Tresco & Bryher - 01/02 June 2006 (day 12/13)

Yacht Gothik

At Anchor between Tresco & Bryher

Isles of Scilly

02 June 2006

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Logged distance: 8M

Chart distance: 8M

Time under way: 1h 55m

Wednesday 31 May 2006 (continued)

After arriving in the Scillies the two Keiths popped ashore in the dingy to arrange a few things. This included finding out where the showers were, finding somewhere really good to eat tonight and finding out how to get off of the Island (Keith H was departing for home and the real world). While they did all the hard jobs I had a snooze and woke up just as it was time to get ready for the pub. We were all very impressed by the showers - clean, piping hot, and plenty of water all for a £1 coin.

Dressed in our posh togs we strode into the first pub next to quay side - the "Mermaid Inn". A sign outside made sure everyone knew that they were not serving food - why? Well it was the 31st of May of course. Not quite sure of the significance of the 31st of May but it seemed to them as obvious as Christmas that they wouldn't be serving food. Anyway - we didn't mind, beer was all we needed - a table at our next venue was booked.

A couple of pints in the pub made me feel quite wobbly. In fact we were all a bit wobbly before walking into the pub. Our sea legs were still with us and we still had the strange feeling that the floor was still moving and that something needed to be grabbed onto to prevent keeling over. No wonder seamen got such a bad name - 'drunken sailor', that's all a myth, the ground was just too steady for them.

The evening was delightful. Warm and sunny. The town was a picture, quiet streets with gardens full of tropical flora and fauna. Was this really part of the British Isles? After a few minutes we came to our restaurant ('Blue') and presented ourselves to the man in the bar. He was not happy to see us. It seemed that the table had been double booked and there was no way of fitting us in. He was not exactly helpful in offering any suggestions so we left feeling a little miffed. It seemed out of place here as everyone else, without exception, had gone out of their way to be polite and accommodating. But it was to our benefit, as we spent the next hour or so drifting from place to place, talking to anyone we encountered for a recommendation. Our quest took us out of town and along a few lanes alive with birds and lined with flowers.

Most of the places were fully booked but along the way we saw many beautiful things before finally ending up in the Angel Hotel restaurant. The menu made the mouth water and the wine list was both interesting and affordable. It was a superb meal. Conversation flowed as we recounted our own personal thoughts and feelings of the last few days but it was a sad thing to think that Keith H would be leaving us tomorrow.

We managed to get back to the boat without falling out of the dingy. An accomplishment I assure you. Conversation continued with a little more beer and the soporific effects of the heater. What we talked about I don't know but we were in stitches at some points. What a fine way to arrive in the Scillies and a fine way for Keith H to depart.

Thursday 01 June 2006

Woke up feeling good for the extended duration in bed but poor for the extended celebration last night. All in all there was a nice balance. We were able to make a pot of fresh coffee for the first time in a few days and supping this on deck in the full glory of the new day's sunshine was a blessing indeed. Thoughts turned to friends at home - or rather at work. At work! My goodness. I've already forgotten so much about normal everyday lives.

Ferried Keith H to the dock in time for his flight. Handshakes followed. The new found friendship between the two Keiths was evident. It was with a small pinch of envy that I looked upon this - the result of time spent sitting on watch. It is a good way to meet people, whether familiar or not. Keith S and I continued onto the laundrette which was located in a very smart building. The prices were a little expensive prices but the service was worth every penny. We simply dumped our smells and departed for the cafe on the beach for a cappuccino. How civilised.

After finishing our shore side activities there were some boat chores to do. During our passage to the Scillies the roller furling gear on the genoa had been giving a little trouble. It had not actually jammed outright but it had complained from time to time. Furling in the sail was no problem but unfurling occasionally was a little stiff or reluctant. Laying on deck looking up through the binoculars, I thought I could see a flap of cloth protruding from the head of the sail towards the top of the mast. I thought it a good idea to examine it in situ. This meant being hoisted up the mast again. I'm glad Keith did hoist me up the mast - take a look at the photo! It looks as though the track that rotates around the headstay had been causing the headstay to also rotate.

The result was that the headstay had unwound. Whether this was due to lack of tension in the headstay, too much tension in the sail when furling/unfurling, or bad reassembly by myself or the rigger in Brightlingsea I couldn't say. At this stage I did not want to assume anything. Disassembly would tell and the Isle of Scilly was not the right place to do this. It would have to wait for Milford Haven where there was a better chance of spares and replacement parts. Instead I made sure that the boat was not going to be a danger to us and continued on with the day.

By early afternoon Keith and I were pretty settled in our location. We had intended on motoring round to another anchorage but had second thoughts. Why move? Hugh Town, St Mary's was a lovely spot. In the end I took heart with the original plan and began to think that we were just being lazy. We lifted our mooring, cast off and beetled onwards for a two hour cruise under engine to an anchorage nestled between the islands of Bryher and Tresco. No regrets! The transformation of scenery and the increased peacefulness of the new location was a pleasant shock and an unexpected surprise. We quickly fell into to the new pace of things and got the barbeque going, opened one of my favourite bottles of wine and cooked a nice fish supper. As the sun began to set the appeal of the sandy shoreline took hold and in the dingy we skimmed across the clear blue water to the island of Bryher. We could hear music. It sounded like a party.

Barefoot in the soft sand we made our way through the fringe of foliage that bordered the beach and on towards the applause's. Summer had well and truly arrived. Three minutes later we were holding a pint of beer, outside, with live music and plenty of dancing. Everyone seemed to be local. We had occasioned upon something but were welcome as part of it. The three person band were versatile and accomplished and played non-stop with enthusiasm until home time.

Getting back to the boat was an adventure. The tide had left our dingy high and dry and since the beach shelved very gently we had to carry it a long way to reach the waters edge. From there we had to wade for a while in the dark before giving it a final push into deeper water. We only just managed to get aboard, somewhat wetter than when we had started.

Friday 02 June 2006

Today we were due to depart for Milford Haven. Now read that bit again, "... depart for Milford Haven". Milford Haven is a town with several oil tanker terminals and a couple of oil refineries. It may have been picturesque 150 odd years ago but I doubt it compares favourably with the little bit of British Isle's we were in now. Could we leave tomorrow instead of today? Yes we jolly well could. Milford Haven could wait for us and we could wait for it.

Instead we spent most of the morning in the sunshine doing as little as possible. By afternoon we we ready to do a bit more than nothing and so decided for a trip ashore. "Which one?" said Keith, meaning which island should we visit - we were anchored between Tresco and Bryher, each being only 100m distant. In the end we chose Tresco, simply because we had been ashore to Bryher the night before. With no agenda we landed the dingy and set off on foot up the first road we came across.

I say road but there were no cars on the island. The only vehicles we saw were a couple of tractors and a few golf carts (although there was no evidence of a golf course). I'd heard that cars were not allowed on one (or some) of the islands - I suppose Tresco must be one of them. At first we walked upwards, among the leafy lanes and into the heather and finally onto the top of the island itself. We weren't particularly high up but the panorama was splendid. It was just right. Green islands with white sands and blue lagoons. For a further two hours we walked along these tranquil lanes, being greeted by everyone we saw, until the heat of the day began to make us whither.

Back home to the boat and an early supper; spaghetti, tomato and fresh green beans, all helped along with a bottle of Valpolicella Ripasso by Tedschi.