A long weekend on the boat.

[henryf]

I can well believe the reputation. Yes, I would say Sutton is far enough away. You can hear a bit of music but I was happy there.

Thanks for all the positive comments. Much appreciated.

Henry

 

[henryf]

Day 9 of our long weekend.

I placed my first 005 degree waypoint on the plotter today! Ok so in the grand scheme of things we aren't talking world explorer significant, but at 50 09' 24 N 005 03' 92 W I haven't been further West under my own steam before. How tempting is it to simply carry on going. I feel like forest Gump - no sniggering in the back I\m nothing like him in real it !

The crossing from Plymouth to Falmouth was pretty uneventful. Lobster pots to avoid as usual but other than that simply a case of aiming for the right spot on the chart.

Given our day to day boating revolves around the Solent it seems strange not to have the South Island buffering us from the worst of any weather and in particular swell. It isn't a problem, it just takes a few days to adjust. What might be seen as a bit uncomfortable in the Solent is flat calm elsewhere. We get a bit soft in the Solent.

It certainly feels good to get some distance under the old girl's belt. It's also mentally stimulating to venture into new ports of call. I'm so used to doing everything on visual in the Solent discovering a new port means rummaging through the almanac and also the good old Shell Channel Pilot by Tom Cunliffe. Facilities have changed a bit since my 2000 edition but the sentiment remains a constant. Tom always gives you a few good tips. I loved his "Boatyard" series when it was aired. I don't think I saw the full set but the ones I did manage to catch were excellent.

How he has adapted to such inventions as the chart plotter remains a mystery. As for ordering bits and pieces throughout his normal life I can only pity the spotty youth faced with trying to find the button for a cubit of 4x2 on his electronic till. I know a cable is 185 metres and a fathom is 6 feet but who else does? Oh god - I'm doing it myself, feet, metres, cables. Much as it pains me to say the metric system is easy.

I'm also doing passage plans for the first time in ages, probably since my Yachtmaster exam. I do one before every charter but that's more of a check list and correlation of weather data. Here I genuinely don't know where I'm going and who to speak to on the radio when I get there. I won't say who to spare Sharon's blushes but one of the crew was adamant Port Pendennis was the harbourmaster's moorings. Thankfully I'd done my homework and trusted my notes and crude map. Especially so as the 28,000 tonne Royal Fleet Auxillary vessel Argus was slipping her lines to depart as we arrived.

It reminded me of our first ever proper trip brining the newly purchased Targa 35 back to Portsmouth from Poole. Flushed with success at arrival I dropped my guard and rounded the entrance into Portsmouth harbour only to be met by a wall of HMS Arc Royal plus associated tugs, police patrol vessels and so on. Somehow we managed to avoid appearing on the 6 O'clock news and no one died but it was a close call.

Falmouth is a relaxed affair. As the largest boat on the pontoons we stick out a bit and draw the usual reaction. Admiring comments from the kids, words like plastic, monstrosity, and vulgar from the parents (in their plastic sailing yachts). I judge as I find and hope others do the same. It's not our fault we have air conditioning, an ice maker, showers, full sized beds and a domestic fridge freezer on board. On the plus side I see Spam was reduced by twenty pence in Tescos yesterday so they do have something to be cheery about

Had a fellow forumite grab my lines as we arrived !

The British Olympic shopping squad

 

[rbcoomer]

Another great installment Henry - thanks. Particularly loved the Ark Royal confession - classic! Would loved to have seen those pictures! Particularly your expression at the time )

Enjoy your very long weekend - how far West are you going?

(Oh and say Hi to LJS - YBW forumites get everywhere don't they? )

 

[andy59]

Really enjoying this thread Henry , enjoying a virtual holiday as it were .And as usual lots of usefull insight insight along the way for when others get the oportunity to make that trip .

 

[dj43]

Great post Henry ,with equally fantastic photos, really enjoyed it,especially as we are heading west next week, weather permitting, as we have never been to any of the places you have visited ,been good to have some reference's as to whats ahead ,like yourselves we are taking a long weekend to complete our trip ,are you back in the Solent now or still west,

 

[Quest]

More good stuff Henry. Enjoying it all, thanks.
Just West of Falmouth, before the Helford, are a couple of beaches, one of which is Maenporth. Had a lovely dolphin encounter there a couple of weeks back after a tip off from the local safari boat. Might be worth a visit if you're interested... If you head to the River Helford, a slow creep around this piece of coast on a sunny day is fab, there are a few lovely quiet anchorages.
Andrew

 

[oceanfroggie]

They used to say what made great artists wasn't neccessarily their brush strokes, but instead it was what they could see through their own eyes that made their art great.

Henry you are blessed to have a talent for seeing and composing scenes that make some really great photos. One of the best and most entertaining threads seen on here. Thanks for taking the time to put this together.

 

[henryf]

Day 10 of our long weekend

What the Plymouth Aquarium lacked the National Maritime museum in Falmouth made up for in spades. I got a really good vibe from the place, all the staff were friendly it was well laid out, covered all the bases from meteorology, navigation and boat construction through Falmouth's history and a significant area given over to the rescue services. They even had a Sea King helicopter to wander round inside the museum.

Boats included Ben Ainsley's olympic gold medal sailing dinghy which you could get your grubby paws on - very light weight.. A good hour or so of any boat enthusiast's time. For younger visitors there were lots of hands on displays and regular organised activities. I resisted the opportunity to brush up on my pirate skills and forewent the free hat. As if that wasn't enough they have the most amazing maritime library attached. As well as historic tomes there are more recent publications of specific interest to motor boaters. You could easily waste an afternoon in there on a damp day.

The girls tell me Falmouth's shops extend for quite some distance. For christ's sake keep all the credit cards under lock and key if any of your lot like a bit of art. There are more galleries in Falmouth than there are pubs in Poole and by crikey they know how to charge. When something's 1 of 500 and the thick end of a bag of sand serious money is being made.. I was particularly taken by the Damian Hirst Deckchair until I saw it wasn't to be sat in. Oh the irony of modern art.

Back on the boat and we decided to head upstream for a bit of piece and tranquillity. I'm not suggesting the Yacht Haven is particularly loud or over crowded but carry on up towards Truro and you are rewarded with the most glorious backdrop against which you can enjoy your boat. Trees rise hundreds of feet on either side to line the water with a sea of Amazonian green forest. Amazing.

We pottered up at tick over and made full use of a high tide to straight line it to Turnaware point. There are a couple of anchorages just past there as well as a mid river pontoon. We opted for the latter. At £12 not the most expensive thing I've ever tied up to. You can go further up river still with another 2 pontoons boat of which have sufficient water for anything that floats.

http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af140/CEO-H/August%20trip/10kingharryferry_zps335c1e49.jpg[img]

[img]http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af140/CEO-H/August%20trip/10tree_zpsef7cb404.jpg

As the sun set on a relaxing afternoon thoughts turn to the trip back. Fowey, the Yealm, Dartmouth, Brixham / Torquay and the associated small bays all beckon. We shall see where the tide takes us. If that fails we'll crack open the throttles and wake up a pair of 715 HP CATS.

Out in the dinghy and we enjoyed a potter around some of the back waters and creeks, taking the steps up to Trelissick gardens.

 

[FirstMate II]

Massive tread . Thanks for sharing

 

[rafiki_]

Brilliant thread H. Love your comments on unnecessary criticism of yours and other Mobo's. As Stephen Fry said about Sainsbury's, ".... it is there to keep the scum out of Waitrose".

 

[JerseyDiver]

Great read thanks and lots of places I frequented by boat during my Uni days.

The yealm is a delight and if you like fishing - the dinghy to the bar/spit and bass are aplenty!!!

 

[Thepipdoc]

Henry, I did wonder where Long John Silver had gone to, I see you've found him!!

 

[superheat6k]

Great thread. Is the parasail thingy part of the boats equipment ? Think I would stick with a leaky dinghy to get ashore !

 

[talltim]

Hi Henry

Thanks for sharing your long weekend with us

The images and your words are an inspiration.

We hope to get down as far as Falmouth next summer.

The river Fal as you discovered is a little reported treasure

Now to get saving for the fuel

 

[henryf]

Hmm... a paraglider.

Now there's a thought. I think JFM posted some footage of a dinghy / glider which seemed to work of a fashion. Can't help thinking if it all goes pear shaped you'd be better served by a parachute

Henry

 

[henryf]

Day 11 of our long weekend

How do you put into words waking up up after the perfect night's sleep and looking out on a morning so still you can hear dragonflies flapping their wings? On each side of you a valley of trees so thick you can only wonder what lies hidden under their shade. The sun gently awakens a new day and feeling it's warmth you set off in the tender cutting the mirror smooth water as you do so. The falling tide reveals ancient rock that could almost be the petrified timber of long forgotten ships. You discover creeks and step ashore to continue your exploration on foot.

As boat owners we are in a very privileged position. Very few people ever get to experience the pleasures we do. We meet new friends, we are masters of our own destiny, at times we appreciate our mortality but above all we can marvel at nature's endless genius.

If you visit Falmouth I can not recommend strongly enough that you journey up river and spend at least one night amongst the peace and tranquillity of the river Fal.

The day continued to excel when we set off towards Fowey. We pottered out of Falmouth at tick over to allow the uploading of yesterdays photos and updating this website. Falmouth is relatively civilised in terms of mobile internet, quieter spots are not !

As we picked up speed and headed out to sea it was hard to tell where the protected harbour ended and the open sea began. The flat water threw up it's own challenges, everything was so easy to spot floating birds became potential lobster pots. We stayed a couple of miles offshore so as not to interfere with the myriad of sailing yachts making their way along the coast and had a lovely cruise.

I wanted to visit Mevagissey with the idea being we would have lunch ashore. We went inside Gwineas rock, Dodman Point being as flat as a mill pond. I had actually planned to give the area a wide berth but deviated based on conditions. In the end things didn't quite work out. I radioed the harbour and they said we could tie up to the inside of the main breakwater but when we got in and took a look it was a fairly inhospitable berth. We don't carry fender boards and whilst the were available on top on the quay the posts sticking out of the wall and the general muck revealed at low tide would have meant a lot of messing about and would have dirtied both ropes and fenders which wouldn't make us popular should we get rafted in Fowey as I suspected we would be. We thanked the harbour and carried on.

The approach to Fowey is straight forward enough, particularly so when conditions were this friendly. We slowed down early to avoid disturbing the yachts and in particular a boat anchored just inside the Cannis rock south cardinal. Once again as with Mevagissey Falmouth harbour were prompt in allocating us a berth rafted against a gigantic Princess V78 (well it was actually the same size as all the other V78s but they make a 50 foot flybridge look tiny).

Just as we were finishing off our lines and I was running the shoreline around the mooring buoy with the dinghy a V52 came to raft up on the other side. As we were helping them a little voice from one of the children said, "you used to go out with Yvonne didn't you?" The Salcombe mafia had tracked me down again. This time it was a relative of the people we met in Number 55 (restaurant in Salcombe) and it turns out many moons ago he had desires for her himself whilst a young lad at pony camp. As consolation I ran his shoreline around the mooring buoy and we wasted away the afternoon with our new friends over nibbles and a few drinks whilst the kids did whatever kids do. I have to say his lad's encyclopaedic knowledge of boats was quite scary. If you need to know the current spec of any Princess ask them first. Princess should employ them at the boat shows.

Dinner was ashore in Fowey which was heaving. There was a parade planned. Just finding a spot to tie up the tender was a challenge but as is always the case things worked out. We had a Chinese at Thai Pan. Food was ok, slower than a slow thing. Thankfully the parade filled time coming as it did in dribs and drabs not unlike the food. A band played late into the night, a few tenders said hello as they weaved their way back home and I imagine there are a few sore heads this morning.


Photos to follow due to wet string internet.

Henry

 

[rafiki_]

Great update again H. You are becoming quite poetic.

It really is a beautiful part of the country, and we plan to get around there in new Rafiki in time.

 

[Richard Shead]

No Chain Locker?

 

[oGaryo]

Hi H. thanks for posting this, my step father (John Kendall) was born in St Austell and spoke as fondly as you do of the surrounding bays and harbours. I'll forward this thread on to him for a trip down memory lane.

Thanks again, looks wonderful

cheers Gary

 

[z1ppy]

Oh the chain locker! Many good nights there on Cornish knocker!!

Lovely reporting henry! Great to see you enjoying yourself! We know you struggle sometimes!