Arwen's meanderings

Hi everyone and welcome to my dinghy cruising blog about my John Welsford designed 'navigator' named Arwen. Built over three years, Arwen was launched in August 2007. She is a standing lug yawl 14' 6" in length. This blog records our dinghy cruising voyages together around the coastal waters of SW England.
Arwen has an associated YouTube channel so visit www.YouTube.com/c/plymouthwelshboy to find our most recent cruises and click subscribe.
On this blog you will find posts about dinghy cruising locations, accounts of our voyages, maintenance tips and 'How to's' ranging from rigging standing lug sails and building galley boxes to using 'anchor buddies' and creating 'pilotage notes'. I hope you find something that inspires you to get out on the water in your boat. Drop us a comment and happy sailing.
Steve and Arwen

Thursday 18 August 2016

A sting in the tail

The forecast promised sun, light winds around 8 knots and warmth. A mini heatwave for Plymouth and the Missus fancied a day on the water having just returned from two weeks in Sicily. A rare occurrence, the Missus wanting to sail, so who am I to refuse.



16 knots at western breakwater. Gusts to 24 knots. Winds from SSE. Cloudy skies, warmish wind, temperature around 19C and it wasn't quite what she or I was expecting! She has recently been use to cobalt and aquamarine green blue seas, temps of 34C+ and warm Mediterranean breezes.

Still we pottered under jib and Mizzen inside the Sound and went for a jolly up the Tamar. Needing a quick loo stop, we put in at the nearest place, The Royal William Yard. It is very small, we didn't see any no access signs and we avoided taking someone's finger pontoon birth. We also avoided mooring where the small ferries stop. We were there for only six minutes or so, moored on the end of a large pontoon out of the way of everything but an elderly gentleman from the harbour office pointed out we should have phoned in advance. "We do try to be accommodating but we are small and there are the paying berth holders to consider Sir" and..........."I'm afraid I do have to charge you £5. Thank you sir, God bless now".  We didn't even use their loos.....we used a restaurant's loos which we occasionally frequent down there and they are very friendly and accommodating. The restaurant that is, not the loos, although they are rather nice loos too.

He was terribly polite, the elderly harbour man, but then joking and laughing in hearing shot with a berth holder that he'd  just stung us a fiver.......well there we are.......nough said I guess.  I can see their viewpoint wanting to discourage small boats from popping in.......but all he had to do was explain that. We were so quickly on our way and of no inconvenience whatsoever......and in future I would have known not to call in there.........hey ho!

https://youtu.be/Vuf9Bze3640


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