24 July - Thursday part 1

At breakfast, we find ourselves just south of the Isles of Scilly on a pleasant day. I can see St Agnes and all the other islands and can make out my favourite pub, the Turk's Head. I can smell the crab salad sandwiches from here. It's all rather nostalgic and I know I must return some time soon.

After breakfast, the Isles of Scilly RNLI lifeboat comes sweeping out and takes the stricken Crystal Sea's ropes and tows them into St Mary's hopefully to cut free the rope from their propeller. They've suffered some very bad luck on this cruise. I spent some of last night trying to persuade Beth that she isn't jinxed and that this doesn't have anything to do with a gypsy curse. I'm not sure she's convinced though.

We're free to go back to the Jones Bank and recover the last few moorings. I see a nice sooty shearwater and arctic skua in the space of a few minutes.

RNLI towing the Crystal Sea into Hugh Town past the island of St Agnes