Getting over day one!

Well, we are now well into day two, and are moored in Plymouth Yacht Haven getting over the ravages of day one!

Leaving Torquay under grey skies. Kelvin Daniels of MDL took the picture.

We left Torquay yesterday morning in a brisk, but very manageable NW breeze and roared down to Start Point with a couple of reefs in the main and a full Genoa. Hardening up at Prawle Point for the expected beat to Plymouth we rolled up some of the Genoa and Lacerta was going well. We tacked into Bigbury Bay to see if there were smaller waves in there, which there were. We got a nice lift, almost taking us to the entrance of Plymouth Sound. We then got headed and decided to motor sail without the genoa as time was getting on and dinner with Jennie King, who lives next to the marina was waiting. Then the fun started! The wind, forecast to be up to force 7, gradually built and built until we were banging into 40 knots plus, with one gust of 49 knots, which is into storm force 10. Needless to say it was a slow, wet slog into Plymouth Sound. We were grateful to get inside the breakwater with less waves and some shelter in the lee of the land, eventually berthing at 20.45. We were late for dinner! Nevertheless we enjoyed an hour or so with Jennie over a glass of wine and didn't fall asleep over our chilli!

The tally for the day was loads of water in the boat, two very wet and knackered crew, a broken strut on the wind generator, two cut fingers for David, catching them in the turbine blades while trying to get a line around the post to stop it going over the side, water in the electrics so no shore power (but the wind generator was still working), two slides pulled out of the mast from the mainsail.

All in all Lacerta 0 the weather 1, so we are having a day in port, licking our wounds, drying things out and generally fixing stuff. The weather looks better for tomorrow, but then we didn't get a forecast of force 10 for yesterday!

Hey Ho, the joys of cruising!

There are a few pictures on Facebook. We are struggling to download pictures to the blog on the IPad.

 

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