St Mary’s Scilly
May 1, 2019
Please view the video first.. (Slide 2)....as this says more than words can! As you can see, Captain Dale Clark has a stunning view from his office. Yet another super friendly HM who took time out to tell me about his job. Ex Royal Navy, Dale did some fascinating nautical jobs before he came to live here with his wife Francine who is a born Scillonian. (Hope I have got that term correct).
The pilot book warns sailors of "exposed sea renowned for sudden changes of weather". So it is not surprising that the IoS has a huge sense of community. When the weather closes in on the "mid" Atlantic archipelago, everyone is in it together. However when the sun is out and the ocean swell calm, it is paradise! This explains why 60 Cruise Ships stop off here every year, the biggest ones depositing 1,200 passengers onto the quayside in one go!
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Dale oversees everything that happens in "Hugh Town" Harbour. It is actually quite small and has no real protection from the North Atlantic, so the boat traffic has to be very well controlled. Visiting yachts are at the bottom of the pecking order after the mainland ferry, the mainland cargo ship which supplies the island with all its needs 3 times a week, inter island ferries, fishing boats, a doctor's inter-island launch and numerous local boats.
Having said that Dale is also a special envoy for The Cruising Association and actively welcomes yachts into his harbour. Well, MOST YACHTS. One of the most bizarre and sad incidents he had to deal with involved a 65 year old Dutch yachtsman. Having been rescued by the RNLI, and tied up on the harbour wall for a couple of days, Dale got phoned UK by the UK Border Force who were looking for this yacht as it contained $25 million of drugs!
Arriving commando style into the harbour, the border force interviewed the skipper, but did not stop him before he had climbed up the mast of his yacht and threw himself off the top onto the quay, killing himself instantly. On a happier note Dale is at this moment overseeing the world Gig rowing championships held in Scilly every year. Thank you to Dale and his team for looking after us.
The pilot book warns sailors of "exposed sea renowned for sudden changes of weather". So it is not surprising that the IoS has a huge sense of community. When the weather closes in on the "mid" Atlantic archipelago, everyone is in it together. However when the sun is out and the ocean swell calm, it is paradise! This explains why 60 Cruise Ships stop off here every year, the biggest ones depositing 1,200 passengers onto the quayside in one go!
.
Dale oversees everything that happens in "Hugh Town" Harbour. It is actually quite small and has no real protection from the North Atlantic, so the boat traffic has to be very well controlled. Visiting yachts are at the bottom of the pecking order after the mainland ferry, the mainland cargo ship which supplies the island with all its needs 3 times a week, inter island ferries, fishing boats, a doctor's inter-island launch and numerous local boats.
Having said that Dale is also a special envoy for The Cruising Association and actively welcomes yachts into his harbour. Well, MOST YACHTS. One of the most bizarre and sad incidents he had to deal with involved a 65 year old Dutch yachtsman. Having been rescued by the RNLI, and tied up on the harbour wall for a couple of days, Dale got phoned UK by the UK Border Force who were looking for this yacht as it contained $25 million of drugs!
Arriving commando style into the harbour, the border force interviewed the skipper, but did not stop him before he had climbed up the mast of his yacht and threw himself off the top onto the quay, killing himself instantly. On a happier note Dale is at this moment overseeing the world Gig rowing championships held in Scilly every year. Thank you to Dale and his team for looking after us.