Darthaven Marina,
Dartmouth 50:20.99N
003:34.35W
3 October
The Met Office was forecasting F5-7 but on XC-Weather it
looked more like a low F6, and then only as we rounded Start Point where we
should have both wind and tide behind us at that point. So we decided to
push on from Falmouth to Dartmouth rather than spend Sunday motoring in very
light winds. We slipped gently off our superyacht berth in the dark and
followed one of the Rosslare ferries (in for repair we assumed) out from
Falmouth, keeping clear of the pilot boat and tug as they let go and headed
back to port. The wind stared as forecast at F4-5 and kept rising
steadily and we were more or less on a dead run virtually all day. We
goose winged for the first few hours, with 2 reefs in main and jib and a
preventer rigged, up until The Eddystone Light. By now the winds was F6-7
and the seas starting to build. As we continued we saw some spectacular
surf (the trick was not to look at the waves behind you -too scary - but just
steer with them as they arrived) and our previous highest boat speed of 9.6 kts
was soon passed. We stuck on 9.9 kts for quite a while, but then crept to
10.1 and finally through 11 to peak at 11.7kts. Not bad for a 34 footer
with very little sail up. We were now seeing average winds of 35kts (gale
F8) and gusts to well over 40, but apart from a few very light showers it
remained dry and even sunny at times. Swallow again performed superbly
and felt very stable and safe.
The Eddystone
Lighthouse
Helming in the surf
A companion yacht from Falmouth close to Eddystone
We reached Dartmouth after 10 hours of sailing and whilst
the swell was reduced east of Start Point the wind was still blowing a gale as
we entered the river. Darthaven Marina is on the Kingswear side, so a
little open to the West, but the valley is quite deep and the winds tend to
funnel down the river, so that berthing was no problem. Everything went
perfectly - our pontoon berth was there waiting for us (unlike several marinas
en route) and Darthaven couldn't be a more hospitable place, with great views
in all directions, unlimited spacious showers, very friendly/efficient marina
staff and arguably the best yard and chandlery in Devon.
Dartmouth from our pontoon berth
The Kingswear side
After a quick tidy up and shower, we hopped on the passenger
ferry to Dartmouth for a very good dinner and celebratory drink or two.
Sunday saw paperwork sorted, Swallow tucked up for a week or so and a
taxi to Totnes for the train home.
This final leg of our extended shakedown cruise saw us cover
310nm in 4 days, and Swallow has now logged a total of 2380 nm since we took
delivery in mid-June. Apart from the faulty wind anemometer (now fixed)
and the GPS antenna for the AIS we have had no real problems - which is quite
remarkable for a new boat (well any boat) on such a long cruise. So all
praise to Hallberg-Rassy.
Over the next few months I hope to get in quite a bit of
winter sailing before heading north, back to Scotland in March where I have just
agreed an annual pontoon berth at Ardfern Yacht Centre at the head of Loch
Craignish.
