Passage 37, Newlyn to Fowey

This was the first time I had bad visibility. By sheer luck I got away with no mist or fog on the East coast (where it is common in Spring). The boat next to me even postponed their exit due to the mist. I didn't think it was too bad and so out I went.

It wasn't too bad. I still had several hundred yards of visibility. But the clouds were low and thick and it wasn't long until I could see no land as I crossed the bay. Wind was good as predicted and I moved at a fair pace and the rain just held off. Never mind the lack of sun, I was luxuriating in the satisfaction of making way on the South Coast. I felt like I was on my way home.

I reached Lizard Point as the tide was slack so met no resistance round that headland and then made a bee-line for Fowey with the wind directly behind me. I'd invented a means to keep the foresail filled on the opposite side of the mainsail by strategic placement of my boat hook. A bit Heath Robinson but works a treat. Took me just over 10 hours to complete the 50 mile trip and I glided into Fowey most gracefully, I thought. A couple of other boats fussed by taking down their sails before entering the river. Why? Out there in the choppy waters. Silly them.

I drifted a fair bit up the river to appreciate the scenery, nice houses stacked up on the sides. One big one on its own was for sale. Might be quite pricey though. As I got further up the environs took on a rather more utilitarian feel with a working dock or two and a cement terminal. Anyway, I found I'd come to a standstill as the wind couldn't make it up this far so I downed sails to turn back under engine and went against a floating pontoon I'd spotted on the way up.

There was no way off the pontoon and it now being after 6pm I wasn't about to get the dingy out as I was leaving early in the morning. So a quite night in on my lonesome ownsome.

Summary

Good winds from the south west gave me an all-sail run of 51 miles from 8am to 6:20pm, passing Lizzard point. Cloudy and low visibility. 

Passage 38, Fowey to Plymouth