{"id":18404,"date":"2022-08-19T07:00:48","date_gmt":"2022-08-19T11:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/svecho.com\/?p=18404"},"modified":"2022-08-19T09:23:36","modified_gmt":"2022-08-19T13:23:36","slug":"exploring-a-bit-of-england","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/svecho.com\/?p=18404","title":{"rendered":"Exploring a bit of England"},"content":{"rendered":"

You likely know by now that Echo arrived safely in Southampton way back in mid June. \u00a0 We are enjoying our travels and have been lax in posting about them. \u00a0We\u2019re are now actually on the northwest coast of Ireland so have lots of catching up to do. \u00a0We had a wonderful few weeks on the Dingle Peninsula which we will recap in another post.<\/p>\n

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Once Echo was loaded and secure on the freighter in Fort Lauderdale, we flew to Washington State to spend a bit of time with our kids. May 24th was our granddaughter Fia\u2019s first birthday so there was lots of celebrating to be done. \u00a0It was a wonderful visit before flying off to meet Echo in Southampton.<\/p>\n

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\"7C23ACDA-1AA5-4B03-BED4-F938A50E1BA5\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
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\"Unloading

Unloading in Southampton<\/p><\/div>\n

The ship had arrived June 12th. \u00a0Unloading went well and we were on the pontoon at Ocean Village Marina by late afternoon. \u00a0Echo had fared well for the journey and everything was in good shape although the exterior was very salty with some bits of rust here and there from the freighter. \u00a0During the crossing the ship encountered high winds and rough seas from the remains of a tropical storm. \u00a0There was a lot of cleaning to be done but far less wear and tear than if we had sailed her across on her own hull. \u00a0We do know a few boats that made that journey this season and we congratulate all on their achievement, \u00a0well done Gemaux, Lickety and Lark!<\/p>\n

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We met up with our friends, David and Suzanne. \u00a0We had sailed a great deal with them in the Caribbean and they now explore the waters around England in \u00a0a power boat named Suzie Two. \u00a0We met them both on Suzie Two and visited their new home. \u00a0Plans were made to join up for a mini cruise along the south and southwest coast of England once we got Echo settled and their schedule opened up.<\/p>\n

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We finally left the marina after a week of recommissioning and reprovisioning Echo. \u00a0We\u2019re very familiar with this area but haven\u2019t done much on the water. \u00a0It was intimidating setting out and all has gone well. \u00a0There are very high tides and strong currents which must be accounted for while traveling and when dropping your anchor for the night. \u00a0There are also some differences in navigation aids and boaters are under much more strict rules when communicating on the VHF radio. \u00a0We both had taken courses through the Royal Yachting Association in 2018 during Echo\u2019s build and feel the time was quite well spent. \u00a0The courses along with appropriate cruising guides and various weather reporting resources have been very helpful.<\/div>\n
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We’re not in the Bahamas anymore!<\/p><\/div>\n

Our first journey was a beautiful sail from Southampton to Lymington Yacht Harbor on the Solent. \u00a0The Solent is the body of water between the south coast of England and the Isle of Wight. \u00a0It is a very busy waterway with regattas, recreational boats, commercial and ferry boats. \u00a0All went well well with the journey and entering the marina. \u00a0We had spent lots of time in Lymington in previous visits and were happy to make it our first stop. \u00a0Also happy to have the local rigging company tend to a few issues for us before heading further afield.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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From here we made a short hop across the Solent to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight. \u00a0We had made contact with the marina asking for a reservation but we\u2019re told not to worry as they would not turn anyone away. \u00a0This was a bit disconcerting as we are a pretty big sailboat and can be difficult to fit in. \u00a0True to their word they did fit us in and we had a wonderful time there. \u00a0We had to squeeze between two large cruising boats, several neighbors came out to tend lines for us and the \u201cberthing master\u201d assisted in a tender. \u00a0Sometimes the help can make things more complicated but all went well and everyone was excited to see Echo. \u00a0We met many interesting people including Eddie Kidd who was a very successful stunt performer who became injured during a jump on a motorcycle. \u00a0It was his birthday and lots of his friends were there to celebrate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We continue to turn heads as we make our way along England and Ireland. \u00a0Catamarans are not seen often in these areas and we do stand out. \u00a0It\u2019s fun and we\u2019re happy for the reception. \u00a0People are excited to see an American boat and may think we\u2019re just arriving from the US, we try to clarify but always receive a warm welcome and great interest.<\/div>\n
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The Needles<\/p><\/div>\n

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. \u00a0The Needles are a a dramatic formation at the western edge of the Isle of Wight consisting of chalk. \u00a0We would soon sail right past and we we wanted to get a look from land. \u00a0The bus system was great and the area was stunning!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Next stop, Portland where we berthed on the visitors pontoon for several days. \u00a0We\u00a0once again availed ourselves of the public bus system for exploring. \u00a0First item on the agenda was to get a birds eye look at Portland Bill<\/a>. \u00a0This is a narrow promontory at the end of Portland Island \u00a0which is \u201cnotorious for the number of shipwrecked vessels over the centuries\u201d (Wikipedia). \u00a0Currents converge here making very hazardous seas and great care must be taken to successfully transit. \u00a0During our stay we took two bus trips out to view routing around the Bill from above. \u00a0It is important to chose the right time of tide and the right course through the area. \u00a0We were able to watch two boats round the Bill which was encouraging and helpful for our planning. \u00a0There 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. \u00a0Click Here<\/a> for a video explanation of our planning excursion.<\/div>\n
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The town or Portland <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
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Scouting our potential path around the Bill <\/div> <\/div>
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Portland Bill Lighthouse <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
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Another view of Portland <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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David and Suzanne met up with us at Portland Marina and made one of the trips to view the Bill. \u00a0It was \"\"wonderful to reconnect on the water and once again plan passages together. \u00a0Given they\u2019re now on a power boat they can get longer distances much faster and can avoid the inner passage but were helpful in the planning.<\/div>\n
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Happy to report that we made it around the Bill at slack tide, following the inner route and all went as planned. \u00a0It was a rough ride but we felt a huge sense of accomplishment with Portland Bill in our past!<\/div>\n
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Anstey\u2019s Cove<\/p><\/div>\n

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The \u00a0rest of that day\u2019s journey was a sporty, close hauled sail across Lyme Bay in 20+ knots of wind. \u00a0 We dropped anchor for the night in a beautiful spot named Anstey Cove in Torquay, about 10 miles north of Dartmouth.<\/p>\n

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Moored in Dartmouth<\/p><\/div>\n

David and Suzanne had gone straight to the marina in Dartmouth and sorted things out for our arrival. \u00a0We moored on the mid river moorings with the assistance of the Harbor Patrol (Dartnav). \u00a0We had lines to bow and stern moorings to prevent swinging with tide and current. \u00a0It is a very busy river with both commercial and recreational traffic to stay clear of.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Dartmouth is a beautiful city! \u00a0As you enter the river you pass by two castles then make your way up the river past beautiful ruins and colorful houses.<\/p>\n

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Kings wear Castle at the mouth of the River Dart <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
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Dartmouth Castle <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n
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Approaching Dartmouth on the River Dart<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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While in Antiqua a few years ago David and Suzanne introduced us to Pat and Stuart who live in Dartmouth. \u00a0At that time they were sailing on their Discovery 55 \u00a0and we had just signed the contract to build Echo. \u00a0Pat had told us what a wonderful place Dartmouth is and we should be sure to visit, so glad we had the opportunity!<\/div>\n
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We had a wonderful few days exploring the town and enjoyed some of the restaurants with the group. \u00a0We also visited Pat and Stuart\u2019s home which they recently purchased and are refurbishing. \u00a0It is beautifully done and magical in so many aspects.<\/div>\n
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Pat and Stuart in their lovely home <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
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View from the jacuzzi <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
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Loo With A View <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
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Historic Steam Train just below Pat and Stuart\u2019s house <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

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Moved on for a quick stop in Solcombe for the night night then to Plymouth for a few nights at the Mayflower Marina. \u00a0While there we accompanied David and Suzanne to look at a Sunseeker for sale nearby, beautiful and very different than a sailboat. \u00a0We also did a lot of walking, eating and exploring the town.<\/div>\n
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Next stop Falmouth where we checked into Port Pandennis Marina. \u00a0We enjoyed all of our stops but we\u2019re particularly intrigued with Cornwall. \u00a0A few years ago we got hooked on the series Poldark and we\u2019re happy to be exploring the area.<\/div>\n
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Left Falmouth on the morning of July 7th to round the Lizard, a somewhat notoriously difficult stretch to navigate. \u00a0It is a point jutting south from Cornwall where tides and currents can cause very disturbed water called a race. \u00a0Timing is important and we went as close to slack tide as we could. \u00a0We experienced a fairly calm journey then motor sailed to St. Michael\u2019s Mount<\/a> where we were lucky to have calm enough conditions to anchor for the night.<\/div>\n
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We quickly dinghied over to explore, what a beautiful and interesting place.<\/div>\n
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Dinghy landing spot <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
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View of Echo from St. Michael\u2019s Mount <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
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St. Michael\u2019s Mount <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n
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Suzie Two had opted to bypass St. Michael\u2019s Mount as they would stop on their way back home. \u00a0We reconnected a day later in the Isles of Scilly. \u00a0Again, another beautiful and worthwhile stop. \u00a0We relaxed and enjoyed more time with David and Suzanne in a wonderful place. \u00a0We anchored in St. Mary\u2019s Pool then between Tresco and Bryher, both lovely anchorages. \u00a0Near Tresco we were invited for sundowners with two other\u00a0Discovery boats, Bellatrix and Altarama. \u00a0It was a fun evening and they gave us lots of tips for our travels.<\/div>\n
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Wish we could have spent a bit more time but there was a good weather window to make the \u00a0and we were anxious to get to Ireland so we headed off on the morning of July 10th.<\/div>\n
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You likely know by now that Echo arrived safely in Southampton way back in mid June. \u00a0 We are enjoying our travels and have been lax in posting about them. \u00a0We\u2019re are now actually on the northwest coast of Ireland … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-aside","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","post_format-post-format-aside"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/svecho.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/CE98E59A-9176-4E09-AD44-E35CF48E409E.jpeg?fit=640%2C459","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2y1a7-4MQ","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/svecho.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/svecho.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/svecho.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/svecho.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/svecho.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18404"}],"version-history":[{"count":37,"href":"http:\/\/svecho.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18580,"href":"http:\/\/svecho.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18404\/revisions\/18580"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/svecho.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/svecho.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/svecho.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/svecho.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}