Final Day in the Scilly Isles

Today was our final day in the beautiful Scilly Isles. We had figured what it was all about, had enjoyed the wonderful landscape and seascape, its gardens, and of course, its strange people! Today we would sail and explore other bays; perhaps anchorages for another time.

Sailing in the Scilly Isles is a very tricky affair with a lot of very careful attention to navigation. There are a lot of rocks, but fortunately very little in the way of tidal streams.

We went to pick up a mooring buoy, snagged the boat hook as we fell away from buoy. It sank – typical! So instead we anchored in clear blue water with a white sandy bed some 4 metres below us. Lunch was taken. Some sun bathing and some reading. This was pure holiday-making and very different from other years. As the tide fell, we pulled up the anchor and motored slowly back to our mooring.

Dinner had been booked at the Ruin Beach Cafe. Not really a cafe, more of a very nice waterfront bistro. But what a waterfront. We took the dinghy ashore (well up the beach), and walked across the very small island of Tresco along paths between fields of cows or crops. David informed us of the differences in preferred timings for giving berth whether you are a dairy or beef cow. You learn something new every day.

So which are these?

Dinner was great. Pan fried mackerel for a starter and, yes, a pizza for main course. I just fancied it. David had venison and Bob a crab linguini. all was good. We overdid it with the puds!

Met a gentlemen who let us into the secrets of the island. All the cottages a long term time shares. He had been coming for somewhere near twenty five years. The Island Hotel, which I had been told was the place to go on Tresco, was where we were sitting; in the Ruin Beach Cafe.

Back to the boat. Some rather nice Talisker on the deck (thank you Tom) and off to bed. We wanted to be up early in the morning to sail back to the mainland.