Living by proverbs.

19^th May 2020

St Mawes, Falmouth, UK – Bream Cove, UK vai Helford, UK

We can learn a lot from proverbs and there are proverbs for everything. They say things always happen in threes and for every ‘yin’ there is a ‘yang’.

With the sun shining overhead, the clear blue waters glistening below and the green hills separating the two we felt compelled to experience them all in a single activity. A run beckoned, and as we lowered the Brock’s new wheels into the water, we gently touched the sand and set off into the green hills. This was the end of the good news that should come in threes.

Iain set off with an easy set of directions; “keep the sea on the left” and the rule of threes was about to get its first strike. With this simple set of directions, Iain got himself lost and only found his way home by scaling barbed wire fences and running through slurry up to his knees. The second of the three then struck as the brambles that blocked his way to the coast path took a toll on his legs and he finally made it down to Fiona with legs that looked like they’d been flayed. The final of the rule of three was then regaled as Fiona enquired as to how his run went. If Iain’s run was disastrous, Fiona’s was worse. The 3 of 3 had struck her.

While jogging along the coast path, something went ‘Pop’ in her calf and she was now like a legendary Haggis only being able to walk in circles. Limping back down to the beach it became apparent that something was very awry as her leg swelled. Running, hiking or indeed walking was very much off the agenda and the rule of 3 was complete.

Hoping that the run was the ‘yin’, would the ‘yang’ prove to be as positive as the ‘yin’ was negative? On the agenda was our first proper sail for what felt like months (well it was). Under the bright sky sails were set the sun shone while morning coffee steamed. We gently bobbed our way out to sea under the watchful eye of navy ships and furloughed cargo vessels anchored in the bay. The lee of the hills made the water flat and without other yachts to worry us, as the effects of the lockdown were still being felt, all was good on the fine ship Ruffian. The ‘yin’ was positive.

The big draw of Helford was not just it’s blisteringly fast open internet, scenic white sandy beaches or even the pretty river that went on forever, it was the home of the Hornidge clan, who’s leader, Ant, we’d sailed across the Atlantic with in 2008.

As we were welcomed into their warm loving family unit, we were regaled with tales of success, romance, and the challenges of the lockdown while Issy (6) and Jasper (3) challenged the ‘social distancing’ rules, that are baffling to us and simply incomprehensible to innocent nippers. The positivity of the ‘yin’ just oozed from them as they played around us and took joy from the simple things in life.

Leaving Helford the final rule of 3’s in the new world on ‘yin’ made itself known. Once again Ruffian was nestling in front of a sandy beach on flat waters and perfect paddle boarding conditions were prevailing.

Taking to the boards we explored caves and creeks and marvelled as crabs went around their business below us, unbothered by the dogfish with their sweeping tails or huge schools of tiny fish that were swept around the rocks far below us. The serenity of this scene however was in stark contrast to the horrors that this coastline has seen.

With her back broken on the rocks the rusting hulk of the 422 ton ‘Ben Asdale’ showed the power of the sea and the strength of the stone. All around were signs of the disaster as reels of cables were slowly being enveloped by sea life and the engine was providing a home to muscles and cockles. To be in the middle of this disaster in such sublime conditions was sobering in the extreme. With the rule of 3’s and the ‘yin’ and the ‘yang’ perfectly in balance, the cruising equilibrium is being re-established on Ruffian. Once again we are living the proverb “He who travels a lot becomes wise; he who is wise stays home.” By travelling on our home to new places we hope to become wise and live by these proverbs.