Penlee Point and Rame Head

Mon 16 Aug was intended to be a quiet shake-down sail to check that everything had been re-rigged correctly and was working as it should. After motoring out of King Point Marina and through the Bridge to the West of Drake’s Island, I tried both the staysl’ and jib to make sure they were unfurling and furling correctly. The wind was much stronger than I expected and I imagine it was funneling off the hills above Cawsand and down the Tamar. Once the staysl’ and jib had been proven, I turned head to wind and hoisted the main, It was obvious that a reef was needed, so the 1st reef went straight in. Once the main was set and the staysl’ and jib were unfurled, the engine was stopped and Chione charged off towards Cawsand at between 6 – 6.5knts. It was exhilarating sailing, although not quite what I’d planned for her first outing in Plymouth! Having passed Penlee Point, Rame Head was next with the prominent small chapel on the top. By now the wind had become quite blustery with the highest gust reading 31knts on the anemometer, with constant winds at the top end of F5. The top speed logged was 7.1knts – not bad for a small gaffer! I decided to turn for home and enjoyed a fast sail back to the Bridge, where sails were lowered, fenders tied-on and I motored back into King Point Marina. An excellent start and I’m looking forward to exploring in and around Plymouth much more in the coming months.