2024 August 26th Days 12 & 13, To St Mawes and Fowey.

Draft WIP, poor internet in Fowey with all the tourists using up band width!

Finally after 8 days hiding from strong winds I was able to move on.

An unsatisfactory shower early at Malpas as I had left the shampoo there on a previous visit and someone had walked off with it so it was just a wet down. I left the pontoon a little after 9, not ideal as I would be against the tide most of the way to St Mawes but the Ocean Cruising Club were holding a rally (I had been there for last years as well) and there was little room between me and large yachts fore and aft so I needed the flood tied to go out under control heading into it. 

I motored down river to Loe Beach then sailed to St Mawes under headsail only in a W to SW F3-4. The wind was supposed to back to the south later in the day but did not do so until 07:00 next morning, fortunately the wind was generally strong enough to keep the boat head to wind and waves, when it didn't and the tide turned the boat broadside to the waves things became a little uncomfortable but less so than I anticipated.

6 miles in 1.5 hours.

Tuesday 27th.

I am actually back on to my original schedule for moving on to Fowey despite the early start. I left at 08:15 to catch the east going tide off St Anthony Head starting at 09:00 this was planned to get me to Fowey just after the ebb started, ideal conditions to get onto the short term pontoon and the fuel berth. For once things went to plan even though I was sailing from St Anthony Head to Gribbin Head just short of Fowey, and I went in at 13:15 about an hour after high water.

Dodman Head (AKA The Deadman, iirc for a coffin shaped bit
of hill) Sailing in a F4 southerly under headsail alone, the chute
would have been OK much of the time but marginal so I didn't
bother and in any case I didn't want to arrive before the ebb tide.

And miracle of miracles there was space on the short term berth, the seconded in successive visits and only the 2nd or 3rd time in many visits. Getting on was tricky, the tide was quite weak and there was a brisk wind from astern and it is the first time I have ferry glided with the engine in reverse for most of the time, once I had the angle right the tide and wind kept me straight against the prop walk and I went very slowly backwards and sideways onto the berth.

It was then a quick visit to the small convenience store for shampoo, down to the Royal Fowey YC for a proper shower, some shopping on the way back - not satisfactory, I had wanted some long dated meat but couldn't find any, decent cheese was at exorbitant prices and the queue for pasties was so long I couldn't be bothered, it was getting rather close to dinner and I would easily of overstayed my welcome on the short term pontoon. I got back in time to replenish the water then went up to the fuel berth, it would have been cheaper to get fuel in the Channel Isles but I particularly wanted to completely fill from a pump so I could check fuel consumption and I last did that at Fowey so a good check point.

I normally take a buoy at Fowey but there was one spot vacant on one of the upstream pontoons and I already had the fenders and mooring lines rigged on the correct side to I went there for the free night they owed me for the 6 previous nights.

22 miles in five and a half hours.

Click here for Looe, Cawsand and an approaching decision point.