After Thalia cleared a foul anchor it was off at 11.00 for the Gantillies, for a ‘bubbly’ long lunch at anchor in the shelter of Ragged Island. The bubbles were meant to celebrate Emily’s birthday, but she then had to confess that she was a day ahead of herself!
We thought that the NW wind would be good for exploring the outside of St Martin’s, where there are a series of sandy bays with off-lying islets and rocks giving some protection from the swell. But not much as it turned out. Somehow the NW swell works its way round the top of St Martin’s, making the bays too rolly for comfort. So, on we went, round the top of St Martin’s to an anchor in Tean Sound, to the south of the moorings, out of the swell and out of the worst of the strong tidal current there. On the way we did a full power run past Thalia for a photo-shoot by Emily, who later provided the lovely picture of Kingfisher at the beginning of this log.
Thalia anchored nearby, for her last evening in the Scillies before sailing home while the Westerlies lasted.We all went ashore for drinks with James Trafford, in his family cottage in Higher Town, before supper at the Seven Stones. James ferried us around in his elderly mini-hatchback. At one point we squeezed no less than seven of us inside, including Emily and co-crew Hannah in the boot.
Thursday 19th August – New Grimsby and Bryher
Stores were beginning to get a bit low, so it was off early, past Round Island to New Grimsby sound, between Tresco and Bryher, for shopping at the excellent and well-stocked supermarket in New Grimsby. After lunch back on board it was time for a good walk around Bryher, as a showery morning gave way to a sunny afternoon. Although Tresco and Bryher are close to each other, they could not be more different. Tresco is a sophisticated, well-run holiday island, with every amenity, wonderful botanical gardens and electric buses with comic names like Boris and Maggie. Bryher remains the little island at the edge of the world, with no traffic, lovely sandy bays mixed with wild rocky coast on the Western side, and nothing modern apart from the Hell Bay Hotel, where we had a rather solitary afternoon tea.
Rather more fun is Island Fish, the fresh fish shop-cum-café near the ferry landing opposite Tresco. Every Thursday they do a mountain of take-away seafood paella. Alas, we were not free to collect at the appointed time, but settled for their equally good fish pies, to be warmed up in the oven later in the evening.
The reason we had to miss the paella was an invitation to evening drinks from Calum and Amanda Sillars (RYS) in Rinamara (Gaelic for Queen of the Sea). She is one of the justly famous McGruer 47ft yawls, built right at the end of the period of wooden boatbuilding. Rinamara had just been extensively and beautifully refitted by Stirlings at the historic no.1 Slip in Plymouth, about a year after Kingfisher received similar treatment for us in 2019/20. Like Thalia, she was getting ready for an early departure back to the mainland the following morning, before the long-established Westerlies finally gave out. She really is the last word in comfortable, good performance, wooden cruising boats. Whatever their modern technology, it is very hard to find anything built later in GRP with a better combination of good looks, comfort at sea and performance under sail.
Friday 20th August- Samson
Samson, and its small anchorage just off the sandy beach on its East side, is high on our list of favourite spots in the Scillies. The island is uninhabited, but with extensive ruins to explore from many centuries’ habitation by rugged, self-sufficient islanders. The anchorage off the beach, between Bar Point and Puffin Island, is almost empty once the day-tripper boats have gone, mainly because of the shallow depth at low tide. The beach is perfect for bathing, and there is shelter from almost all wind directions, provided you anchor well in.
The Samson anchorage is in plain sight from New Grimsby, but getting there from New Grimsby harbour at low tide (which it was) involves a long detour round the top of Bryher, across the aptly named Hell Bay and round the many rocks and islets on its West side. We threaded our way inside Scilly Rock, round Black Rocks and then between Castle Rock and Illiswilgig, coming to our anchor fully sheltered from the SW wind at 10.30.
After our walk mainly through breast-high bracken, alone apart from one other group, the tide was still quite low, so we continued West about, round the rocky back of Samson, outside the Minalto rocks and ledges, before turning East to look for somewhere to go swimming. Bar Point on St Mary’s looked good, since the sandy spit sticks out northwards and cuts off the last of the Westerly swell. All looked good as we anchored, but then drizzle set in and spoilt our plans.
We thought we would have another go at the North-East (outside) of St Martin’s, so we threaded our way through the Eastern Isles again, coming to anchor in Bread and Cheese Cove, a deep inlet just past the daymark at the South-East end of St Martin’s. We shared this small anchorage with only one other boat and spent a peaceful night in what proved to be the last rain of the whole cruise. Bread and Cheese Cove doesn’t have the grand sandy beaches found elsewhere on the back of St Martin’s, but it is deep and quite dramatic, with steep cliffs on both sides and a tiny rocky beach at the head of the cove, with a steep path up to the daymark. Well worth a visit, and a safe night’s stay in Westerly winds.
Saturday 21st August – Boat trip for Charlotte
This was the day we’d set aside to take sister Charlotte and her family boating. By this time they had moved to a picturesque cottage in Higher Town on St Martin’s, right opposite the bakery, so a pick-up in Great Bay required them to take only a short walk, bringing us some shopping, before a dinghy ride out to Kingfisher, which had moved round one bay to collect them.
The plan was to take them to places where they couldn’t go in their kayak. After welcome coffee during a sharp shower it was round the top of St Martin’s again, seal watching off Great Merrick Ledge, before anchoring in Porth Morran, a long inlet between rocky ledges right at the North end, offering very good shelter in winds with any South element, although the inner part of the inlet is rather choked with weed.