Three day cruise - Weston to Ilfracombe.

Wed 12th Sept

At long last - what I had always wanted to do since I first thought about getting a boat - cruising into a scenic little harbour, mooring up and going ashore. And it was now gloriously warm and still - clear water - what a treat to be able to see the bottom in two metres. Its the cruising aspect of sailing that has always appealed - but it somehow takes a lot of confidence to venture forth - and confidence in your boat handling to go into strange ports, especially singlehanded.

Yet to do that - but I think I'd be ok here on my todd now, now I 'm familiar with it. One reason for this trip was to familiarise myself with Blue Anchor, Watchet, Minehead , Porlock etc - for when I'm singlehanded. Its 'so' much easier once you have been there once.

Ian - waiting for the water in the outer harbour. - Ilfracombe.

The visitors buoys are really easy here - small and easy to grab - with a soft eye painter hanging from a short tether for the bow - with a stern line clipped to it. They run back at 90 deg to the wall - with each buo being a separate mooring. Stern line has a rope painter with a soft eye connected to a heavy ground chain. When you leave you re-clip the stern line to the Buoy tether, or face the wrath of the Harbourmaster, no doubt.

Bottom is dead flat hard sand. We just touched about thirty foot short of the buoys - being so calm., I just left her in gear ticking over - and she just pushed her way in as the tide rose - all on her own.

We had the dingy stowed roughly along the side rail from Weston - got it up and in and took to the shore to pay dues etc. ( cheapish at -£7.80 ) We would tow it the next day - and actually ended up towing it all the way home. An awful lot easier than stowing it.

continues - Lena in the harbour