Well, we did it! our first all night passage (on Emerald) , leaving Salcombe at about 4pm with a gentle force 3 forecast (can you tell what happens already?!) heading for Studland Bay. We left for an overnoght passage across Lyme Bay as we had too far to travel in daylight to get into the unlit anchorage with light to see (16 hours to do the trip, and with the shorter days we wouldn't have been able to leave and arrive in daylight.) Therefore we left in the evening planning to arrive in the morning.
All was ready to go with our watches planned and a lazy evening meal planned. However the wind died as we left Salcombe in the lee of Bolt Head and Prawle Point. Therefore we fired up the iron Genny (though i think it is mostly Aluminium these days) and had dinner in the cockpit. As night fell and we settled into a watch routine, the wind began to strengthen. We thought it prudent to put a reef in before the light all went. Then a second reef as it got dark and the seas built, we had 30 knots on the port beam....... (good forecast! thats a F7 not a F3!) We only had a hanky of genny out and were still storming along at 9.5 knots with the tide, but we were a little out of control hurtling forward into the dark night (is that a film)
So the watch system was out the window as it was all hands to the sails and watching the big beam seas sweep towards us, but Emerald stormed along like a trooper, and we worked her well.
Arrived in Studland about 8am in the morning and dropped anchor, got her shipshape and out of our foul weather gear and fell asleep in the early morning sun in the cockpit to mid afternoon. Woke up tidied up and cooked some comfort food before watching the sunset with a beer and heading to bed.
Today has been spent foraging for wild foods, but more of that later.

The photo is of Emerald in 'the bag' at Salcombe.
Slainte
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Well, we've now arrived in Salcombe, on our slow trip East.

The photo is of Sunset at Hope Cove, beautiful.

We arrived 'round the corner' into Salcombe following our prudent escape from Hope Cove, and we saw gusts of Force 8 as we rounded Bolt Tail, so were glad when we safely crossed the bar into Salcombe, the same bar mentioned by Alfred Lord Tennyson's
"Crossing the Bar"

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For though from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


Well said, from over 100 years ago. We were indeed happy to have crossed in the literal rather than metaphorical sense, as we've hope not to 'cross over' for many years to come!

The photo is at Hope Cove watching the sunset over the Americas!

slainte
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Reluctantly we left the Yealm, and headed once again for the open waters to the east. The wind refused to die and had swung directly on the nose (is it a karma thing?) so we decided to chug there under engine (as we needed hot water and to charge the batteries) to Hope Cove, tucked in behind the headland of Bolt Tail. This is where old commercial sailing ships would sit out Easterly weather waiting to head up the English Channel across Lyme Bay. It is nice to think we were doing the same as those old ships of yesteryear.

We thought we'd have the anchorage to ourselves, but no sooner had we dropped the hook and got it to dig in, than 3 other boats appeared around the headland and all anchored within a cable of us.... ho hum!

However we had a peaceful and calm night until sun up next day, when the wind again strengthened and shifted to the NNE and put us on a lee shore to bolt tail.......

Therefore we made out excuses and beat a hasty retreat from the anchorage!

What was interesting was watching the sunset to the west, over the ocean knowing that the next land in that direction was in the Americas! I will get an atlantic passage chart out and work out where that landfall is, so that perhaps one day we can sit at anchor to the west looking back at Hope Cove!

Photo of Nichola enjoying more local culture and September sunshine
slainte
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