Y26 : D3 Kynance Cove

Sun 21 Jun

Shipping forecast

(Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly)

Sailing conditions

It was a beautiful day, warm and getting warmer. There was little to no wind, exactly as forecast for the day. The sea was smooth and we had all the time in the world—in fact, it was the longest day of the year!

We picked our way very carefully through the cluster of fisherman’s buoys and then set the autopilot toward the Lizard. We sat back and watched the miles gently roll by.
Then, we noticed a fishing boat on a collision course. While the rules of the road dictate they have the right of way when actively fishing, we were otherwise the stand-on vessel under these circumstances.

For the first time ever in our experience, the fishing boat actually completed the manoeuvre and altered course.

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We rounded Lizard Point at a safe distance. The tide had turned—it was all in the planning—and we were catapulted around the southernmost point of mainland Britain.

Kynance Cove was empty of yachts, and we anchored in an idyllic spot with clear, turquoise water. It’s no wonder the beach was voted the 26th best in the world.

Daytime yarn / experience

Kynance Cove was chosen for several reasons: it is a beautiful spot, it offers a quiet anchorage protected from easterly winds, and it’s the perfect jumping-off point for heading west. But once there, we quickly realised how much mobile phones have taken over our lives! We were all alone in paradise, yet the search for the internet began almost immediately.

We took a dinghy ride to the golden beach, hoping Wi-Fi might be available at the beach café.
“No,” was the answer. “But you could try at the top of the hill.”

Time for a cold scoop of ice cream to accompany a spectacular view and a moment to just sit back and take it all in.

Top of the hill Phew!

Success!

Up there, the invisible internet pervaded the air and the connection was strong. We did a quick update before heading back to the dinghy. After all, ‘time and tide wait for none’.

Children’s section

Good morning, poppets!

Imagine waking up to a sea with not even a single wavelet to be seen. The water was completely smooth and glassy—perfect for seeing for miles and miles!

Did you know, darlings, that when you stand on a boat, the horizon is exactly three miles away? It’s true!

Then, out of absolutely nowhere, a small group of dolphins came right up to us and danced about the boat, just for fun! It was absolutely joyous to watch them swimming so effortlessly and looking up at us so inquisitively. It wasn’t long, though, before they swam back to rejoin the rest of their big pod to continue fishing in the distance.

But the magic didn’t stop there! In the evening, a lovely seal was spotted fishing right by the seashore.

And to finish our perfect day, a whole family of oystercatchers flew circles around us, making a wonderful, loud racket!

What a busy day at sea!

I spy with my little eye something beginning with D…

Knot quiz

Helloooo, poppets! Did you manage to untangle yesterday’s knotty little mystery?

The grand answer to yesterday’s competition was… the magnificent bowline! But oh, it wasn’t just any old bowline, darlings. We had a whole family of them: the single bowline, the bowline on a bight, and even a triple bowline!

Imagine that—one wonderful knot family doing three completely different jobs on the boat. You have to look terribly closely to see how the rope loops and dances to make each one.

How many of you managed to spot all three?

You are absolute superstars!

Lessons learned

Look carefully at this photo. You can see the boom is swung out to the side with a line hanging from the end straight into the water. It looks like a puzzle. Fishing, perhaps? A safety line for swimming?

The real answer is an old-seaman trick to dampen the yacht’s rolling from side to side at anchor. A bucket would have been attached just under the surface to act as an improvised stabiliser—creating upward drag to fight the roll.

As for its effectiveness? The jury is out on that one; its usefulness is somewhat dubious!

Quote

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.

Jacques Yves Cousteau

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