Dinghy spotted off Folkestone

Distant view of around 20 people in a tiny grey dinghy, 3-4 miles offshore. The orange colour is their lifejackets

Three more big jumps to get home

The tides worked in our favour for departure from Cowes. We headed upriver to the fuel barge at 0830. Fortunately the attendant was already on board and able to serve us, as technically it doesn't open until 9am. Roll on the day when every fuel berth is 24-hour and card-operated. It can't be that difficult if pretty much everywhere in France and the Netherlands can manage it.

Initially we had very light northerlies, turning around 1400 to even lighter southerlies and then dying away completely. So it was a very long day of motorsailing with very few excitements other than identifying south coast landmarks from a good way offshore. We were pleased to pass Brighton, having really not enjoyed it very much on our way out, crossed the Greenwich Meridian, and we passed very close to Beachy Head just before sunset, although the lighthouse didn't flash until long after we had passed it.

We crept into Sovereign Marina, Eastbourne pretty much in darkness at around 2015. It was easier than the approach to Portland Marina in the dark but still requiring lots of concentration! We hadn't made a booking and I was a bit disconcerted to be asked, but of course there was plenty of room although we were on a wobbly finger berth rather than alongside the jetty as we were in June.

View towards Pevensey Castle

The slightly eccentric delights of Pevensey Bay

Eastbourne Martello

I'd been struggling with tidal planning as the obvious time to leave was around 3pm (1500) on Thursday 16th, but that meant doing the Dover Straits and the approach to Ramsgate in the dark. Eventually it dawned on me that a better option for us was to leave at 3am on Friday 17th. There was a risk of hitting a lobster pot in the dark, in the shallow waters between Eastbourne and Dungeness, but a much better arrival time. That also gave us a full day in Eastbourne; Alex and David headed into town, while I did a load of washing and a brief Asda shop, replaced our knicker-whirler at Wilko, and then went for an interesting run eastwards along the coast, past the many tower blocks before reaching the bungalows and caravans of Pevensey Bay, and then inland a bit for a view of Pevensey castle... although as it was already getting hot I opted against getting all the way there and visiting properly. Instead I headed back to the beach and enjoyed a brief swim.

So at 0315 we topped up with a dribble of expensive diesel and locked out, on our own, at 0330. Despite the promised SW breeze there was virtually no wind and thank God we hit no fishing equipment, although with faint light at 0530 we did see and dodge a pot marker. The tide picked up as we rounded South Foreland and we made good speed, heading northwards for the first time in many months. 

At 1030, off Folkestone, we passed a small inflatable dinghy crammed full of maybe 20 people in orange lifejackets. We were not very close and made no effort to go closer but in fact they changed course and passed slightly closer to us. I was literally at the top of the companionway getting ready to call Dover Coastguard when they called us, having presumably seen on AIS that we were the closest vessel. They asked a lot of questions about what we could see: the dinghy appeared to be making way, not in danger of sinking and only 3-4 miles offshore. (Fortunately Alex with her brilliant distance vision could see much more than me). Subsequently another yacht agreed to stand by until officialdom turned up, but of course there was a mass of shipping not far off. It was very striking actually to see a dinghy full of people – we all hear so much about it but it was horrifying to see how incredibly vulnerable they are. And of course we will never know what happened to them.

By 1400 we were safely tied up in Ramsgate marina once more, 60M from Eastbourne. I felt I'd done Ramsgate, so I only got off to help David fetch fish and chips, and have a shower!

And finally at 0800 on Saturday October 18 we headed out of Ramsgate towards SYH. For the first time for ages we weren't much bothered by the fact that the wind was easterly, but once again there was very little of it and the seas were smooth to slight so i was very comfortable with the shortest route through Foulger's Gat and crossing the Sunk at Barrow no. 2. We had a tiny sail up towards NE Gunfleet, then the sea went shit brown and we knew that we were almost home. At Stone Banks with almost no water under the keel we had enough wind to sail into Harwich Harbour and a little way up the Orwell. By 1635 we were back on our home berth and it was very nice to have a neighbour call out "Welcome back" as we nosed in. 

We had no cars at SYH of course (because of the one-way car hire to Plymouth) so in the end decided the easiest option was for all four of us to get a large taxi back to Hoxne on Sunday 19th. Hawk Express charged us £62, but the alternative would have been a cab to Ipswich, train to Diss, another cab to Hoxne and then a drive to SYH and back, so one taxi was a lot simpler.

See next post for the final facts and figures.

Dolphins! (video)

 Dolphins very close to us in Lyme Bay.

Two big jumps to Cowes

On Saturday 11th we once again filled up with diesel in Dartmouth and headed out across Lyme Bay. On Guy's advice we reversed for some distance, then went forward to try to clear any remaining weed off the prop. It seemed to work, as we kept up with other boats leaving Dartmouth at the same time.

I'd slept very badly trying to work out timings for Portland Bill: the perfect time would have meant late twilight and almost no possibility of seeing the many fishing pots in the inshore route around the Bill. So very reluctantly I opted for the longer offshore route. We were lucky enough to be followed by a pod of dolphins for 20 minutes, seeing them again on and off throughout the day. I'll post the video when I'm on wifi! Goosewinging with a W4 behind us we made terrific time, which was a bad thing of course as we then had a foul tide south of the Bill. In addition by sheer carelessness on my part we managed to get a wrap in the foresail which proved impossible to release, so as we crashed slowly through the unpleasant chop, with the engine on from about 5.30pm, the sail flapped every 10 seconds. 

Around the outside of the Shambles rocks, the tide finally turned as it got dark. I was quite keen to press on and maybe anchor in Studland Bay but Alex and David voted firmly for an alongside mooring, so we crept into Portland Harbour and into the marina, dodging buoys (which are apparently speed limit marks) and very nearly being blown off our berth by the flapping remains of our jib - thank goodness for the help of a passing strong man who hauled us in.

After 10 hours alongside and no chance to pay we headed out again at 7.30am. The wind had dropped and it was a lovely morning – so lovely that Sam made it up into the cockpit for the first time since the short hop to Malpas. By 9am the tide turned and we hurtled past Lulworth, Swanage and Poole and into the Needles Channel. Our plan had been to go to Yarmouth but with two hours of fair tide still available I phoned a couple of Cowes marinas to see if they might have space for us. Boo hiss to Cowes Haven who were unhelpful, but Shepards Marina said they had plenty of space and by 2.30pm we were tied up in a visitor's berth in England's sailing capital.

Passing the Needles

View from the berth in Shepards Marina - a bit of a culture shock, only two days from Dartmouth

The slightly boring boat show

The plan was to sit out Monday's easterlies and for me to go to the Southampton Boat Show. It couldn't have been more convenient, as the RedJet terminal in West Cowes is less than 10 minutes walk away and at the other end the Southampton terminal is pretty much next to the Boat Show site. It all worked beautifully, it's a pity that the show wasn't more exciting, but I made it and saw my colleagues which was the main point really.

Tuesday dawned with rain and more easterlies and we decided on a rest day - which is why I'm catching up on the blog. Wednesday should see a bit of west in the wind and we're hoping for some long hops: Cowes to Eastbourne, Eastbourne to Ramsgate, and then home to the Orwell. Watch this space.

Eastward ho!

By Wednesday September 8 the winds were light again and we set off eastwards from Fowey, picking up 27 litres of fuel before heading out. The boat speed under engine seemed disappointing and we made somewhat slow progress on a dark, drizzly morning. It looked as though we might have to head back to Plymouth but with a little bit of NE breeze our speed picked up and we decided we could make it to Salcombe. 

Reed warbler heading for Africa - we hope

Not long before our arrival we picked up a passenger - a very bedraggled and perhaps not fully fledged reed warbler. S/he was only a mile or two offshore but we heard later that Salcombe bad been flooded that day so perhaps our tiny visitor got caught in the downpour. Eventually s/he flew off but we weren't entirely sure they would make it to Africa.

I had totally forgotten about the bar at the entrance, but fortunately the timing was perfect and we came in about half tide. We were met by a Salcombe Harbour launch who helped tie us on to a buoy - just as well, as it had just a loop and no pickup buoy, and I'm not sure David's shoulder was ready for him to hang head down over the bow of the boat.

As we relaxed for a quiet evening - considerably quieter than out last evening in Salcombe - Alex & David noticed a load of ribbon weed hanging from the back of the boat. We cleared some but felt sure there was more still under there, perhaps wrapped around the prop.

On Thursday 9th the winds finally turned westerly and we made the short hop to Dartmouth. For the first time on this trip we managed a bit of sailing, only 30 minutes or so. The visibility was very poor again but we had no problem entering Dartmouth and fortunately Dart Haven Marina was able to find us a berth for what turned out to be two nights. We enjoyed good showers, including one for Sam which, guess what, was locked and only accessible with a resident's tag, but the marina staff got us in.

David's shoulder had been causing him a lot of pain and for some reason our own doctor's phone line and booking system was not working, but in Dartmouth by sheer dogged determination David managed to see a GP who provided appropriate medication, which seems to be helping.

My own tiny beach

View from the headland

Dartmouth Daymark

And I had a lovely run-walk, more of a walk than run to be honest, up to the Daymark and back along the SW coastal path. It was rather fun to be out in my running shorts, t-shirt and little running belt with tiny water bottle, and to meet serious walkers heading east with backpacks, waterproofs, walking poles and much more. I found a tiny beach which I had all to myself for 10 minutes – long enough for a slightly chilly paddle.

Upriver and back to Fowey

Misty Malpas

On our third night in Falmouth Alex & David took us out for a meal at La Peniche, a barge moored at the back of the Falmouth Haven Marina. This had the vast advantage that we didn't have to take Sam up the ramp as it was on the same level as us, and the food was excellent too. A great treat to go out for classier food for the first time since goodness knows when.

With the winds still forecast to be easterly, grr, we decided to go upriver for Sunday night and on the advice of Sophie and Alistair moored to a deepwater pontoon at Malpas. Out at see it was murky and misty but at Malpas it was gorgeous, very very quiet and a great birdwatching spot for David. We still haven't got around to blowing up the dinghy and that night was no exception, but none of us felt we needed to go anywhere.

Monday morning saw us en route to Fowey, motoring into very light easterlies and again with visibility no more than a couple of miles. We spotted what was probably a whale, some distance off. The Fowey Harbour team very kindly gave us permission to moor up to the Berrill's Yard pontoon again although this time we didn't get Sam off the boat - the prospect of all those hills and narrow lanes was just too daunting. But we all thoroughly enjoyed Fowey again, it manages to be friendly and welcoming despite the constant influx of visitors. 

Sunny Mixtow

 

I was reading The Salt Path by Raynor Winn, and was interested to find that their route ended at Polruan, just across the water. I crossed the water myself, to Bodinnick and upriver (walking) to Mixtow, in search of a gas bottle. Alas, I found the cafe that sells them and could even see the bottle I wanted in their cage, but it was firmly locked shut, as was the cafe. No idea why, as it was a gorgeous day, but I had a nice walk anyway.

The far west: Falmouth

Having persuaded my family to have their celebration (Lucilla & Mark's 25th wedding anniversary, plus a delayed Christmas get together) over the August Bank Holiday weekend, we were able to drive down to Plymouth on Tuesday August 31 to start the next leg. Alex and David arranged the hire of what was meant to be an estate car but turned out to be a vast Mercedes SUV. We had to dismantle the wheelchair and it was a bit high for Sam to climb into but otherwise it was very comfortable. We repeated the route via the Midlands and with only a few traffic hiccups arrived back at Mayflower by 1730, which gave us time to get Sam on board, go to Lidl to stock up with food & booze while we still had the car, and have a slightly late dinner. Sam was so exhausted he fell asleep holding his fork!

Wednesday was a day for rest and planning. A high over Scotland has meant days and days of grey clouds on northeasterlies, and the pattern continued. Fortunately we had always planned to start the cruise with a trip to Falmouth, which was originally planned to be the end of ASC21. The models seemed to show different wind strengths but they all agreed it was going to be gusty. I dithered extensively, discussed with WOA SW secretary Bob Walker who came by to say hello and stayed for a lovely chat, and eventually after a slightly restless night decided to go for it.

With one reef in the main (after a few minutes in Plymouth Sound to free off the reefing horns which were jammed under the luff cleat, thank you David for your strong hands) we crept cautiously around Rame Head and set off in the direction of Falmouth, with Fowey as a fallback if it got too uncomfortable. In the end we motored much of the way for speed and stability, and by the time we reached the approaches to Falmouth we were probably seeing the odd 2m swell, so it wasn't very comfortable. But we had moments of sunshine, the gusts were not too strong and we reached Falmouth having covered 40 miles in around seven hours.

Alex and David celebrate our arrival in Falmouth

It was just as well we kept the speed up. I'd been in communication with Falmouth Haven Marina, which doesn't normally accept bookings, and their manager had very kindly offered us a berth with finger pontoon... but apparently hadn't told the harbourmaster on duty who assured me that I had the wrong marina. We ended up picking our way slowly between the buoys while I juggled tiller, handheld VHF and the email on my phone. Eventually he confirmed the berth, turned out a RIB that was moored there, and here we are on C05. The office closes sometime between 5 and 6pm, so if we'd been later we would just have had to raft up on the outer jetty with everyone else.

Falmouth is not surprisingly very busy and full of youngsters on holiday. Marina facilities are ok but there's really no disabled access to showers, which is a shame. I spent Friday morning walking up to the Premier Marina to see if I could get a replacement bulb for our heads light - the electrical people didn't stock them but fortunately the very unpromising-looking chandlery managed to find me an LED which fits and works, so that was a result. 

In the afternoon we got Sam off the boat for a pleasant walk around town in fitful sunshine, and on our way back from our coffees and beers were astonished to walk into Clare and Simon Evans, here on holiday - I've been singing with Clare most weeks for almost 30 years, and Simon has sailed with us a couple of times, but I had forgotten they were down this way, and it was astonishing chance that we were both on the same little cut-through road at the same time.

And in the early evening, after slightly more organisation, we met Sophie and Alistair Velzian - Sophie worked with me extensively when she was at Microsoft and I was contracting with Aviva, and in subsequent years she has changed husbands, bought a boat, moved to Cornwall and changed jobs. It was lovely to see her and catch up.

Summer interlude

The six weeks at home was mainly memorable for being manically busy as I'd started work on the September magazine late and needed to finish early so members got it well before the Southampton Boat Show. Fortunately there was no pressure to go down to the boat for weekends as it was 250 miles away!

Sadly Bill Miller, who organised the whole ASC21 rally starting last October, died in early August. His lung cancer had spread to spine and brain and we feared when we saw him at Shotley that we might not see him again, but you always hope for the best.

Can't find a picture of Bill but here's his lovely boat Meltemi (a Storm Cruiser). RIP Bill