Sun 28 Jun
Departure
Helford (09:40)
Arrival / Anchorage
Portmellon (17:15)
Distance NM
31 NM
Max wind / Sea state
F5 / Slight
Shipping forecast
(Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly)
WIND
Southwesterly veering westerly 4 or 5, decreasing 3 at times in shelter.
SEA STATE
Slight or moderate, becoming rough west of the Lizard peninsula.
WEATHER
Showers at first.
VISIBILITY
Good.
Sailing conditions
A study of the wind forecast for the next few days gave us a plan to return in legs to our base port: Portmellon, Fowey, Cawsand, and finally Dartmouth.
En route, however, there was a change of plan—we needed water to fill the tanks. Luckily, the strength and direction of the wind allowed us to head straight into Fowey Harbour on a single tack.
On arrival, we manoeuvred the 46-foot yacht alongside the pontoon, using the wind and tidal flow to ferry glide softly onto it.
Soon the tanks were full to the brim, and we returned to the anchorage at Portmellon.
Daytime yarn / experience
Every day on this planet is special, but some days are extra special—you just never know when!
The sails were full, the sheets were taut, and Liquid Asset sliced through the water like a hot knife through butter.
A flash of something black broke the surface. Then, a large white body glistened just under the water, moving incredibly fast. Then, nothing for a while. But we stayed alert, waiting for something to happen.
A large fin appeared again, and the creature truly showed itself. Soon, a whole pod of Risso’s dolphins surrounded the yacht. They behaved differently from other dolphins, staying deeper underwater and moving much faster. Capturing one in a photograph was nearly impossible. For twenty minutes they swam beside us, occasionally surfacing for air, until finally, a couple of them rolled onto their sides and looked up to make eye contact. It was a profoundly emotional moment.
Then, just as suddenly as they arrived, they all returned to the deep.
Risso’s dolphin (opens in a new page)
A short video showing a couple swimming alongside at speed.
What an experience on a perfect day’s sail!
Children’s section
A sailboat was cruising along when a family of fast, mysterious Risso’s dolphins surrounded it.
They swam next to the boat for twenty minutes, and a few even looked up to make eye contact before swimming away.
Imagine a dolphin that looks a bit like a friendly, swimming baked potato covered in secret scratch marks!
Here is what makes a Risso’s dolphin so cool and unique:
The Look: Unlike regular gray, smooth dolphins, Risso’s dolphins have chubby, round heads with no long nose (or “beak”). They are born gray or black, but as they get older, they get lots of white scratches all over their bodies from playing with their friends and hunting prickly squid. By the time they are grandparents, they can look almost completely white!
The Size: They are quite big—about as long as a car!
The Behavior: They love the deep, deep ocean. They are super fast swimmers and can be a little shy around boats, preferring to dive deep down into the dark water rather than doing big flips in the air.
The Smile: Because of their round heads, they look like they are always wearing a giant, happy grin.
I spy with my little eye something beginning with M…
Knot quiz
Helloooo, poppets!
Did you manage to solve yesterday’s long and loopy riddle?
The grand answer is… the dependable round turn and two half hitches!
Oh, don’t let that big long name scare you, darlings—it’s actually like a two-part magic trick!
First, you do the ’round turn,’ which means you wrap the rope all the way around a post or a ring. That gives the post a giant, cozy hug and takes away all the heavy pulling from the boat.
Then, you tie ‘two half hitches,’ which are just two little locking knots to hold the rope tail in place.
The absolute best part about this clever knot? Even if a massive, heavy boat pulls and tugs against it all day long, it never, ever jams! When it’s time to sail away, you can untie it in a jiffy without any fuss at all.
Did any of you guess this brilliant dockside helper?
You are absolute superstars.
Lessons learned
Navigational buoys are dotted throughout the journey. They guard and protect us from hazards at sea. There are no shortcuts on the high seas. Today we steered around this East cardinal near Fowey.
The Golden Rule for Beginners
You never want to get between a cardinal buoy and the hazard it is guarding. If you see an East cardinal, keep it to your west, steer to the east of it, and you’ll stay in safe, deep water.
Follow link for a full explanation
Quote
When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?”
Attributed to economist John Maynard Keynes
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