We are very fortunate to be able to sail from Weir Quay, camp in a beautiful location, use the facilities of Weir Quay Sailing Club and have an interesting and challenging few days of river sailing. Very many thanks to the hosts who make this camp possible.
Friday 17th April – Mel and Steve arrived at about 4pm after the rain had stopped and set up camp. Simon, and James & Sandy were already here, boats set up. Simon has bought himself a new-to-him Comet Trio on the way to the camp, which is shiny, red and white hulled, with good sails and seems solid throughout.
Saturday 18th – Wind F4 from the West to NorthWest. Before the sail we had breakfast in the excellent cafe at the boatyard near where we camped. We sailed at 10am from Weir Quay to Mount Edgcumbe/Cremyl on a sun filled day. We had timed the sail to take advantage of the last 2.5 hours of the ebb tide, which was pouring out of the river on the day before Springs. The wind was cold but the sun was warm. Mel & Steve, Simon & Martin, James and Sandy in Comet Trios.
We anchored just beyond the pub and enjoyed lovely food; Cornish pasties, meat sausage rolls and usual pub drinks. We sat on the benches outside and enjoyed the view and the tide changed by an hour before we sailed home with the tide behind us.
We also knew that there was no wind expected on Sunday.
Sunday 19th – Steve, Mel, Simon and Martin took the train and bus to the Barbican in Plymouth, visited Force4 and bought boating provisions, enjoyed Fish & Chips and caught the last train (17:44) home, while James and Sandy cycled to Buckland Abbey.
We now knew that a strong Easterly wind was forecast from Tuesday onwards, so Simon had the excellent suggestion of sailing on the flood and on the ebb.
Monday 20th – a day of two sails. Bill was on holiday nearby and joined us for the day. We launched at 07:18 into a strong flood tide at the top of Springs, and sailed in light zephyrs of wind on a sunny and cold morning upriver, around the big corner and up as far a mile short of Cothele. Simon and Bill, James and Sandy, Mel and Steve in Trios and Martin single handing his Versa. The morning started tranquil and at about 9am the wind came up to a North-East F3-4, and since there are holes in the wind in the river, and the tide had begun to ebb we got only so far and no further, which was expected, and arrived back at Weir Quay by 10:30.
Then there was a pause until 13:00 when we prepared for a sail downriver, possibly stopping at the Ferry House Inn, so set off in a F4 from the North-East F4. When we got under the bridges, new signs warned of Private Land and No Landing, so the developing plan was then to see how far downriver with the tide we could get. About half a mile short of Cremyl, after the Torpoint Ferries, we decided to make for the shingly beach to the North East of the Edgcumbe Arms where there was a few metres of windward shore to anchor our boats and fetch goodness from the pub, including coffee in cups on saucers on trays. All boats had tripping lines on their anchors and Mel grabbed an escaping Trio before it had a chance to escape.
The returning sail was straightforward as most of the sail was a broad reach, reach and close reach, achieved in one tack.
Simon really showed his sailing prowess in his new boat and sailed beautifully about the river and harbour – it’s lovely to see Simon in a boat worthy of his skills.
This was like two sails in one day and it was worth it because… the strong East Wind then stopped all sailing from Tuesday to Friday evening, and we reverted to having a lovely holiday in Devon and Cornwall.
Tuesday 21st was the first day of very strong winds – the camping field was sheltered from the wind by the hill and we sat on the field, wrapped up warm and listened to the wind scream through the yacht masts in the river and trees across the river in Cornwall. Also, for those who said that April is a bit early for camping, they were right – that night was bitterly cold and there was frost on the grass, ice on the camping table and a bitter chill in the air on Tuesday morning. Martin, Mel and Steve visited the National Trust house at Cothele – somewhere we had sailed to before, but not visited properly. Our review of it..? It’s OK but suffering from being kept in the past. Ged arrived, knowing that there was no sailing to be done, but camping was on and hanging out with friends was calling. We had a camp fire and put some of the world to rights.
Wednesday 22nd again was too windy, so we resolved to visit and properly museum the Morwellan Quay “adventure” by booking for the Mine Tour. Ged, Mel, Martin and Steve arrived about 10:30 and gave the place a good Paddington Stare, and then went to watch a short video explainer and to the mine for a trip on the mine train which was excellent. Having experienced that, we repaired to the pub for a far-above-average and tasty lunch. They explained very well how horrible it was to work in and around the copper mining industry at that time – both for the men, women and children, who lived short, physically exhausting and back-breaking lives to mine, sort, grade and sell copper ore to a greedy world. James and Sandy cycled again, to Tavistock and on part of the Drake Trail, discovering that high winds are challenging both in boat and on cycle. Simon went home. A second camp fire was enjoyed and the other half of the world was put to rights.
Thursday 23rd, Ged left for Hampshire, and James and Sandy went home, leaving only Mel and Steve on the field. We busied ourselves visiting every public slipway around Plymouth and photographing them for the Dinghy Trails project, with a special treat for Mel for putting up with this of a lunch at a Greek Restaurant where we had a delicious mesa style meal. What have we learned? That Weir Quay is so far away from other places – for instance we were in Saltash earlier – 3.8 miles away in a straight line, and 22 miles and an hour by road… And Plymouth is about 8 miles away, and also 45 minutes driving away. The remoteness is one of the factors that makes Weir Quay the special place that it is.
Friday 24th was too windy again – dry, sunny and F6 across the river at times, so having enjoyed a late awakening Mel and Steve visited Tavistock. We enjoyed the bustling and eclectic Pannier Market, and other shops along the High Street. Steve bought a second- hand guitar almost as old as he is. Weir Quay SC have a sail on the river every Friday and we were invited to join them, by which time the wind had abruptly dropped in strength and we sailed in a F2 gusting F3 initially, and as the sun dropped the wind also dropped too almost still. We sailed in the river between Weir Quay and Cargreen, and the junior sailors were in fine voice with many different songs being sung at different times; in their own specific keys and timing. It was an evening of sailing joy, completed with a mug of hot chocolate in the Hub shed. The evening is dark and still with an overhead half moon.
Saturday 25th Mel and Steve joined WQSC for their annual sail to Calstock (we had both assumed they went there regularly, but no, once a year). The day started calm and we pushed off at about 11am into a gentle breeze and full sun. The fleet consisted of 7 different dinghies and a yacht, and a mixture of adults, youth and children. The sail there was straightforward, with the wind blowing from behind all the way from the end of the big turn, past Cotehele and onto Calstock.
Calstock is not a welcoming location to beach seven dinghies and a metal powerboat. There’s a steep bank at high tide which drops to soft, thigh deep mud and requires scrambling up the vegetation to get to the top of the bank, or the ferry pontoon which is small and high. Having eventually settled on the land side of the ferry pontoon we joined not only the sailors on the many picnic benches, but the parents of the sailors, and the WQSC walkers, probably about 35 people having lunch in the sun. It was a lovely atmosphere, and the numbers overwhelmed the ice-cream sellers of Calstock. We were in no hurry to leave as the ebb was building in strength.
The wind continued to be shifty in the reach along Calstock, and then it settled on a beat almost the whole way home on a decent neap tide ebb. The sea-breeze had made it up as far as Calstock, and was a steady F3 and very many tacks between Devon and Cornwall (the county boundary runs through the centre of the river).
All returned to Weir Quay by 6pm. It was a highly satisfying day of sailing in good company. If only Calstock sorted out a better way of hosting visiting dinghies it would be an excellent destination. Cothele is a much better destination for a group of dinghies.
Overall the week was a success if the goal was a lovely Spring holiday in Devon. It would have been better if the wind had been moderate, and yet Devon and Cornwall are a lovely place for a camping holiday.