2024 August 16th Days 2 & 3, Dale to Parn Voose Cove (The Lizard)

WIP - Draft 

I had woke up at about 04:45 and had the anchor up by 05:15 on a clear day with little wind. I motored out via the east channel as a light wind set in from the N and before reaching Turbot bank about nn miles from the Haven entrance  when the engine went off and the Cruising chute went up at about 08:00. The sea, as it often is around there, was fairly choppy in the strong tide, putting the chute onto the pole helped but progress was quite slow with the sea stopping the boat and knocking the wind out of the sails. 

Unfortunately the wind that had been 7 - 9 knots dropped at mid day and on went the engine for almost 3 hours before the wind returned at 9 knots from the NW and I was sailing again under "all plain sail".

It was sunny all day but not warm - I kept the fleece on all day. There were even more sightings of dolphins than usual despite being under sail - they seem to play more when you are motoring at 5 or 6 knots then when you are sailing at any speed.

Part of a large pod that came alongside when

I was sailing slowly, in fact I had to delay putting

on the engine until they moved off (abiding by

the code of practice,

By early evening I was getting worried about making the tidal gate that opened between 04:00 - 04:30 and later than 07:00 would be seriously bad news but at 21:00 the wind picked up and I had to reef for a while making 5 to 6 knots. The wind dropped to almost nothing at 02:00 and I was making less than a knot so the engine on, cruising easily at 5.5 knots. This was a bit of a surprise, confirming what I suspected going to dale against a strong headwind and sea, much of the speed lost through a dirty hull towards the end of the last cruise had returned, in fact I could now make 6.5 knots into wind with a calm sea, not far off the maximum with a clean hull.

I have no real idea why, presumably some weed, perhaps a big bit on the keel which I can't see had come off, perhaps helped by the brackish water or Mullet in Milford. It will be interesting to see what the sate of the hull is when she is lifted on October 4th.

With the high speed sailing and a couple of hours under engine I was off Cape Cornwall when the tide was still pushing north at a knot and a half but with a light wind the sea was no problem and I made good progress and made it all the way round Land's end with a favourable tide. With several hours of fair tide left I decided to go for the Lizard as to go from Newlyn would require a very early start on Sunday and with the forecast weather I could have got stuck there for days.

The tide turned adverse before I got to the lizard, I initially stayed fairly well off as there was a fairly big residual see running, south of the point I could see the state of the over-falls and how boats coming the other way were coping and I cut in closer surfing straight down the waves and making good head way despite a fairly strong tide. Not wanting to battle the tide much of the way to the Fal and being tired I decided to anchor overnight then head to the Fal in the morning, hopefully getting a pontoon berth in the Truro river before others arrived to shelter for the force 7 winds due on Monday.

There is a strong tide off Black Head south of Coverack so I went into the large bay just north of The Lizard and anchored off Parn Voose Cove at 10:15, adjacent to the Lizard lifeboat station.

Passing east of Lizard Point

The Lizard RNLI station from the anchorage

The lifeboat returning from the Coverack "Lifeboat Day"

Short but high res best full screen.

And recovering up the slip

Church Cove adjoining Parn Voose Cove.

128 nautical miles in 29 hours.

Click here fore the trip up to the Truro River