After yet more motoring – today with not a breath of wind – Alcyone has arrived in Newlyn. Hence, we are 2 days ahead of schedule, mainly it has to be said due to poor weather not inviting anything but pushing on. And always in the cold often with low cloud and drizzle and fog patches. From Fowey we made Falmouth with a gentle breeze getting up during the day but only providing slight relief from motoring.
Not all of Alcyone’s west country traditions have been abandoned. Beer was taken on the terrace of the Royal Dartmouth YC and Cornish pasties bought form the bread shop in Fowey High Street. Others though have had to be left for future trips.
It is said that events come in threes, like buses. The first was an unplanned crew change when Brian had to leave Alcyone and take the train home but a few telephone calls soon repaired the crew register. Then second, on leaving Falmouth, the Skipper lightly skipped down below, leaving the helm, the turn on the instruments and on returning to the cockpit slipped and fell on the tiller removing the end 6 inches, breaking it at the point where the Spinlock tiller extension is fitted - it was obvious that water had got in and the tiller was rotten - but again a telephone call to Jeremy Rogers soon had a replacement tiller on its way to Alcyone and some judicious use of super glue and fibreglass has made a temporary repair to be tested in the days to come. And thirdly, most seriously, we were enveloped in fog with visibility down to some 300 meter as we rounded the Lizard navigating on way points but managed to get too close to the totally unseen headland but all was well.
And so we have arrived in Newlyn ready for the passage to the Scilly Isles.
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