Dartmouth Bound
07/13/10
Having left Weymouth on a very grey rainy day we had our doubts whether we would have much of a sail for the forty six miles we needed to cover. The weather eventually brightened up after we got past the Shambles (aptly named) and had good wind with us. With a few other yachts heading our way we found ourselves in an unofficial race. At this time of the year you can guarantee there's a little bit of competition to get the best berths. As it turns out, the wind was howling as we entered the harbour and didn't abate till well into the evening. We were not able to secure a pontoon berth as the spring tide was pushing us off and the bow-thruster was working overtime. The harbour master assisted us onto the town quay but not before a small greedy yacht was persuaded to move up. You could only use this berth after hours from the ferry and you must be off by 8.45am the next morning. Further down the river Dart , there are more visitors moorings which will suit us as the weather is due to turn a little nasty. We leave the town quay and make our way down to the mooring buoy in the rain, to find the only large buoy has just been vacated by a large catamaran and is perfect. The harbour master is already assisting another boat and comes over to thread our ropes through the buoy and secure the boat for the next three days. It's a lovely spot and opposite Agatha Christie's holiday home which has been handed over to the National Trust and attracts many visitors. The dinghy ride into Dartmouth centre takes roughly 15 minutes where we have been told off twice by the maritime police for going a little over the 6knot limit. Third time won't be so lucky. As the weather has changed into a gloomy looking day we decide to cross over to the other side and see Greenway House which was Agatha Christies holiday home which dates from around 1792. The house was then passed onto her daughter who lived there fulltime for many years. The grounds are lush and the house is very homely which overlooks the river Dart. We had such a great day out, we'll have to find a few more of these interesting places.