Sovereign Harbour to Plymouth

As all sailors will know, passage planning for any trip will involve checking the weather more than once and there are many sources available via the internet. Mind you, there is such a thing as information overload. Equipped with downloaded grib files and printouts of various forecasts, it appeared that the window of opportunity to leave for Plymouth would almost certainly result in a leg of two parts.


We left Eastbourne on the 27th April via the 10.00am lock and were soon bashing into some large waves and a force 4 wind.   However, the weather predictions proved accurate and a few hours later we were making good progress in much calmer conditions - so much so Lynne found the time to catch up on some texts.


Eventually the wind dropped and with sailing no longer an option, the engine was roused and we settled in to our night passage watching a fantastic sunset over the Isle of Wight.

Sunset over the Isle of Wight

With a crew of three (thanks John for helping us) we began a 'two hour on', 'two hour off' watch system which worked really well.  After listening to the weather forecasts through the night, it was clear that a port of refuge would be needed.  A deep low pressure system was moving up from Biscay and Northern France and Force 8 to 9 storms were predicted within the next 12 hours.

With a favourable tide around Portland Bill, we made good speed to Brixham and managed to get in a cracking beam reach sail for the final few hours.


The staff at Brixham were really helpful and found us a berth tucked around the back of the breakwater.

Safe at Brixham Marina

Sure enough, later on that afternoon the wind really picked up, gusting to over 45 knots and it lashed down with rain. This continued for the next 24 hours.   However, Brixham is full of charm and the next day we discovered the delights of an open log fire and full roast dinner with all the trimmings at the Blue Anchor pub, a short but rain drenched walk from the Marina.

Lynne outside the Blue Anchor pub

If you are in Brixham this place is worth a visit. As I recall the full roast dinner (large portion) set us back about £6 each and the draught ale was very good indeed.
Located in Fore street it was full of charm and just what we needed.



A short walk from the pub is a replica of the Golden Hind seen in the photo below drying out at low water.
Francis Drake (later Sir Francis Drake) was the first Englishman to sail around the world and it is very hard to imagine how this was accomplished in the 1500's. We had just sailed from Eastbourne with a huge array of high tech gadgets, chartplotters, 3 back-up GPS systems, AIS and Radar and of course a portfolio of paper charts. OK so we only had a crew of 3. Drake had started out with 70, although only 56 made it back. We had a microwave and flat screen TV but if you get a chance, do visit the The Golden Hind if only to see the terrible conditions those poor sailors would have endured for so long.

Replica of the Golden Hind in the background

On Monday morning John left us to travel back to Eastbourne on the train and the task of weather forecasting began all over again. Although Brixham is a fantastic place to visit and the marina staff could not be more helpful, our objective to get to Plymouth remained.
The forecast looked good for the following day, although what wind there was, would be light and in the wrong direction for much of the passage. However, having re-fuelled in the morning we set off and enjoyed the delights of the rugged coastline, a change to the white cliffs of our previous home territory.

Leaving Brixham

Great Mewstone

Apologies for the lack of pictures leading up to the next one, but the pilotage into Plymouth demanded our full attention as this is a really busy place. Of the two routes available from the entrance to Mayflower marina, we chose the Asia passage around Drake Island. You get a really good view of Smeatons Tower and Plymouth Hoe, where Francis Drake finished his game of bowls before getting to task with the Spanish Armada.

Scarlet at Mayflower Marina

Before too long we had sighted the entrance to our home port for the next month, Mayflower Marina.  Once we were on our berth it was time to relax, plug into the shore power and head off to the office to book in.
The facilities here are some of the best encountered and include a bath! Also on site is a well stocked chandlers which also serves as a convenience store. About a 20 minute walk away is a Co-Op in one direction and a Lidl in the other.
Also a stone's throw away is the home of Princess Yachts, perfect for indulging the family after a lottery win.

HMS Ocean

We were having dinner when Lynne mentioned she could hear a strange noise which was getting louder. Being unfamiliar with our surroundings we popped up on deck and watched in astonishment as HMS Ocean, a 21,500 tonne Amphibious Assault Ship glided past just a short distance away. We later read that she was on her way to Greenwich as part of the security for the Olympics.



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Not Kate Winslett!

Our first visitors here were Steve's sister Clare and daughter Tara. Poor Clare, this was her first time on board and she reported feeling a little queasy after only a few minutes. If she comes to visit us abroad she will be staying at the nearest hotel and not on the boat!
You actually do get used to the gentle rocking motion here but occasionally, we get really thrown about by a passing ferry. The mooring lines are looking a little frayed and many will need to be replaced before we leave. It may also be a good time to invest in some mooring compensator's, perhaps the stainless steel ones to absorb some of the shocks through the cleats.



So there we have it for now. There is still a list of things to do and it would be nice to find some time to go and visit a nearby anchorage at Dandy Hole.
More updates soon....

Last weeks in Eastbourne

Two weeks into April and still the list of jobs to do appears to get bigger by the day!
Lynne has now left work and is now able to help me organise all the storage on the boat which means that we have spent the last week trying to squeeze all manner of items into lockers and behind seat cushions. It probably did not help the cause, purchasing a couple of second hand fold up bikes (Thanks Ewen and Pauline) but we thought they might come in useful along the way.


Fold up bike

At the start of the month, the new batteries were ordered and fitted. The original lead acid ones had lasted well but as they are located under the aft bunk they were a right pain to get to, to check and top up levels. Also, the House Bank was only 330AH and we wanted to take the opportunity to switch to Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) types and add an extra one in the un-used space beside the existing  batteries.
Having spent months reading the pro's and cons of different types of batteries it eventually came down to cost and we purchased a total of 6, 120AH batteries this means that we now have a 480Ah House Bank and new engine and bow thruster batteries.


New House Bank installation

Bow thruster and new battery

We also sent off our Mc Murdo EPIRBto be serviced as it was coming up to 5 years old. Many thanks to Sue Brown of Sartech Engineering for a seamless process.
Talking of Seams.....
A small tear at the base of the sprayhood next to one of the 3 zippers that keep the base in place, had been bugging us for a few weeks now. It would need a small repair at least. Friends Sue and Phil advised knowingly, that such repairs should be undertaken without fail before a Biscay passage. It was therefore timely to see Mark Davey of Marine Trimming whilst in the local boatyard. Mark kindly popped on the boat and to our horror, pulled the base of the sprayhood off the zips as the stitching turned to dust! Who would have thought that we get so much UV degredation in the UK! In the future we will take the sprayhood off when not in use for extended periods. You live and learn.

Last weekend, Lynne did a great job of servicing the engine under the supervision of our good friend Tim who is a marine mechanic. Tim and Tina from Shiraz (See our Dieppe Blog) will be joining us in the Med as soon as they can and until then, we will miss them very much.

The remaining checklist is just about complete and my next email will be to Allspars in Pymouth to book a rigging check, boom brake and whisker pole.


A month or so back I won an auction on eBay for a used passerelle. Lynne and I had been looking for one for a while but thought we would have to buy a new one. By chance, one happened to come along and the bidding began. From the pictures on the website, the passerelle looked to be very high quality and despite being stored in a garage for a decade this looked to be just the ticket. Thankfully or final bid was sucssesful and within a week Lynne was taking it apart, cleaning the teak and polishing the stainless steel. It became apparent that this was not just a passerelle but could also be used as a bow boarding ladder. The fitting that came with it would not fit on our bow roller so a local stainless steel fabricator was commissioned to make a new one. No pictures just at the moment but will take some soon.

The passerelle is necessary for Med mooring, to illustrate, here is a picture I took a while back on a flotilla vacation. Please note that most paserelle's have wheels on the 'dock end' and flippers are a pure subsitute and yes, in case you ask, there was not a diver under the ladder when it was lowered!

The beers cans came from the boat and lead to the local bar.

Typical Med Mooring!

And a local bar!

At the end of this month we will head to Plymouth in readiness for the June start of the ARC Portugal

Many thanks to so many family/friends/bertholders who have made our time at Sovereign Harbour so enjoyable and the Premier Marina staff who have been brilliant.

All being well, our next post will be from Plymouth.

Steve and Lynne