28th October

On our arrival home we had a lovely surprise!  Beth her sister Lauren (neighbours) presented us with £10.  Beth had encouraged her sister and friends Cody and Remi, to raise money for a charity and had decided to donate the money to our Help for Heroes total! 

 

These amazing young girls raised money by baking and making cups of tea for the family, presenting plays and dancing for the family, charging willing family members for massages and asking their families to donate spare change to the pot!

 

Thank you Beth for organising this collection and thank you Lauren, Cody and Remi for supporting Beth in her efforts to raise money for charity.   Tony and I are very proud of you all for thinking of others and working so hard to raise money for Help For Heroes.  You are all heroes too!

 

 

 

15th October

After a very good night's sleep we left Weymouth just after 7am.  In the harbour it was still dark,  but there was no sign of the poor visability that was forecast.   Once out of the harbour, it was a grey damp morning with poor visibility!   We put the radar on, but once we reached St Alban's Head, visibility had improved and we were able to turn the radar off.  (Radar enables us to spot any vessels/land in the nearby vicinity and is especially useful in fog!).  We pushed the weak, west going, neap tide for three hours.  This gave us six hours of east going tide to take us through the Needles and on to Portsmouth.     We motor sailed to begin, but once the tide was in our favour we turned off the engine and enjoyed a fantastic sail along the Solent.   What a great way to finish our trip! 

Our emotions were running high.  Tony and I were very sad that we had completed our trip, but at the same time excited at the thought of seeing family and friends again.   It has been a life changing trip and once we have had time to evaluate, I will add a final up date.  Meanwhile we are off to help my parents celebrate their Diamond Wedding Anniversary!

Pictures show Weymouth as we were leaving and  Moonshadow approaching the Needles.

14th October

We tried to make a passage across Lyme Bay to Weymouth on the 13^th but the sea was too rough.   The forecast for the 14^th was for a moderate, rather than rough sea, with slightly less wind.  The wind was north east but promising to swing north, so we finally left Dartmouth on the 14^th at 0120 hrs.   The sea was indeed moderate and very lumpy, but as the wind was a only a force three when we got out of the harbour, we decided to carry on.   Half way across the bay it was still dark and very cold.  We both had several layers of clothing, including thermals, oilies, hats and gloves but we still felt chilly!  Warm drinks, a bacon roll, three hot water bottles and a cuddle helped warm us up a bit.   The occasional lights from passing fishing boats kept us alert, but sadly there was no sign of wildlife to entertain us. 

As dawn broke we could see the Isle of Portland in the distance, which lifted our spirits.   Once closer to the island, I contacted the Portland Coast Watch to check on the state of the water off Portland Bill.  At the bottom of the Bill, a strong and dangerous tidal race runs for ten out of every twelve hours.  The water rushes down both sides of the island to meet at the bottom and cause very confused and dangerous seas.   We had two options.  One was to avoid the area completely which meant putting fourteen hours on our journey.    Or we could use an inshore passage that hugs the Portland coastline.   This inshore passage is only possible in daylight and in reasonable weather, however timing is crucial. It is best to arrive at slack water.   I did a final check on our speed and distance to the Bill and was happy that we would reach the Bill at Dover High water +0530 (0947hrs).   I set a course to arrive half way up the west side of the island (To avoid being swept into the race) and we hugged the rocky shore as we headed south towards the Bill.  Another quick call to the Coast Watch confirmed the inshore passage was still OK.  We rounded the bill just at the time the tide would turn eastwards.   Tony and I had planned to use the tide to carry on to the Solent.  However, with just a couple of hours sleep the previous evening, we were both shattered and made passage to Weymouth instead.   We moored up at 1050hrs in Weymouth Old Town Harbour.

Photograph shows Portland Bill Lighthouse

10th October - Dartmouth

Still in Dartmouth!  Forecast has not been good for some days now.  Strong winds from the east and a forecast of moderate or rough seas, has prevented us leaving Dartmouth.    Yesterday it was such a lovely day we had to walk to the entrance of the River Dart to convince ourselves the sea was rough outside the river.   It was!  Several yachts left but returned very quickly. 

We are making the most of our time here and have enjoyed some fantastic walks.  If you haven't been to Dartmouth, I highly recommend it, as there is so much to see and do.  

Photograph shows the view from Dart Haven Marina looking towards Dartmouth with the Britannia Naval College at the top.  Double click to enlarge.

30th September Plymouth to Dartmouth

We had hoped to sail into Salcombe, but the entrance to Salcombe has a bar that is dangerous in strong southerly winds.  There was  a gale warning issued for later in the day so we decided to carry on to Dartmouth, where the shelter is excellent.

A visit to Dartmouth gave us chance to catch up with our daughter Melissa who is currently training at the Britannia Naval College in Dartmouth.   We also visited Dittisham, a pretty village further up the Dart River.  

Photograph - Dittisham

                                                                                                                                                        

Spirit of Mystery

29th September Plymouth

On the 29th Pete Goss MBE, who became a hero when he scuppered his own chances of winning the Vendee Globe in 1996/7 to rescue a fellow sailor in hurricane-force winds, arrived in Plymouth.   He is due to take part in the Route du Rhum 2010 race that starts in St Malo and finishes in Guadalupe.  Pete will be racing a class 40 called 'Pack it In'.  The name has an environmental message, to rid the world of plastic packaging.    The graphics on the yacht and sails are amazing!

Moored nearby was the 'Spirit of Mystery' a wooden yacht Pete had built, to recreate the heroic journey of seven Cornishmen who sailed a wooden lugger to Australia over 150 years ago.  Pete invited us to go below decks to view the Spirit of Mystery.  What a treasure!  She is 37 ft long and weighs 16 tonnes!  Her average speed is 4 knots, quite different to 'Pack it In' that sails in excess of 25 knots!