A Rock’n Rolling Weekend:  Report by David Davies with photos by Jill Davies and Philip Meadowcroft

The Camel Estuary is a wonderful place to sail and even this late in the season proved a perfect venue for eleven Wanderers to enjoy a spot of cruising under clear blue skies and warming sunshine. The hard standing above the beach provides ample dinghy park and as we rigged the boats, the sandbank which lies adjacent to Padstow harbour’s entrance was still clearly visible across the estuary. Our first destination was Wadebridge.

A gentle breeze blew lazily up the estuary from the west, so it was a very relaxed fleet which effortlessly sailed up the river before the wind. The cyclists following the Camel Trail - the old railway line between Bodmin and Padstow - could be seen in their droves on the west bank whilst the mud flats on the opposite bank hosted flocks of oyster catches, shelducks and swans. The river is surprisingly meandering and once past Pinckson Creek, the reach reveals few signs of habitation besides the odd farm dwelling tucked away in the trees. It’s a very gentle and soft landscape, quite different from some of the estuaries on the south coast. We slid past the old jetties, which in Victorian times hosted barges that shipped quarried slate downriver to Steeper Point for on-shipment. Once the railway arrived, the marine trade disappeared and the uncertainties of the tides and weather were replaced by the more reliable steam trains. The new road bridge marks the final stretch of navigable river up to Wadebridge.

Our destination was Commissioners Slip / Quay which in fact is by any standards rather overstated. Much of its lower part was covered in thick mud and two resolute fishermen perched on some landing steps just above the slip obviously believed that their rights were not to be subjugated to eleven Wanderer dinghies. Thus began a rather sticky decanting of parcels, bags and other assorted paraphernalia to make landfall on terra firma for our picnic lunch. Nobody actually succumbed to the mud but it was a close run thing and the possibilities were further aired as the first of the team photographs was taken gathered around a ‘sewer’ sign on the bank above the offending sludge! The organisers definitely earned a black mark for this oversight! Lunch consumed and with the tide beginning to turn, the whole exercise was undertaken in reverse. Philip was clearly in difficulty as the photo reveals, but through sheer will power he remained upright and eventually managed to extract himself.

Padstow was our next destination and still enjoying a wonderful summer afternoon, we beat back up river and arrived in the harbour with only one thing on our minds - a West country cream tea! Aware however that with the ebbing tide another potentially challenging departure was imminent, we chose our spot very carefully and rafted up alongside the north quay before making our way to the prearranged tea stop which included a round of crazy golf - a first for the west country cruise. There was a considerable degree of competition as we punted our balls around concrete castles, switchbacks, and any number of other obstacles. Tea and scones was such a relief when they eventually arrived! The tide was retreating even as we watched and so returning to the harbour, stranded Wanderers were once again returned to the water. The tourists, out in their droves, watched from the harbour wall as this routine was duly completed and we slipped away into the estuary once more. A short crossing back to Rock completed the first day’s cruise.

The Maltsers Arms in Chapel Amble proved a very successful venue for our evening meal. Sally and Colin were celebrating ten years of marriage and had in fact foregone a weekend in Paris no less, to be part of the cruise, whilst Philip and Jill had recently celebrated their Ruby wedding anniversary. We discovered that Wendy’s mother, sharing a table with the family, had just turned eighty six and so without further ado the champagne arrived and we ensured everyone in the pub was entertained by a rousing rendition of ‘Happy Birthday‘.

Sunday was not quite as bright, but still full of promise. We headed out towards the Estuary mouth. As the name suggests, Doom Bar, which extends across much of the western side of the outer estuary, is not to be trifled with, but we had our sights on Hawker’s Cove which sits in the lea of the bluff that runs out towards Stepper Point. There is a red buoy marking the deep water channel to the east of Doom Bar, where breaking seas were clearly visible. As the fleet passed this point and began to sail towards what promised to be more sheltered water, the swell increased. Bob, used to the challenges of the North Wales coastline, took it all in his stride and reached the shelter of the bluff. The remainder of us with little appetite for trifling with this potentially hazardous area retreated back to Padstow for coffee! Indeed the bell in St Enedoc Church, which lies amongst the sand dunes beyond Rock, made famous by Sir John Betjeman, was recovered from an Italian ship, lost on Doom Bar in the previous century.

Having regained a sense of well being, we took off once more and landed on a beach north of the harbour. The new £2 ½ million pound RNLI Trevose Head lifeboat was being officially named in Padstow Harbour that afternoon and came steaming up the estuary as we enjoyed our lunch. A combination of tide and swell with an ever diminishing beach caused us all to return to our dinghies without too much delay. The cruise was officially over for another year.

My thanks to John Carter (W772), Vicky King (W940), Margaret and Colin Walsgrove, Philip and Jill Meadowcroft, Colin and Sally Gilbert (W1163), Jack Mann and Bridget Philbey , Toby and Julie Elliott (W462), Tim Roberston (W1038), Niamh and Max, Steve and Barbara Harvey (W571), Graham and Wendy Davis (W1527), Terry Pullen and Judy Porter and Bob and Karen Northover for their company and enthusiasm for what was another memorable West Country cruise.

David Davies (W318)