Falmouth/Helford > Scilly in May/June/July - company wanted

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MikeFloutier

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Hi,

I'm a relative newbie to sailing and planning a trip from Falmouth (where I have a mooring) to the Isles of Scilly early this summer.

Due to my relative inexperience, however, I've promised my wife that I won't go alone so I'm looking for a more experienced salt to share the trip.

This could either be sailing in flotilla or you joining me on my boat.

I'm just 64, have my Day Skipper and this will be my 2nd full season; my boat is a MacGregor 26M 2009 vintage.

Any takers?
 
Hi Mike, surprised nobody has responded yet, but sounds like an adventure! The trouble with sailing in company is that it adds relatively little security, unless a faster and better crewed vessel explicity adopts the role of guard vessel. Your boat will almost certainly do it, but a light water ballasted boat will nevertheless be a lively act to tame if the wind blows, and the big swells beyond the Lizard can be challenging. Assuming you find a crew/accompaning vessel, I would suggest planning an alternative exit from the IoS in the event that the weather turns foul.

So sorry if I seem negative. If the weather is settled you’ll be fine, in fact you’ll have the perfect boat to explore some of the most stunning reaches of a stunning cruising ground. Just be careful :encouragement:
 
It will be slow, but you know that. Might get to Newlyn and break your journey there.

You will be anchoring most of the time. But sitting on the beach when the water goes away is good fun.

Aim to arrive in daylight.

Take the best charts you can find.

How do you enjoy the McG?

Anyone seen Scilly Pete recently, or have I missed him?
 
OK I will stick my neck out.
A McGregor 26m is not a boat that I would sail to the Scilly Isles. The weather can change for the worse quite quickly on the trip from the mainland or on the return. I would stick to the Falmouth Estuary.
 
Until you have done it, you may not realise the difference when you go into open waters. It may not be rough, but the motion will still be tiring and harder on the boat. The boat should be capable of doing it in good weather but the thirty miles or so from Newlyn would probably feel very different from Fowey-Falmouth. You could probably do the trip safely in a Wayfarer, but I would prefer to be in a boat rated category B or above.
 
LadyInBed said:
He can always ditch the ballast and motor at 15 knots or so! :)
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Problem is that option is a good one in flat water and no wind ;-) If there's a bit of chop, never mind big waves then that will not be an available option. It would be possible but you'd want settled weather IMHO.
 
mainsail1 said:
OK I will stick my neck out.
A McGregor 26m is not a boat that I would sail to the Scilly Isles. The weather can change for the worse quite quickly on the trip from the mainland or on the return. I would stick to the Falmouth Estuary.
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I am inclined to agree in general: in enough wind to sail well it can get quite lumpy off Lands End. The power option eats fuel and is not good in a seaway. However the McG could be very good indeed once at the islands, possibly more enjoyment than many very seaworthy deep keeled boats.
 
The MG 26 is a trailer sailor if memory serves me right. . ... . . the OP's best option would be to trailer to Penzance and ship it over, spend two lovely weeks pottering around the islands, then ship it back and trailer home. We see quite a few small cruisers doing exactly that most summers.
 
mainsail1 said:
OK I will stick my neck out.
A McGregor 26m is not a boat that I would sail to the Scilly Isles. The weather can change for the worse quite quickly on the trip from the mainland or on the return. I would stick to the Falmouth Estuary.
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For goodness sake don't tell this chap. He went all the way to the Azores in a MacWester 27.

 
Hi Guys,

Many thanks for all your replies, suggestions and warnings. I've been following the VOR so I'm approaching things fairly soberly.

I ventured out past Lizard Head last season which gave me an idea of the sort of change in seaway I can expect.

Also I certainly agree that I should be looking for a good period of settled weather and would have no hesitation about bailing out if things change with Newlyn etc as alternate ports.

As regards doing it in one hop and tiredness singlehanded I've planned the following:

1. Recently installed below deck autopilot with hard-wired and wireless control - will either sail to wind, compass or plotter track. Makes for relaxed sailing.

2. Have planned to leave from Helford anchorage at around 2:30am on neaps to give a good 6 hours of following current plus lots of daylight and a shorter trip.

3. If behind schedule after Lands End will bail out.

4. Am getting an AIS decoder to link to my plotter and idevices.

5. Will naturally clip on and wear PFD & PLB.

My wish for a companion (either on my boat or in flotilla) is partly to satisfy my wife but also for my moral support and advice - not as a source of rescue.

With regard to the suitability of the MacGregor specifically you may be interested in the following:

1. A site that debunks many popular myths surrounding Macs - https://www.eskimo.com/~mighetto/p11.htm
2. A short version of MacGregor's promo video is here - https://youtu.be/e8gavloLU3k - if you don't have 5 mins to watch then go straight to 4 mins 7 secs.
3. Check out this one too - https://youtu.be/PxmDYpj_lo8
 
MikeFloutier said:
Many thanks for all your replies, suggestions and warnings. I've been following the VOR so I'm approaching things fairly soberly.....

4. Am getting an AIS decoder to link to my plotter and idevices.
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Have fun and you might want to start another thread for close in anchorages before you go. There are many great ones!

Don't forget a decent radar reflector as you're crossing a TSS and if its a flat sea you might even beat the VORs ;)
 
MikeFloutier said:
3. Check out this one too - https://youtu.be/PxmDYpj_lo8
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I'm sure you'll have great fun in the Scilly Isles with your boat. However please don't put much credence in those videos when deciding what you can go out in. Pick a sure weather window to go across there with litte wind and flat seas.

Here's an alternative view of 45 knots in sheltered water (picked after a very brief search so I'm sure there are better). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2Pcpz0pfWo The poster of your video must use a different Knot from the rest of us.

It is far worse even a few miles offshore.

I've a 43 footer with three and a half tons of lead on the bottom of the keel, so slightly more ballast than a MacGregor 26. When I've been caught out in 45 knots I've been too busy to take videos. It requires active steering to take the blows from the breaking crests on the bow rather than the beam (and they really are blows that could knock a light boat of your size down) whilst avoiding jumping off the back of the wave and slamming heavily. You can't see over the next wave.

So take care and have fun and don't trust the propaganda.
 
lpdsn said:
Here's an alternative view of 45 knots in sheltered water (picked after a very brief search so I'm sure there are better). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2Pcpz0pfWo The poster of your video must use a different Knot from the rest of us.

It is far worse even a few miles offshore.

So take care and have fun and don't trust the propaganda.
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To put that vid in perspective, it depicts waves with a significant wave height <1.5m (about as rough as Solent can get) and only 2-5 miles of fetch. Big swell country beyond the Lizard potentially interacting with a much bigger wind-wave pattern than in the vid.....

well a big +1 to lpdsn's last comment.

But you won't be going out in anything like that ....I hope :ambivalence:
 
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