On Thursday morning the forecast for Dartmouth was for 25 knots of wind from the southwest with rough conditions around Start Point on our route to Plymouth. We decided to stay in Dartmouth for another day while the current low passed through, with promises from the forecasters of lighter airs on Friday. We were enchanted by Dartmouth with its water based community of ferries, yachts and dinghies plying back and forth across the deep clear waters of the river. We launched our rib and motored up river past the famous Philip & Sons shipyard and on to Dittisham with its thatched cottages on the water's edge straight out of an Asterix magazine.
On Friday morning we cast off our lines at 8.30 to catch the favourable tide past Salcombe and into Plymouth sound where we refuelled and docked Juno in Queen Anne's Battery marina, which was clearly built when boats were smaller. However we squeezed ourselves in by doing a 360 with the help of Juno's bow thrusters and left hand prop walk which kicks the stern to port in reverse.
In the evening Paul and Consuelo arrived by train and we went for dinner in the yacht club, where the walls are covered with memorabilia and pictures form Sir Francis Chichester's solo circumnavigation. QAB has been the point of departure and arrival for many famous voyages and the yacht club clearly revels in its exalted position.
Our original plan to leave for Bayona on Saturday morning has changed slightly in the light of the most recent forecast and we now plan to leave on Saturday evening. The forecast predicts winds veering to the north west on Saturday which will give us a beam reach across the channel to Ushant and then the wind moves further north as we cross Biscay on Monday. Almost perfect conditions for our crossing.
Next blog entry will be from Spain - inshallah.
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