Thursday 2^nd August – Tresco, Isles of Scilly

49:57.484N 6:20.822W

Last night the wind turned to the north west giving us an uncomfortable night on our buoy as it caused swell to enter the anchorage.  It was a night of parts – two hours sleep followed by two hours being kept awake by the pitching and rolling at change of tide, accompanied by the banging of the buoy on the side of the boat for good measure.  This was followed by about five hours sleep before it all started again.  At dawn the skippers on a number of boats were either sat on deck with a cup of coffee or trying various tactics to stop the bows of their boats banging against the mooring buoys.   A little later some of the boats started to leave.  The swell has eased during the day and with the wind due to continue round to the south-west we are hoping for a better night tonight.

Later on we ran the engine to get some hot water for a refreshing shower and top up the batteries.  However, Richard then noticed a problem with the charging on the engine - basically, the new regulator/ alternator combination is frying our batteries.  We reported the problem to the supplier (none trivial given that the mobile phone is not working here) who suggested the ‘Have you tried checking the red wire is connected’ solution. Richard has looked at the problem this evening and discovered a blown fuse.  It’s too late to start the engine this evening (and wake the whole anchorage in this peaceful haven) and so we will try it in the morning.

Late this afternoon we took a walk around the north end of Tresco.  It was like wandering through the heath land of Scotland, but with sunshine.  It is remarkably unspoilt, with some clear pathways and some more overgrown paths that look like they were last traversed by a goat.  The bays on the far side are very picturesque. We were able to wander around the two historic castles without censure or toll booth.  All this was done with barely seeing another soul.  So different from what we are used to.

We returned via a path along the side of New Grimsby Sound which took us past our mooring so we could see where we were staying relative to our walk.   We then dinghied back to the boat for dinner.