Having been battered and bruised as they sailed towards Plymouth, some of the fleet turned back to take shelter in Dartmouth, Exmouth or Salcombe. Finally, most of the fleet arrived for an excellent welcome from many local boats at the party organised by South West Gaffers. Along with arranging visits, talks, dinners and live music, SW Gaffers helped visiting skippers to find local assistance for repairs where needed.
A calm evening in Sutton Harbour Plymouth, #OGA60 fleet resting after a battering crossing Lyme Bay. ‘Lahloo’ has dried out and is ready for tomorrow’s run to Falmouth. Much debate about the Isles of Scilly … we will decide when nearer. A shout out for #allsparsplymouth who gave us a much needed block of material to repair a deck leak around the mast, thanks guys.
Richard Bailey, skipper of ‘Lahloo’: follow him on Instagram @lahloo2023
We left Dartmouth at first light 0430, to catch the tail end of the tide. We had a good sail in moderate winds down to Start Point. After that the trip followed a pattern that is becoming familiar on this cruise – fog, rain and head winds. The SW Old Gaffers had arranged for us to berth in Sutton Harbour which is in the most picturesque part of town. ‘Bonita’ berthed alongside our old friends Dave and Julie in ‘Susan J’. Many of the assembled Gaffers were dressed overall with flags proving a fine spectacle. We all assembled for supper later. There was good food, drink, conversation and musical entertainment.
Mike Beckett, skipper, ‘Bonita’
We reached Sutton Harbour which was a relief for all of us. We had a west wind on the nose and a very lumpy sea, so we were relying on our valiant engine to punch through the wind and for the first few hours, the tide. Later we had the main up with three reefs. Our gaffer dinner was at ‘The Box’ a museum in Plymouth with a great collection of figureheads. The evening started with a very interesting talk about them. Although today is a rest day, there are a lot of jobs to be done – laundry, shopping, filling up with water and fuel etc but the highlight may well prove to be a gin distillery tour. Our dinner tonight will be at the Piermaster’s House.
Chris Hardman, ‘Indian Runner’, follow her blog for more . . .
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