Three day cruise - Weston to Ilfracombe.

Thusday 13th Sept

Had a good look at Minehead - so I could familiarise myself with the approach.

( But after Ilfracombe, I've got places further west on my mind than Minehead - like Padstow and beyond - or Milford Haven and West Wales. I was studying the chrts last night - and didn't realise the Scillies were only 35 mile run from St Ives ! My mind was beginning to wander afar as this trip proceeded ! )

The two main Minehead buoys are on the buoy pages - and a pic of the white mark on the anchorage there. Ian seemed to use a different entrance approach to what I had read. - heading for the prominent green cupola on the front, from a point between the old beacon and the new starboard gantry ( see buoys )

I think if I was looking to go in somewhere here - I would go into the marina at Watchet - or anchor in Blue Anchor if its settled. Depends what you are after - but Minehead does not seem too flat a bottom.

Not really any good us going into Watchet or Minehead, as we needed to be away on the LW. We could have gone in for 12 hrs - but would have had to get out as late as possible after the morning HW - then still kill time until the 2.30pm slack and the fair tide to Weston.

As it was - we had a fairly good night at Anchor. I had never done this before - and it seemed all very strange. I worked out our depths ok - with a bit of head scratching ( I'd done a tidal curve for Porlock for thursday - so had to adjust it a it for Blue Anchor - it surprisngly is one metre difference on Watchet on HW - and only ten miles away.)

Rather uncanny to look out the cabin window at night, in bed, and see and hear water rushing past at 2.5kts - trying to convince yourself that you really are standing still. The gps was a blessing - just being able to look at that dull orange screen and see a waypoint mark and a boat position arrow, happily making a little track circle - just 80 m across on the scale. Also. of course, I have the remote alarm all set up now - so when I set the garmin anchor alarm - it sounds a 100 dcb pieto buzzer, which does not go off until you press the little red re-set button. I put the alarm on 00.07m - thats about 140m. No problem at all - no false alarms.

We needed 11.5 m depth at out arrival time, for a min depth of 4 m - and it seemed a hell of a long way out. This is one flat beach !

Friday 14th Sept

The pic below was still on the anchor, taken in the morning, still spot on out Waypoint we set - and on 45m rode and chain - and a force 5 blowing from the west. In the early hours I'd woke around LW by chance, so laid there a while studying the little screen and we had 3.9 m. So I got my depths right .

The forecast turn in the weather scrapped our planned trip ashore for a fry up ( oh the thought of it ) blowing up to a force 6 from the west overnight. By morning HW at nine she was really going some - with the wind really whistling some in gusts, and this was with the wind with the tide. Once it ebbed, the tide would be straight into the wind. It was a big spring too. I was glad I was not on my own here - I sort of knew we ought to get off the anchor - and that offshore was going to be rough while the wind was against the tide - so I suppose there was only the one option. Stay in the bay and ride it out for four hours. The tide was only doing about 2 kts here - as opposed to the 4 plus out there.at the peak.

The forecast was with us though - with it easing off and veering to the NW later. LW was at 2.30pm - this morning HW 8,30.am.

So thats what we did. Anchor came up ok, and it had held well too ( its a 10 k delta - 10m 8mm chain - 75m 14mm plait - if you are interested.) Wasn't really too bad in the bay - and we amused ourselves motoring into the steep swell towards Minehead, to a point where we were forced out by the outfalls - then running back the other way on a bit of jib, ticking the engine over. Much preferable I think to the state of our stomaches than riding it out on the anchor.

As predicted - it began to die a bit midday - and once the tide neared LW slack the bay was settling quite a bit.

Had a Pan Pan distres from over by Cardiff - 34' Bavaria lost steerage - earlier on in the morning when it was blowing about a 6.

Swansea asked them if they had anchored, - 'No' they replied, we're in 20m and don't have enough rode !

I have 85m on the anchor, 65m with the spare CQR and another 60m polyprop multiplait spare at the bottom of the cockpit locker. I'm a 22'boat - not 34' . I suspect a certain party are going to get a bit of a lecture from Barry Lifeboat who were deployed within ten mins for a tow.

Both of us managed to get through to slack water without going too green at the gills - despite having to get the anchor in and stowed earlier - then get a reef in the main - get the blasted anchor ball down ( I only put it up for something to do last night - it was so still and calm - I wanted somethig to fiddle with ! )

Leaving Blue Anchor - white holiday camp conspicuous at Minehead - with the harbour
wall on skyline right.

Still pretty lively in the bay - even at Slack. Time to go - so set out into deeper water for home at 2.30.The wind was now in the NW - which was perfect - the tide would be right on our tail at up to 4 kts - so I set just the jib, part furled. We were getting 3.5 kts, without any tide as we set out.

Didn't want to be in Weston too early - couldn't get up the Axe until about 18.50. Still towing the dingy . Wonder what handicap one would get in local races - 'dingy in tow '.

So the last leg - back to Weston Bay. I had done this twice before from around here singlehanded - but not from Blue Anchor. Just held a visual line to Steep Holm . managed to miss DZ3 buoy ( where did that come from ). I was used to coming up form much further out offshore. Steep seas still running out past DZ3 - a good 2.5m swell, breaking on the crests coming from the NW. Settled a bit by the time we reached Steep Holm.

Weston bay still lively - but not in comparison to S of Culver sands. The strong winds directly against a spring tide must have kicked it all up some in the morning - and it was taking a while to settle now. I was quite happy with it - and was on the helm all the way into Weston.. She seems fine in these sorts of seas, We could have put the main up for a bit more lateral stability, but we would have been way early on Weston -and killing time there, waiting for the depth to get in the Axe.

continues to - A setting sun, Weston Bay, Axe approach, home.