2024 April 20th Day 22, to Hope Cove

With the "gate" around the Bill of Portland not "opening" until 09:27 there was no need for the normal early start and I weighed anchor at 07:50, and after motoring out of the harbour it was a leisurely sail much of the way down the east side of Portland until the wind shifted and dropped and I was going slowly on a dead run so on went the engine to get to the Bill at the optimum time to get the best push from the west going tide.

As usual there was a flotilla going round, 1 way ahead, 3 of us
pretty much to the schedule and a few well behind.

Passing close to the Bill and even closer to the off
lying rocks and pot buoys. Note the scale.

The obelisk on the left marks submerged rocks just offshore. 

I miss judged it very slightly and went round 5 minutes early in benign conditions with the wind filling in from the ENE at 11 knots, up went the cruising chute and I headed off making better than 4 knots, over the next 3 hours I made good progress until the wind died to 6 knots or less so on went the engine.

The first filmed dolphin of the trip, apparently a singleton 
(Common Dolphin).

Unfortunately the engine had to stay on for the rest of the day but on the bright side it did allow me to get all the way to Hope Cove in daylight.

Turning into Hope Cove.

68 nautical miles in twelve and a half hours.

Click here for Polkerris.

2023 6th September, Days 31 - 32 Plymouth to The Yealm and Hope Cove

With light winds forecast for several days and the laundry done I decided to get out of the marina. First stop The Yealm. 

Mayflower Marina, a 3 room (ex bathrooms) flat in that block
will knock you back over £400k leasehold and pushing £3k a year
in fees and ground rent.

The Yealm entrance has a reputation for being difficult but in benign
conditions it requires care but is quite straightforward, except
perhaps for dodging a dozen boats leaving as I came in.

Just past the 2nd buoy marking the sand bar and about to turn
45 degrees left. More pics in the slide show below.

The Yealm is very crowded, a couple of spaces on buoys and
Pontoons were available but all would require rafting (and £) so
I did not stay and moved on to Hope Cove.

Leaving the Yealm, Bigbury Bay was very busy with a couple of
dozen boats in view, all heading east as the season drew to a close.

Hope Cove from the beach on Wednesday evening.

Thursday morning:

There is  plenty of wind at the moment but it is forecast to disappear well before I could get to Guernsey and worse there is a risk of fog around the Island tomorrow morning so I am staying put.

I went ashore for an ice cream and even went for a swim, but
not for long given how cold the water felt, perhaps its just me
getting old. Sancerre on the right.

Eighteen miles in four and a quarter hours.

Click here for a late change of plan.

2023 1st September, Days 26 and 27 Fowey to Cawsand and Hope Cove

The plan now was to position myself to get to the Channel Islands, probably initially Guernsey to meet up with fellow Jester John.

The first stop would be Cawsand on the west side of Plymouth Sound.

"Spirit of Adventure" about to enter Fowey for  the first time.

She is thought to be the largest ship ever to enter and
went in backwards with the help of 1 tug.

Sancerre in Cawsand Bay. I was still towing the dinghy so I went
ashore for some fresh food and an ice cream. I had thought to have
a swim but the water was so cold I chickened out.

Then Sabi arrived, now owned by fellow Jester sailor Bob,
a long chin wag and catch up ensued.

20 miles in 4 hours

To Hope Cove

With strong winds forecast in a couple of days I decided to head for Salcombe as a better start point for Guernsey and, given the likely variability of the winds direction, with better protection than the Jennycliff Bay anchorage in Plymouth Sound that had been my first thought. The next day was forecast to be decent so I initially headed for Hope Cove to anchor for the night.

A dolphin breaching, full screen will be required

to see it.

From the anchorage at Hope Cove after a pleasant sail from
Cawsand.

12 miles in 4 hours.

Click here for a good sail back to Plymouth.

2022 Celtic Circuit, Day 3 Portland to Hope Cove

I weighed anchor at 04:30 to get to the Bill as the tidal gate opened, initially I thought there were only two of us taking the inshore route but as I left the Bill there were a lot of boats following behind, either they preferred an hour or two more in bed or they had spent the night in Weymouth and were delayed waiting for the bridge to open.

Portland prison in the early morning light.

Approaching the Bill

To avoid getting swept into the Portland Race, described in the Pilot by Tom Cunliffe as "the most dangerous extended area of broken water in the English Channel, overshadowing even Barfeur, the madness of Ouessant and the Race of Alderney", it is necessary to pass within 300 yards of the Bill, and only then in settled conditions.

My track through the inshore route.

The inshore route can only safely be used in daylight because of lobster pots which are often hard to see as they are dragged under by the strong current and the necessity of passing very close to rocks. Because to fluky winds caused by the land the passage has usually to be done under power, increasing the risk from Pots, as Cunliffe says the possibility of being anchored to a Pot [as the tide increases] does not bare thinking about. On this occasion the wind was from the NE and I was able to sail from a couple of miles north of the Bill when the wind set in, through the route and across Lyme Bay.

A lobster Pot Buoy c 80 yards off the Bill and another much closer in,
these would likely be underwater in an hour or two as the tide increases.
 Note the rock awash in line with the hanging rock, left. The Obelisk
is there to mark them.

Leaving the Bill, the 45 ft boat off my starboard bow overtook
me under power going round the Bill. Equipped only with a
cruising chute she tried tacking down wind, I was soon to get
the symmetrical spinnaker up and was only 1/3 mile behind
her at Start Point, 48 miles further on.

Crossing Lyme Bay with my 60 sq metre
symmetrical spinnaker during a lull in the wind.

I had a fairly quick passage in variable winds that kept me busy sail changing and trimming with some light relief...... 

Dolphins doing what dolphins do approaching Start Point.

Approaching Start Point, often referred to as THE Start, as it
often was the last bit of English land seen on a voyage in a
sailing ship.

Shortly after the picture was taken the wind disappeared and I started the engine to get to Hope Cove, the first anchorage sheltered from the easterly winds west of West Bay (Portland) and in the days of sail often packed with ships, up to 80 being quoted in one source, waiting for a fair wind up channel.

Entering the Hope Cove anchorage. Lots more pics in the
slide show below.

68 miles over the ground in 13.5 hours.

Click here for Hope Cove to Polkerris.