Arklow to Newlyn

Kalessin passing Mousehole

When I sketched out a rough plan for this voyage many months ago, I expected to sail from Kilmore Quay to the Scillies. I imagined an overnight sail in delightful conditions and a few days of settled weather to explore the Scillies, where I have never been. As you may have observed, "settled" is not a word which has been applied much to weather in the British Isles this summer. So it was very exciting to hear a forecast mentioning a settled high for Friday. Sadly it wasn't very settled as it was due to drift away on Saturday with the possibility of thunderstorms chasing it up from France, but it looked long enough to get from Arklow to Cornwall in mostly perfect conditions, with just the prospect of the 10 miles from Land's End to Mount's Bay being unpleasant, into 20+knots of wind and probably tide too.

It really was an early departure this time with enough light at 0600 on Friday 30 August to pick our way out of Arklow. In the end we didn't quite cast off the lines as I had expected, but we succeeded in making a tight turn with no problem. Until around 1030 we had very light northeasterlies, then finally the wind picked up to 6-10kt and we were sailing, with the wind just aft of the beam, and sunshine - perfect conditions. With the tide now in our favour we galloped down the Irish Sea at up to 7 knots, until around 1630 the tide turned and our speed dropped, so we put the motor back on to help us along. We were heading slightly over to the Welsh side to keep our options open if we wanted to turn into Milford Haven. I was also hoping we might pick up an internet forecast, but the Smalls lighthouse is too far offshore to get a signal, although we had endless forecast repeats from the various Irish coastguard stations, plus Holyhead, Milford Haven and eventually Falmouth Coastguard in the UK.

At 1900 when we had dinner - introducing Alice to the delights of Crossing Stew, made in Arklow the previous evening - we tried turning the engine off but our speed dropped to 3 knots or less. It wasn't until the tide turned around 2030 that we could sail again.

We did two-hour watches through the night, Alice's first full night passage. It all worked pretty well although Alice slept better than I did! A few fishing boats came close and at one point we were called by a cable-laying vessel asking us to keep one mile off, which we did. We were also pursued for many hours by dolphins, only visible when we had the low-level navigation lights on and then really only as "con trails" as they crisscrossed under the boat. Sometimes unexpectedly you could hear them squeak or blow. From 0230 to 0530 the engine was on again. Then the wind started getting stronger with gusts up to 20 knots and at the end of my watch at 0730 we put a reef in the main and a few rolls in the jib. Fortunately it dropped away a bit, just enough for comfort, and we carried on at good speeds. 

Sometime between 1000 and 1100 my phone came to life again and the very misty outline of Cornwall started to appear. With continuing easterlies, by 1100 we were in the lee of the land with smoother seas to pass outside the Longships lighthouse and around Land's End. As a child I spent every summer holiday in this part of Cornwall, staying in my aunt's cottage in Mousehole, and it was amazing to see Sennen beach, Porthcurno, Lamorna Cove and of course Mousehole from the sea.

Finally the bit that looked so scary on the forecasts. I was fully expecting to be crashing into wind and sea for hours at a speed of 3 knots or less. Fortunately our route involved a dogleg around a buoy to the south of Gwennap Head. We made slow progress for an hour or so, then furled the jib and tried to turn on to the new course. No, it was still too close to the wind, but with a bit of dogged determination I found a course where we could make progress. Very gradually the speed increased and we passed Mousehole at almost 5 knots. Astonishingly, and by chance, my brother Paul was actually in my aunt's cottage. Thanks to AIS and WhatsApp he actually saw us going past, as I took photos of Mousehole from the sea - something I had never seen before.

We called Newlyn who said, worryingly, that they could hardly hear us on VHF. Do we have a problem with transmissions or was there a granite cliff in the way? But they found us a berth and came down to take our lines. It's 90% a fishing port here but they generously make space for a few yachts and it's just brilliant to be here. Another bowl of Crossing Stew and it was time for bed...

Distance run - 182 miles in 34 hours

Longships lighthouse off Land's End

Mousehole from the sea

Kalessin in Newlyn