We woke to the gentle throb of large engines. It was barely 6am and the Cruise Liner “Europa” was being gently manouvered into it’s mooring just off the end of the pontoons. Just as well the dinghy racing was last night as this thing is right in the middle of the course now.

We had decided to move on to the River Yealm today. Savvy Navvy app anticipated motoring all the way, as too little wind, whilst Windy app was showing F4. We set off at 9.00am in no wind, out of the estuary entrance and turned eastward, a gaff rigged folk boat in full sail ahead of us. There were plenty of yachts around, all with sail up, so not to be the odd one out decided we would do the same. With a tickle of a breeze, we re-rigged the screecher and set that out as well. By 9:30am the motor was off and we were making 5kts. Its sunny, its warm, its a broad reach, happy days.

Over the next hour the wind steadily picked up and a 2Okts changed screecher for genoa, and were now bowling along at 7-8kts. Off Plymouth and an hour earlier than our expected arrival at River Yealm, we decided to make the best of the wind and carry on to Salcombe an extra 15 miles or 3 hours sailing.

We changed course which was a little more downwind and slowly the wind backed to the west and we got to the point where we were goose winged for an hour or so to get us round the headlands of Bolt Tail and Bolt Head.

By 4.00pm we were at Salcombe entrance, sails down and gently motor in. It was manic, motor boats, yachts, ferries, canoes, dinghies, paddle boards and even swimmers, all in the channel. You needed eyes in the back of your head, to navigate safely.

We got a pontoon berth in the bag, and after a terrible docking, (I got it all wrong). We settled down for the evening. One of our most enjoyable days sailing.

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