What a wonderful place the Isles of Scilly is. We had never sailed there before and now wonder why we waited so long. Great guests and despite some end of season weather plenty of beach exploring, super organic local food and drink on St Martin's and a slap up birthday meal in Old Grimsby on Tresco.(much less grim than it's big brother up north).
Back to reality with a bump as we went to Toms on Polruan to have our poo treatment plant fitted. It didn't arrive, then it didn't arrive again and then when it finally did they were super busy. So we finally got the lift in hole in the deck welded back in on Thursday 18:30 ready to set off for a hairy trip to Topsham via Dartmouth the next morning
At departure time, 07:00, the starboard engine wouldn't play. We set off anyway on port only, gently nudging some small craft on the moorings as we reversed inelegantly out of Toms yard. Out of the river the wind was on the nose and the chop was slowing us down so we made only 5 kn with the one engine. Not enough for the passage plan to Dartmouth and risky as we didn't know why the engine was playing up.
So we ducked into Mayflower Marina in Plymouth and called four engineers before we found one who could attend. In the meantime we found the fault, a supply pipe sheered off the fuel pump. Ian arrived with a standby electric pump and a pile of bits and after some humming and harring we have a temporary fuel pump connected with its own little switch ready to head for Dartmouth tomorrow, Saturday.
Then it gets very complicated. it's too windy to venture out on Sunday so we stay in Dartmouth, just about okay on Monday morning to get to the Ex fairway buoy by 09:00 to meet the Harbour Master who will pilot us up the Ex (they have a new 20 tonne limit) to Topsham. Lower the masts with a crane on Tuesday, sort out vehicles and do some restaurant supplies shopping on a very windy Wednesday, transit the very weedy canal (under tow with a cross wind!) on Thursday, raise the masts again on Friday and arrive in Exeter as if nothing had happened on Saturday for the Heritage Festival; into a 6-8 gale and torrential rain!
As the event organiser said, what could possible go wrong!
For those wondering what has happened to our dinner bookings, well with all of this excitement we are running a bit late with arrangements, we should be online next week and will send out a notice as soon as we are.
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