Thirteen Wanderers, two Wayfarers and a Drascombe Lugger were spread across the public slip beside the Mountbatten Centre on the Saturday morning. Little wonder three of Her Majesty’s warships were anchored in Plymouth Sound to watch our imminent departure. Notwithstanding the fact that the weather forecast was dire for the whole weekend, there was the usual enthusiasm and banter amongst the Wanderer contingent and a warm welcome for our four Wayfaring colleagues. Thirty-two of us had in fact assembled, including our youngest member Niamh Robertson, who at six remained indomitable throughout the day.

After unhurried preparations and the briefing, (which included rumours of cream teas in an Orangery), we slid the boats one by one into the Cobbler Channel and under overcast skies but little breeze, sailed round the point and after some short tacking made a line for Cawsand and Kingsand. Contrary to the forecast there was no sign of the force 4, as we glided across the Sound.

The last time the Westcountry cruise had ventured to these two adjoining Cornish villages, the beaches were full of holiday makers gazing wistfully out to sea under a cloudless sky, that was until the Wanderer fleet arrived and established an impenetrable wall of fibreglass across the entire golden sands. On this occasion however, as the drizzle fell, there was no risk of disturbing anything other than the flotsam on the shoreline. For those who had come prepared, there was an immediate and urgent need to tuck into sandwiches and pasties whilst others drifted off around the villages trying to find an amenable public house. As the weather deteriorated, the pub party grew and grew and it was with some difficulty that we prized ourselves away from the mulled wine and local ale for the next leg of the cruise. At 2.30pm, with the tide having fallen, teams manhandled Wanderers and Wayfarers back into the water and set sail for Cremyll point. Liz and Russ Sharp had an unexpected diversion to Kingsand beach to free off their centreboard and after some strenuous activity managed to rid themselves of the grit and rejoin the party. The tide was now under the fleet, as it slipped over the ‘bridge’ between Drakes Island and the mainland. Very soon boats were pulled onto the beach at Cremyll and anchors dug into the sand and mud. Mount Edgcumbe’s famed orangery now offered our next culinary diversion. There was considerable consternation when several tables received larger proportions of clotted cream and jam in which to immerse the scones, than others. The rain fell outside, whilst cholesterol levels rose to dangerous levels.

By the time everyone emerged, the tide was in full flow. Wanderers which had been left above the waterline, were now swinging freely at anchor some distance from the shore. Fortunately Anthony Byrde’s inflatable from the Drascombe  provided the means to reconnect crews with the fleet. There was a moment of high tension as Philip squeezed between the mast and shroud onto the foredeck to free an anchor caught across a bowline. Sometime later Wanderers and Wayfarers without outboards were being swept back across the Narrows towards Stonehouse marina. Only Philip and Jill, with years of Salcombe tide bashing, achieved the near impossible of an unaided homeward passage. A small group of Wanderers and the Drascombe with outboards at full throttle made slow headway around Devils Point, towing the unfortunate sailors until they reached Drake Channel where the tide eased and sailing could recommence. The cream teas were just a memory as the final stragglers arrived back at Mountbatten in chilling drizzle.

There was a great focus on hot showers before the party reassembled once more. The Royal Oak at Hooe proved a wonderfully hospitable pub where the portions challenged even the most enthusiastic diners. There was no appetite for further carousing and everyone turned in promptly after the meal.

 

The Sunday forecast was force 4 to 5 from the South West. There were different levels of enthusiasm for sailing. Seven Wanderers and a Wayfarer explored the River Plym as far as Laira Bridge. The wind gave us a clear run up the river between the trots and moorings and then a steady breeze made the tacking back pleasurable and certainly helped to distance our stomachs from the evening before. There was a casual debrief on the balcony of the Centre with coffee before a small contingent made a further sortie into the Sound. The wind had dropped and the sun was now shining, so in spite of the Met Office’s best attempts, Plymouth seemed to be enjoying its own microclimate that weekend.

My thanks to all that participated in another very sociable and enjoyable
West country cruise.

Tim and Niamh Robertson (W1038), Toby Elliot and Keith Lawson (W462), Bob Palling (W875), John Carter (W772), Steve and Barbara Harvey (W571), Derek and Jane Summers (W197), Philip and Jill Meadowcroft (W1024), Vicky and Martin King (W940), Russ and Liz Sharp (W282), Jack Mann and Brigitte Philby (W1087), Mike and Alison Hamilton (W992), Graham & Wendy Davis (1527), David and Jill Davies, David Beattie, (W318), Anthony and Janet Byrde (Drascombe), Richard Gray and Dave Whitmarsh (Wayfarer) and Michael Saunders and Gordon Turnbull (Wayfarer 9009).

David Davies (W318)

As a postscript, Steve later reported the discovery of a second world war
munition by local divers on Sunday afternoon, which meant that the
stragglers were denied access to their cars and had a very delayed departure
from Mountbatten.