Dave and Sue outside La Sablonnerie, Sark

Tuesday 25 May 2010

Catchup time after no internet access

Wednesday 19th May

Wednesday saw us sailing from Fowey towards Looe where we had arranged to meet our friend Ian on Eonmor. Looking at the forecast it said gentle winds if any but fog also. Visibility in Fowey harbour was not good but we had arranged to meet up so decided to go. I have to admit that I would not have left harbour if we had not had complete faith in our chart plotter.

As we left Fowey you could just about make out both sides of the entrance and once out to sea we estimated that visibility was about 200 yds. That was as good as it got. We needed to head a little off shore to clear a south cardinal buoy which was warning of rocks inshore of it. As we approached it we scanned the fog to locate it knowing that it had to be there somewhere close. Suddenly we spotted it about 50 yds away. So much for the visibility. As we changed course we heard the foghorn of a (what sounded like) a large ship close astern. Hunting out our foghorn we gave a blast back and continued every two minutes until we heard it no longer. We never even saw it. We continued on our way and eventually reached Looe although we could not see it. We saw Ian on Eonmor anchored as he had arrived slightly earlier. We anchored nearby and waited the short time for the necessary tide to increase the depth of water in the harbour to allow us to enter. All the while we could hear the foghorn on the pier head but could not see it. As the smaller boat we entered first once there was enough water for us. We eventually saw the pier head and crept in very slowly just seeing both sides of the entrance that is only about 50 yds across. As we approached the visitors berth we saw a boat already there so prepared to raft up to it. Once secured we called Eonmor on the radio and he came in and secured next to us. Ten minutes later you could see the harbour entrance quite clearly. Sue very quickly cooked a delicious chicken curry and Ian joined us on board bringing a bottle of wine with him.

Next morning we awoke to fairly clear skies and good visibility. I got some diesel from a nearby garage as we were getting low while Sue did some shopping in a nearby Spar shop. Once we floated we left the harbour and motored on a flat calm sea towards Cawsand, our next destination.

Thursday 20th May

After a relatively short passage of about ten miles we dropped anchor in Cawsand. There were just a few other boats already there, one of which was Wylo II that is sailed single-handedly around the world and is a replica of the first yacht to be sailed around the world single handed by a Joshua Slocum. We went ashore for a walk round the two villages of Cawsand and Kingsand that blend together to form one and just caught an ice cream shop before it closed. We ate ours sitting on the sea front looking across to the anchorage



Twin villages of Cawsand and Kingsand bathed in sunshine

Friday 21st May

After a lovely peaceful evening and night at anchor in Cawsand (such an idyllic spot in the right conditions) we motor sailed across Plymouth Sound and headed into the River Yealm to go to Newton Ferrers where we were due to meet up with other Legend owners for a ‘Rendevous’. Seven boats were due to meet up there and by Saturday afternoon we had seven tied up against the pontoon. When we arrived there were a few boats already there and very quickly we were invited onboard one for coffee. Food was provided later by various items being provided by each crew and a very enjoyable evening was had by all.



A tranquil entrance to the River Yealm

Saturday and Sunday 22nd and 23rd May

Next day saw us on a fairly long walk around a nearby headland then along the coast before heading back inland to complete the circuit. Six of us rewarded ourselves with a nice cold drink at the riverside pub at Noss Mayo before returning to our boats. Thanks Paul and Lynn for inviting us along. Saturday night was at the local yacht club where a meal had been booked and 13 of us sat down to a delicious meal and good chat. Sunday morning saw boats begin to leave although we had decided to stay an extra night as the spot is so lovely and the weather was glorious. Being on a pontoon in the River Yealm is an interesting experience when it comes to modern technology. Mobile phones do work here but seem to be tide dependant. At high tide or thereabouts a good signal can be obtained. As the tide goes out and the pontoon drops in the valley signal strength gets less and eventually you lose the signal. This repeats itself each tide cycle and takes some getting used to. Mobile broadband is, not surprisingly not available there. Hence the lengthy catch up in this blog item.

Monday 24th May

Monday saw us heading off on the tide to Plymouth for a night in a marina so we could fulfil baby sitting duties for our son and partners daughter (our first grand child incase you were not aware.

Tuesday 25th May

Trying to decide where to go but watching the unsettled weather trying to dictate where it would be prudent to go to. We shall see ! In the meantime I gave myself a haircut while we had access to mains power. It works very well, sat on the side deck in the breeze all the hair blows away nicely, not that I have a lot to trim. Sue was busy washing and drying clothes and bedding while I carried out other maintenance checks etc after the haircut. Another lovely sunny day although localised flooding is forecast for Wednesday / Thursday. Perhaps we shall get some rain.

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