All on Deck: A Cornish Coastal Sailing Adventure
"You have your weather report and your sailing experience, but you never really know what you're going to find until you're there," said Gabe, skipper from the 14-meter pilot cutter Agnes, when I asked her what to expect. The forecast was for strong easterly winds, promising a wild ride towards Fowey as we set out from Falmouth on our three-day trip along the coast.
Beyond the calm waters of Falmouth Harbor there was a heavy swell, but the 30mph winds did not materialize. There was enough to fill the sails, however, and leaving behind the derricks and cranes of Falmouth's industrial waterfront on a wooden boat almost identical to those that sailed around Scilly almost 200 years ago seemed to me step back in time like a bit like going to sea.
As we cruised along the south Cornish coast, Gabe decided we needed to hoist a another sail to lead us through the rough waves. I had been given the task of raising it and I was looking at four identical halyards - the ropes used to hoist the sails - trying to figure out which one to untie. I chose a line and Felix, the boat's mate, tapped another as he passed and said with a smile, "That one might work better."
If I had untied my initial choice I might have brought down the huge mainsail of the boat over our heads Felix was still smiling, however, as he gave instructions ions to two of the other five guests standing on the foredeck. We were four hours into our first day on board and were still, quite literally, learning the ropes, although the satisfaction of seeing the sails fill above deck was worth any faux pas. We were rewarded with a change in power as the wooden hull cut through the water, the spray started flying and we started to feel like we were an essential part of bringing the boat to life.
"You have your weather report and your sailing experience, but you never really know what you're going to find until you're there," said Gabe, skipper from the 14-meter pilot cutter Agnes, when I asked her what to expect. The forecast was for strong easterly winds, promising a wild ride towards Fowey as we set out from Falmouth on our three-day trip along the coast.
Beyond the calm waters of Falmouth Harbor there was a heavy swell, but the 30mph winds did not materialize. There was enough to fill the sails, however, and leaving behind the derricks and cranes of Falmouth's industrial waterfront on a wooden boat almost identical to those that sailed around Scilly almost 200 years ago seemed to me step back in time like a bit like going to sea.
As we cruised along the south Cornish coast, Gabe decided we needed to hoist a another sail to lead us through the rough waves. I had been given the task of raising it and I was looking at four identical halyards - the ropes used to hoist the sails - trying to figure out which one to untie. I chose a line and Felix, the boat's mate, tapped another as he passed and said with a smile, "That one might work better."
If I had untied my initial choice I might have brought down the huge mainsail of the boat over our heads Felix was still smiling, however, as he gave instructions ions to two of the other five guests standing on the foredeck. We were four hours into our first day on board and were still, quite literally, learning the ropes, although the satisfaction of seeing the sails fill above deck was worth any faux pas. We were rewarded with a change in power as the wooden hull cut through the water, the spray started flying and we started to feel like we were an essential part of bringing the boat to life.
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