Summer in the Isles of Scilly

This is a flashback of our stay in the Isles of Scilly (south-west of the UK) last August. With sandy beaches and turquoise water, the scenery was truly amazing. Once again, the Isles of Scilly had a surprise in store for us.

Fishing a second anchor (Great Ganilly)

Upon arrival in the Isles of Scilly, we anchored between the Great and the Little Ganilly. A scattered group of small islands offer a beautiful setting where seals like to stay.

We chose this location because it was protected against upcoming westerly winds and less crowded than other places.

A dinghy ride over the bar brought us to Higher town on Saint Martin’s Island.

We were in excellent company with Jess and Jon (SOA) who had already visited the islands several times.

When the storm Floris passed a little to the north, wind and waves picked up. We were happy that our anchor was holding tight. But when it was time to leave and we lifted our anchor, we were still not moving. A big rusty anchor including chain was indeed caught in our anchor. We had to lower the dinghy and use a rope to get free.

Beaching on Samson flats

Near Samson island is a large flat area with sand where it is possible to beach. We anchored at 5 pm, near high tide, when there was plenty of water. At 9 pm, the boat started to touch the ground. We had set a stern anchor to prevent the boat from moving too much and scratching.

A little later, we used the ladder of the swimming platform to climb down. We wanted to check the anodes, clean the propeller and scrub the hull.

While we were sleeping, the water came back and Fabule was floating again. The next morning around 10 am we touched ground a second time. We climbed down to finish the various jobs and walked to SOA for a low tide chat.

Then, the cycle started again.

We stayed a second night and left the following morning with high tide at 6 am.

High water swell at Saint Helen’s pool

We initially wanted to grab a mooring buoy at Saint Mary’s pool, as a souvenir of our first stay. However, we could see how the westerly swell was entering the pool. We finally decided to try Saint Helen’s pool instead.

This anchorage is said to be well protected from all sides. Unfortunately, when the tide is high (springs), the protective rocks are underwater. The swell then enters the pool making boats dance a lot.

We left early morning to get to Falmouth before the next blow.

Closing the loop (Falmouth)

For our last stop in the UK, we sailed back to Falmouth where some parts had been delivered for us. It happened to be Falmouth week, with sailing regattas, concerts and even an air show.

What a nice way to end our stay in the UK. Next, we did an overnight passage to cross the English channel and sail back to Brittany.