be sufficient room to get alongside on the pontoon but that we should take a look first by dinghy. David was dispatched to report back and, if viable, to stay to take our lines as we would be ‘blown off’ and with the keel withdrawn because of the depth, the handling would be challenging in the strong winds.
David having taken a handheld VHF, radioed to say he thought there was room but by this time we were losing light. The anchor had deployed perfectly but when it came to lift it, the windlass didn’t work. We tried everything but there was clearly a fault.
The wind was quite strong and we doubted we could manage a manual lift so we rigged a line back to the cockpit electric winch and, clipping it to the chain, we lifted in 5 metre lengths, flaking the chain down the side deck. Lateral thinking won the day and we took the berth in darkness. (note to self – check the up when letting down)
The following day was for victualling and cleaning so, having walked into Truro, we returned with the shopping by taxi, David having walked back.
It was now a couple of hours before high tide and Richard and I had been hatching a plan to visit the 14th Century thatched Wheel Inn, 3 miles upriver in Tresillian by dinghy. The Harbour Master said it was possible but needed ‘local knowledge’ as there were no channel markers, just the occasional ‘withy’ to mark the channel which is just a stick stuck in the mud. We had a chart which gave a rough indication of the channel and thought that we could always raise the outboard and row if we got it wrong. In the event, the passage was spectacular and we only churned some mud on a couple of occasions.
Unfortunately, arriving at the pub garden on the banks of the Tresillian River, which by this stage had become a small stream, we were told that the pub had shut at 4pm and it was 4.45 – bugger! We should have checked but that would have denied us what was a very memorable experience.
David writes:
After a very good ten days, I escape the crew and duties for the next week or so and the adventure continues – and the demands of the skipper! We have had a great trip and escaped the blistering heat wave that family and friends have had to endure at home in the south east. As is now usual we have ventured into some more unusual places on Hejira as she is so well suited to accessing locations that many miss, the winding navigation up the upper reaches of the Helford River really re-enforced what a beautiful place that river is, and that above the more familiar to many busy mooring buoys section, there is a very quiet, protected oak woodland lined river, all the way to Gweek.
The end of each trip always prompts reflection on this cruising lark, and yet again we have enjoyed adventure, with good company and some great food, with the odd exception, but no fingers being pointed here? We have been fortunate with the weather overall, despite what some of the forecasts were telling us, the extreme weather appears to have reduced the accuracy of some of their modelling, the direction and strength has suited us well most of the time. Thank you team for a great ten days!
Oh wow, great cruising grounds. I’m jealous.
I’m in Cartagena broiling in the heat. Worst experience was going up town and coming back to find A’Leigh missing. Frantic scan around finally spotted her way out in the middle of the harbour where her dangling anchor chain finally found something to drag on hard enough to hold. The problem in the anchorages here is that most boats are on moorings and are close together, hard to anchor with enough scope for safety. I’m finally safely anchored and using Orca’s anchor Guard to monitor. I thought that I had set the anchor in 3 M of water, turns out that was a school of fish, and the depth was over 6 M.
Blimey, Bill. What a nightmare and a lesson for all.