The journey has ended and I am safely back in Dartmouth.
The weather stayed nice in Falmouth and we headed east to Fowey. Mark and Sarah were still there on Nelly and we picked up a mooring buoy next to them. We were just in time for M&N to be invited to a beach barbecue with M&S and their friends. 10 people went around the corner in 2 small boats to Atlantic Bay and had a great time in beautiful weather on a lovely beach. Nelly departed the next morning. M&N took (dinghy) Annie to the shore and spent the day walking and mooching around pretty Fowey.
The next day we headed east to Plymouth. The weather forecast was for the next day of rain and wind so we went into Queen Anne’s Battery marina rather than anchor off Cawsand. M&N were quite shocked at the price of the marina after more reasonable rates further north. They braved the wind and rain and wandered around the Barbican area and enjoyed a tour and tasting at the Plymouth gin distillery.
After 2 nights in Plymouth we motored the few miles east to Salcombe and picked up a mooring buoy between the town and the pretty East Portlemouth beaches. M&N took Annie ashore and surprised Rose who was working in the Musto shop. Next morning M&N went ashore again to the local bakery then we headed north east in the sunshine around Prawle Point and a bumpy Start Point to moor on the busy town jetty in Dartmouth (see photo). I am here for all of September then will move across the river for a 6-month winter berth in Darthaven marina in Kingswear. I will remain in the water except for lifting out briefly for antifouling and some other jobs, including sorting out my sails and furling gear. I am hoping that we will be able to do some local sailing over the next few months.
The summer was a little frustrating with problems and weather but enjoyable and challenging. We logged 937 nautical miles this summer, making 3,270 in total since we left Brixham in May 2015. We did 171 engine hours this year, making 510 for the journey. We visited 30 different places this year and spent 87 nights on board, with a total of 287 nights on board for the journey.
Highlights this year included the wonderful scenery & anchorages and wildlife including M&N’s first sighting of an otter in the wild and a golden eagle hovering over us off Mull. We met some nice people including the three very kind Dubliners who helped us with our jammed mainsail in Ardglass. M&N enjoyed seeing M’s Uncle Alan & Auntie Wendy as well as Simon and Judi in Dublin, and also their friend Scott. As well as the sailing M&N enjoyed a lot of shore adventures including a land-based wildlife safari and the highland games in Mull. M&N were glad to have their car in Ardrossan as they were able to explore the area and get around when I had my engine coupling problems. They were also able to take advantage of nearby airports for trips to Copenhagen and Mallorca and also from Belfast to Glasgow to take the car home to Dartmouth when weather-bound for a few days. Another highlight was our night crossing of the Irish Sea with thousands of stars, quite calm sea, lots of dolphins playing in the bow wave and a fantastic display of shooting stars from the Perseids meteorites.
Lowlights were the more than 3 week delay caused from the broken engine coupling and the problems with the mainsail jamming in the mast (a new sail is a high priority!). The weather was not kind this year, with the wettest summer in Scotland on record and quite a few very windy days too where it was too stormy to venture out.
The most surreal moment was on a dark and bouncy night crossing of the Bristol Channel. We had Radio 2 on for company and at 23:00 on Tuesdays there is a 30 minute programme of Wurlitzer organ music. So awful it was funny.
Well, that’s it for this journey. We look forward to some local trips over the autumn and winter and some planning for next season. We aim to spend longer exploring the beautiful West Country and potentially head to the Channel Islands. We shall see!
Meanwhile, as they say in these parts, goodbye my lovelies!
Katrina
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