15th May–Thursday – Lazy day – then Milford Haven to Padstow overnight.

 

Drinks on Fleur with Camira’s Gordon and Louise, congratulating ourselves for a safe passage and swapping tips.  Walk around town, meal at ‘Martha’s Vineyard’ on the harbour.

Very teary this morning, just relief and tiredness I think, also apprehensive prior to todays overnight trip.

To Tesco for Big Shop.  Bought ourselves jogging type, warm pants to wear under of waterproofs.

Milford Haven Marina is very well equipped, with lots of lovely little shops and cafes.  There is also a separate powder room in the showers for drying hair with a good hotel type dryer and 4 plug sockets and an area for general beautifying.  These thoughtful extra facilities really make a stay more pleasant. 

I expressed my opinion that overnight trips just make you tired.  Setting off at 22.00 seemed ridiculous to me, but I was wrong.  We had to set off at this time to catch the correct tide to take us out of Milford Haven safely and get us to Padstow when the tide is high enough for us to sail over the Sandbar.

The lock opened specially to allow ourselves and Camira out at 22.30.  We left the lock at approx. 23.30 due to the huge amount of water which needs to be shifted to operate the lock.

After travelling out of the channel we did not see Camira until Padstow.  Tonight was a MUCH calmer affair.  I took the 01.00 to 03.45 watch and Michael did the 04.00 to 06.45, I did 07.00 to 09.00 until I had to wake him as a mist had descended and visibility was only half a mile.  I then slept from 09.30 to 11.30, and Mick had an afternoon nap from 15.00 till 16.00.

During the night I was well wrapped up from the cold, I also had a hot water bottle (great idea from Camira, and thanks to Ella we had one on board).  The engine heats the water so there is a constant supply.  I had made sandwiches but as it is night time you do not tend to want to eat much.  We had the flask and made the occasional brew.

The full moon was high and reflecting on the glassy calm black sea.  During my first watch I thought I could see dolphins but it was too dark to really see.  I kept myself amused with more cheerful versions of Jerusalem, more French counting as I had looked up the numbers and several episodes of ‘Coffee Break French’ on my IPhone (thanks James), merrily chatting to myself in French following the lessons.  Although it was still lonely and felt like a long time, it was heaven compared to the previous trip.

During Mick’s watch the Dolphins really came upon us.  He said when I woke that they had been with him for 40 minutes.  During the day we saw a dozen or more pods of 6 or 7 dolphins, who seem to come and play with the boat, ducking and diving around and about

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The still days are always the best for Dolphin watching and this one was truly delightful. 

There was more mist in the afternoon which is weird when the sun in shining.

We arrived outside Padstow at approx. 16.00 and had to go around in circles for an hour and a half until it was safe to enter the channel.  When we finally approached with several other boats we had to negotiate the Sandbar off Rock which is the area across the estuary from Padstow.

There are some enormous houses along the other side of the channel.  The tide was running at 4 knots and while waiting for the lock gates to open we were travelling at 5 knots but only making one over the ground.

We entered the harbour at 17.30.  It is enclosed and surrounded by shops and cafes, very pretty.  It is also surrounded by bench seats which were filled to capacity for the entertaining spectacle of watching us all moor our boats.  We have not moored against a wall in Fleur before so finding the correct way to tie the ropes through the ‘U’ shaped cleats was a challenge.  We deployed every fender we own and the new fender  board, which prevents the boat from rubbing against the marina wall ladders.  The tide moves the boats up and down the harbour wall so you have to make the ropes long enough to accommodate the tide, but short enough to hold the boats secure.  We then had Camira and another boat rafted to us, and their ropes were tied to us and the harbour wall.

Many ice-creams, chips and pasties were consumed by our audience, in the warm sunshine.

Fish and Chips tonight from ‘Chips Ahoy’ (thanks Dave and Catherine for recommendation).

17th May – Saturday - Padstow

Lazy day, AM made a bear for Camira, walk around town, Salmon Spaghetti for tea.

18th May – Sunday – Padstow - Frank Sinatra Busker

At about 12.00 I heard singing.  I thought it was being carried over from a lunch time act at a local restaurant.  But no, there was a suited gentleman, with full backing track and microphone singing on the harbour-side, 50 feet in front of the boat.  It would have been rude to do anything other than stop everything, sit on the top of the boat and listen to him.  What a treat.

The Pasty a day diet is in full swing.  Mick mended another boat.  Lovely walk on the beach and coast path.  Hard to believe we are in England in Mid May.  Sausage and Mash.

19th May – Monday – Padstow

Bike Ride to Wadebridge.

At the Beaulieu boat jumble a couple of years ago Mick negotiated a very good price on two folding bikes with carrying cases.  They are kept down the side of the big bed.  The ‘Camel Trail’ is a bike/walking trail between Padstow, Wadebridge and Bodmin.  The track is a disused railway line so pretty level, consisting mainly of gravel with some tarmac.  It crosses several inlets on the river which at low water look like mud flats.  There were many types of wading birds (which Julian would love).  Our cycling has been mainly in the north were there are hills, so you pedal up a hill and then get a nice ride down the other side.  Not here.  Here you have to pedal all the time.  Mick’s bike had an annoying squeek, both ways.  It took us about an hour each way with the inevitable pasty stop at Wadebridge.  There are more shops at Wadebridge but it is not as pretty.

20th May – Tuesday – Padstow

Writing blog.