Westward a few weeks ago

colhel

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Here's a little write up of our trip West from Poole calling in at Weymouth, Dartmouth, Salcombe, River Yealm, River Fowey, Falmoth, Malpas, St Mawes, and Looe.

19-6-21 Poole to Weymouth
We topped up with fuel at Salterns Marina and were on our out of Poole Harbour Entrance around 15.30, plan was to anchor in Studland or Swanage but decided to head straight for Weymouth as although winds were light it was raining so we wanted the option of walkashore. It meant punching the tide which isn't entirely desirable with a cruise speed of 12 knots ish but it meant we could make some extra headway and hopefully make the timings for Portland Bill a bit easier and it was neaps so not too bad (compared to my sailing days anyway!). We got to Weymouth about 18.00 and it was lashing it down, so once tied up we just cooked something up and watched telly.

20-6-21 Weymouth to Dartmouth
We slipped our lines about 7am to round the The Bill on slack tide, I didn't want to take the inside route as (a) I've never done it before and (b) visibility wasn't that good so I aimed for about 1 nm out thinking as it was neaps and close to slack water it be okay.... mmm. I carried on so I was about 2nm out and went for it, it was okay but I was surprised at the chop considering it was neaps, slack water and light winds.
We crossed Lyme Bay without event apart from lots of steam following us but the engine temperature was fine and also the weather conditions were such that steam would be more visible. It actually turned into a very pleasant trip where we saw a couple pods of dolphins and reassuringly a steady flow of other boats either on the way there or the way back.
We arrived at the mouth of the Dart about 11am.
This was the furthest West along the coast we've been so to see the landmarks of the Dart and then into the Dart itself felt like quite achievement.
Have to say I loved Dartmouth, to see a steam train, steam ferry and an amphibious car within 10 minutes of arriving felt like a real treat! I called up Dart Nav on the radio, explaining this was my first visit and they sorted me out with a river pontoon and then when available a spot on the inside of the Town Quay. Thats us with the Nimbus rafted up to the Broom.
Dart approach.jpgAmphibious Car.jpg
 

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colhel

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Dartmouth to Fowey via Salcome and Yealm

22-6-21
We had a really wet rainy day in Dartmouth so I thought I'd investigate further the steam issue, my idea initially was to try and remove the exhaust hose from the elbow outlet and shove a screwdriver or something up the elbow to clear it out. The hose wouldn't budge after about 30 seconds of trying so I gave up, but my attention was drawn to the solenoid that operates some flaps within the elbow which are there to reduce smoke when cold starting and help the engine get up to temperature quicker.
The solenoid was working in Weymouth a couple of days before so I was disappointed to see it wasn't working now which caused me to take a closer look at the whole assembly. The solenoid is mounted quite low down on the engine block and push/pulls a lever on the elbow. The lever is attached to a spindle which operates the flaps inside the elbow, this lever had worked itself loose from the spindle so even if the solenoid was working it would have no effect on the operation of the flaps. A call to the ever patient and helpful forumite Andy59 and a post on here requesting the position the lever/spindle should be when the flaps are open unfortunately drew a blank. So I guessed and reconnected the lever to the spindle and fixed it "open".
We topped up with diesel from the fuel barge and made our way down the Dart to head for Salcombe.
When we were clear of the 6 speed limit I pushed the throttle forward and the revs stopped at 1500rpm, I then asked Helen to take the helm and from the aft cabin undid the wire and moved the flap lever to the correct "open" position. Once out in Start Bay I opened up once more and Jeez! What a difference! That lever must've been loose for ages as now the engine is steaming a lot less, is far more responsive and just sounds better.
Anyway about an hour later we were in Salcombe, the sun was out, people on the beaches and a call the Harbour Patrol and we secured to buoy close to little beach just down from the fuel barge. It was a lovely spot and with a really nice couple turning up and rafting to us we enjoyed a few hours messing around on the dinghy and exploring the small beaches. That evening we went into town and here I felt it went downhill a little, yes it was crowded that's to be expected, but the town just looked so scruffy with lots of litter about and a bit of a run down feel. Probably a bit unfair to blame any particular group or authority afterall it's been a weird year but I just felt a little more could be done to make the place a bit more welcoming. Can't put my finger on it but it just didn't do it for me.
The next day we set off for Fowey, calling in at the River Yealm for elevensis and afternoon tea at a beach we spotted just before Fowey in Great Lantic Bay.
On arrival in the River Fowey I called up the Harbour Patrol and we offered a walkashore on the Lifeboat pontoon. Again the town was very busy and with a lot of the shops closed and the pubs still restricted on numbers there was an air of uncertainty about the place which made feel uncomfortable. Again, can't put my finger on it but we felt one night was enough this time but I'm sure we'll be back to explore some more.

Approach to Salcombe
Salcombe approach.jpg

Salcombe




Salcombe 1.jpg



Salcombe 2.jpg

Great Lantic Bay
Great Lantic Bay.jpg

Approach to Fowey
Fowey.jpg
View from our Fowey Berth, Polruan in the background to the left
Fowey 2.jpg

Us on the end
Berthed at Fowey.jpg
 
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longjohnsilver

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My son and other friends have said the same about Fowey. The Yealm, although smaller, has a totally different feel to it, lots going on, 3 good pubs and a good yacht club. Fowey has definitely lost some of its magic in recent years .
 

AndieMac

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Thanks for taking the time to write up the cruise report C, it sounds like you folks enjoyed yourselves and covered some miles. Often you will find issues to sort out while underway on a cruise, I read somewhere that cruising is fixing a boat in exotic places :)
 

colhel

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My son and other friends have said the same about Fowey. The Yealm, although smaller, has a totally different feel to it, lots going on, 3 good pubs and a good yacht club. Fowey has definitely lost some of its magic in recent years .
I was concerned I may have been a bit unfair bearing in mind this was our first visit during unusual times.
 
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