Kevin Cullimore recounts a delightful cruise along the Devon and Cornwall coast, concluding in the Isles of Scilly
We always plan our summer cruise for the month of June, the main reason being the marinas and anchorages heading west tend to be less busy, making for a more relaxed cruise rather than the scramble for berths in July/August.
The middle of May saw a constant northeasterly air flow which was unusual. We were hearing of boats stuck in the West Country waiting to head east. Indeed, some friends from our club had been in Falmouth for a week or so.
Our summer cruise is always flexible and although our main aim was to get to The Isles of Scilly, which is at the top of our favourite destinations, it is not set in stone. Our original plan was to visit Cherbourg in early June and do the tour of the D-Day beaches on the 6 June 2023, something we’ve done before and is a most humbling experience. Then onto The Channel Islands and west ultimately to the Isles of Scilly.
Wind from the east
However, the weather conditions just didn’t work out, the strong northeasterly winds continued and were even stronger on the French coast. Experience is a great thing and to make sure my wife would enjoy the cruise, we aborted France and instead headed off from our marina berth at Parkstone Yacht Club on Monday 5 June 2023. The weather was very settled and we had a lovely sail to Weymouth, tide times were a bonus and we left as the ebb began and motor-sailed to the inner passage at St Aldhelms ledge, 100m off the rocks and it was flat. It’s the only tidal gate on passage to Weymouth but should be treated with respect. In a wind against tide situation, it can be very rough. You have two options, the outer or inner passage. Today the wind was light and northeasterly so we chose the inner passage, and when I say inner, it is very close to the cliff.
Being mid-week, The Firing Range was open, so we called up the Range Boat on Channel 8. They instructed us to stay south of 50 degrees 35, which was fine and we set course for Weymouth. With a nice 14kt northeasterly breeze we sailed along with full main and Code 0, 5.5kts, flat seas and sunshine, what a start to our cruise and a very pleasant sail.
On arrival at Weymouth we contacted the Harbourmaster and got a berth alongside a Dutch yacht. The skipper was singlehanded and on his first trip along the south coast.
He was very experienced, however, in more northerly
