We had only one aim today, to ‘ conquer ‘ a visit to the cathedral at Truro. But it wasn’t going to be easy because the moon is in the wrong place.
We were interrupted by a visit from the Harbour Master who requested the sum of £7 per night to drop ‘our’ anchor into ‘his’ mud. Worth every penny!
Back to the moon. The first quarter waxing moon dictates the tidal height; neap tides in fact, and this reduces the tidal range: less water under the keel. The channel to Truro follows the river bed and eventually the river bed dries out by 3.8 metres according to the chart. The tidal height one hour on either side of HW (high water) is, wait for it, 4.0 metres. Will our dinghy float in 20 centimetres?
At the lowest astronomical tide (LAT), the river bed is 3.8 metres above the chart datum (the level to which depths are referred to on a nautical chart). In simpler terms, if the chart datum is 0, the river bed is at +3.8 metres.
Navigator
Veni (we came)
11:00 We set off in the dinghy at a precise time on the rising tide. A pause at Malpas for coffee, then onward up the long and winding river. Closer and closer until we were surrounded by mudflats. Yet the river allowed us to continue. Very carefully, we followed the navigational buoys and poles until we successfully reached the town quay. Phew!
Vidi (we saw)
The noise of traffic was deafening and we were surrounded by a cacophony of sounds, almost too loud to bear. Slowly we readjusted to this new environment and headed to the towering spires of the cathedral.
Vici (we conquered)
It was truly wondrous to behold the sheer magnificence of this massive structure. And yet it was built as recently as 1910 (between 1880 and 1910). And as we arrived, a young saxophonist began to play… filling the air with a melodic sound.
Truro Cathedral click on link to Wikipedia
13:00 We wandered back towards the town quay, stopping briefly for lunch. Remember that ‘time and tide wait for none‘. Truro is a very pleasant place with wide streets and pedestrian roads. Of course, blue sky and warm sunshine help too.
14:30 AIS marks the position of Liquid Asset every few minutes. The tight display of dots confirmed there was no movement away from the anchor. Just a gentle swinging in the gradual tidal flow. It was now time to relax and watch the river traffic ply back and forth.
Waxing gibbous moon
Egrets and curlews return to search the mudflats for food. Seagulls and cormorants fly up the river to seek better feeding ground. A chiffchaff calls out from deep inside the wooded foreshore. The canopy of trees looks like a giant green cauliflower and their leaves rustle in the breeze. The moon moves imperceptibly into the gibbous phase.
Veni, vidi, vici!
Zzzz
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