Can I dinghy down Fowey R from Lostwithiel?

[richardm47]

Anyone know the Lostwithiel to Fowey area?

We're staying in a big family house party near Lostwithiel at Christmas. I quite fancy a dinghy adventure trip to add a bit of interest. I thought of taking my inflatable plus 3.5 outboard and launching at Lostwithiel to go down to Fowey. But I've never seen the area - is that just a crazy non-starter idea?

Where could I go to get more info about navigability etc? Any alternative suggestions, crazy or otherwise?

 

[snooks]

You can dinghy down to Fowey, but past Wiseman's pool it gets a bit busier, tho that might not be the case over Christmas.

Also remember that Lostwithiel is at the top, so you'll be leaving on a falling tide and have to wait 6 hours for it to start come back so you'll be away for 10 hours or so...in winter.

Personally I'd take the dinghy down to Fowey by car and come up with the rising tide, no danger of being washed out to sea that way, it's a shorter trip, and the tide is always in your favour, and it can be done in an afternoon

At springs at low tide +1 there isn't enough water from Golant to get any higher with an outboard, and it's not easy to find the channel.

So leave Fowey at just after low water, and print out google map's photos of the channel so you know where the water should be.

Stop at St Winnow for a bacon roll, and to stock up on other bits of dead pig...or Cream tea....it's by the church there's a little white trailer, that sells their own farm produce, and very tasty it is too.

There's also Golant to leave from and Lerryn to explore

ps Don't forget your safety kit

pps theGoogle map images are probably about LW+2 at springs

 

[T_C]

Check out Ken Endean's book which details the navigable river pretty well. Channel Haven's I think it's called.
Why not divert East half way down to Lerryn and catch their "seagull race" sometime post Christmas I think, this months PBO has the details.

 

[monkfish24]

If your down in Fowey on the last light or after sunset, you need a white all round lamp clearly visible. I'm pretty sure it's a harbour bye-law still and to be fair, quite sensible.

 

[snooks]

If your down in Fowey on the last light or after sunset, you need a white all round lamp clearly visible. I'm pretty sure it's a harbour bye-law still and to be fair, quite sensible.

It's also in IRPCS, unless your tender is over 7m of course

 

[Boathook]

PBO (Jan issue)had an article about British Seagull outboard motor racing taking place at Lerryn on the 29th December. Might worth watching if only to go for a walk !!

 

[VicS]

If your down in Fowey on the last light or after sunset, you need a white all round lamp clearly visible. I'm pretty sure it's a harbour bye-law still and to be fair, quite sensible

It is a requirement and not only were the sucker fitting lights available from the harbour office but they were being sold to people without lights out on the water from the harbour patrol boats. At least they were a year or so ago.

From the website:

Lights
Harbour Masters Notice 2007/02

Lights are to be carried by tenders transiting Fowey Harbour during hours of darkness and in restricted visibility.

All harbour users are reminded that Fowey is a busy commercial port with large vessels entering and leaving the harbour 24 hours a day. During the hours of darkness, small tenders are particularly difficult to see, particularly from the bridge of a merchant vessel.

FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY, AND THE SAFETY OF OTHER HARBOUR USERS, ANY VESSEL NOT FITTED WITH NAVIGATION LIGHTS MUST DISPLAY A LIGHT DURING THE HOURS OF DARKNESS AND AT TIMES OF RESTRICTED VISIBILITY, THIS INCLUDES TENDERS. FOWEY HARBOUR PATROL VESSELS WILL BE POLICING THIS REQUIRMENT.

 

[TamarMike]

All harbour users are reminded that Fowey is a busy commercial port with large vessels entering and leaving the harbour 24 hours a day. During the hours of darkness, small tenders are particularly difficult to see, particularly from the bridge of a merchant vessel.

Exactly what action does the skipper or pilot of a 20000 tonne clay ship take when he does spot your dinghy?

 

[VicS]

Exactly what action does the skipper or pilot of a 20000 tonne clay ship take when he does spot your dinghy?

The point is he won't have spotted you in an unlighted dinghy so will therefore take no action.

If by chance he does see you he'll call the harbour master to come and sell you one of his lights .... maybe carries a stock and will sell you one himself

 

[Ubergeekian]

FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY, AND THE SAFETY OF OTHER HARBOUR USERS, ANY VESSEL NOT FITTED WITH NAVIGATION LIGHTS MUST DISPLAY A LIGHT DURING THE HOURS OF DARKNESS AND AT TIMES OF RESTRICTED VISIBILITY, THIS INCLUDES TENDERS. FOWEY HARBOUR PATROL VESSELS WILL BE POLICING THIS REQUIRMENT.

Of course if you don't have a light showing they might not catch you ...

 

[monkfish24]

It's also in IRPCS, unless your tender is over 7m of course

Your quite right, I was trying to say that it is enforced there. TBH when running between moorings, who does have a night light on there tender? Fowey is the only place I've seen it enforced. But as said, they've got a nice little earner off it

 

[richardm47]

Thanks for all the input and advice. Great knowledge on this forum, makes it possible to do so many things that we otherwise wouldn't. Snooks you know so much you must live nearby? I think I'll adopt your suggestion and use the rising tide. But still going downriver from Lostwithiel.

So leave at 0900hrs on Sat 26th Dec when HW is 1145hrs. Looks like about 10nm to Fowey, aim to land there for late lunch and get picked up by car. Bacon rolls at St Winnow sounds good though. Or as well! Maybe a side trip to Lerryn if there is time.

Kit: I'll take a torch but we should be back in front of the fire well before dusk. Lifejackets, spare can of fuel, warm clothes, hot drink, maps. Pump and oars as always.

Snooks' Google maps link was very illuminating. That seems to show a ramp down to the river just north of the Lostwithiel railway bridge, possible launch place. Also shows some mild white water rapids below that bridge! Possibly only at that lowish state of tide, may be covered towards high water. Google shows plenty of boats moored at Lostwithiel so navigation in an inflatable must be possible. I'll check things out in advance.

I idly followed the river further north on Google, to see how far I might go up river. Found a dramatic view of Restormel Castle, which is oddly circular. But English Heritage website says the castle is closed after November otherwise it looks worth a visit. But probably by car rather than inflatable!

Thanks again for all your help. If we are able to do the trip, I'll report back.

 

[NPMR]

The Royal Cornwall yacht Club gave a prize one fear for the furthest inland trip by a boat and one of the contenders, maybe even winner(?) was, I beleieve, for a rubber dinghy trip to Lerryn from Fowey

 

[snooks]

Snooks you know so much you must live nearby? I think I'll adopt your suggestion and use the rising tide. But still going downriver from Lostwithiel.

We were down in Fowey last summer, I grew up in Falmouth, and I nicked my dads boat for the week, and took my girlfriend off sailing.

The wind was blowing its bits off outside the harbour so we snuck up to Wiseman's pool. Not wanting to risk bumping into a clay carrier, we decided to take the dinghy up river on a recommendation from a friend who was staying in Lerryn.

My experience prompted me to write this in the YM tell tales blog:

Do you use you tender? A silly question I know, one always uses their little rubber ducky to get to the pub - sorry shore and back. But how many of us really USE them?

While the mothership is usually restrained by her draught and manoeuvrability, a dinghy with an outboard and oars is a most versatile mode of transport. Amphibious, well kind-of, if you pick it up.

Comfortable, unless your crew was a bit too handy with the foot pump. It also has multiple forms of propulsion - it can be motored, dragged, pushed, rowed, punted and, if all else fails, carried! It really is a remarkable bit of kit, yet all most of us use them for is going to the shore to eat, drink and spend money.

There are beautiful tranquil rivers out there waiting to be explored, farm butchers waiting to sell you their wares and cook you the nicest bacon sandwiches the world has produced. OK I might have exaggerated there for a moment, but when I had the idea of exploring the River Fowey I didn't realise what it would involve. Needless to say, two hours later, after going aground, fighting with the outboard and trying to find an almost non-existent channel, I lost my sense of humour trying to row against a howling wind and streaming tide. I was wondering whether my relationship would stand it (it did), and whether this butcher I'd heard about was worth it (she was). So if you do take to your dinghy, wait until it's not raining you'll have a lot more fun.

 

[Boathook]

The Royal Cornwall yacht Club gave a prize one fear for the furthest inland trip by a boat and one of the contenders, maybe even winner(?) was, I beleieve, for a rubber dinghy trip to Lerryn from Fowey

My parents did it in a speed boat many years (1962?) ago, Lerryn to Fowey to go shopping. Must dig out the cine film that I am sure they took or do I find he projector first ?

 

[richardm47]

Well, we did the trip! Launched at a good slipway at Lostwithiel on Boxing Day and set out at HW-2. Six intrepid explorers (it felt like), split between a 9ft hard dinghy and a 9ft Zodiac. Plus one 3.5 outboard, mounted on the hard dinghy, we towed the inflatable.

It was cold, mostly bright and sunny with no wind, sometimes a light shower. One of those days when mist is lazing around the river plain. We got a double-rainbow photo, that's one in the sky and one on the water. Landed briefly at Castle Dore (?) rowing club where their Boxing day program was in full swing, we felt over-dressed by comparison.

Then on to Fowey, we pulled the boats out next to the car ferry slipway, and my brother drove down to collect us from there. Or rather from one of the many pubs!

Was well worth doing. My nephew surprised us with his boat handling skills. We liked the Swallows & Amazon exploring of unknown waters. Our boat is based on the Hamble and with next Christmas at home nearby, I'm planning another Boxing Day trip. Launch at the Horse & Jockey at HW-1, then dinghy down the unknown Hamble River bit until we reach familiar ground - Jolly Sailor, Veldsheda's etc.

 

[TamarMike]

My parents did it in a speed boat many years (1962?) ago, Lerryn to Fowey to go shopping. Must dig out the cine film that I am sure they took or do I find he projector first ?

Last weeks local TV news showed residents of Lerryn cut off by snow unable to get supplies. Although they showed a few pretty scenes including boats no-one suggested going shopping in Fowey by water. Perhaps it was unfortunate that there were neap tides at the time.