Summer Sailing to the Isles of Scilly (Part 2)

...the land was full of signs

And wonders ere the coming of the Queen.

So said my father, and himself was knight

Of the great Table—at the founding of it;

And rode thereto from Lyonnesse, and he said

That as he rode, an hour or maybe twain

After the sunset, down the coast, he heard

Strange music, and he paused, and turning—there,

All down the lonely coast of Lyonnesse,

Each with a beacon-star upon his head,

And with a wild sea-light about his feet,

He saw them—headland after headland flame

Far on into the rich heart of the west...

Idylls of the King: Guinevere by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1859)

Last summer you’ll know, if you read our blog, that we hoped to sail to the Isles of Scilly, but owing to time constraints, banks of high winds, and a mechanical failure we never made it.

I’ve wanted to visit the Isles of Scilly for many years. I was entranced by tales of its beauty and also by the legends that attach to it of King Arthur’s Queen Guinevere, his Round Table knight Tristan, and those Lost Isles of Lyonesse. Tristan was heir to these fabled islands located near to the Scilly Isles, which sank into the Celtic Sea, and where it is said that the church bells can still be heard ringing out from the submerged city which lies under the Atlantic waters.

In my blog last year I mentioned that we were hoping to trade our beloved boat, and buy something a little more comfortable for spending longer periods of time on. Something more stable in the water for longer passages.

In the winter we bought a larger boat, which had been beloved by a family from new, but had been neglected a little for the last few years. A lot of her kit was worn and needed upgrading, and she needed a good thorough clean, but when we viewed her we knew she could be beautiful again.

So, we have spent many weekends as the howling winter winds changed into more tranquil summer days driving down to the south west coast and improving our ‘new’ 20-year old boat.

It's been a lot of work, but now she has new white sails, a smart new sail bag, and bright new ropes. She has shiny new rigging and a clean mast, smart silver guardwires and gates to get on and off.

We've sat under her wonderful cockpit tent, and freshened up her spray hood. She has a new heavy-duty anchor. The decks and teak and fenders have been washed and scrubbed. The cabin has been cleaned from top to bottom.

Our previous boat was about thin mattresses and sleeping bags, we cooked on a twin hob, and the water was cold so showers meant warming up a kettle! Now we have deep, comfy new mattresses and duvets, a new loo, and an oven where we can cook hearty meals. We have a large capacity for water and can have hot showers on the boat through the turning of the engine. There's even a shower hosepipe bringing hot water showers if we want to stand outside at the back of the boat!

We adored our previous boat, and had many, many adventures on her over the twenty years she was ours. But our new boat is something else entirely!

And she looks beautiful.

To Helford

As we neared our two-week summer holiday there was just one thing – with all of the polishing and fixing, we had not taken her out of her berth in the new marina yet, and that berth is daunting. There is a sizeable river sweeping just past us with a considerable tide, that leads into a busy bay with all manner of craft, from huge warships, to small fishing boats, yachts, ferries, motor boats and paddleboards, not to mention the rocks and shallows. There was a lot to think about the first time we ever maneouvred our new boat out of the tight marina space. I confess, I slept for just two and a half hours the night before we were due to leave, trying to imagine all the circumstances that could arise and how to mitigate them!

But like a lot of things, when you’re nervous, they turn out to be much better than you anticipated. In the event, we left with no difficulty at all, and soon we were in the familiar coastal waters of south Devon which we have sailed for many years. We headed down to Helford river, opting to catch a buoy from the significantly higher deck!

It was easy. We settled in for the night.

To St. Mary's

Next morning was our more testing passage. Our boat steers by twin wheels, rather than the tiller I’ve always sailed boats by since I was a child, which means that instead of pushing the tiller and turning the opposite way, now you turn the wheel like a car into the direction you want to turn.

And we were taking her into unfamiliar waters – rounding the spicy headland of Cornwall’s Lizard.

But the sea was like glass as we left Helford in the early morning, the weather was settled, calm - perfect conditions to try out a new yacht. The Lizard looked so beautiful in the early morning light as we rounded it in the strange swells and turbulence of the black waters.

Once around the headland we were able to head out to sea, on a direct line to St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly. The sea state had changed as we were out in more open water, heading across into the Atlantic Ocean perpendicular to the Traffic Separation Zone.

The sea was grey and rolly, and the winds averaging a light force 3, gusting to a brief force 5. We were accompanied by several other white sailed yachts making the most of the extraordinarily beautiful weather and heading on the same course to the Isles of Scilly. It was exhilarating to be out at sea. We raised full sail to drive us across the 9 hour passage, accompanied by the motor.

The approach to the Isles of Scilly was astonishing. Behind us, England’s Cornish landmass was barely visible on the horizon and still the islands ahead of us hadn’t appeared. Then, all of a sudden, a very low-lying island mass appeared out of the sea, with curving chains of rocks, and soon we were motoring up the glittering sea approach near to St Agnes and excitedly turning right to discover the sheltered harbour of Hugh Town on the island of St Mary’s.

I was totally bewitched by the scene, by the rocks and the flat islands, and by the extraordinary colour of the sea – vivid green, deep navy, and white crested waves, summer breezes crossing the boat and flickering my long hair, our white sails furled away, as we quickly motored into the bright little harbour.

We moved between the yachts searching for a single free buoy – for a Tuesday teatime they all looked taken. And then one appeared on the outer edge of the visitor buoys, nearer to the beach, and we gratefully moved to secure it.

We had our kayaks with us, tied down on deck all the way from Devon. They were so easy to drop into the water and then paddle among the fishing boats the short distance to the Hugh Town beach, where we pulled them up out of the water, dragged them up the beach, and tied them with bowlines to some step railings.

I was enchanted by Hugh Town. The capital of the Isles of Scilly is a tiny town of a few streets, a few shops and pubs, and an extremely good cafe called Hugh Town Cafe where the owner stood at the doorway in an apron chatting to locals and tourists alike in a disarmingly friendly and genuinely interested manner. The Scillonians really are lovely :)

I bounced around the giftshops and bought a cute sea stone bracelet, and a mug declaring 'happiness is being on the Isles of Scilly'! It certainly was! This place that had lain in the back of my mind for years was everything I had hoped it would be - and so much more!

I think we were extremely fortunate to be there in dazzling sunshine, because the sea was lit up with the most vivid greens, owing to the incredibly soft white sparkly sands under the waters. The whole experience was of refreshing waters to kayak through and swim in, drying in the sunshine, moving on to another deserted beach, or landing on a diminishing sand bar, the light dazzling - the most extraordinary blue skies full of the light of those glittering seas.

I hadn't realised that it was possible to kayak between the islands, and so every day that we were there, we set off from our boat and kayaked to a different island. They all seemed to have a slightly different feel. We spent the days kayaking miles, getting fitter, wetter, and drenched in summer sun.

To Tresco and Samson

While Hugh Town on St Mary's has cars, our first kayak across to Tresco next morning was noticeable for its quiet. We live in the Cotswolds, which is a very rural area, but the silence on Tresco was incredibly restorative. As soon as we pulled up the kayaks on the beach I thought we were in paradise. Before us was a crescent beach of sparkly white sand, strewn a little near the water's edge with seagrasses, and beyond a flat blue sea and scintillating blue sky. The sun was hot and there was no sound.

As we walked amongst the violet heather and sky blue agapanthus we could hear our breath and our footsteps. Pipits hopped about, and butterflies fluttered past.

We stood facing the famous Abbey house, and crossed the helicopter field where holidaymakers sat with their bicycles, and pilots sat in the office looking relaxed and breezy. And we made our way down along a little path to the beach at Appletree Bay.

This gorgeous white sand beach had gently sloping sands to transparent waters, and a view across to the low-lying islands of Samson and nearby Bryher. There were maybe six people on this beach, so we easily found a space to pull off our outer gear for our swimming costumes and wade out into the water. It was chilly, yes, but you soon began to feel warm enough, and the swimming was heaven! I declared I am now a wild swimmer! And, indeed, this was one of the biggest joys on the islands - plunging into the beautiful waters and swimming through the shallows.

We returned to our kayaks and paddled over forests of waving seagrasses and seaweeds towards the channel between Tresco and Bryher, and came across a tiny sand bar where we pulled up the boats and then plunged into the waters. The sea was so clear. Little pastel colour seashells began to appear in my kayak as they were too irresistable! The tide swept in and the sand bar began to disappear, so we made our way across to the tiny island of Samson, and found an empty beach (away from the restricted bird breeding zones), and walked through the heather to a rocky outcrop - taking us up to a height so that we had a clear view across to the nearest islands.

I think you can tell I was dazzled by this place!

That evening, after a nice time in the sea-faring pub, we returned to our tied up kayaks to find mine delicately decorated in softly patted down sand, and decorated with seaweed. I laughed so much, it was so cute!! And I do believe we passed a little boy who may have been responsible! :)

To St. Martin's and Bryher

Next morning we were out in the kayaks, crossing from St Mary's to St Martin's, in a more vigorous sea which glowed a witchy green from beneath, so dazzling was the colour. Our speedy passage was slowed only by the trailing arms of seagrasses. This crossing was all colour - those streaks of inky indigo, the almost fluorescent potion greens, glimpses of the pale green watery sands below, a vivid blue sky all around, and that soft sand beach of St Martin's up ahead waiting for us!

We pulled the kayaks up the beach and I explored the soft sandy lanes dotted with idyllic cottages lined with still, sentry-like blue agapanthus. The agapanthus was a slightly different blue to the bright sky and deeper sea on the horizon, and the effect of the light was sensational!

I found the cute pub and bought brownies to fuel us up. Holidaymakers murmured contendly as they ate lunch under umbrellas looking out at that amazing view. I walked on, got back to the kayaks, and we headed for the waters around the north of Tresco, passing the beautiful anchorage of St Helen's along the way.

And the Atlantic began to roll in at the top of Tresco. The ocean was choppy, rolling along navy waves which smashed white against the rugged rocks. Our boats were rolled around and pushed by the waves and we had to dig our paddles in hard to get through. I wouldn't actually recommend being out in those wilder waters in a regular kayak. We were a lot better off once we had reached the sheltered inlet and yacht anchorage between the islands of Bryher and Tresco.

Here it was far more tranquil and a real joy to kayak. We landed on Bryher and headed to the adorable little fish restaurant for drinks and icecream.

But Tresco's Appletree Bay was nearby and it was irresistable as we were going to be passing. First, we landed on a fast-disappearing sand bar in the middle of the channel, and then made our way across to the beautiful beach, pulling the boats up onto the sand. We swam in the transparent sea. What a place! What a fascinating archipelago of little islands, echoing with the screech and dazzling white of terns. I loved it!

Back on the boat moored on a visitor's buoy in Hugh Town harbour, we were able to have hot showers and watch the sun set behind the islands.

To St. Agnes and Tresco

 We had just one cloudy drizzly day during our stay, and we opted to walk around the rocky headland, among the wild sea flowers. The walk back to Hugh Town was lovely, we walked through a bird reserve of swaying reedbeds and little birdwatching huts.

Our last day on the Isles of Scilly was spent tackling the wider shipping channel between St Mary's and St Agnes in the kayaks, then gliding into a pretty bay that was divided by a substantial sand bar.

We kayaked further along the shore of the island, through languid rocky beds of seaweed, and then crossed back across the channel to Samson. Inevitably we ended up at beautiful Tresco and its glorious beach, but the tide was out, and I waded and waded through the sea to reach a place deep enough to swim, nearing closer and closer to the main motor boat channel. It wasn't a good idea to be there so I waded back!

To Helford

It was time for us to return to mainland England, and so we slipped our buoy in the tranquil early morning, and motored out into the channel between St Mary's and St Agnes, and headed out to sea, in a direct line across to Cornwall's Lizard headland.

Shearwaters hung on their taught iron wings skimming the tops of the dark waves. A pod of dolphins careered towards us and then a green tail flicked up as high as the guardwires as they bounded up and beneath the water away from us.

We saw three separate dolphin pods as we crossed the Celtic Sea: one with two baby dolphins in a pod of six or seven. They were impossible to count as the dark shapes looped consecutively over and over, so quickly through the water.

Cornwall's Land's End slowly began to appear, crouching violet across the iron grey sea, land of Celtic heroes!

Steadily, the visible land began to extend, until we could see the bay of Penzance on the horizon. The foot of England became visible bit by bit, until lastly the Lizard came in to view. As we rounded the beautiful rocky headland, the waters moved in strange pooling slicks and black whirlpools of oil-dark water. It was a curious place, strange like a location for a medieval Arthurian story.

We spent the night under a bath of stars, moored to a buoy in the heart of the tranquil river Helford. The sharp stars swung as the Plough swept low over the still water. And earlier, we gazed at a strange torn red moon that seemed to be dripping from the evening sky...

To Fowey

Now we could see winds building on the weather charts, so we sailed up to gorgeous Fowey, and sheltered on a buoy in the river for a day or two. It was blustery just kayaking from the boat to the harbour pontoon, and a challenge getting back onto the boat afterwards!

From our vantage point in the river we watched the gorgeous local traditional boats racing, and children's summer school sailing, which brought back fond memories :)

And as the wind dropped over the days, we kayaked up the green river, and headed out to sea too, finding a little pebbly cove near Lantic Bay to splash around in the sea in.

To Home

And then, one dazzling sunny morning we set off early for our new home berth, to take on our first attempt at mooring up our new boat on a pontoon.

The sea was so smooth we could clearly see pods of dolphins playing all around us. Green dolphins swept alongside the boat and then broke the water, their cream smiling faces inches away from us! They were thrilling!

We calmly made our way through the sea channels and marina waterways, turned into the tight berth, and I was easily able to step ashore with the middle and stern lines to tie our boat fast.

Our trip this year was so very different to all of the chaos of last year! This year the summer was perfect - it gave us light winds, fair seas, clear visibility, and an opportunity to sail to the Isles of Scilly and enjoy all the fun of kayaking between those enchanting islands.

I'd love to know your memories of the Isles of Scilly - so let me know in the comments below!

Thank you for reading and see you next time.

Cathy

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