We are sailing, we are sailing...

Well, I suppose it's still called sailing even when there isn't a sail in sight, isn't it? I hope so, otherwise my title will be horribly misplaced and I will look silly, which I would not appreciate.

Lucky reader, you are the first to hear the news that I have just spent four days sailing the coast of Cornwall courtesy of my wonderful friends C & B; you have come across them on several other occasions, when they have kindly invited me to spend time with them. This time it was a sort of birthday present, as I recently celebrated another one, and they felt that I was in need of a bit of TLC from good friends - did you know that I have been friends with them for nearly 37 years? They have been unstinting in their support during this testing for me period and I just hope that they realise just how much I appreciate their kindness.

To cut a long story short, they are in possession of a boat, a motor cruiser, which is unique as it was the product of a now abandoned business project of theirs, and so is entirely designed either by them or to their specification by their appointed designer. The EcoCruiser 37, as is it's title, is an intriguing-looking craft with sleek lines, an aggressive front and a rather boxy rear end; it is designed for efficiency, economy and comfort and seems, to this nautical ignoramus anyway, to deliver on all fronts. It lives in a marina in Cornwall and roams the seas around there, depending on how much time its owners have available, which is often very little. Luckily for me there was time to spare this last weekend and lots of beautiful places to see within a couple of hours of EcoCruiser's home berth.

We arrived at the boat after a rather long drive early on Thursday evening, unloaded the car and packed a trolley high with our stuff to wheel to our temporary home. Once there we opened it up and loaded the rather magnificent craft with the provisions, together with our clothing and equipment, tidied and organised everything on board, then set off for a bite to eat in a local hostelry. Alas our fish & chips was not up to the usual standard of the well-known local place, with the fish heavily battered but almost disappearing, a melting, overcooked, relatively tasteless affair - a pity as my friends tell me the place has been excellent in the past! Oh well, I suppose we all have bad days...
 The following morning we went to look at a property locally that my friends thought might be interesting, then walked around the coast to a yacht club in the next bay along for a simple lunch of salad (for me) and crab sandwiches for them - good, fresh, tasty stuff - then walked back. EC was waiting patiently and we managed to set off for our first adventure, quietly sailing off to find our mooring in Helford River.

We had a lovely run to our mooring and after a glass of wine set off for the Yacht Club and our dinner, which was simply and tasty, especially my wild garlic sausages; C&B's duck breasts also looked and tasted the part but we had to take our desert away and run, as low tide might have stranded us ashore. Which is perhaps where we should have stayed, as we were woken just before seven in the morning with the boat rolling furiously, bits slamming around and a bit of an uncomfortable situation. But we still managed to have a light breakfast and rush off to shore for a walk to Glendurgan Garden, a breath-taking example of application and eccentricity in a beautiful setting, just magnificent and rightly in the care on the National Trust. We loved our walk, loved the garden, loved the area, then retreated to our boat to prepare and set off to our next destination.

St. Mawes is a very pretty village across the bay from Falmouth, billed as a fishing village but really a swanky holiday destination, attracting salubrious visitors from all corners of the UK, including the Royal Family. Our time moored there was less bouncy-bouncy than Helford River and, as low tide was less of a problem, we had a more relaxed dinner at the informal part of the St. Mawes Hotel where the vibe was good but the cooking unfortunately a bit patchy. Still, we had a good time, were lucky with the weather and motored back to our boat on the little tender without mishaps, and had a good night with thunder, lightning and rain but no rocking and rolling.

On the Sunday we had a really lovely day, as friends of my friends descended on us and spent a few hours on board, hours of sharing not only interesting conversation but food and drink also. To say a good time was had by all is an understatement, as once again the weather was kind to us, even to the extent that I had my first swim ever (brief and cold, thank you for asking!) in the UK. We also soaked up the sun (yes, in England...), feasted on the beauty of the setting and stayed there until early evening, before setting off back to our berth in Falmouth for Sunday night.

Bank Holiday Monday meant going home and, of course, the weather in Falmouth was perfect: the sea calm, the sun shining and only a light breeze. But plans are plans, we had to be elsewhere and the road beckoned, waiting to take us away from EcoCruiser and all it had to offer. So we went - what else could we do?

P.S.: My cabin looks small and cramped, but my bunk was extremely comfortable and I slept very-very well away from all my problems.