Guest Blogger Chrissy - Thursday

The day started with wall to wall blue sky but with a bit of a breeze.
After catching the bus into Falmouth & having a bacon bap, we caught the boat across to St Mawes. The sun was still shining so we went for a walk & admired the views along the Fal.
We caught the bus to Truro where we tried, but with no luck, to buy a new lead for the cool box.
After a pasty for lunch in a park, we climbed the hill up to the station & caught the train back to Falmouth where we did a little food shopping & caught the bus back to the marina.
Peter is heating up a Chinese meal for our dinner, but later I must pack my case ready to return home tomorrow. I have really enjoyed my impromptu little holiday but now I must make room for Eddie who join Peter on Saturday.

The Bears Blog

While us bears stayed on board guarding the boat, Peter & Chrissy have had another fun day with their Fal Mussel card. They walked into Falmouth & caught the boat to St Mawes, a quiet, pretty little 'town', then took the ferry across to Place, even smaller and quieter, where they walked to a very pretty & peaceful little church.
On their way back they shared a crab sandwich & had a quick drink.
Back in Falmouth they had their long awaited fish & chips as a late lunch. Very nice.
At the marina, Peter has paid for another couple of days so we can stay here until Chrissy & Toby go home & the next crew member, Eddie, arrives.

Guest Blogger Day Two - Tuesday

We really made use of our Fal mussel card today. First we caught the bus into Falmouth to catch the boat that took us to Truro. It had been a bit overcast when we set out but by lunchtime (very good burgers & chips in a pub) the sun had come out.
After lunch, feeling a little sleepy we rested for a while in a very pleasant park. We continued looking around the shops until it was time to return to Falmouth which we did by bus and boat.
Back in Falmouth we bought food for supper then caught the bus back to the marina.

Guest Blogger

Had an enjoyable day walking around Falmouth and bought a Fal Mussel Card which will give us unlimited travel for the next few days, then returned to Calviere 2 for a rest before heading back to town for dinner.
We spotted a restaurant called Harbour View & decided to give it a try, a wise decision as both service & food were excellent.
Chrissy - Guest Blogger

Chrissy arrives in Falmouth

After a couple of days of intensive washing, vacuuming & cleaning, Chrissy has arrived.
During the cleaning I did finally locate the missing paper kitchen rolls. (see day three)
I met Chrissy as she alighted from the 18:55 coach from London and took her to dinner in a Falmouth pub overlooking the harbour.

In Falmouth

Today I lifted the carpet, removed the table and removed the floorboards in the main cabin so I could wash and clean the bilges. There was a little water in them, but it wasn't too bad. It was a hot and sticky job in the warm sunshine.
Whilst all this was going on I also did the washing of the pillow cases and duvet cover etc.
I took my bicycle back to the maritime museum. I spent most of the afternoon catching up on emails in the library.

Goodbye to Peter H

We were up early waiting for a taxi which didn't show. A hurried eggs benedict in Wetherspoons and Peter H was on the coach out of Falmouth. Many thanks to Peter for his company for the last ten days. He looked after Calviere Two in Plymouth whilst I returned home, despite me taking us out in weather when a sensible skipper would have stayed in bed.
I spent most of the day in the National Maritime Museum Cornwall and will probably return tomorrow to see the rest of the collection.
After The Archers, I cycled out to Pendennis Castle.

Fowey to Falmouth

We slipped the mooring lines after breakfast and motored out. The sea was like glass with barely a ripple. We motored to Dudman Point and sailed for an hour to Gull Rock, and passed inside of the rock.
We fired up the motor and carried on into Falmouth.
We refueled and moored in Falmouth Marina.

Plymouth to Fowey

The day started bright and sunny, with a little wind but from the SW. After a breakfast we left Sutton Harbour and topped up the fuel tank at Queen Anne Battery marina. Then we motored all the way to Fowey. At times we did have the sails up and at times they did help a little.
We motored up the estuary, past the town, and further up past the china clay wharfs and large ships & tugs.
After exploring the river, we moored alongside the short stay pontoon and set off to discover the town. We paid our dues and identified a suitable pub for dinner and moved Calviere Two across to one of the visitors pontoons.
Later, we took the water taxi back to the town. The suitable pub wasn't serving food as it was the 'Tuesday Bingo Night'. We soon found another.

Return to Plymouth

With the two Peters back onboard, we resatart the adventure tomorrow.

Vicki & Glenn's Wedding day and the Olympic Flame

Peter H took the picture of the Olympic Flame on the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth.

A few days out

I returned home on the coach to attend Vicki & Glen's wedding on the 20th at Tunbridge Wells.
Peter H is staying on Calviere II in Sutton Harbour, Plymouth.
First evening at home Chrissy and I had the Salcombe Smokies that I had posted home for tea.

River Tamar

My nephew, Matthew and his housemate, Danny, found Calviere II's berth in Mayflower Marina. We motored out into the Sound and raised the sails. Dan took the helm and did very well for his very first ever sail.
We passed a number of warships and submarines at Devonport.
Sailing with the tide and the gentle breeze we wafted under the two Tamar Bridges. Brunel's Saltash Bridge is undergoing refurbishment and painting. Lots of workmen were absailing hundreds of feet above the river, painting and welding.
We turned about and motored to Sutton Harbour Marina.

Salcombe - Plymouth

Perhaps, with hindsight, this was a passage which should have been left for the following day. We left Salcombe at 07:30, with one reef in the main. Within a few miles we decided we needed the second reef, and within a couple of miles we gave up sailing and motored into the waves.
I have sailed in stronger winds, and I have sailed in bigger seas, but not both together and for so long. We motored towards Plymouth for four hours with the wind instrument rarely dropping below 30knots and the waves over six foot.
Peter H was rather sea sick. At one time I thought I'd killed him, he was so still and grey. I was really relived when he moved, even though it was to heave over the side.
I'm concerned that Peter H has lost confidence in the skipper, but he must have increased his confidence in Calviere II, which behaved superbly.
With salt in our hair we moored in Mayflower marina, and made good use of their showers & washing machine.

Kingsbridge

It hadn't been a particularly comfortable night. The wind had increased and the mooring buoy kept banging against the side.
At 05:30 I poked my head outside to see what all the noise was about, and saw a bright red dawn sky.
After breakfast we sailed with the tide, in the heavy rain to Kingsbridge until we ran out of water and ran aground. We picked up a handy buoy and waited for the tide to rise another couple of feet before continuing up to the Kingsbridge visitors pontoon.
We calculated that we had a couple of hours in which to explore the town and find lunch in our waterproofs.
After a substantial lunch and a bit of shopping we returned under engine in the rain to a more sheltered visitors pontoon at Salcombe, where the sun did eventually shine and we dried out.

Dartmouth to Salcombe

We had to get ourselves out of our bunks early as the boat on the inside of us on the pontoon wanted to be away by 07:00, as they had to cross the bar at Exmouth at HW.
Once we were up, there seemed little point in going back to bed. It was a beautiful morning, but again, very little wind. We had some difficulty working out the Navy bells system for the clocks from The Dartmouth Naval College.
After a sausage sandwich breakfast we got underway.
For a couple of hours we were able to sail, but all too soon the wind died away as the tide against us increased. We turned on the engine and motored into Salcombe and picked up one of the many visitors buoys.
After a light lunch onboard, we took the water taxi to the shore. We used the facilities in the Salcombe Yacht Club and had a good wander around the town.
Dinner in the Victoria Inn and then returned to Calviere Two.

Brixham to Dartmouth

We enjoyed a cracking good sail in sunshine out from Brixham. A broad reach, followed by a downwind run, followed by another broad reach into The Dart. Dartmouth and Kingswear was really beautiful. It is the first natural harbour I have entered surrounded by rocks.
We motored some way up the Dart, before returning to Dartmouth to moor alongside one of the visitors pontoons.
We took the water taxi into town which was very busy and noisy as the music festival was in full swing.
We returned to Calviere II laden with shopping and ate onboard.

Peter H joins Calviere II

I spent the day doing my washing and cleaning Calviere II.
The weather has improved a great deal. I ate my crab baguette, with a glass of wine for lunch sitting in the sunshine in the cockpit.
Peter's coach was a little late, but after we had him settled in the forward state room we headed into town for dinner. The pub we choose had a band, comprising of a banjo, a violin, and a double base. The only tune they played all evening was the theme tune to 'Doctor Who'. The meal was good.

Wave goodbye to John

After a hearty breakfast, John caught the first bus out of Brixham which would accept his bus pass. Many thanks to John for being a good crew member for the last ten days.
The rain poured, and I spent most of the day down below reading the pilot and almanac, preparing for the next leg with Peter H, who arrives tomorrow .
The rain eased at about 16:30, so I went ashore for a wander around Brixham. I noticed that a local amateur dramatic. company were performing 'The Darling Buds of May', so I spent my evening in the Brixham Theatre.

A short hop across Torbay to Brixham

We slept very soundly in Torquay Marina and after a light breakfast we set off across the Torbay. When we left, there was no wind, a very flat sea and lots of rain. Halfway across the bay we still had the rain & the flat sea, but the SW wind had built to 20knots.
The visibility was restricted, making it difficult to work out the entrance.
We refueled, and found our berth and went off to find a substantial early lunch.
In the evening we dined in style in one of the harbour front seafood restaurants.

A rest day in Torquay

Washed the sleeping bags in the marina launderette. A good stroll around the town.

Exmouth to Torquay

We left as soon as the Exmouth Harbour Master had lifted the bridge and within minutes we were feeling the effects of the ebbing tide over the bar at the entrance. We crashed through two metre waves, but was making fast progress with the tide running under us.
Once at the safe water mark, we set course for Torquay. With a 20knot SW wind, we motored all the way, passing inside Ore Stone.
In the marina we put the washing into a machine and went off to find an ice cream.

Rest Day in Exmouth

We walked down to the Lifeboat station where a boat jumble was advertised to be, but when we arrived, there didn't seem to be anyone about. We did take a look at a nearby boot fair, but there wasn't anything of interest.
We continued into town for a bacon roll and use of the Weatherspoon's wifi to order my coach ticket home for Vicki & Glen's wedding.
Back on board we read the Sunday papers and then enjoyed our Sunday Roast.
In the afternoon I gave Calviere Two a scrub down and Hoover out.

West Bay to Exmouth.

We were the only visiting boat in West Bay and we has the whole of the outer harbour to ourselves.
I'd calculated that we needed to leave at 10:30 to carry the best tide to Exmouth, but after John had cooked a tasty egg on toast breakfast, we left the berth at 09:40. Once out of the harbour we unfurled the genoa and settled into a long downwind sail. 18kt of NE wind meant that we didn't turn on the engine until we were approaching the bar at Exmouth.
The bar was exciting, even though we were on a rising tide, the depth sounder alarm was still complaining.
We topped up the fuel tank and moored in Exmouth Marina, where John cooked a minced beef & onion pie with baked beans.

(Brother in law) x 3 + 1 young bird

Nigel arrived at 04:00, suspecting that we may still be asleep, having played some yachtie practical joke. No, we really did mean that we were leaving at 04:15.
We called up the Portland Coast Guard, who logged the details of our passage, turned on the navigation lights and set off. Initially, the Portland Race was against us, and our speed over the ground dropped to under a knot, giving an ETA at Westbay of 04:00 the following day.
John busied himself down below and bacon sandwiches appeared, as we motored on through the dawn.
The sun rose higher, the tide turned, the wind picked up and we were able to sail with Nigel on the helm.
About eight miles off Portland Bill we picked up a visitor, a small, young and tired sparrow. John called him LBJ (Little Brown Job) but I said he was Capt Jack Sparrow. He hopped around in the cockpit for a while, had a look down below, before settling under the sprayhood for a nap. After twenty minutes he flew off heading back to Portland. After ten minutes he was back! Or at least we think it was the same sparrow. He stayed another twenty minutes, left us a gift and flew off again.
The wind dropped and we were back to motoring into West Bay, where after a pint and a steak & kidney pudding, Nigel caught the bus back to Weymouth.

A rest day in Weymouth

We took a day out to enjoy the delights of Weymouth. I contacted Eddie and Peter H to make arrangements for their passages. Nigel will be joining us early tomorrow for the short leg to West Bay around Portland Bill.
The pilot books give many strong warnings about the Portland Race. We shall stay well to the south, and aim to arrive at slack water.
After our evening stroll to the ablution block, we called in for advice at Portland Coastguard. We were invited upstairs into their control room and they said that by staying well south we will not encounter the race, and we could round the Bill at any time. We do need the following tide, so we will leave as planned at 04:15 . But it was reassuring to have the advice of the professional mariners. We also left with a copy of the latest weather forecast which is favorable.

Poole to Weymouth

Again, we left fairly early and we were off Old Harry rocks at 08:00, with the engine on. Once we had rounded the headland at Durlston Bay we set a course to clear the Lulworth Range, and the wind came up from the North. We enjoyed a good sail into Weymouth Bay we were buzzed by an army helicopter.
There was a great deal of military vessels in the bay on exercise preparing for the Olympics. A rib came alongside and asked us to maintain our course.
We called Sister-in-law Jane's brother Nigel and he and Jill came down to the harbour to find us. We later went back to their house, with views of Portland Harbour, to use their washing machine, shower and have dinner.
We will be staying in Weymouth for a couple of days.

A game of Poole

We had set the alarm for 08:00 with the intension of leaving at 08:30, but John was up and ready to leave shortly after 06:00. We left with heavy rain, a calm sea and no wind. We rounded Hurst Castle and the wind filled and the rain stopped. We pulled out the sails and after a while the sun came out.
We arrived in Poole Harbour at about 12:00, and filled up with fuel amongst the Sunseekers.
We moored in Poole Quay Boat Haven. A really tasty meal in 'Fishy Fishy'