Starting with trepidation – leaving home waters
The strong North Westerly winds that plagued the sea trial had begun to abate when I started my passage. The first day I was tentative and only reached as far as New Town on the Isle of Wight. The auto helm, and electric arm that can steer

A key milestone - leaving home waters
the boat is proving troublesome. I was determined to leave the marina but decided that plunging out without a proper plan was not the thing to do, Hence New Town. The evening gave me a chance to plan the passage to Poole or Weymouth. The big tide gate is the Needles passage. I aimed to pass through at slack water which required an early rise. This is a key milestone on the passage, leaving the Solent means the adventure is truly under way.
A lucky break
I woke super early and made myself a cooked breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and a flask of hot coffee. It was cold but clear and the wind, though strong enough for me, was F5 and northerly, the waves wore white caps. I ran out of the Solent under a reefed genoa, fore sail, alone as was sluiced west by a helpful tide. The autohelm was still dysfunctional so I hand steered all the way, skipping Poole and aimed straight for Weymouth with the good wind behind me. The visibility was fantastic and made a safe entrance Saturday afternoon while the racing boats were still rushing around. A call to the harbour master told me I could go along side town quay and there was plenty of room. My challenge then to come alongside, single handed without assistance. I tuned the boat into tide and wind slowed to a virtual standstill and crabbed sideways onto the pontoon., touch down no problem.

Filled with trepidation - could I handle the long passage
I stayed in Weymouth three nights waiting on the weather, the forecast was still north- easterly F5-F6 occasionally F7 but when I looked out it wasn’t so bad. The strong winds were forecast to reduce to F3 to F4 which was my cue to leave and head across the Lyme bay towards Dartmouth. Crossing Lyme bay, done by hundreds of boats each summer, marks the end of southern England and the beginning of the West Country with long-established holiday destinations. It was bumpy, cold and unpleasant but I stuck with it, again running just under a reefed genoa hand steering all the way. It was a remarkably fast passage with the tide assisting me and the visibility so clear I never lost sight of land. I was rewarded by a dozen dolphins, either common or white beaked, who came along side chasing the boat and touching the rudder. I arrived in Dartmouth well ahead of time, about 5pm. I decided to take the easiest berth which is the visitors pontoon at Kingswear, where the steam trains run in from Paignton.
The West Country
I went up the road to the Ship Inn and enjoyed several pints of Otter Ale. There were a succession of people in the pub, firstly the folks running B&Bs telling tales of their booking agents and the stupidity of the clients. Then the local handy man and the cooks from the local hotel had a competition to eating picked eggs. Errr. I tottered back to my boat and woke with a thick head. Next day I moved up river to a cheaper mooring off the village of Ditisham, full of holiday cottages and large properties overlooking the river. It is clearly a wealthy area judging by the number of builders vans and various maintenance service vans attending the houses in preparation for the season. Next day, cleaning and planning. The winds continued northerly and I was in no hurry. Thursday cam out clear and warm in the sun shine with a F3-F4 south-westerly it was time to make the short hop around the Start Point to Salcombe where I was able to pick up a mooring buoy without and problems, the sun continues to shine, what a fabulous start to the trip. As the Scots say, “If you don’t like the weather you won’t wait long for a change.” It’s raining in Salcombe on Friday, but I am tucked into the Victoria Inn with WiFi and a good pint, having bought some fresh bread and a fillet of plaice for my supper. The only niggle is the autohelm issue, which is strange since it was worked perfectly for years and was fine last season. The additional chart plotter might be route cause – more investigating is required. The boat is handling well
- The main is flying up and down having benefitted from some lubrication applied to the sail slides in the mast.
- The genoa is furling fine, brute force applied in the cockpit and will wrap itself away.
- Chart plotter is great with repeated information in the cockpit.
- Engine running sweet as a nut and the new alternator charges just fine, although I still worry about amp comsumption. Charging the lap top from boat batteries is not reasonable.