Sailing getting less popular?

[Cornishman]

They must have all come down West. We had at least 6 yachts and 2 motor cruisers visit us at Cotehele Quay between Saturday and Monday as well as 4 GP14 dinghies! Quite crowded it was!
I did hear that there were some other visitors at Calstock as well.

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[Jacket]

Did you go past Stone point Monday afternoon? I was trying to get back to Titchmarsh, and it was jammed solid, with boats right across the channel, stretching from well clear of Stone point, up to and into the moorings. Must have been close to a hundred there. They were so clasely packed that in places I had to squeeze through with just a couple of feet clear either side. I'd have loved to have been there when the tide changed!

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[Mirelle]

I was one of them! Having two small boys on board, and a sailing tender, I "put my beach towel down" so to speak on Sunday afternoon, close in against the sand at the landward of the two "low water beaches", in the 6 metre hole, about opposite the Dardanelles green con. buoy, and was there until about 16.00 on Monday when we cleared out and went round to the top of Hamford. I was looking out for you - maybe we just missed each other. Reason for moving was indeed to get a quiet night's sleep, clear of all risk of swinging into another boat!

I did not count the boats higher up Town Channel, which you of course did, so it seems my count was all wrong, and the place was as crowded as ever!

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[Jacket]

Didn't realise you ment 117 in just that stretch of water. How did they fit? Or was it a case of fenders out, and being able to walk ashore by stepping from one boat to the other?

I can back up dickh's comment that everyone goes to Titchmarsh instread of anchoring- it was swarming.

I got my days confused- was heading in Sunday afternoon, and went out again Monday morning, so must have passed you. I'll have to look harder next time. The only gaff boat I remember noticing was one called 'Witch'. What's Mirelle look like? Is the name prominent?

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[Twister_Ken]

Pronounciation?

Cotehele.

Cut-heely?
Cot-heely?
Coaty-heely?
etc?

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[Cornishman]

Re: PRONUNCIATION

Co-teel.

People who have lived in the Tamar Valley for about 50 years call it Cut-hill, but I don't qualify yet.

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[Twister_Ken]

Thx. nm

`

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[Mirelle]

The 117 started in Hamford Water and finished just below the lowest mooring in Town Channel. Counted from the deck of my father's boat, en route to our mooring in the Twizzle, more or less opposite Titchmarsh Marina. Did not count boats borrowing moorings or boats in marina.

Did not go up above the Dardanelles this time but reckoned from what we could see maybe 50 or so.

I'm a bit puzzled - Titchmarsh are nice people, but the marina is in the middle of nowhere - good place to keep a boat, of course, but not really a place to visit, I would have thought! Still, I suppose some people would say that Hamford Water has nothing to offer except desolate salt marsh and a few seals!

Mirelle is about the same size as Witch but counter stern and more bow overhang - name on stern but not at all prominent since I took the guard wires (and hence the dodgers) off two years ago. Pale cream hull, light blue decks, tan sails, usually has varnished clinker dinghy upside down on cabin top.

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[charles_reed]

I too have noticed a similar phenomenon.

In answer to Mirelle's question first - no I don't think sailing has become less popular, what has happened is that less sailing goes on.
For most the marina has become the mobile home park, even in the UK those on moorings are in the minority whilst in Europe only the impecunious are on moorings.

The interesting fact is that when you get to out-of-the-way places where the sailing bourgeoisie tend not to congregate you still find the same social mix and match going on, more so amongst the French, Netherlanders & Germans than the Brits who appear to believe their boats' their castles.

I suspect what we're seeing is a variation of one of the symptoms of overcrowding, an attempt to protect personal space by ignoring others.
In the rat-overcrowding experiments, done in the 50's, the next phases were increased aggression, followed by a drop in birthrate and then parental infanticide.

Pretty grim prognosis - what.

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[Violetta]

And a truly lovely place it is too (nm)

nm

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[Cornishman]

Re: And a truly lovely place it is too (nm)

Violetta, you are quite right of course. I have said here before that I would be pleased to meet anyone at The Quay in the afternoon at weekends in The Boatshed information centre, but so far this season only one crew has called. Come and have a chat.
From the original subject for this string you will see that we can usually find you a berth alongside or on a mooring in mid river.


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[T_C]

Re: PRONUNCIATION

It amuses me when you hear the DFL's calling it Co-Telly.

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[Cornishman]

Re: PRONUNCIATION

Yeah! I live on the road to the place and am often asked for directions. The favourite is Cotty Healy, " Sorry, Sir, Never heard of it!"

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[tcm]

Re: Hardly surprising

Sailing has always been a fairly basic out-of-doors activity, and these days, relatively, it is extremely basic and surely attracts only the most out-of-doorsy type of people. Sure, it's exciting, but lots of other activities are exciting too, and don't reauire that you adopt the mindset of someone living in the 1950's when everything was rationed, unavailable or not invented: nice food, working shower systems, comfy beds for example.

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[Violetta]

Would that I could.....

It's a long time since I've sailed up to Cotehele Quay. The southwest, Brittany, Biscay, N. Spain, W. Ireland - these were the sailing grounds of my youth. The East Coast, Holland, Baltic etc. are the sailing grounds of my "certain age". Alas, we have not the time to bring the boat down to the west again, although I would love to do so. Each side has it's magic and I love both inordinately.

If I were to win the lottery (not holding my breath - never bought a ticket) I would track down the old Irina VII (if she's still around); make them an offer they couldn't refuse; give her the best restoration money could buy and base her in the west country. Plymouth, Falmouth........But my primary sailing base would still be over here. It's under my skin (and my fingernails)

But, Cotehele.....one of my favourite places on the face of the earth - especially in the early spring when the daffodils are out in those gardens and woods tumbling down to the river from that gorgeous old grey stone house.......

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[Jacket]

Re: Hardly surprising

Basic? Maybe on an old or small boat, but surely not on most modern AWB's with hot and cold running water, heaters, fridge, electric windlass and winches, in mast furling, TV etc?

Ahh, maybe that would explain people using their boats less. With all that stuff on board, it must feel like you're still at home, so you might as well stay at home and save yourself the drive to the boat.

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[Twister_Ken]

Warning

Jacket, don't get TCM going. He'll be wittering on about marble bathrooms, shag pile carpet, electric loos and spring mattresses next.

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