[SEEKING ADVICE] Sailing from Falmouth to the Isles of Scilly

[MontyMariner]

Why? The main bay is large, easy to navigate and has mooring buoys unless it's blowing a NW F10 I'd rather go there and pick up a mooring instead of anchoring in the dark in limited space between rocks.

Why - You gave part of the answer yourself

I'd rather go there and pick up a mooring instead of anchoring in the dark

If you are anchoring in the dark then you will also be trying to pick up a visitors buoy in the dark!
Other reasons:

• Arriving at the end of the day (in the daylight) visitors buoy's may well be all taken. Going round to the visitors buoy's in the morning some of the boats on the buoy's will probably have moved on, and if they haven't then you are rested and have plenty of daylight to pick an anchorage.
• It's a nice place to anchor in.

and, if you can't handle 'limited space between rocks' then you shouldn't be in the Scilly Iles in the first place!
PS Deep water entry to the Bay is about 250 mtrs wide, so not that 'limited' a space.

 

[mattonthesea]

Lumpy is only half of it. I think the sea between Lands End and IoS in a F5 SW is a swirly roller coaster! Those were the conditions the first time I sailed there - we were fighting over taking the helm as that was only way we could fight off mal de mer. Lesson learnt!

 

[roaringgirl]

and, if you can't handle 'limited space between rocks' then you shouldn't be in the Scilly Iles in the first place!

yeah, I guess you're right, I'll stick to safer spots and leave the extreme anchoring to the real adventurers

 

[jeksor]

Thank you so much to everyone who dedicated time to this matter!
I genuinely appreciate it, and we followed the advice to skip the trip to the Scillies (which turned out to be a really good decision!).
The weather was extremely nasty, with winds blowing at 30 knots on Saturday morning.

During our journey, we stayed in Falmouth for a day and then sailed to Plymouth and back.
The conditions were better but still challenging, covering about ~40 nm one way.

Fair winds and following seas!

 

[Dutch01527]

Wise decision from the skipper. Both in terms of asking for advice and also having the common sense to listen to the good advice given

 

[Farmer Piles]

A great shout and no shame in taking the safer option. In June we were heading to Scilly, we are Falmouth based and have been over before, We got to Black Head and it was grey and lumpy, we hadn't even rounded the Lizard never mind Lands End, the forecast for Scilly wasn't great but it was 23C and sunny for Cornwall and Devon. We turned tail and ran for Fowey. A night there, two nights in Cawsands, a night in Hope Cove, two nights in Fowey on the way back home and the final night in St Mawes. A lovely week away.
Glad that you had a great trip with your mates.