Apologies for the long gap - not sure why the blog stopped, but I think it has to do with nervousness that too much information gets out there. In any case last year wasn’t such a good sailing season for us. The weather wasn’t great, and other bits of life seemed to get in the way. My friend Marylene came over from Spain ostensibly to go sailing but we only made it as far as Brixham. After an expensive night in the marina we went over to the humble pontoons just a few metres off the Brixham Yacht Club. This was a perfect berth - no need for electricity or water and just a short row to the shore. Inexpensive, with bar, Internet, showers and a friendly welcome at the club. Dining looked a tad formal so we went into town for fish & chips at a pub/hotel at the opposite side of the harbour.
The good thing about the Internet is that we can get good 5-day forecasts. That is also the bad thing, since it tends to keep us in port.
Marylene was nice enough to look after Snork Maiden for a couple of days while I went to Liverpool to buy a car. Sally came down for a couple of nights - 3-woman sail across the bay to Torquay - much too short. Then another expensive marina night - Sally gets to commune with Snork Maiden while Marylene & Jenny go to take photos and drink & peanuts at the posh hotel. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad season after all.
In the interests of not being too boring, I have missed out huge swathes of dramatic events in Falmouth Yacht Haven, new self-steering, anchoring off St Anthony’s Head, foggy days in Dartmouth, feeling our way up the Exe and sniffing out our mooring... Yeah, not really a bad season. Quite a lot of re-fit work, new instruments, window stripped out and refitted, sea cocks serviced (ask me), most of this down to Bill Churchouse who nipped down in his Westerley 22, Belgean and got the best of the April weather.
Al was tight on time but we did the cruise to the Exe and back at either end of the season, with stops at Falmouth, Plymouth (discovered Kingsand & Cawsand), Dartmouth and Fowey (not necessarily in that order). We spent a few hours with Bill in the Carrick Roads, getting the hang of the new wind vane steering - will have to get friendly with it all over again this year. (Wind vane steering means the boat will steer herself, once you set the sails and rudder to give a good, stable course.)
Now preparing for this season. This is my time to get to know Snork Maiden again... Right now camping in the aft berth listening to a new opera version of The Importance of Being Ernest.
NEXT: Photo Essay of Gweek Boatyard.
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