Plymouth Life

Since Steve and I arrived in Plymouth, we have been doing some odd jobs on the boat as well as sightseeing.  As we have no car, we have found ourselves doing a lot of walking.  Hopefully, we are both losing a bit of weight and getting fitter in the process.

From the marina, we have walked into the city centre several times and visited the historical sites of the Barbican and Plymouth Hoe.

The historic Barbican area of Plymouth was one of the few parts of the city to escape most of the destruction of The Blitz during the Second World War. It is the place from where Sir Francis Drake sailed and from where the Pilgrim Fathers departed to settle in the New World from the Mayflower Steps in 1620.  

Barbican














On November 15^th 1577, Francis Drake set sail from Plymouth Sound, aboard his flagship, the "Pelican" (Later renamed the Golden Hind), a ship of about 100 tonnes and carrying 18 guns. In 1577 Queen Elizabeth I had selected Drake to be the head of an expedition that was to sail around the world. The expedition, consisting of a fleet of five ships, was to take three years. Francis Drake and the five ships travelled across the Atlantic Ocean to South America, through the treacherous Straits of Magellan, the Pacific Ocean, the coast of California, Vancouver, New Albion, the Philippines, the Spice Islands (Moluccas), Java and round the Cape of Good Hope and on to Sierra Leone. In 1580 Francis Drake returned to Plymouth Sound in Devon, England. The Golden Hind was the only vessel to return from Drake’s expedition of the five vessels which originally set out from England. The voyage had been very successful and the golden Hind was bursting with plundered Spanish treasures. They say that a week is a long time in politics and Drake had been away for 3 years. Rather than announce himself to the world he slipped un-noticed behind St Nicholas’s Island (now known as Drakes Island) where he had time to assess what sort of welcome he was likely to get. It would either be a hero’s welcome or ‘off with his head’. If the Queen was still alive he should be OK but if she was dead and the new ruler was pro Spanish he might have to explain how he came by all the bling on board. Fortunately it was the former for Drake and soon after he was knighted. 

Drakes Island

Once at the Hoe, we came across Smeaton’s Tower. We had seen this distinctive lighthouse from the boat when we first arrived. It turns out this is the third and most notable Eddystone Lighthouse. 

Smeatons Tower

In use until 1877, it was largely dismantled and rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe, where it now stands as a memorial to its designer, John Smeaton. Just behind Smeaton’s Tower is Plymouth’s version of the London Eye, where you get fantastic views of Plymouth Sound and the city.

Plymouth Eye

On the way back from our walk, I saw a barbers & hairdressers.  Since I hadn’t had my hair cut for about two months, I was in desperate need of a trim so I enquired how much a wash, cut and blow dry would be.  When I was told £15, I had my hair cut there and then!  In Eastbourne, it would have cost me more than double that for the same thing.

From our berth at the marina, we look out towards Royal William Yard. Perhaps one day it will be called Will.i.am Yard?  The Grade 1 former Royal Naval victualling buildings have been converted into cafes, bars, restaurants, a museum, art galleries, offices and very nice residential spaces. The apartments have massive granite and limestone walls, exposed timber roof beams and arched windows. An apartment here will set you back a few pennies, OK I had a look on the Rightmove website, but what a place to live!  We decided to take a walk over there to get a different view of Mayflower marina. 

Whilst there, we also ate lunch at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage canteen and deli. 

 I had creamed leek and roasted chestnut mushroom Speltotto (like risotto but made with spelt), topped with Vulscombe goats cheese.  Steve had the roast pork loin with buttered greens & fennel seed, roast potatoes, apple and red wine sauce.  He washed this down with a ‘Stinger’ nettle beer, which he said was jolly nice and he would not be requiring a Dock Leaf chaser!

Yummy!

Royal William Yard

It hasn’t all been play whilst we have been here, we have done lots of jobs on the boat that we didn’t get the chance to complete before we left Eastbourne.  

We ordered some new anchor chain. Scarlet came with a paltry 30 metres but as we will be doing a lot of anchoring, we decided to increase the length to 75 metres of grade 40 calibrated chain and 30 metres of warp (rope).  When the new anchor chain arrived, it took the two of us to wheel the trolley containing it to the boat.  We had to lay the new chain out on the pontoon and put some anchor markers on so we know how much has been payed out. It really was back breaking work and the following morning, we could barely move!

After a couple of days off, our next job was to replace the hose which carries waste from the toilet to the holding tank, in the rear heads (toilet).  This hose is 2 inches in diameter and over time they get furred up.  If you are about to have your dinner I would skip the next bit. The furring is due to a combination of the effects of urine and sea water which cause this to build up. On removing the hose, it was far from the original 2 inch diameter that it should have been and it was a good job we replaced it when we did. This was not a very pleasant job as you can imagine and the heads is not a very big space to work in.  I am pleased to report that since we replaced the hose, there have been no leaks and the toilet flushes much better now.  We still need to replace the hose in the forward heads but as this toilet is flushing ok, we will probably leave it until we get to Spain. No pictures of this task!

The Passerelle Steve purchased on eBay has been spruced up and non slip strips applied to the stainless steps. Not only is it a Passerelle for stern-to mooring but it will aslo serve as a boarding ladder for the bow.

Boarding Ladder/Passerelle

One morning last week, I awoke to a smell of a whiff of diesel.  Steve couldn’t smell anything, but we decided to investigate nevertheless. Our mattress is over the fuel tank so we had to dismantle the bed to take a closer look.  The connection to the Eberspacher diesel heating system was weeping diesel and about half a cupful was lying in a pool under the tank.  After mopping up the spillage, Steve tightened the connection and then ran the engine for about 10 minutes to see if the problem had gone away.  Fortunately, his handy work had paid off and we have had no further leaks.  Fuel capacity may become an issue as the tank only holds 126 litres. Unlike a car, our fuel consumption is calculated at litres per hour. At 1900 rpm we appear to be using about 2.8 litres an hour so theoretically, we have about 45 hours range at say 6 knots which is 270 nautical miles. I say theoretically as it would be very difficult to actually use all of the fuel in the tank given the pitching and rolling of the boat so you need to allow about 10 to 15 percent less than the actual capacity. All of this meant a trip out to buy some Jerry cans and now the challenge is where to put them!

From our berth, we look over to Mount Edgcumbe Country Park, on the Rame peninsula of Cornwall.  There is a ferry you can catch from near Royal William Yard that takes you to Cremyll, at the foot of Mount Edgcumbe.  This ferry has been a link between Devon and Cornwall for over 800 years. 

Cremyll Ferry

The journey takes approx 10 minutes and Mount Edgcumbe is well worth a visit.

We walked up to the very impressive Edgcumbe House, around the formal gardens and Orangerie and then headed along the coastal path towards Kingsand. 

Edgcumbe House

Folly

En route, we passed through ‘Deer Park’, where there is a folly you can climb.  From the top, you get fantastic views across Plymouth Sound and out to sea.  Whilst we were at the top of the folly, we saw 2 Royal Navy ships out on manoeuvres in the sound. 

Plymouth Sound

Deserted Beach

Our walk took us through open fields and wooded areas.  There were plenty of steep hills and by the time we reached a bench overlooking the water near Kingsand, we were ready for a break.  I had packed a picnic so we sat for a while and watched one of the frigates drop anchor out in the bay and smaller yachts out enjoying a leisurely sail. 

We walked approximately 6 miles in total and had a much needed siesta on return to the boat.

Labrinth

On Saturday 19 May, the Olympic torch passed through Plymouth, so Steve and I headed to the Hoe at about 6pm.  Once there, we came across a huge stage where there was a beacon which was to be lit by the 139^th torch bearer, Maddie Wood.  Whilst waiting for the torch to arrive, we were entertained by local dancers as well as Twist and Pulse (from Britain’s Got talent 2011) and up and coming urban artist Labrinth.  I have to admit, Steve and I had never heard of Labrinth but he was a hit with the youngsters in the crowd who went wild when he came on stage.  They also seemed to know all the words to the four songs he sang.  There were so many people all trying to get a photo of the torch when it arrived that it was difficult to get a photo without having someone’s phone or camera blocking your view but hopefully you can just about see the torch and beacon.

Olympic Flame



There are still some minor jobs left to do and Steve’s brother is flying into the UK and will meet us later in the week. According to the local weather forecast, a mini heat wave is due next week and may mean we can un-plug our radiators for the first time this year!

Lynne x

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.



<> 

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....