CRUISING
Ken Endean tries a two-anchorage strategy
Mary and I are very fond of the Isles of Scilly. In fact, we regard the archipelago as the most delightful cruising destination to be found anywhere around the British Isles or North West France. We often encounter other cruisers who have been making regular, annual pilgrimages to this Atlantic outpost, drawn by the clear water, golden sands and oceanic scenery.
We also know sailors who never quite get there, possibly deterred by the location and by published warnings to the effect that there is no place with all-round shelter against bad weather. Scilly enthusiasts accept that they may have to move between different moorings and anchorages, according to the wind direction. Even so, under certain conditions it can be difficult to decide on the best course of action, particularly if the wind is expected to undergo a major directional shift while continuing to blow strongly, so that any move has to be made at the height of the gale. Those Scilly enthusiasts usually gain a lot of experience from every summer cruise, especially if it is not very summery. However, there is always more to learn, so in 2022 we tried a new combination of anchorages.
STORM SHIFTS
Bad weather can assault the Isles of Scilly from any direction, but we’re going to focus on fairly typical summer gales, as caused by depressions tracking in from the west and passing to the north of the islands. This is likely to induce the classic weather sequence familiar to all sailors in home waters: a wind that backs to south, then strengthens and veers, finally going round to NW as the low-pressure spirals away to bother the North Sea. If the depression’s track takes it very close to Scilly the wind might start by backing to ESE and finish with a sharp, squally veer, meaning a larger directional swing and extra violence. That happened in 2021, when Storm Evert caused mayhem, and ever since then we have been conscious it could happen again.
Wind force is not the only problem. Even if a yacht is securely moored or anchored in the lee of an island windbreak, the crew may be troubled by waves or swell bending around the land mass. Rolling at anchor will be unpopular with the cook and even more unpopular with anyone who feels seasick. Anchorages on the perimeter of the group may also be unsafe; Porthcressa, on the SE side of Hugh Town, appears to be only open to SE winds, but large waves and swell from the SW have been known to swing right round and into the anchorage, arriving as heavy breakers. Watermill Cove, on the northern side of St Mary’s, seems to be less vulnerable to swell but a wind that veers to NW will blow unimpeded through Crow Sound and
