Shortest trip so far! Motored couple of miles to new anchorage near Tenby so can row ashore and explore - amazing place!
Approaching Tenby with St Catherine’s Fort in the centre
RNLI boat launch! Thunderbirds are go..
Tide out
Tide in
St Catherine’s Fort
Can you spot Arwen?
2 nautical miles
Calm day with no wind and glassy smooth sea, so short motor across Carmarthen Bay to anchor by Calder Island. Wonderful wildlife bonanza as crossed with seals, porpoises, dolphins, giant jellyfish and Manx Shearwater and Gannets gliding low over the water.
When anchored rowed over to explore and interested to see a modern monastic island. But access only by paid ferry from Tenby and I was turned away at the slipway. Doesn’t seem very Christian.. but can’t complain as a beautiful spot.
Early start motoring out of Oxwich Bay and leaving anchored neighbors still asleep.
Huge jellyfish! Think they are Barrel Jellyfish (see below).
24 nautical miles
Rowed ashore for a day exploring the spectacular coastline of the Gower Peninsula with Roger who lives nearby(ish). Excellent company, conversation and views!
Can you spot Arwen?
Walk around Oxwich Castle Point overlooking Arwen on the north side.
Rhossili Bay
Pen Pyrod (Worm’s head)
The face!
Can you spot Arwen? (I’ve got a long way to row…)
Early start to get over the Bideford Bar at high water. Felt good to be on the move again after a few days break, though bit groggy with a cold. Light winds for most of the day so motor sailed to make sure had enough speed to make progress against the strong tides in the Bristol Channel. Anchored in beautiful bay next to wooded Oxwich Castle End Point.
33 nautical miles
A few days in Appledore, and trip into London, before crossing the Bristol Channel. Lovely to see Baz ang family and also Uncle Richard and Fi.
Can you spot Arwen? (I thought time to make this game a little harder)
First time surfing with Baz and his friend John (who kindly lent me a board). I loved it! In the cafe afterwards warming up.
With tidal restrictions to get to Appledore realised needed to do in two steps, so Sunday evening once the tidal gate had opened (two hours before high water) motored around and anchored in sheltered cove along the coast. Then left early Monday morning for hot day of uncertain winds to pick up RNLI buoy off Appledore just before sunset. Nice and quiet after the busy harbour.
Moored to the huge RNLI buoy. Tide going out fast so turned around motored up hard against and then dashed forward to grab the buoy! Exciting end to the day.
5 nautical miles
Approaching Bideford bar, waited a little so more water in the channel.
46 nautical miles
Couple of days in Padstow resting, exploring and planning next sail to Bideford. Lovely quiet harbour so slept really well!
My allocated mooring on harbour wall is by ladder number 11.
Pegs tied for drying.
Mexican fleabane grows everywhere! And funny being so close to people wandering by and sitting on the benches.
St Petroc’s church
If you remember from Fowey post, came across the other end of The Saints Way that finishes at St Petroc’s church.
Just outside tidal gate of the small harbour rapidly dries to sand.
Every day at low water diggers go out into the River Camel and excavate sand - to keep the entrance to harbour deeper and to sell for aggregate (so win-win!)
Tower on Stepper Point
Inspirational place that does important scientific work (eg affect of climate change on marine ecosystems) at same time as working with local fishing industry and community to help grow on lobster eggs to baby lobsters and release to increase survival rate and increase local population. Brilliant!
Baby lobsters!
Entrance to Padstow is only possible two hours either side of high water at 18:46, and so for long passage from Isles of Scilly have a deadline. To give myself enough time slept a little in the evening and then weighed anchor and motored out between the islands at one am which felt very intrepid. Lucky that everything illuminated by an enormous full moon!
Lovely fast sail with the tide across to Cornwall and then slowed down working up coast against tide in a mixed up sea. Then coming around Trevose Head before entering Padstow Bay huge white cresting lumpy waves from all directions, which quite a contrast to the still calm in the small harbour where rafted up against another couple of boats.
71 nautical miles. Can see where altered course slightly to cross shipping channel off Land’s End and avoid couple of large ships.
A couple of days anchored by Hangman’s Island with carrying out boat maintenance and exploring islands on either side.
Hydrovane rudder covered in weed again so quickly!
I think everything the islands need is brought back and forth on these boats.
Courgettes bought from garden stall and succulent to add to Arwen’s small garden.
Tresco gardens. After all the blue nice to sink into green!
In the Tresco gardens a morbidly fascinating collection of figureheads salvaged from ships wrecked on rocks around Isles of Scilly.
An exciting day sailing beyond Land’s End out to Isles of Scilly. A quiet start leaving St Michael’s Mount, but the wind picked up and with both wind and tide was a fast crossing. And more dolphins played around Arwen for few minutes about half way across.
Anchoring in a beautiful sheltered spot between the Bryher and Tresco, I rowed across to Bryher and explored the island. The water is so clear that as rowed felt vertigo looking down!
Passing Newlyn - where the elevation datum for Ordnance Survey is measured!
Passing lighthouse at Tater du Point
Sailing out past Land’s End - an exciting moment!
Oh no!
Temporary fix
Carn Base cardinal buoy
Lighthouse on Round Island on north side of Isles of Scilly
Approaching New Grimsby Harbour between Tresco and Bryer.
Anchored near this rock for shelter.
Looking across to Saint Mary’s from Bryer.
Wow.. water so clear can see anchor chain all the way down six metres to rocks and kelp on bottom.
38 nautical miles
Managed to slip away quietly this morning before seven so not to disturb my neighbours rafted up against, and motored out through moored boats into Falmouth Harbour. Uncle John came out to Pendennis Point to see me off which was fun, and we watched each other through binoculars and waved as I passed close by and then slowly we got smaller and smaller.
With only a very light wind I motored sailed until the wind picked up and could switch the engine off. After passing Lizard Point I was on a run and boom slamming back and forth, so for first time rigged up a boom preventer to hold it in place which worked well.
As got nearer to Newlyn, looking at chart realised that it was perfect conditions to instead anchor in shelter of St Michael’s Mount, so altered course crept up close to the island.
Uncle John is in this photo!
Boom preventer
Lizard Point
33 nautical miles
In the morning a very busy marine engineer called Nick kindly came out to Arwen to replace some washers and fix the leaky injectors for the diesel engine, and then I rowed back over to Fowey to take photos inside the church for Meg, before returning to Arwen and leaving around midday.
The wind was forecast to be from the north, but instead was from the south-west and very light, so ended up motoring for most of the afternoon with the autohelm steering so I could get away from engine noise and read guide about anchoring at the bow.
Entering Falmouth harbour lots of yachts were coming out to race, and approaching Falmouth Haven the visitor pontoons were all full so rafted up against a friendly couple John and Elaine.
Then went out to meet cousin Sarah and family who came to have a look at Arwen before we went out for a jolly dinner to catchup after many years.
The next day took Uncle John out for a sail which was very pleasant - with blue skies and light winds - and after met Auntie Ruth for lunch. Good to see family!
Arwenack Avenue, also called Rope Walk, as they used to make ropes on this long straight road.
Can you spot Arwen?
23 nautical miles
A fast reach out of Plymouth harbour and around to Fowey along the rocky coast. Excitement as left Plymouth as three Navy warships weighed anchor and left with me heading out to do training exercises. (Listening to VHS radio one was pretending to be an hostile ship.) Picked up visitor mooring in Fowey Harbour and rowed over to explore the town and nearby coves - a beautiful place!
Rame Head Chapel
St Catherine’s Castle
Can you spot Arwen?
View from St Catherine’s Castle
After exploring Fowey I rowed over to other side of estuary to visit Polruan and the Blockhouse with great view out to sea and towards Fowey.
23 nautical miles
Arwen’s engine is in need of a service and the leaky stern gland fixing (where the propeller shaft goes through the hull) and so found good marine engineers in Plymouth to help. So, after saying goodbye to Meg at Plymouth rail station on Tuesday morning had two days to rest, plan next steps of journey and explore Plymouth while the work being done.
Smeaton’s Tower
Plymouth Sound
A short afternoon sail close-hauled, passing close to Great and Little Mewstone after leaving the Yealm, and then entering Plymouth sound and passing the breakwater on the east side and continuing around to the east into the River Plym and the Plymouth Yacht Haven.
Leaving our mooring on the Yealm, and the nice French couple who rafted next to us.
Passing into The Sound on east side of the break water.
8 nautical miles
Such a beautiful place that decided to stay another day to explore. Cleaning and repairs in morning and then pub lunch overlooking the river, and in afternoon (and following morning) coastal walks to coves and beaches and a swim in quite cold water!
Meg crossing Newton Creek on the Voss at low tide to pub lunch on other side.
Leaf.
Timing the jump from last step down to Wendell Beach to miss the waves.
Steps blown out of rock with dynamite (can see the remains of holes where dynamite sticks inserted).
Waited until the wind had dropped in the morning and then weighed anchor and motored out of the Kingsbridge Estuary.
As rounding the headland into the wind, motored into big lumpy swell that had the bow diving into the steep waves and Meg feeling sea sick. Then a rainy and cloudy sail that only cleared as approaching the River Yealm.
After picking up visitor mooring and chatting to the friendly Harbour Master, who was collecting fees, had lovely walk through oak wood lining the river banks and around the coast.
Leaving Salcombe.
Meg feeling a little sea sick :-(
Great Mewstone and Little Mewstone.
Approaching the dramatic entrance to the River Yealm.
Keeping close to the rocky edge of Misery Point to avoid the sand bar across the entrance.
Can you spot Arwen?
Inflated tender and rowed ashore to Kirkpatrick Steps.
The village of Noss Mayo.
19 nautical miles (beating into the wind and half way thought I’d have to tack but can see where the wind shifted in our favour!)
Beautiful warm light from rising sun as left Brixham harbour, passing fishing boat returning that must have been out all night. Sailed out past Berry Head that walked up to day before, and then a day tacking around the rocky coast to pick Megan up in Salcombe and then anchor in Frogmore Creek further up the estuary.
One of the last sailing fishing trawlers.
Passing Berry Head.
Sailing into entrance to Dartmouth to have a look.
Passing Start Point
Outside entrance to Kingsbridge estuary
33 nautical miles
After doing laundry and cleaning and drying out the boat, an afternoon exploring Brixham and walking out to Berry Head.
Berry Head
Approaching Portland just before dawn
Portland Bill! Passing a good distance away to avoid the treacherous tidal races
Lurking menacingly..
