Wadebridge to Lundy...

[Jonny2018]

I've just sold the rib and brought a Fletcher 18gts.
I've been out and about coastal on various sea trials.
Now I'm planning to take her a little further out. I plan to go along the coast from the boat yard in Wadebridge then out to Lundy Island which lies 12 miles off the coast.
So if anyone can answer the following I'd be grateful.
First is the Fletcher 18gts even capable of going out on the open sea?
Can the dock at Lundy be used publicly? Or is there a tender service?
From there I plan to go to ilfracombe for something to eat, again is there a dock?
I then plan to moor/anchor I know of a sheltered cove close to Rock but does anyone know of one I can drop anchor for the night between rock and ilfracombe?
Is there anywhere along the way for refuelling if needed?
Thanks for any help/tips
Read more at http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?505954-First-boating-trip-*cornwall*#RMdbPrJRiuQQR7r2.99

 

[jwilson]

I hope this isn't a troll.

All sorts of boats can go to all sorts of places, but a small speedboat with (presumably) a single engine well off shore on the North Cornwall/Devon coasts is a bit like riding a bicycle up the fast lane of the M1. It's possible, but probably not advisable. I have sailed this area in small boats, but always had both sails and an engine, I knew what I was doing, and the small sailing boats would cope with much much worse weather than any speedboat.

Safety at sea is thinking "...what if...."

In your case the biggie is what if the engine dies. Or a fog descends: have had that happen on a nice calm sunny day. Or a throttle or steering cable breaks. Or .......

 

[bitbaltic]

You have bought a small inshore speedboat.

What you are proposing is normally done in powerful, offshore motorboats or better, in weatherly sailing cruisers which can handle big tides and foul weather.

The boat you have is suitable for ringoing off a beach, no problem. In good weather and neap tides it might get away with what you propose but it is not built for it. Understand that tide alone in the BC can kick up sea states which are beyond your boat’s design specs even if there is no wind- especially in the races around Lundy.

My advice would be to have fun with it close to shore as a beach boat and forget about Lundy.

 

[Sneds]

Have to agree, I answered your post on the mobo forum

 

[fergie_mac66]

quite a lot of overfalls around lundy at various states of tide even without wind over tide conditions . rock to lundy must be going on 60 miles. I think you might find it convienient to turn around and go back by the time you get to newland or pentire point!

 

[oldmanofthehills]

There is no public dock at Lundy, you have to anchor perhaps 1/4 mile off shore and row ashore in dinghy, and its the lumpiest anchorage I know of. Where would you stow dinghy in an 18ft speedboat? You might be able to tie up briefly at ferry staging but you might well be chased off except in emergency. Nothing wrong in heavyish 18ft fishing boat with backup outboard at stern making such a passage but the Fletcher 18 is a speed boat designed for other usages

 

[Birdseye]

Johnny, dont take this personally - I'm trying to keep you safe. The naivety of your questions says to me that you simply dont know enough about what you propose to do to keep yourself safe. Its a problem with Mobos - the drivers often assume its just like driving a car and it isnt.

What you need is someone with experience of your type of boat to hold your hand a bit on the first journey or two. And some knowledge of things like navigation would help. Have you even got an almanac or charts to tell you where there are "docks" and where there arent?

Its not the boat that is the weak link - its you. But we all started knowing sod all and other more experienced boaters helped us on our way.

 

[bitbaltic]

In the interests of trying to keep you safe he’s got a bucket full of out-of-date flares he can pass on to you for nix, too. Interested?