Rally Portugal or Rally England?

With a month in Plymouth already under our belts, the sightseeing was at an end and thoughts turned to the enormity of crossing Biscay for the first time. As more and more yachts arrived it was fantastic to meet our fellow cruisers and learn that it was not just us with a degree of trepidation.

Our two extra crew members John and Peter had now arrived and on Saturday 2 June, Steve attended the Skippers briefing.  With freinds and family poised to be on the start line the next morning, the Skippers briefing held a twist.  A huge area of low pressure in the Atlantic meant that the start of the Rally would have to be postponed.  The crew of Scarlet Lady had already agreed even before the meeting that we would wait at least a day or two and try and catch up, as the weather forecasts had looked dire.  So, the postponement came as a relief that at least we would all be together.  Sadly, our friends and family who had journeyed to Plymouth to see us off, never got to fulfil their wish, and went home disappointed, but also relieved that we would not be heading out into such bad weather.  We spent the rest of the day chilling out on the boat.  We also got to see some of the Jubilee pageant of boats on the Thames on the TV.   The weather in London was even worse than in Plymouth!

Steve, John, Lynne and Peter

Thanks to the organisers of the Rally, Plan B evolved and instead of heading South, we turned West towards Falmouth.
Our destination was Mylor Marina and although the day started with light winds and some motoring it soon picked up enough to carry on under sail and what a little cracker it was. It was also good for John and Peter to get to know Scarlet a little better.
Once at the very pretty Mylor Yacht Haven, we rafted up next to Firedrake and went ashore for a beer. Once we returned, it became apparent that one of the Rally yachts was missing - Usquabe of Fife (also from Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne).  News came in that they had snagged a lobster pot lying just below the surface and had become anchored to the sea bed as a result. with no alternative, the local lifeboat was called out to tow them back in.

Usquabe rescued

It is times like this when you really appreciate the RNLI. Sadly for Chris and Frances, a well meaning fellow yachtie, who had tried to help prior to the rescue, had pulled a release pin from the self steering rudder, which promptly sunk without a trace.
As the lifeboat had done all it could to free the snared lobster pot, Scott Weston from the yacht Katerina, assisted by his wife Julia, donned a dive suit and in  what must have been very cold waters, un-tangled the fouled fishing gear, much to the relief of Chris and Frances.

From Mylor, we moved the next day to Pendennis Marina in Falmouth, which became our home pending an improvement in the weather.
So much for the Rally Portugal, this was now the Rally West Coast of England!

St Anthony's Lighthouse Falmouth

Pendennis Marina was also playng host to a forthcoming J Class Classic Regatta. For those that are in to sailing these yachts need little if any introduction.

Two please!

Nick, one of the Rally organisers, had told us the previous day that on the way to Falmouth, he had popped in to see his cousin in Fowey.  Hs cousin owns a wine company and as we should have been enjoying a tour of a vineyard and wine tasting tour in Bayona, his cousin offered to do a wine tasting session at a local restaurant Indaba on the Beach. 

Ooooh! This is a cheeky little number John!

 He brought along all the wines we would have been sampling in Bayona and following this, we had a lovely 3 course meal in the restaurant.  Yet again, it was a great bonding evening and we got to chat to more Rally entrants.  The Norwegian crew from Coral IV had a great night and the skipper did several toasts to 'Rally England Empire', as there were Scottish, English and Austalians amongst the crews.  After this excellent evening, thoughts of crossing Biscay and all the asscociated apprehensions had all but disappeared.

The delay had enabled us to get to know other crews and even share a significant birthday surprise party for Russell Altendorff from yacht Enterprise (yes, he is a Star Trek fan!).  The party was held at a suitable ale house and if you have not tried it, the Chain Locker is excellent.  
Each and every day we would check the weather using the latest Grib files to see what weather systems where likely to give us issues. It soon became apparent that a window of opportunity was opening up and rumours started to circulate of the possibility of starting the Rally proper.

On Saturday 9 June, Nick visited each boat early in the morning and said we would be leaving at 1pm.  With frantic last minute shopping to replace the meals we had prepared for the start of a Biscay crossing in Plymouth, we slipped the lines and prepared for the adventure of a lifetime.

Steve and Lynne x