Wednesday 5th March 2025
0000 hrs
Lat: 50° 59.99'
N
Long: 004° 59.59'
W
Trellugan Boatyard, Cornwall
I woke at 0600 after a cold night, another one below freezing, and popped my head on deck to be greeted by a blanket of thick fog, a layer of hoar frost and water frozen to 10mm in the bucket on deck. Today might prove to be interesting on the navigation front! At least the radar was working.
As Mark, who had helped me on this trip before, was unavailable I had put out a call to the local sailing WhatsApp group and Morag volinteered to crew and we arrainged to met up at the sailing club at 0754 for the two car shuffle between there and Treluggan.
0830 hrs
The yard team arrived and started the tractor and I removed the last items that needed to go ashore to the car.
The slope was inspected for ice and treated with grit before the tractor started its slow descent to the river. At that point an inbound vessel arrived, realising that we needed to be launched before they could be lifted, drifted back down river and moored to one of the lower pontoons.
Boat Launching Treluggan Style
The dinghy was rolled down the slope and manhandled onto the deck. Time to climb onboard and swap the blanking plate for the depth sounder; an essential bit of kit on this passage.
Next was the moment of truth. Would the engine start on this cold and frosty morning? The Volvo Penta 2000 Series can be a bit grumpy on a cold morning. After what felt like an eternity she caught and after a roar at full revs was happily chugging away at tickover. Forward and reverse propulsion was engaged and the wheel was turned port and starboard - just to check that I had not accidentally shut the hydraulic circuit off. All working we were set to go.
0900 hrs
The bow was led round the end of the pontoon, I pushed the throttle forward and we were off - almost going the wrong side of the first navigation post! A few shouts of 'starboard' and we were on course chugging our way down to the railway viaduct.
Just after the railway viaduct the engine began to hunt for revs, always a nervous moment, I pushed the throttle to the stop and hoped that it was just a few air bubbles in the line - thankfully this was to prove correct.
The Joy of Being Back at the Helm
© Morag Thomson Findlay 05/03/2025
An early morning trip down from Treluggan in good weather is always stunning, the place can be quite magical and so it was today. On reaching the confluence of the river where it branches up to St Germans a bright yellow fishing boat with two massive outboards passed and we roughly followed her down to Dandy Hole. As ever Dandy Hole has a few liveaboards and still has one wreck that has not been lifted.
Past the Royal Navy training ship by Beggars Point and we were out into the Tamar with the tide just on the ebb. We motored slowly upstream and I pointed out the mooring to Morag, let her have the wheel to get a feel for the boat before turning round and as we came alongside the mooring gave a big thrust astern after I picked up the rather mucky lines and managed to get the aft starboard line on the cleat.
1006 hrs
We were back on the mooring!
With one line on it was a matter of adjusting the very messy lines, a mug of coffee and getting the dinghy fully inflated and over the side for the trip to the club pontoon.
On the Mooring - at last!
I had forgotten that the sailing club was having an RNLI Fundraising Coffee Morning, so we sat and had a coffee, by this time I was regretting not putting some sun lotion on! Then it was back for the two car shuffle and Morag could get to her early afternoon meeting.
Back at Treluggan I handed back the keys and had a final wander round where the boat had been and picked up any litter, before chatting to the owners still working on their boats - mainly passing news of the route down and wishing them well for their launch dates.
1400 hrs
Back to the club and out to the boat for a final check that all was in order.
Knowing there was an issue with the raw water pump I had left the engine sea cock open to check what the water ingress was like without the engine on and was surprised to see that the engine bilge was almost full! At that point I decided to invest in a new water pump rather than faf about repairing the original one as that would take time and a few tools, a three armed bearing extractor, that I did not have.
The fuel leak was sorted by the fuel being turned off and a nappy placed round the leak. On my next visit to the boat I'll need to measure up for a new fuel line and get that ordered.
A final check of the lines and I locked up the boat and rowed ashore - only to discover that I had left the dinghy pump onboard and a couple on a boat on the pontoon were kind enough to let me borrow their outboard to speed up my return trip to pick up the pump.
Finally got the dinghy back to the car for deflation and transport home - the summer dinghy park is not yet open - and into the bar for a well earnt orange juice and lemonade before the drive back to East Devon.
All times are UTC.
The Log
| Distance NM |
Underway | Avg SOG knots |
Max SOG knots |
Night Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.30 | 1h 06m | 5.00 | 6.00 | 0 |
Crew: Sandy Garrity (Skipper), Morag Thomson Findlay
Sunrise: 0655 hrs Prime Meridian Passage: 1211 hrs Sunset: 1804 hrs
Weather: The shipping forecast issued by the Met Office, on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, at 23:30 (UTC) on Tue 4 Mar 2025 for the period 00:00 (UTC) on Wed 5 Mar 2025 to 00:00 (UTC) on Thu 6 Mar 2025.
There are warnings of gales in Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire, Forties, Cromarty, Forth, Tyne, Dogger, Fisher, Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey, Fair Isle, Faeroes and Southeast Iceland.
The general synopsis at 1800
Low 800 miles west of Shannon 980 expected Southeast Iceland 970 by 1800 Wednesday
Dover, Wight, Portland, Plymouth
Variable 2 to 4, becoming south or southeast 3 to 5. In Plymouth, slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough later, otherwise smooth or slight. Fair. Moderate or good.
© Met Office Synoptic Chart 05/03/2025
