Chichester Marina lock gates opened letting saltwater flow past the hull for the first time in months. On departure the lock keepers always enquire when you will be returning in order to avoid overcrowding when the tide changes and everyone wants to come back. He stood confidently, armed with his clipboard and pen poised. I responded with “If all goes well, it could be three years”. His thumb quickly retracted the nib and he said “Just call up on the radio when you’re close”.
We gently motored out into a foul westerly wind and smashed our way to Bembridge where we sat almost alone in the marina and spent two days being beasted broadside and barely hanging on to our finger pontoon. Being one of only three yachts was no fun but the pain of loneliness soon subsided with a surprise visit from my cousin Neil and family.
Sailing is a fluid game and expectations have to be managed based upon various limitations – a major one being the weather. Our overall plan is to return to Folleux at the end of the season where LJ will winter once again. In between we are planning a second attempt to visit the Isles of Scilly and then to explore the harbours and rivers we missed along the Atlantic Coast of France during our 2019 trip.
Prior to any of this taking place we had to collect our passports, containing our 6 month French Visas, which had been couriered directly to Dartmouth (having expected them to take a month, they had conveniently taken just 8 days!). So, with another excuse to pop into Warfleet Lodge, we headed West.
A rather uneventful rounding of Portland Bill found us chasing the setting sun towards Devon. Ironically this was the day that a £6 million super yacht caught fire in Torquay so it was questionable if it was the setting sun or the roaring flames that drew us in the rough direction of the English Riviera.
Lyme Bay isn’t the most interestingly of places until, that is, you spot our latest state of the art aircraft carrier, the mighty HMS Prince of Wales on manoeuvres in the bay. The entertainment increased when the skipper of a 36ft yacht ‘Sea Sprite’ chirped up on the VHF radio to ask the Warship to make clear their intentions as they had quite indignantly, and obviously without the permission of the skipper of Sea Sprite, altered course. I have no doubt that we’ve all heard the hilarious radio bat & ball conversation between the American Nemitz class Warship and a lighthouse, but this was no less ridiculous. The Royal Navy radio operator was very polite and explained that they had him on visual and would do everything in their power not to impede his progress.
I could only hope that later that day the skipper of Sea Sprite came to the realisation that 65,000 tons of ship is not as manoeuvrable as his 36ft yacht and that in future, for the sake of not sounding so pompous, could put aside the maritime law that states that ‘Power gives way to sail’ and adjust his course a smidge.
We were welcomed into Brixham where once again we were forced to consume alcoholic beverages with an old work* buddy, Dave, and the lovely Lyn, who have retired to the land of cream teas (*Ed : replace ‘work’ with ‘attended regularly’).
This was followed by arriving, through the gloom of the pouring rain, into Dartmouth and, unlike our usual lack of luck, we got the best mooring – mid river – overlooking the town. Peter and Sarah were again the best hosts in town and clutching our passports, we headed to Plymouth to enter the starting blocks for the channel dash to Roscoff….
25th May 2022
Trip Mileage 176 miles
Mileage Completed 2716 miles