2022 Celtic Circuit, Days 38 & 41 To Fowey, Plymouth and Salcombe

To Fowey

The beat to Fowey was comfortable on starboard tack but 'orrible on port with a small, short sea stopping the boat in F2 -3 winds, I was making c 2 knots on port and 4.5 knots on starboard. I was very glad that the majority of the trip was on starboard.

For once the short term visitors berth had room for me so I initially stopped off there and went for a shower and did some shopping. The tide was still going out, so I then went up to the fuel berth for some diesel - single handed getting on down tide is not on and the approach from up river is tricky whilst going up against the tide it is easy and puts the fuel filler on the pontoon side for easier access. With the fenders already out I opted for one of the midstream pontoons off the top of the town rather than a buoy.

It was very wet on Tuesday, so I stayed put.

One of 3 "Tall Ships" in Fowey when I left.

25 miles in six and a half hours.

To Plymouth

A pleasant sail to Plymouth in 10 - 20 knots of northerly wind which ran out a mile or so short of Rame Head. Shortly before I got there, I had a briefly unnerving experience when both of my depth alarms went off and then a message came up on the plotter saying I was in less than a metre of water which made even less sense as the boat draws 1.7m. Then it became clear that the cause was a dolphin swimming just under the transducer.

Cawsand Bay looked calm but when I stopped the boat it was
rolling quite badly from a short swell from the east.

I checked out Cawsand Bay but it would have been uncomfortable with swell coming in from the SE so I moved to Jennycliff Bay on the east side of the sound by which time a moderate south-westerly had set in only to go back to the Northerly during the evening.

23 miles in five and a quarter hours.

To Salcombe

I woke earlier than planned and decided to move out with the option of stopping at Salcombe or continuing across Lyme Bay depending on the updated forecast, F6 has been mentioned on a couple of recent ones but the direction was uncertain, either northerly or north-westerly, the latter at F6 would not really be an issue, at least until Portland Bill, the former could be uncomfortable. Both however, together with likely north-easterly or easterly winds setting in after the weekend put paid to a visit to Teignmouth, I did not fancy a long beat to get there and then potentially to the Solent. I also decided not to head to the Channel Isles, NE winds make Braye harbour untenable, and it would be a long haul back.

In the event I put into Salcombe to avoid a forecast F6 and to take advantage of reasonable tides and promised sun on Friday.

Approaching Salcombe town.

21 miles in five hours.

On to Portland.