Wind and tide

17/10/2017 / Bill

Our thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives in yesterday’s extreme weather.

In Teignmouth, we were on the edge of it.

Blue Mistress was snug, but the wind was blowing downriver and the incoming tide made for choppy water. In these conditions, there is a tendency for the boat to ride onto the mooring buoy. This has damaged the bow in the past. Padding the shackle and swivel has helped.

The two rows of moorings in the centre of the stream are swing moorings, the shallower moorings at the edge of the stream are fore-and-aft. The long keels of the Folksong and the Contessa 26 are holding the vessels more or less to the tide, whereas the three fin-keeled yachts beyond them are being swung by the wind.

The effect of the wind against the tide is more obvious here. The wind is pushing the two bigger yachts side on to the tide, hence the heeling. The gentleman aboard the far boat is waiting for it to float.

All the while, the bridge was whistling.

Images by Bill Whateley

Between tides

30/05/201730/05/2017 / Bill

On the Morgan Giles slip in Teignmouth. Lines need tightening.

A swift ‘scrape off the barnacles and one coat of antifoul’ between tides.

Images by Bill Whateley

A short passage along the Jurassic Coast – day four

20/08/201617/08/2016 / Bill

On Saturday, the wind was still heading me, although a direct tack out to sea allowed a long tack back into, and west along, the coast. An approaching front appeared as forecast as the long tack took me into Beer Roads.

(Click on image for short slideshow)

Beer in sight over the post bow. The approaching front – high cloud, then middle layer cloud followed directly by low cloud.

The constricted entrance to Axemouth harbour

The beach at Beer

In ‘Sailing for a Living’ by Basdil Greenhill, Percival Marshall, 1962, theres is a photograph of a three-masted Beer lugger – (“Beatrice Annie”), which would have been launched from this beach.

Beyond the white cliffs around Beer lies Branscombe and the familiar red cliffs of Devon.

I tacked close to the beach and headed out to sea again. The next tack would have taken Blue Mistress all the way to Teignmouth had the wind not veered when we were off Straight Point, between Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton. I lost interest in photography at this stage and concentrated on the beat along the final 10 miles.

. . . end

Images by Bill Whateley

A short passage along the Jurassic Coast – day three

19/08/201617/08/2016 / Bill

The following day, the sun shone, the wind headed us at a steady 2-3 bft and I returned to Lyme Regis, tacking off then on to the coast, no great distance (about 7 nm), no time to keep, a perfect morning’s sail. I sat back, enjoyed the sailing, took only a few photographs.

(Click on image to start slideshow)

Golden Cap on the left

Shadows and morning sun

The lower cliffs a clear grey with erosion. I am no geologist but I can appreciate the geology.

Chideock. In the days of merchant schooners and ketches, vessels would have taken the beach here to unload at low tide.

It’s not always easy to estimate the scale from the sea, however . . .

. . . see the people on the beach.

It had been as near perfect a day as is possible.

To be continued . . .

Images by Bill Whateley

A short passage along the Jurassic Coast in images – day two

18/08/201617/08/2016 / Bill

On Thursday, I made a shorter passage from Lyme Regis to West Bay. At both Lyme Regis and West Bay, the harbourmasters and teams were both friendly and helpful.

(Click on image to start slide show)

The early morning was calm and clear

We have walked along the coast path here. Interesting to see it from the other side

The campsite as Eype slopes down from the left. We spent a very enjoyable night here last year

The weather has clouded in and the wind begun to rise. Time to think about entering West Bay

The cliffs beyond West Bay

The swell is crossing the entrance at right angles. Interesting for a first-timer.

The entrance is no problem to the local craft.

West Bay is small but well worth the visit

The gigs return

This type of floating pontoons fits Blue Mistress

The architecture reminds me of France

The original inner harbour dries at low water leaving a small deeper pool

To be continued . . .

Images by Bill Whateley

A short passage along the Jurassic Coast in images – day one

17/08/2016 / Bill

On Wednesday, I sailed from Teignmouth towards Lyme Regis on a planned four-day visit along the Jurassic Coast. The object was to view the coast from the sea – to see red cliffs, white cliffs, yellow cliffs, grey cliffs, and the small communities in between – to try and photograph them regardless of the weather.

(Click on image for slide show)

Shaldon 0800

The Ness, Hope’s Nose beyond

Beer Point, Branscombe and Sidmouth in distance

Beer, with Seaton to the right

The undercliff

The undercliff, approaching Lyme Regis

Lyme Regis. The famous Cobb in the foreground

Pontoons, Lyme Regis

Mackerel fishing for smaller fry

Evening, Lyme Regis

Inside The Cobb

A happy berth

No harbour is complete without its gigs

Evening racing

Charmouth in distance

To be continued . . .

Images by Bill Whateley

The windvane – four short clips

29/07/201629/07/2016 / Bill

The windvane on Blue Mistress was damaged at the end of last year. A small yacht misjudged leaving the visitors’ pontoon in Dartmouth and ran onto it – “altering the shape” of it. This year I have been watching it closely in different conditions to check there has been no lasting damage. I took these short clips off Teignmouth earlier this month.

The wind was gusting strongly – (note the untidy lines), and I thought I’d record the effect of the gusts on the self-steering gear. In the second clip, the boat is heading higher than I wanted. In the third clip, I have adjusted the windvane to correct direction. A stronger gust then brings the boat up into the wind. In the fourth clip, I have adjusted the sails slightly. This works.

Video clips by Bill Whateley

A boat in Teignmouth

04/05/2016 / Bill

I have been getting used to new surroundings – new for Blue Mistress that is. No longer the city of Plymouth, but the town of Teignmouth – two ports, different aspects.

We too have wharves . . .

and buildings along the water’s edge . . .

and good pubs.

The entrance is interesting with shifting sandbanks meaning work for the dredger . . .

The sailing is less crowded . . .

Teignmouth is not only a holiday resort but a working port . . .

Vessels negotiate an awkward entrance.

Once in, their presence “alters the shape” of the town.

They continue the long tradition with this as with every other port – looking outwards, trading with other ports, both home, as with Celtic Ambassador, and abroad . . .

I am going to enjoy sailing from here.

(Images by Bill Whateley)

From Plymouth to Teignmouth – a new mooring

19/04/2016 / Bill / 5 Comments

Blue Mistress and I left Plymouth early on Saturday morning.

The wind was favourable but the tide was still ebbing at the Great Mew Stone . . .

. . . and would be against us until Bolt Head, where the tide would turn but the wind would begin to head us. Both wind and sea rose at Start Point and pushed us further out sea before we tacked back towards Dartmouth, arriving just over nine hours after leaving Plymouth.