24 hours On A Fast Wash
The original plan was to leave Salcombe on Wednesday 19th June and take a few leisurely days to reach Baltimore. On reviewing the weather forecast John thought it prudent to bring departure forward to Tuesday evening and go all the way to Ireland. Jane was reluctant but Peter Sandover and Doug O'Malley approved and so Snow Goose left Salcombe on Tuesday 18th June at 1900 hours headed for Baltimore.
With a friendly wave from Johnny Hearth and good luck Whats App messages pinging the crew set the sails for a broad reach with one reef. The wind freshened as we headed across Bigbury Bay so a second reef was put in. By 10pm the sun was setting and the wind increased to 20 knots and a third reef was deployed. The sea state was moderate but as we approached the lizard the washing machine cycle kicked in. All hopes of following meal plans went out of the window. Whilst the crew just about coped with the challenging conditions and frequent showers of water over the bow Snow Goose loved it flying along at 7 - 8 knots past Lands End and the Isles of Scilly and out into the Celtic Sea. During the night Peter and Doug were entertained by a large pod of dolphins playing round the boat in the moonlight. As the sun came up and we got further into the Celtic sea sightings of other vessels were rare. By 4pm under grey skies the sea began to flatten, the wind dropped, reefs were shaken out and the crew could relax and indulge in Martines delicious flapjack and Jane Knights chocolate brownie and even managed to heat up a pizza. At 1900 hours we celebrated sailing 178 nautical miles in 24 hours but as the wind continued to drop and went round to being on the nose we had to motor. The night passed peacefully with only the occasional trawler in the distance.
As dawn approached I enjoyed a surreal moment on deck alone when a fulmar who had been circling the boat flew alongside very close and looked me straight in the eye. Doug joined me on deck and as we looked to the east admiring Venus in the early morning sky he gave a beautiful recital of Over the Bar. We were able to sail for a couple more hours until the wind died as we approached the beautiful Irish coast. Lots Wife stood out clearly in the sun and we were greeted by two dolphins. We headed slowly into Baltimore Bay and by 0930 on Thursday morning were tied up on the pontoon with a very warm welcome from the owner of the facilities. A hearty breakfast of croissant, danish etc from Salcombe Bakery was very welcome before a day recovering. Now we can look forward to the rest of the holiday with a crew change on Tuesday.
Jane Miller