MH to Newlyn/Penzance next week - advice requested

[andyo]

Hi, I am helping to move a 26ft cat from Milford Haven to the Isle of Wight next week and wondered if I could get some local advice on rounding Land's End. I've read and somewhat digested Steve Yates' thread from Feb last year, which is very useful.

We are planning to leave MH a couple of hours after HW next Thursday 25th July (HW is close to Wednesday midnight), to pick up the outflowing tide. Now, a 12hr trip across to Padstow is possible, and arrival in daylight.

If we are making good progress with, perhaps, some E in the wind, we may try just a single trip round to Newlyn. There are 4 of us, but - we are relatively inexperienced in night sailing and don't know the area. A trip straight to Newlyn would entail a nighttime rounding of Land's End. We may decide not to attempt this, but after we have passed Padstow. Does anyone have recommendations for a sheltered place to anchor or stop for a few hours until daylight appears?

Looking at the charts, I see there is St. Ives (with a harbour?), Ligger Bay or Newquay Bay (again, with harbour?). Does anyone have any thoughts, advice or ideas?
Many thanks,
Andy

 

[steveej]

I have just done Plymouth to Cardiff about two weeks ago.

First things first.....Padstow is cool but you need to make sure you have enough water to get in (about 2hrs +/- HW). I would call them first to make sure there is enough space.

St Ives is a nice stop and you can anchor off the harbor entrance. I would not try to take the boat into the harbour as it is mostly small motor boats / ribs and it dries out. I am not sure if there are even visitor moorings but I could be wrong. Good holding off the entrance in sand but you need to make sure the wind strength / direction are ok.

Newlyn may be a struggle for a cat as there was not much room when I was there and some of the larger yachts were turned away. Also very shallow on the inside of the west pontoon. It's a fishing port not really a marina. You could anchor off.

You need to decide whether you are going to do the inside passage at longships / landsend or take the outside route and this will be conditions dependent.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

There are visitors buoys at St Ives. Rolls a bit though and now only use it if sleep urgent on way back from Brittany or we have mechanical issues due to bad weather stirring up fuel sludge.

Padstow to St Ives was 8 hours for us and OP has faster boat so if you leave Padstow before HW you get to Landsend at Low water, then take rising tide to Newlyn up the other side. There are eddies and back eddies on the inside passage that should make it all practical and we have been through in fog using chart plotter to keep clear of the Wolves and the Longships and quite wide and wasnt that tense making, but you might go outside in some weathers. Havent been into Newlyn itself so cant comment on the destination