An English Summer 62

 

This is a new kind of Scilly blow. The previous three, in their various strengths, came and went overnight. This has one pummeled us, with some fierce opening gusts, from our relatively unprotected south, just after dawn. Before settling down to twenty five to thirty knots, from the south west, for the remainder of the day.

Some forecasts are showing a forty knot night tonight. Others low thirties. Others high twenties. With the force exerted, by the wind, squaring as its speed rises, these are significant differences, for a boat at anchor.

Firefly, the speedy Dragonfly trimaran, has made a break for it, during the daytime  lull, rather than risk the effect, on her slender frame, of a forty knot mauling at her mooring. Making ten knots, her apparent wind will be down to fifteen to twenty knots. Although the Shipping Forecast, which tends toward understatement in these matters, gives the sea state as 'very rough, west of Lizard.'

Plan A, for Stargazer's departure, is already turning into Plan B. This blow looks as if it will linger into Saturday; and it has a friend tagging on, a couple of days behind. We need to be gone, before it arrives. If we leave, for the mainland, from New Grimsby, omitting the trip down to St Mary's, to replenish cooking gas, we would recover some time. The two hours before High water (for crossing the Tresco flats), daylight (also required for crossing the flats) and shop opening hours do not readily overlap, over the coming weekend, making that short diversion take longer than might be expected.

Routing direct, to a Cornish port, would leave us free to sail overnight Sunday into Monday. Alas, my carefree talk, of next week's tides coming fair, for a daylight passage, was flawed. Instead of looking at the times of high water Dover (the basis used for the tidal flow past Lands End), I must have automatically looked at the times of high water Plymouth (the basis used for tidal flow within the Isles of Scilly, and my main reference, this past month). Sunrise at the Lizard beckons!