SCILLY SEASON

“It’s like a whole new world I never knew existed”, Lydia said as we pulled out of Penzance Harbour and set the sails.

Mounts Bay is sheltered from the north-westerly, and we spend the morning ghosting through the wind shadow. It’s a calm, sunny morning – with little pearly clouds that hang motionless in the sky. The water is a deep-empty blue, broken up by the occasional compass jellyfish. A light breeze fills in, and we pass the remainder of West Penwith before poking out into the Western Approaches.

FLYING CLOUD

There are three of us on board Flying Cloud, a 22ft (6.7m) carvel sloop. My first proper boat – she was my home for years, and we sailed to the Caribbean and back together. A weekend cruiser set up for blue-water sailing with a little sprayhood and a homemade wind vane. The ultimate yacht for a shoestring budget.

Last year I sold her to a guy called Andy, who lived in Topsham, Devon. It was where she was built, and he planned to sail her back there. I thought this was a nice way to end the 10,000-mile round trip that she’d completed over the last few