Plan B Revision 2

Today was the day to consider turning her for home. We had come a long way, and the furthest south for Liquid Asset. We had achieved the objective, but we needed to start considering the return journey. The weather forecasts made the planning difficult. Bob’s grib files gaves us the best overview of the weather in the channel for the next few days, a bit of a blow on Sunday and Monday and then going light for the rest of the week. The thought of motoring across the channel did not appeal so the plan was made to use Monday, but to go back around Ushant and make some East, l’Aber Wrac’h was the most likely.

So we had some time on our side and decided to make the most of the north going tide in le Chenal du Four setting of at a leisurely 11am. We were up at 7 as usual. The weather was calm. So did we sit here for 4 hours because of a weak north going tide. Of course not. With the agreement of the crew we decided to leave immediately so unhitched whoever’s mooring buoy we were attached to and left, carefully trying not to run over the ridiculous number of lobster posts dropped around the boats.

Once we rounded the red can at the bottom of le Chenal du Four we were able to set the sails and in very light winds barely sufficient to overcome the 1.7 kts of tide against we made slow progress northwards. Sadly two yachts overtook us; I would normally expect to be the overtaking boat. Was this bad sail setting; some fine adjustment to the sails made very little difference. Were they in better airs? We put it down to the fact we could not fully deploy the genoa (due to the repairs), but its hard to see why a few more inches would have made the difference. The second boat to pass us, I am pleased to say, was motor sailing!

As the wind built so did the skippers ambition level. Firstly (plan B) I suggested to the crew that l’Aber Wrac’h was not far enough east and that we might aim for Morlaix (a further 40nm and very achievable given the early start). The wind direction happened to be perfect for a channel crossing. I thought this was probably a step too far, but the crew chewed over what I thought to be a bit outrageous and concluded it could be done. We knew the winds would build up late in the day and would continue overnight. The sea state for a crossing the following day would be much higher – having had time to build – so departing now would minimise this effect.

So instead of turning the corner for north Brittany we just carried on; like proper sailors returning from the Azores! Plan B revision 2 was hatched.

Well what an epic voyage. For a while the winds sat at 15kts on the port beam and we had full sails (minus a little for the headsail) and we flew along making at one point 9.4kts. The maximum theoretical speed of the boat was 9kts so we were doing something right. At this rate we worked out we would be in Falmouth at half past midnight. Spirits were high.

Morgenster Web site

 As the afternoon progressed the wind began to build. 18kts, then 20 kts. We shortened the sails and Liquid Asset took it all in her stride. The sea state was still reasonable, so none of it was a problem. The next challenge was the shipping traversing open water between shipping lanes further up the channel and those guiding ships around Ushant bound south for the Bay of Biscay. Happily ships keep to a direct course between the two, so we knew they were concentrated into lanes (perhaps 5 miles wide) and did not alter course or speed. With the AIS and radar tracking systems on board, missing all of these was very easy; and provided a modicum of entertainment during a long day.

AIS looks a bit daunting...

.. but actually not

Still with 50nm to run the sea state started to build. Occasionally the boat would fall off the side of a large wave and broach before straightening herself up and carrying on. Taking in more sail reduced the incidence of this but slowed our speed; now about 8kts. Counting down the miles from 50 is a long slow and pointless process. Bob, who spent most of his time on this trip sitting on the port quarter – a rough tough place to be – announced many of the changes - from 49 to 48  - cheerily to the rest of the crew to keep the spirits up.

As the winds continued to build (now 25 kts) and the sea state started to look a bit ugly, we were willing Liquid Asset on. Thank goodness for auto-helms. She just took everything in her stride and steered smoothly through it all.

We started looking out for the Lizard light; not a sign; was the visibility not good enough or had Trinity House, in its wisdom, turned it off? Whilst I am sure there is a cost in running lighthouses and these days you know within a few feet where you are at any one time, the plan to turn them off is a bad one. They still provide a valuable service and most particularly on a rough night at sea as you approach land.

By now we were all getting a bit fed up with the deteriorating conditions and were looking forward to getting into the lee of the Lizard and eventually to the calm of the Helford river. It did not work out this way. It started raining and with winds hitting 30kts it was horizontal. The entrance to Falmouth provided little noticeable change in the sea state and it was was still blowing hard as we turned into the wind to come up the Helford.

We found s mooring buoy on the north side of the river, and on the third attempt I got the boat into a position to allow Bob and David to snag the pick-up buoy. We assumed this was privately owned, but were past worrying. We were safely tied up for the night. It was 3 am.

Hot tea and malt whisky seems an unlikely combination, but in the warmth of the cabin was an excellent night cap.

Was this a good decision? We still felt so, since the winds and sea state that would have confronted us leaving France the following day were what we had run into at the end. Not one of the more enjoyable trips, but one to remember.