Left our anchorage at first light and made our way out of the estuary to find the forecast north easterly wind was blowing quite strongly and with full sail and the tide behind us we were fairly moving along at 7 knots plus over the ground.

Gradually the wind went more easterly so to stop the genoa flopping around behind the mainsail we poled the genoa out to windward using the spinnaker pole. Anne was not too happy as this a bit of a palaver working on deck and she is frightened that Richard might fall overboard in the process. Off Plymouth the wind died away so the genoa was rolled away the pole came down and the engine went on. Then after about an hour the wind came up again from behind and it was possible to broad reach towards Falmouth and divert from Fowey. Harvard went really well but we ended up a long way out to sea and had to gybe back inshore and gybe back again to make Falmouth and keep the genoa filled. Not the quickest way downwind unfortunately but we made it and at St Anthony Head started the engine and motor sailed into the harbour. We had tried running with just the mainsail but there was too much weather helm to be comfortable in a big sea and the Hydrovane certainly couldn’t cope.
The sailing almanac (Reeds) did not report that the visitor mooring buoys in Falmouth harbour had changed colour but we soon worked this out and moored up to K007. Anne making a very professional approach and Richard threading the mooring rope through the eye on the buoy at the first attempt. Falmouth is not the very best in an easterly wind so we bounced up and down (shaken not stirred) and the mooring rope was snatching a bit but after a long day out in the fresh air we were soon collapsed and asleep.