After the disappointment of last Sat and the blow out on Sunday, I decided that today would be my first attempt at getting to Looe and back.
I had actually got up early and was attempting to get down to the boat by about 0830hrs. This would be a little before high tide, enabling me to catch the outgoing current to the West, by the time I got round Rame Head.
In the previous few days I had been installing electrics onto the boat so I could charge my VHF equipment and also run an echo sounder. The installation of the transducer hadn't gone exactly to plan but I was still hopeful it would work.
After launching and putting the trailer away, I got the boat ready. The echo sounder transducer worked fine when dangled over the side of the boat. Lerigo then suggested I try leaving a bit of water in the forward compartment and see if it would work through the hull. Apart from reading a little shallow (no bad thing) it seemed to be working fine. All I have to do now is figure out a way of fixing the transducer to the hull.
With a good guide to avoid the problems of getting too shallow I set off.
The wind wasn't very much at all but I was hopeful the sea breeze would kick in and get me going. Leaving The Sound went okay. I even overtook another Hawk 20 heading towards the Eastern entrance. For some reason they were running without a jib sail? As I left the Eastern entrance their sail disappeared completely. Maybe they gave up and decided to use the motor.
The trip out to Looe was fairly slow, approx 3.5 knots the whole way, and consequently fairly dull. I did hear a few things on the VHF but nothing exciting really. Somebody was transmitting on CH16 every now and again wiping out everybody. The blue tooth headset works like a dream. I must work out a way of attaching it somehow so I don't lose it if it gets knocked off my ear.
Using the charts, I noted when I passed Portwrinkle, Downderry and Settle before finally arriving at Looe harbour entrance at about 1400hrs. It was quite a slog but I finally made it. I decided that I would anchor up for a small snooze. Using the echo sounder I found a shallowish spot to settle down for about 20-30mins.
I didn't take down the mainsail, but did furl the jib. This wasn't enough to stop it being uncomfortable when the boat swung from side to side. I was more concerned about the anchor pulling free and me ending up on the rocks. Next time I'll lift the centerboard and rudder which will hopefully help. Still learning this cruising malarky.
By the time I lifted anchor and set off, the sea breeze still hadn't kicked in. This was probably due to the fact that it was overcast most of the time.
On the way back I struggled back to just shy of Rame Head, before finally giving in and resorting to the motor. Getting the motor started I gave myself a terrible clout on the side of the head with the end of the boom. I obviously hadn't lifted the boom high enough when putting the mainsail away. Ouch.
I still hadn't got round to topping off the fuel tank since I got it from Jones. I had a little more in a reserve tank but didn't want to risk running out before getting back. It took me just over and hour to return to MBC from Rame Head. The fuel tank felt just as heavy as it did when I started. Excellent fuel economy so far.
When I recovered the boat this time I decided to try the break back function on the trailer. It actually went a lot smoother than I thought it would. I must remember to prepare the trailer strap beforehand though.
The next day I tested the batteries in the forward compartment and found they were still at 12.54V even after 10hrs with the echo sounder on.
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