Dwarfed

Trying to avoid a boring, chronological travelogue of ‘what we did on our holidays’, I will try to stick to the mildly interesting features.

On the passage to Fowey, we witnessed a pod of dolphins, all slapping their tails on the surface. This is what the internet says about the activity: “Dolphins slap their tails on the water (a behaviour called “lobtailing”) primarily to hunt, communicate with their pod, or express emotions. The forceful slap creates a loud, echoing boom and a shockwave that stuns fish or herds them into tight, easy-to-catch groups.”

We had a VHF radio message on our way into Fowey from a yacht travelling in the opposite direction and it turned out to be from Alan Young who I played walking rugby with at Esher. He was heading back to Fowey the following day and he came aboard for a drink. We then went to his lovely house in the town for a beer and nibbles in his garden – thank you Alan and Karen.

Just after 06.00, a massive cruise ship came in alongside us making a helluva din and the tannoys giving instructions in German – which probably must be obeyed! It spewed 500 occupants ashore then left in the evening, bound for Galway.

Another Hall Walk was more popular with other walkers this time, passing 24, as opposed to the two last week in the heat.

For the third time, I encountered the same old man who lives somewhere in the woods. He has always been wearing wellington boots and now has walking sticks. He is very keen to chat and has erected signs about the menace that dogs off leads present to his diminished flock of chickens. He is now down to only three, good egg layers apparently, after a dog killed 5.

Access to the windlass is very restricted, but further inspection to investigate the problem, revealed a corroded spade control connection which had detached itself.

This on a 2-year-old unit while all the other connections are pristine… The technical department at Lewmar, the manufacturers of the windlass, once again replied automatically, that they will respond within 72 hours, but we still haven’t heard back after our initial enquiry some days ago.

We have a need to consume all our provisions before our departure and the preference to turn off of all the electrical ‘kit’ including the fridge and freezer while we are away. So, we had rather eclectic meals to look forward to, focussing on lots of cheese and curried bits and pieces…

After an enjoyable visit to the Yealm River we moved on to the Queen Anne’s Battery (QAB) Marina in Plymouth, where we are leaving Hejira while we take the train home and fly out to see our son and family in Minnesota. The complication is that Hejira needs to be taken out of the marina for a couple of days to accommodate a racing regatta while I am away. Richard has been charged with this responsibility so he has been in training this past couple of weeks – I will be watching the yachtcam!

 

Richard writes;

Cornwall is always a delight, and this trip has taken us to some of the most enchanting ports, estuaries and pubs in the county.

Salcombe is very popular with sailors (Nick’s note: I have now pointed out to Richard that Salcombe is actually in Devon) and, as a result, we took one of the last available mooring buoys in ‘The Bag’, a peaceful area of water just upriver from the town. However, arriving late, the skipper kept us aboard so, unusually, no pub!

Then to Looe, a town with a real ‘seaside’ vibe with lots of holiday makers, a crowded beach and the ‘Jolly Sailor Inn’.

Fowey was probably our favourite harbour with its’ slightly more sophisticated air, lively town with lots of trendy shops and The British Legion Club, which Paula is now a member of! Polruan is just the other side of the river. If we wanted peace and quiet, the Russell Inn was a proper pub with good food!

Another adventure up the Fowey River up a pretty shallow creek took us to ‘The Ship’ in Lerryn. Although rated one of the best 50 pubs in the UK, the service was chaotic, although the food was good.

In Gweek, ‘The Black Swan’ served a decent pint and good food.

The Fal River and Carrick Roads is an amazing place to explore. Mylor Harbour provides a nice marina which belies a very busy and industrious port, and ‘Castaways’, a modern foodie pub, together with the Yacht Club bar. Mylor Bridge, a good walk away, has a great local store and the ‘Lemon Arms’, which is highly recommended with good food and a good range of local beer.

The trip upriver to Malpas rewards you with fabulous scenery and, turning a corner, the astonishing sight of large ships at anchor in the narrow river. Once safely moored, ‘The Heron’, beckons; another good pub. A diversion in the dinghy up the Tressillian River, takes you to ‘The Wheel Inn’, a reputedly good pub but it sadly closed just before we arrived on Sunday afternoon.

In Truro, we tried ‘The Market Inn’ and the oldest pub in Truro, ‘The White Hart’, which were both disappointing. Oh, and the Weatherspoons!

The River Yealm is beautiful and very busy.

We managed to raft on a mid-river pontoon and took the electric water taxi (skippered by a very friendly ex submariner) for a walk that took us to ‘The Ship Inn’, ‘The Swan Inn’ and ‘The Dolphin Inn’.

I’m sure there were many others, but you probably get the general idea! As ale drinkers, the choices were sometimes disappointing, with the ubiquitous ‘Doombar’ (awful in Nicks opinion) and ‘Proper Job’ everywhere.  There were also some great finds, like ‘Jail Ale’ (old friend Peter Hoads’ favourite), ‘Sea Fury’ and ‘Hicks’, which Nick consumed with gusto.

All in all, a great cruise with wonderful destinations, many adventures, plenty of beer and a lot of laughs.

As a postscript, we had a meal in Plymouth at ‘The Village’. It had been recommended but, we all agree that it was the best meal (and very reasonable) of the whole trip although the portions were far too generous – even for me…