At last some signal and a partially working lap top so a quick resume on the cruise so far.
We slipped from Northney Marina on Hayling Island on Friday 17th May 2013 with a crew of Ollie and his friends Ashley and Raph. We sailed west, spending nights in Newtown River on the IOW, Studland Bay outside Poole Harbour, Weymouth, Lyme Regis (where we ‘dried out’ alongside the Cobb) & in Torquay Marina. We then had a reconnoiter for the following week, entering the river Avon at Bantham and drying out, then on to Salcombe before mooring up the Dart at Totnes for our crew change, Ollie and his friends leaving and my wife, Paula and friends Graham and Lucy Read joining. That is a very brief description which doesn’t do justice to the various antics but the photos and captions give some idea.
Bad weather was forecast so we anchored in the Dart opposite Bow Creek to ‘sit it out’ going ashore at Tuckenhay in the dinghy in torrential rain and a gale to discover that the first pub was fully booked and the other pub, 10 minutes walk away had stopped serving for the evening. Back on board for a meal of sausages and beans and to dry our clothes !
On to Salcombe where we moored to a visitors buoy and spent two days, again while some weather blew through. The plan was to enter the Avon but, in the event, the left over swell from the blow made the entrance treacherous so we carried on to the Yealm river and a crew change by dinghy in Newton Ferrers. The week with Paula and the Reads was not uneventful but, on the basis of ‘what goes on tour, stays on tour’, you may need to ply me with beer for the details the picture of Graham above will give some clues.
With the new crew of David Scott and Martin Robinson, we headed straight off to Queen Anne’s Battery in Plymouth to fill up with Diesel, Petrol, Gas and Water.
We took the decision that conditions did not favour taking in the Scillies so with time in hand, we moored in Mevagissey after spending a night in my favourite Fowey. Fresh seafood from a dock side fish stall went into a superb paella cooked on the BBQ on the aft deck – bliss ! On then to the river Fal and upstream to a delightful stop over on a mid stream pontoon at Malpas. A walk into Truro to the mega Tesco and a taxi back to Malpas and the Heron Inn topped out a fruitful day.
A mooring buoy in the Helford River for the following night was a beautiful spot but there was still no signal and the fresh Easterly wind brought in an uncomfortable swell. The easterly wind made for a good, if lumpy passage to Mounts Bay and a phone/internet signal. Concerned about the NE/E winds and the exposed nature of St. Ives harbour to winds from this direction, I spoke to the HM and this confirmed that it would be best to delay ‘going round’ until the wind settles into the South next week.
So, here we are, moored back in Newlyn, the ‘intermediate’ crew change for St. Ives to Padstow is adjusted to take place here, Martin having taken the train home from Penzance. So in an effort to ‘make the most’ of our enforced spell in Mounts Bay, we are off to ‘dry out’ in the tiny harbour at St. Michael’s Mount.
The delay should only result in fewer stops up the Bristol channel and we hope to be back on schedule thereafter – until the next weather interruption !
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