We were anchored in the Helford River last night (23/08/10). We went ashore to the Trebah Gardens by the ships inflatable boat, and then found a cafe and so Lucy (our watch leader), managed to have the second of her Cornish cream teas, which was enormous! The rest of our watch chilled on the stony beach, ate ice-cream, and watched others go for a very cold swim. A good time was had by all. We then came back to the ship and helped or watched the assisted climbs.
After the best tea so far (consisting of roast beef, broccoli and potatoes), we had a quiz in the bar, with some of the permanent crew joining in! There were one hundred questions as it was a girl guide centenary themed quiz. Afterward we had anchor watch, for the first time, which lasted until midnight. After being rocked asleep by the waves we had a quick breakfast before setting sail for Fowey, which was a sail enjoyed by many more compared to the previous sail, as most of us have gained our sea legs by now. We sailed of the anchorage in the Helford River, which is something that the ship does not get a chance to do often and had a great sail with a following force 5/6 wind.
Extreme cleaning was the theme of happy hour, as for the first time this was done while at sea! At 12.30 we started our first watch while sailing which has turned into a ‘super happy mega fun’ time as the sun is shining and many a song is being sung, although we have to wait until the end of quiet time for that. Being at the helm is hard work as you have to keep concentrating, but it’s fun to have a go at, and everyone has done a good job so far.
At four o’clock our watch were relived at the helm and of being the duty watch. It was then time to start handing the sails. A mile of the entrance, the pilot came on board to guide us into Fowey. Fowey is an ancient port and is a pretty town, we were taken ashore via the ships inflatable and back courtesy of the water taxi run by Jo the Medical Pursers brother. Whilst ashore some of us sampled some great fish and chips.
We were moored onto big buoys one fore and one aft which meant that the ship could not swing round as it would if we were at anchor, so the Port side stayed looking towards Polruan and the bow pointing towards the harbour entrance.
And so, we are on our second watch of the day, looking forward to our warm cosy beds, as the clear sky has given us a lovely clear sky for the moon and stars, it means we are very cold!
This is a record of the last 24 hours as seen by the aft starboard watch of Lucy, Kathryn, Catherine, Helen, Emma, Phoebe, Debbie Charlotte and Abi the scribe.
PS In the 21 years that I have been sailing on Lord Nelson, in one capacity or another, it is only the second time that I have had the privilege to sail on her into my own port. Hence various visitors from Polruan and Fowey side to be shown around. It was an unexpected delight to be able to go in this voyage.
Jo