Newlyn to Falmouth

We spent three nights in Newlyn in the end, probably one more than I planned. On the Sunday morning it was wonderful to see my brother Paul and introduce him to the fishy delights of Newlyn Harbour. Then we both went to see my beloved aunt and godmother at her care home in Rosudgeon on the far side of Penzance. Once she was properly awake she knew who I was and even remembered about my sailing trip around Britain - partly because my mother (her twin) keeps talking to her about it! We spent a happy hour talking about sailing in the Firth of Clyde and many other memories. She is very confused about most of what goes on today, but not about the past. I find it hard work seeing her but it was a big tick in my plan for this voyage.

The harbour around low water. Kalessin is just behind the orange Rib

Newlyn Harbour is a really interesting place to be. It's by some way England's busiest fishing port and vessels range from open boats a few metres long with a pod for an electronic fishfinder and a pulley for nets, up to enormous monsters with sides like cliffs, some of which we met in the Irish Sea. There are always vessels on the move and an aroma of fishiness. At the very end of the main pontoon is space for maybe a dozen visiting yachts, but we did have our own (slightly basic) facilities at the end of the RNLI building and the staff were extremely welcoming. After the first night they charged us the rate for a boat up to 8m - I'm not sure if that was a mistake, but I wasn't arguing!

Morrab Gardens

On Sunday afternoon I walked into Penzance and explored the rather lovely subtropical Morrab Gardens in light drizzle. I'm not sure if I have ever been in the back streets of Penzance before, they are rather classier than the front! By the afternoon visibility was down to about a quarter of a mile and it was wet and chilly. Most of the restaurants in Newlyn were either closed on Sunday or fully booked, but Alice and I had a good, straightforward meal at the Fisherman's Arms on my sister's recommendation.

My original plan was to leave on the Monday but I was put off by the forecasts of a rough sea state off the Lizard, perhaps swell coming in from stormy weather out in Sole. On Monday morning I set off for a run to Mousehole and as I looked out to sea regretted my decision, because the promised rain had not arrived and Mount's Bay was a flat as a pancake. Oh well. I treated myself to coffee and a croissant and a nice chat with some other visitors in the Mousehole Deli, and a brief visit to my aunt's house – I didn't have a key but could use her wifi (no data signal in Mousehole) and appreciate the scent of her honeysuckle.  I went to the Newlyn Art Gallery to see some strange sea paintings and other creations.

Buying Monday's dinner - mackerel straight from the market

Red sea fans by Nicola Bealing

On Tuesday we were approaching spring tides and realised it was no use leaving at midday, as planned, to give us a fair tide around the Lizard, because we would have been touching the bottom of the harbour. So we edged very carefully out of our berth at 1030. As I swung around the very tight corner immediately outside our berth another yacht set off in front of us - and then stopped extremely suddenly. Fortunately thanks to Alice's warning I didn't hit him! He had not taken the corner so tightly and had gone aground. We were able to edge inside him and get out to sea - where fortunately, with a bit of help from other boats in the harbour, he was able to follow us a few minutes later.

As we weren't in a hurry we set just the jib and wafted gently across Mount's Bay in sunshine with the wind behind us. Initially it was lovely but as we got closer to the Lizard there was quite a bit of swell and the sun went in. We motored bumpily around the headland, but fortunately the conditions were calm enough to go fairly close in - in rough weather you are supposed to be three miles off. On the eastern side of the headland the water was much flatter and the well had gone; we set both sails and off we went towards Falmouth, dodging the scary Manacles rocks. 

I had arranged to meet my colleague and friend Ann and her husband Andy, who live north of Falmouth and have a new (to them) boat in Falmouth Marina. It would have been logical to meet them there but the marina told us they were full with no visitor spaces at all. So instead we booked a space in Port Pendennis in the town. For some reason they couldn't give us instructions on where to go when I phoned at 1800, even though they closed at 1830! We hastened through Falmouth Harbour arriving at 1825 and they told us to go on pontoon B, which is the outside of the wavebreak. No idea why they couldn't say that half an hour earlier. Port Pendennis is full of massive, shiny motoryachts, which could not have been more different from Newlyn. It was also almost twice as expensive at £51.50 for a night! The facilities were nicer, but really not that good. Never mind, it was a great place to meet Ann and Andy and we all had a nice meal together at The Shed just around the corner.

Distance run: 32 miles