Most years I race long-distance, and in 2020 I had expected to compete in the OSTAR aboard our Bowman 40 Arethusa of Yealm. But with the transatlantic race postponed due to COVID-19 we had to change our plans. My wife, Penny, prefers cruising to racing, and likes to enjoy at least a couple of nights at each stop.
As Penny notes, ‘I can’t see the point of crashing to windward. I’d sooner we change the plan and have a good sail in comfort. I think Mervyn has generally adapted well to this ethos when we are cruising!’
With no commitments for August and September, we decided to sail to the north coast of Spain and the Rias. However, that plan was thwarted by COVID-19 restrictions, so we opted to cruise to the north and south coast of Brittany for seven weeks instead.
Thankfully, Arethusa was only out of the water for a couple of months over the winter. We relaunched her in February 2020 before the first lockdown restrictions were imposed. We were lucky as, from March, many boats were stuck in marinas or yards with their owners unable to access them.
It had been our intention to start by sailing from our home port at Newton Ferrers on the River Yealm in South Devon to Roscoff to stock up on wines but, by the time we set off on 8 August, the wind was southeasterly, so we opted instead for a good sail to L’Aber Wrac’h, arriving in the river in the early morning in clear, sunny conditions.
SUMMER SOLITUDE
This story is from the July 2021 edition of Yachting Monthly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 2021 edition of Yachting Monthly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
TECHNICAL 'OUR BOAT WAS FULL OF WATER'
After an afternoon away, Roger Hughes had to act quickly when he found his schooner-rigged yacht sinking at its Florida marina mooring
HOW IT WORKS OPTIMISING SAIL TRIM
It is difficult to describe ‘correct’ sail shape, but the three most important things to consider are: sail draft (the fullness of the sail), draft position, and twist (controlled by the kicker /vang and leech tension).
HEBRIDEAN HIDEAWAYS
There are some incredible hidden harbours along the west coast of Scotland, many offering 360° shelter, although some may be rather challenging to enter
Mark lines to save miscommunication
This year, I spent my holidays working in the French Figaro class. My role was to be a préparateur – the French name for someone whose job it is to prepare and fix boats before and after races.
It's time for Deliveroo by canoe
Can we agree that it’s an old myth that sailors survive entirely on Fray Bentos pies and ‘pot mess’? Certainly on Skylax mealtimes are something to look forward to as both Rod and I love cooking.
Freak waves are lurking closer than you think
Salvage tug captain Nick Sloane can claim a library of feats of derring-do.
£33m government funding to develop green technologies for ports and ships
Maritime Minister Lord Davies has announced the winners of £33 million of government funding to develop green technologies for ports and ships as part of the decarbonisation of the sector.
Eight bells for C&N yacht designer Raymond Wall
Yacht designer Raymond Wall passed away in November at the age of 91 after a long and illustrious career.
OGR IRC leader returns with severe damage
Translated 9, the leading IRC yacht in the Ocean Globe Race was forced to divert to the Falkland Islands after discovering two cracks on the hull, one of which was big enough to sink the boat in heavy weather.
Celebrating 200 years of the RNLI
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) officially celebrates its 200th birthday on 4 March.