Exploring a bit of England

We finally left the marina after a week of recommissioning and reprovisioning Echo.  We’re very familiar with this area but haven’t done much on the water.  It was intimidating setting out and all has gone well.  There are very high tides and strong currents which must be accounted for while traveling and when dropping your anchor for the night.  There are also some differences in navigation aids and boaters are under much more strict rules when communicating on the VHF radio.  We both had taken courses through the Royal Yachting Association in 2018 during Echo’s build and feel the time was quite well spent.  The courses along with appropriate cruising guides and various weather reporting resources have been very helpful.

Our first journey was a beautiful sail from Southampton to Lymington Yacht Harbor on the Solent.  The Solent is the body of water between the south coast of England and the Isle of Wight.  It is a very busy waterway with regattas, recreational boats, commercial and ferry boats.  All went well well with the journey and entering the marina.  We had spent lots of time in Lymington in previous visits and were happy to make it our first stop.  Also happy to have the local rigging company tend to a few issues for us before heading further afield.

 

From here we made a short hop across the Solent to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight.  We had made contact with the marina asking for a reservation but we’re told not to worry as they would not turn anyone away.  This was a bit disconcerting as we are a pretty big sailboat and can be difficult to fit in.  True to their word they did fit us in and we had a wonderful time there.  We had to squeeze between two large cruising boats, several neighbors came out to tend lines for us and the “berthing master” assisted in a tender.  Sometimes the help can make things more complicated but all went well and everyone was excited to see Echo.  We met many interesting people including Eddie Kidd who was a very successful stunt performer who became injured during a jump on a motorcycle.  It was his birthday and lots of his friends were there to celebrate.

We continue to turn heads as we make our way along England and Ireland.  Catamarans are not seen often in these areas and we do stand out.  It’s fun and we’re happy for the reception.  People are excited to see an American boat and may think we’re just arriving from the US, we try to clarify but always receive a warm welcome and great interest.

While in Yarmouth we used the public bus to explore the area including a journey out to the eastern end of the island where we would pass for our next leg.  The Needles are a a dramatic formation at the western edge of the Isle of Wight consisting of chalk.  We would soon sail right past and we we wanted to get a look from land.  The bus system was great and the area was stunning!

Next stop, Portland where we berthed on the visitors pontoon for several days.  We once again availed ourselves of the public bus system for exploring.  First item on the agenda was to get a birds eye look at Portland Bill.  This is a narrow promontory at the end of Portland Island  which is “notorious for the number of shipwrecked vessels over the centuries” (Wikipedia).  Currents converge here making very hazardous seas and great care must be taken to successfully transit.  During our stay we took two bus trips out to view routing around the Bill from above.  It is important to chose the right time of tide and the right course through the area.  We were able to watch two boats round the Bill which was encouraging and helpful for our planning.  There is an inner passage to follow at or close to slack tide or you can avoid the area by going several miles out around and completely avoid the area of concern.  Click Here for a video explanation of our planning excursion.

David and Suzanne met up with us at Portland Marina and made one of the trips to view the Bill.  It was wonderful to reconnect on the water and once again plan passages together.  Given they’re now on a power boat they can get longer distances much faster and can avoid the inner passage but were helpful in the planning.

Happy to report that we made it around the Bill at slack tide, following the inner route and all went as planned.  It was a rough ride but we felt a huge sense of accomplishment with Portland Bill in our past!

 

 

The  rest of that day’s journey was a sporty, close hauled sail across Lyme Bay in 20+ knots of wind.   We dropped anchor for the night in a beautiful spot named Anstey Cove in Torquay, about 10 miles north of Dartmouth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

David and Suzanne had gone straight to the marina in Dartmouth and sorted things out for our arrival.  We moored on the mid river moorings with the assistance of the Harbor Patrol (Dartnav).  We had lines to bow and stern moorings to prevent swinging with tide and current.  It is a very busy river with both commercial and recreational traffic to stay clear of.

 

 

 

Dartmouth is a beautiful city!  As you enter the river you pass by two castles then make your way up the river past beautiful ruins and colorful houses.

While in Antiqua a few years ago David and Suzanne introduced us to Pat and Stuart who live in Dartmouth.  At that time they were sailing on their Discovery 55  and we had just signed the contract to build Echo.  Pat had told us what a wonderful place Dartmouth is and we should be sure to visit, so glad we had the opportunity!

We had a wonderful few days exploring the town and enjoyed some of the restaurants with the group.  We also visited Pat and Stuart’s home which they recently purchased and are refurbishing.  It is beautifully done and magical in so many aspects.

Moved on for a quick stop in Solcombe for the night night then to Plymouth for a few nights at the Mayflower Marina.  While there we accompanied David and Suzanne to look at a Sunseeker for sale nearby, beautiful and very different than a sailboat.  We also did a lot of walking, eating and exploring the town.

Next stop Falmouth where we checked into Port Pandennis Marina.  We enjoyed all of our stops but we’re particularly intrigued with Cornwall.  A few years ago we got hooked on the series Poldark and we’re happy to be exploring the area.

Left Falmouth on the morning of July 7th to round the Lizard, a somewhat notoriously difficult stretch to navigate.  It is a point jutting south from Cornwall where tides and currents can cause very disturbed water called a race.  Timing is important and we went as close to slack tide as we could.  We experienced a fairly calm journey then motor sailed to St. Michael’s Mount where we were lucky to have calm enough conditions to anchor for the night.

We quickly dinghied over to explore, what a beautiful and interesting place.

Suzie Two had opted to bypass St. Michael’s Mount as they would stop on their way back home.  We reconnected a day later in the Isles of Scilly.  Again, another beautiful and worthwhile stop.  We relaxed and enjoyed more time with David and Suzanne in a wonderful place.  We anchored in St. Mary’s Pool then between Tresco and Bryher, both lovely anchorages.  Near Tresco we were invited for sundowners with two other Discovery boats, Bellatrix and Altarama.  It was a fun evening and they gave us lots of tips for our travels.

Wish we could have spent a bit more time but there was a good weather window to make the  and we were anxious to get to Ireland so we headed off on the morning of July 10th.

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