pugwash
Well-Known Member
I've cruised all over the world -- New Zealand (where I was born), Croatia, Corsica, Balearics, Caribbean, South Seas (and thrown up in all oceans). But I have to say that when my little ketch Sovrana noses into some peaceful inlet amid a patchwork of fields, the church tower a leading mark and the pub with tables outside promising beer and supper, I'm sure the West Country is just the best in the world. Only one problem: weather. In bad weather it's no worse than anywhere else, and these days you can see it coming. In good weather it's the best. Other cruising grounds are good too, in their ways, and I wouldn't dream of knocking them. But the West Country offers by far the best mix of challenging and pleasurable cruising. Forget the mess and the traffic jams off Salcombe town, no point in complaining about it, just go right up the river. Avoid the crowds of dinghies landing at the jetty in the Yealm, go right up the river beyond the buoys where you can lie as peacefully as anywhere in Scotland or Puget Sound. The anchorages are delightful, and if you have to pay a bit so what? Beats a caravan site. I think the British people in general do a civilised job of slotting so many interests and activities into a small stretch of natural beauty, and even in July and August the enterprising gunk-holer can always find a quiet nook to drop his hook.
