A cruise to the West Country .... part 2
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Day 6: Brixham to Dittisham
The next day was a short hop around the corner to the Dart River and up the river to Dittisham. It was soon after lunch when we arrived, and the moorings were all pretty full, but I soon managed to raft up on a mooring next to someone who was planning to leave early in the afternoon, Powder Blue then came along side and tied up next to us.
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| Entering the river Dart for the first time |
Dittisham is a really pretty and unspoilt spot, with the highly regarded Ferry Boat Inn to pass the time. But like all such places it gets busy during the summer holiday season especially.
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| Heading up the river Dart towards Dittisham |
Being on moorings rather than walk ashore marina pontoons is half the price or less to stay, but does require using a dinghy to get ashore. The others weren't so keen on this idea so we all elected to stay on the boat that evening. Instead we enjoyed a delicious BBQ with chef in chief Dave cooking off the back of his boat. This was all well & good until we got the attention of the local swans, and Daves' ankles were within their reach as he stood on the swim platform. They were not happy that the food wasn't heading their way, and anyone who has met swans before knows how persistent, and aggressive, an annoyed Swan can be!
Day 7: Dittisham to Plymouth
Moving on from Dittisham we headed on towards Plymouth.
Sailing round Start Point, again giving the tide race around the headland a wide birth, and past Salcombe was the best sailing so far. With the wind again from the North East at one point I was sailing at 9.4 knots. I am normally quite a sedate sailor, so setting personal speed records is an unusual occurrence for me, to be setting and breaking records day after day really was something of a surprise, but Isosceles and I were loving the conditions. Unfortunately I couldn't tell what the wind speed was because the wind instruments on the boat, that have been dodgy for a while, have now completely given up the fight. Yet another thing that needs replacing.
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| Heading round Start Point on the way to Plymouth |
Pulling into Plymouth was a bit of a deja-vu moment for me. I spent less than a year in Plymouth in my short Royal Navy career, but I crammed an awful lot into that year. I was back with mixed feelings, but motoring in to Plymouth Sound the memories of sailing out of Jupiter Point came flooding back, only this time we were heading in to Queen Anne's Battery marina.
Plymouth is not a bad city, and the Hoe in particular is really nice, but the heat was becoming extreme while we were there. While others attempted to go and see the sights of the city I contented myself with doing laundry and pottering around on the boat. We did walk towards town one day, but the convoluted walk from the marina to the waterfront was further than any of us thought. I'm not saying don't stay there, just be aware it's not in the thick of the action.
Day 9: Plymouth to Fowey
After 2 nights in Plymouth we moved on to Fowey. The wind had begun to die, so alternating between sailing and sailing with engine assistance was the order of the day, but it was only a short hop to Fowey.
Entering Fowey on Saturday afternoon boat race day was an interesting experience. Technically I might have right of way in the channel, but I've done enough sailboat racing to know that what these guys were doing matters to them and they will do everything they can to get an advantage. So I slowed down and, as long as it was safe to do so I gave them as much space as I could, twisting and turning behind the tail end racers and making a dash for the next bit of channel when I had a clear path.
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| Fowey harbour was awash with small boats all racing, making it a challenge to enter |
We eventually found a spot to moor on some pontoons along the river, beautiful and peaceful, but just a water taxi away from the town.
Fowey is beautiful with lots of quirky shops, unfortunately it was the Sunday that we were there and so it was a shorter day in town but enjoyable all the same. So many of these small Cornish towns and villages are worth a visit, it's no wonder Cornwall is such a tourist centre.
Day 11: Fowey to Plymouth
Time had come for us to begin heading back towards home.
Having not had shore side facilities such as showers for a couple of days we wanted a marina for the next night or two, which meant heading towards Plymouth again. We did however want to stay somewhere different, so we all opted for Plymouth Yacht Haven as first choice. This is opposite Plymouth city near Hooe (as opposed to Plymouth Hoe which is the public area in Plymouth proper and overlooks Plymouth Sound).
The forecast had been for wind from the west, blowing us towards home. What little wind we had was from the east, so it was motoring all the way. Luckily not a long run.
Day 13: Plymouth to Dartmouth
After a couple of nights it was time to head back to the river Dart, but this time heading to Dartmouth at the river entrance. I have always loved Dartmouth and would always put it on my list of stops. There is a large marina in Kingswear, Darthaven marina, or more expensive options on the Dartmouth side. There are further options up river, but it depends how close to town you want to be.
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| From Darthaven Marina in Kingswear looking across the river to Dartmouth |
This was the only place where the two boats ended up in separate marinas. Luckily the ferrys across the river are so regular, and run until late, so the social life wasn't cut short.
Day 15: Dartmouth to Portland
After an evening in Kingswear and a full day in Dartmouth it was time to continue heading back towards home.
Heading back around Portland Bill from the west has a few more challenges than on the way westward. Timing your arrival is just as important as it had been going the opposite way. Judging this when you're leaving from 6 or so hours away is an added challenge. Unfortunately to time a passage through the inside channel would have meant leaving at around 2am or so, and none of us were feeling so inclined. The alternative is a longer trip around the outside of Portland Race.
After an early start it was motoring for the first few hours as we wanted to get to Portland marina before it was late.
As we crossed Lyme Bay a seagull flew in low over the heads of both boats, then it decided it fancied landing on the back of Isosceles, apparently in an attempt to get a taste of the herb garden I have been cultivating on the back of the boat. It even came back for a couple more attempts but I was on his case now and ready to chase him off when he tried again.
After we rounded Portland Bill and went past the Shambles bank the wind began to pick up. Finally the wind was blowing from the west as promised. Unfortunately the wind continued to pick up, and after going around the Shambles bank we were heading slightly back on ourselves to get to Portland harbour. The sailing rapidly became challenging and I almost had sails reefed down to almost nothing. Once inside the harbour walls it was nice to be in the shelter even though it is a large harbour and the wind was still strong.
Day 16: Portland to Lymington
This was where the two boats parted ways again. I was heading back towards the Solent and Powder Blue towards Poole.
Initially I was again under engine, but gradually the wind again began to pick up. By the time I passed St Alban head I was tramping along. Going past Durlston Head near Swanage the sea calmed down a little, for a while at least, but the wind continued to build. As I made my way to the Isle of White however I continued to gradually reef down more and more. The seas had become very rolly, but turning up into the Needles Channel the wind, tide and waves were all behind me so conditions were not too challenging going through the narrow entrance to the Solent. Sailing this stretch under just a double reefed headsail I was going along at a steady 9.6 knots, it was time to reef down a little more.
My plan was to head over to Lymington for the evening, unfortunately they were fully booked. They took my phone number in case something came available, but I didn't hold out much hope on a Saturday evening in August. I headed to Yarmouth, which was already pretty full and went for a mooring outside the harbour again. It was going to be a little rougher but I could manage for one night.
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| Yarmouth Harbour from above, and on a quieter day |
By this time the wind had picked up quite a lot. Trying to keep the boat heading straight towards the mooring but going slow enough to give me time to get to the front of the boat, pick up the mooring to secure it then get back to take power off was proving difficult. As I circled to make a 4th approach my phone rang, it was Lymington marina. They had managed to find a birth on their work boat pontoon, I didn't much care where in the marina it was, I turned tail & put the engine in overdrive.
While I thought I'd been having a tough time of it, over on Powder Blue in Poole things had been even more hectic. As they had entered Poole harbour they went to put their sails away, only to find their roller furling headsail had jammed. Luckily the sail was fully unfurled, but this was the time the winds were beginning to pick up. As they were heading towards their mooring the only choice they had was to lower the sail onto the deck then stow it out of the way so they had a clear deck to pick their mooring up.
Day 17: Lymington to Swanwick
Heading back to your home mooring is always a bit of an anti-climax for me. To be honest I could have sailed, but as the whole trip was just 3 hours. Getting out of Lymington is half an hours motoring, and the last hour is motoring up the river to Swanwick. By the time I'd got the sails out I would probably have had an hour without the engine running, it just seemed more bother than it was worth.
One final note
On the trip from Yarmouth to Weymouth on day 2 I had the pleasure of seeing dolphins out swimming along. They initially came over towards the boat but unfortunately didn't stay, they appeared to be heading in the other direction that day which was confirmed when the crew on Powder Blue said they had seen them earlier in the day.
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| Dolphin escort, photographed from Powder Blue |
Over the 11 days or so of sailing dolphins were spotted by one or both boats on 5 or 6 days.
These beautiful and playful creatures are always a joy to see, I don't think I could ever tire of having their company when I'm sailing.
It had been a great trip, with glorious sunshine and great company. Sometimes there was not enough wind, sometimes it was from the wrong direction, but that is sailing. When you're sailing on a schedule you have to work around what you are given. The only rain we had during the 2 plus weeks was when I was packing up the boat to go and visit family, so there can be no complaints there.
Now, where's that list of jobs I had to complete ....
A note from me ...
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Bill
