Falanda Sailing

 The solenoid on Radiance’s engine had fried itself to bits on arrival at Brixham, so we decided to stop in at Topsham after the Regatta in order to have a look at it.  It was a fast sail across the bay with all three boats in company, and I was only mildly upset to watch Radiance and Nora slip past us. Although I may blame it on the extra reef and following wind there was definitely some distance between us as they arrived at the fairway buoy.  Sailing up the Exe without the reassurance of an engine is always slightly terrifying, and as it was Jake’s first time going up the river, and only his second sail on Radiance, he received a tow from Nora.  After a week on my dad’s mooring at Turf, we both sailed Radiance back down the river with a reconditioned starter motor, heading for Falmouth. Initially the wind was pushing us along at just under 6kts, however by the early afternoon it had disappeared completely. We bobbed around for a couple of hrs in Torbay before starting the engine to

 Earlier this year me and Falanda moved from our winter berth in Penryn to Sailors Creek in Flushing where my friend Jake Whyte was restoring his new boat ‘Radiance’. She is a 37’ gaff cutter, larch on oak frames built in 1936. Radiance was built in a Smack yard in Boston, Linkinshire as a yacht, so is massively overbuilt with 1.5inch planking and 4” frames, she is 13 tonnes.  Radiance had been sitting against a wall in Gweek for 10 years before Jake bought her in March, so after a quick scape off at Tremaine quay, up the helford, he put the sail back on and attached all those bits of rope that assesorise the gaffers. She looked lovely sailing back, touching 7kts with the wind behind us, however on return to Flushing Jake proceeded to make the most worrying holes in the hull as he dug out all the rot.  More holes were made in the deck, and we had fun learning how to scarf in new bits of wood before the whole deck and coachroof was sanded and repainted. Having left the boatbuilding cour

After a week swimming and picking flowers on St Agnes, we left for St Mary in preparation for a forecasted blow that came in a few days later from the West.  We didn’t get far though, as Wendy may stopped suddenly amounts a cluster of very expensive yachts after expeperiencing slight engine issues, soon resolved, however, with a cable tie.  In Porthcressa we met Max, the previous owner of Wendy may who provided both a more suitable solution to Otters broken gear cable, and a much appreciated veggie curry.  In the following days we did our laundry, had a hot shower and carried bottles of fresh water across the island. We topped up on fuel and watched as the weather started to blow in. It didn’t amount to much, however, and the biggest event was  moving Wendy May from alongside Falanda.  We then moved to Tresco, over the expanses of oddly placed sand banks and rock formations. It seemed much less terrifying than it had 3 years ago, perhaps with the security of a chart plotter.  I anchore