North Cornwall, landsend and up channel in easterlies?

Blimey you could'nt pick a much worse forecast for an up channel run. Done it the other way into the prevailing westerlies and even in June it was wet cold and very tiring. There's a couple of big lows out there I would'nt want much further west or south on the dash from MH to Newlyn. Personally I'd forget Padstow or Lundy at this time of year. If you held a gun to my head I might venture MF to Newlyn but a 2 metre swell off Lands End will not be pleasant. Further on the Lizard will be nasty and I'd stay very far off, I had the entire boat in the air once (38 footer) going west when I was'nt quite far enough off in a F4 against a big swell!
 
steve yates said:
Looking for advice from those with more experience than I. Looks like my fuel tank will be in and JoJo ready to leave ,ilford haven for Essex next Tuesday.
Forecast is basically easterly winds, between 4& 6 but with a westerly swell, around 2m.

My original idea was a a straight run down from mh to newlyn, now wondering if a westerly swell and easterly wind out at sea will be very rolly and uncomfortable. Given the wind direction it occurs to me to head towards Lundy, a year anchor there? then head in towards the coast, would it be more she.tered cloeser to the land then? And the heading down the coast towards landsend should put the wind on my quarter at best, a close reach at worst? Does that sound logical?
if anchoring at Lundy is it better to be w coast sheltered from wind or e coast sheltered from swell?
Also, given it's an easterly, if going into padstow and it was windy, does that make the entrance safer? Or to be avoided as it would be against a westerly swell? Would best entrance be after hw so it's not wind over tide?
And again, would st Ives be a tenable anchorage in easterlies, giving me a close departure to time it for lands end?

Lands end itself, if I take the tide round it will be wind over tide, will it be easier or worse going round close in or we'll out?

Lastly, any tips for heading up channel in easterlies? Given I usually want the tide with me, there will be a lot of wind over tide, am I better farther out cutting across from headland to headland? Or is it better following the coast round the bays?

I'm guessing it won't last long till the sw'lys kick back in, but so far the high is showing as staying around till at least start of next weekend, it could drift around for a while longer.

Thanks.
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Ive tried to stay at Lundy twice, both times the weather turned horrible, not a nice place to be if it goes bad and with the weather you are talking about, not a place to be. Dont do it at this time of the year!
Stu
 
No, have ruled out Lundy on the advice from here.Ruled out padstow ( unless I need a port to run to) and st Ives as well. Will go straight to newlyn, or maybe even straight round the lizard, depending on how timings work out and the weather pans out. Looks ok for tue, and rounding lands end early wed morning.
 
steve yates said:
I didn't think that would be very comfortable, ok. I might go mh padstow, only because I really fancy visiting it, and it will be much better without the tourists than if I go some other time. I'm also not sure I can get my timings right for lands end over such a time/distance?
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When we were in padstow a week ago the gate was off for maint so check befor you go that its back on!!!
 
fisherman said:
Small boat sailing E round the Lizard about 2 hours ago, is it he?
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Not me, but left milfordhaven on wed and rounded outside longships on Thursday morning. Was going for the lizard, but looking at timings and feeling the freshening easterly, against the tide, decided for Penzance instead.
Penzance because the forecast looked like leaving her for a week, and because I read hw as 3.20 pm, perfect timing for access. Got that utterly wrong, 3.20pm was lw! Went pootling into the harbour, Scillonian was in outer harbour so went into inner one to tie to a ladder, to await lock opening and ran aground 20ft from the wall :)
Oops! Lay on her ear for 4 hours then floated off and tied to the ladder till lock opened that night. She is now tucked up inside, hoping to come back and carry on next weekend.

One thing, the autopilot works, under sail, or with engine at 2000 revs or below, above that it really struggles. And what a revelation an autopilot is too! It transforms passages. This was one of the easiest I have ever done, because I wasn't hand steering the whole time. Weather was great, lots of dolphins, a million starts and shooting stars at night, nice long lazy swell. Went down about 35 miles west of Lundy, the sea was great, really easy motion.
 
Great, I have been watching your wind forecast each day with trepidation, puzzled as to why the pilot is not working when motoring hard, will have a think about that.
Looking forward to the pictures.
 
I think it's to do with the steering cables being tight and kinked, even hand steering under engine is a lot harder to one side than the other, I always end up with a sore shoulder! Is the gain the rudder deflection? That's at the minimum, turning it up seems to make it overcorrect. Or maybe it needs to go up at times like those? I hadn't thought of that!
 
steve yates said:
I think it's to do with the steering cables being tight and kinked, even hand steering under engine is a lot harder to one side than the other, I always end up with a sore shoulder! Is the gain the rudder deflection? That's at the minimum, turning it up seems to make it overcorrect. Or maybe it needs to go up at times like those? I hadn't thought of that!
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Gain is how big a rudder deflection it makes for a given deviation from course. Either too high or too low can lead to instability. Is hand steering under sail equally easy/hard to both sides?
 
I find under power my tiller is heavier, I just put it down to the prop wash over the rudder, as soon as the donk is off, it's bliss.

I'm not particularly happy with my tiller pilot, I put it down to being old and slow, a new one is on my wish list.

Glad to hear it was a good sail, I hope your mate enjoyed it!
 
Bear in mind when you leave PZ it is diamatrically wrong for tide at the Lizard, you could rest up in Newlyn and leave just before LW. Early flood a mile S of Mullion along the shore, LW-1hr, but ebb on The Lizard to LW+3.
 
Thanks fisherman, I was thinking I'd either move into newlyn eve before or head over to mullion cove and anchor there for the night, then round the lizard and if early morning worked, go straight over to start point, Mebbe salcombe or around.
What's the best time for the lizard? My pilots are on the boat. Am I looking to hit slack water then carry the young flood round west? Is mullion a decent anchorage! Or is it much simpler just being in newlyn?
 
Yellow Ballad said:
I

Glad to hear it was a good sail, I hope your mate enjoyed it!
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Enough that he's looking for his own boat for the west coast of Scotland, to moor off glencoe. Looked at a samphire 26 and 23 , ( little sisters) some centaurs, didn't like them, a pandora, didn't like that, a hunter 26, didn't like that, an old sea dog ketch, liked that but too big and. A Bruce Roberts spray, too much fettling required. He liked the samphires, so has settled on a long keeler. Looked at a twister 28 in Essex, and that's the top of the list,if they will move on price, looking at another in Scotland this weekend, which I think will be the one, with a bit of a deal.
Great for me as I then have a boat to sail on the west coast whenever I want :)
 
steve yates said:
Thanks fisherman, I was thinking I'd either move into newlyn eve before or head over to mullion cove and anchor there for the night, then round the lizard and if early morning worked, go straight over to start point, Mebbe salcombe or around.
What's the best time for the lizard? My pilots are on the boat. Am I looking to hit slack water then carry the young flood round west? Is mullion a decent anchorage! Or is it much simpler just being in newlyn?
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Mullion is a sh!thole except E or NE, ANY S in it, forget it, and if there's a bit of SW ground sea, it piles up on shallows on the way in, just horrible, along with anywhere inside the Newlyn/Lizard line. I would stay in Newlyn and rest up until the right time rather than beat about the bay. Slack on The Lizard LW +3hr, but you can go up the bay inside to avoid the ebb, head for The Lizard, then, even if you are a bit early the flood will carry you SE and clear of any trouble with east, contrary wind. Then get past the Manacles, or head straight for Start pt as you suggest.
 
steve yates said:
Ok, very useful to know. Thank you, newlyn it will be then
Just to be clear after my recent debacle, which lw are you referring to? I presume Penzance/newlyn?
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Yes all PZ. If you get into slack tides and still E wind then do the Lizard on the ebb if you can outsail it. I remember having to leave from two miles off the point, E-6 flood tide, along with two other boats, and run to Porthleven rather than go to falmouth. The boat four miles outside us was in a flat calm, but that was summertime high pressure weather. It just sticks to the point, as they say.
 
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