Well what a passage that was ! Winds were a pleasant 3/4 but completely south not helpful when you are heading in that direction. So we motored sailed, I'd like to get the tidal gate around Lands End hopefully getting its full benefit & rounding the Lizard too. Things are not like that in reality and were soon to change !
Firstly the windex instruments started to give us some erroneous readings, wind was supposed to be on our beam, but blatantly not. Then they went off all together, but that was sorted after the wiring was chased from the mast, then a case of turning the instrument off & on again ! The GPS flickered on & off occasionally too more worryingly as charts covering Dublin to Cornwall were not available at this time of year. The fuel gauge then read a mere 17lts in my tank, although not easily to read when slamming against the waves on the nose. All these little things start to get annoying without knowing why or my skipper not understanding me fully. Worse was yet to come !
Hasty repair made at 0120 approaching the Bristol Channel
photo'ed in the morning
Falmouth coast guard was contacted just to let them know that I had an issue, but that my crew had everything to hand. Three Polish warships in formation came on the radio and asked me to move over, which I obliged, although I believe they had plenty of sea space.
With the electrics flickering again, my skipper noticed on port tack water appearing through the boards. Removing a single seat on that side & with the floor up the bilge pump suction hose was quickly inserted. After about an hour & a half 95% of the sea water had been removed. Port tack lifted the port hole away from the water. This also improved the electrics & the fuel gauge came back with a figure my skipper had thought was in the tank. So now the engine went back on improving progress & enabling Falmouth to be achieved, where a better temporary repair could be made.
The issue at Falmouth was were could I go to of the two marinas tried one was full & the other was half full but the other half being dredged. The visitors pontoon was first come basis but only guaranteed for 1.5m in 2000. I was moored on a buoy till more water came in then headed to the fuel pontoon to take on 230 lts of diesel just 20 lts short of a full tank, those 20 had been added at sea from cans, when I gave a false reading of a mere 5lts in my tanks.
From there I was taken to the outside of the pontoon where I stayed for the night without grounding.
More permanent repair made in Falmouth, larger plate inside, with draft excluder & marine mastic around plate seen. No further water came in.
So today Thursday my crew wake up to Fog & at 1200 I slipped line & reversed out grounding on the sandy bottom only once before disappearing in the fog, creeping past black rock on my way to Plymouth for tonight's stop
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