Brixham to Plymouth

Famous 1926 fishing smack in renovation

A reluctant farewell to Brixham, we could probably have walked the hilly streets some more, and called in at churches and museums.  Also the showers scored an unprecedented '10'.  But we must keep making westing while the weather is settled.  We had full sail set and engine off within 15 mins of leaving the pontoon, but there was no wind so 10 mins later furled the foresail and engine back on ... sigh.

Out past Start Point, so called because the sailors of old thought that when they passed it their ocean journey had really started.  Tom Cunliffe, who writes the Shell Channel Pilot that we read avidly every day, says that Start Point is where you leave the 'Channel chops' (choppy seas) behind and welcome the ocean swell from the Atlantic.

Then finally, halfway down the long leg to Plymouth, the promised NW F4 arrived, and we sailed close-hauled for hours ... managed to sail all the way in to Plymouth outer harbour.  In the process we were circled by warships (again) - there's at least 4 of them going in and out and around about.  

Also many other yachts following similar tracks to us, which is always nice although it does bring out an entirely unnecessary competitive spirit.

Navigated through Plymouth sound past Drake Island, West Hoe, and moored in the Mayflower Marina right next door to the Devonport naval base.  All the names are hugely redolent of our maritime past.

Royal William Yard, Plymouth at sunset

It was a 9 to 5 day - the tide times could not be better for a civilised start time, and passage took 8 hours exactly as planned.  We are now sitting in our cabin after sundown, listening on the VHF to the warships talking to the central control room as they anchor up for the night - we heard English, French, German and Spanish warships, 6 of them anchored in the harbour.

Brixham in brief

Brixham Day Off - chores in brief.



Showers -best so far around the UK and much needed after 3 days dirty.

Laundry, water in tank, petrol for outboard, food shopping at the Co-op.

Blogging, investigation of engine trouble last night, hose down boat.

Passage plan for next day's journey. 

Phew.




Tonight, a treat - fresh Brixham fish at Number 15, The Quay. 

And a walk past the historic Brixham smacks Pilgrim, Vigilance and Iris.

26 May Studland to Brixham & a rescue

We had a lazy day at anchor in Studland Bay yesterday, in a semi-static community of about 30 yachts and motorboats.  The wind continued to whip & whistle until late afternoon when it calmed down enough for us to inflate & launch the dinghy, having first checked the outboard would work - it had been sitting on the pushpit bracket since last July completely untouched and it started 2nd pull - remarkable little Yamaha 2-stroke. Most other yachts just walk off their 'sugar-scoop' stern into their dinghy (and appallingly most of the people don't wear lifejackets which is just daft).  Our stern is full of equipment and of a more old-fashioned (traditional) shape, so we set up a wooden ladder amidships.  We buzzed over to the part of the beach where Nic's family had a beach hut for 40 years and had friends who still went there - we knew some were in their hut because their skull&crossbones flag could be seen.  We met up with them and then there was sadness - one dear friend, not old, had passed away suddenly last winter.  It felt as though a little bit of the beach was gone, as Graham was such a grand character, full of enthusiasm and skill in all things boaty.  The evening and sunset was very pretty, and we took pics of Sirena IV from the dinghy.


Today (26 May) rather than just doing 25 miles to Portland we decided that as the tides were right and the weather was forecast gentle, we'd do the long haul of 70+ miles to Brixham - this would really get us west.  As I write this we are some 5 miles off Brixham and it's 2000 (8pm for landlubbers) so we should just get in before dark.  The trip has been uneventful, in part due to careful route planning to avoid nasty tide rips around headlands, especially Portland Bill.  The main event was around 1900 when we were briefly joined by a pod of perhaps 10 small dolphins, or perhaps they were porpoises - after 10 minutes of appearing & disappearing (almost never where the camera was pointed) they stopped appearing.  

The weather forecast today was for SE Force 3-4 wind to start, switching later to NW or even N - so we entertained visions of sailing a lot of the way.   Ha ha.  We had Variable Force 1 (the flap of a butterfly's wings), then W (on the nose) F2-3 - all useless.  So motor-sailing was the order of the day, with the mainsail up to show willing.  We did engine off and tack for a while mid-afternoon, but were only making 2.5kn towards our upwind destination which would have meant arriving at 0200 after 17 hours passage, which is unnecessarily hard work and risky through fatigue, so after a pleasant sail it was engine on again - I never thought I'd love the engine so much.  Yes we could I suppose have drifted into Portland, but the forecast is more stronger W wind tomorrow so this is a chance to get across the big stretch of Lyme Bay (40 miles) in settled conditions at least ... and we want to get on westwards!

Some brief stats for this voyage so far:
8 passage days and 3 rest days
passages ranging from 5 miles to 70 miles
280 nautical miles
46 engine hours
and a lot more sailing than last year!

(27 May) And here is why this was not posted last night: 3 miles out from Brixham we came across a yacht whose engine had broken, and the wind had died - so we offered a tow into Brixham which took some time, especially as neither of us had done towing before.  Plus we had a minor engine problem ourselves, unconnected except for Sod's Law.  Made it in at 10pm and after lots of conversations with both Brixham & Berry Head Coastguards and the Marina no-one could raise a rib to come and guide him onto a pontoon ... so we towed him all the way in and cast him loose when there was just room for us to turn away and he glided up to a pontoon without ramming it or us (no engine means no brakes - all he had was a bucket on a rope).  So mission accomplished rather well, although more through luck than judgement perhaps.  Had a beer together afterwards and it turned out his boat is a Nicholson 30, so almost family :-).  We got back from the pub at 2330 zzzzzz