Dartmouth to Plymouth

31 May – 5 June 2022

For this passage, we expect light winds to take us to Plymouth. We set sail after saying our goodbyes to fellow sailors and filling up our water tanks. The sail goes well with some reefing and tacking. For the first time, we can do some homeschooling. Sadly this only lasted a couple of hours before we had to be in the cockpit due to unforeseen heavy winds. We play a game of sailing races with fellow boats (unannounced to them) and try our hand at fishing, but no luck.

Once we have Plymouth in sight, we set a course for Cawsand / Kingsand anchorage. According to the Navily, a cruising and anchorage guide, Cawsand is a peaceful anchorage close to a little village with a beautiful view. We spent most of the following day phoning for butane/propane gas that would fit in our gas locker. There has been a shortage of our size gas bottles(4.5 kg butane or 3.9 kg propane) for over ten months, leaving us with a little Campingaz container. After what would seem 100 calls, Sander manages to secure another Campingaz bottle at a local marina. Next, we phone around to arrange for a rigger, as our rigging needs checking before crossing Biscay. We secure a rigger for the following week when we are in Falmouth.

The wind changes direction, and we move to Jennycliff Bay anchorage on the opposite side of Plymouth bay. Jennycliff bay is a lovely anchorage with a beach close by. The kids and I spend the morning on the beach while Sander picks up the gas bottle.

A short dinghy ride, and you are in Plymouth. Plymouth has a couple of chandleries that offer a variety of nautical supplies. We stock up on a couple of things (milk, bread, vegetables, charts, and a dinghy chain for locking her up when on land) and prepare for our trip to Falmouth.

Lessons Learnt:

• Become as self-sufficient as possible
  • Relying on gas for cooking is not ideal, and we have now started looking to cook on an induction plate. We will update you on the progress. (Update – we use induction cooking when the sun is out)
• Get used to cold showers
  • If we do not run the engine, we do not have hot water. Instead, we have opted for solar showers. These only heat up to below lukewarm water as we have not had enough sun yet.