| | At the end of Monday morning we went looking for a mechanic. Through the harbour master we ended up at a small business near to the fish market. In the course of the afternoon, the mechanic would make us a visit. We re-berthed our boat at a better spot, since we ended up stuck when the tide was low. The difference between low and high tide are significant here. The mechanic, Colin, an extremely friendly Englishman with a nice beer belly, immediately ‘dived’ into the engine. He questioned us thoroughly about the problems with the engine, what the sounds were etc. It might come in handy to know just a little bit more about that engine for the future, so we ended up questioning him. Colin is very patient and calmly explains us what part is for what purpose, when and how to clean them and/or replace them. We write everything down he tells us, so that we can resort to it later. In any case, Colin makes sure the engine runs perfectly, even better than before! Spare parts are ordered and he will come back the next day to see if any problems have occurred. We give Colin an extra tip as a ‘thank you’ for his effort. The problem is the pollution in the diesel tank. There is no manhole in the tank, which makes it impossible to clean. The problem is solved for now, but we have to find a more permanent solution, so a chore for the winter months! It was, by the way, a sizeable bite out of our holiday budget. In Newlyn harbour you find the office of the LNLI rescue society and as a thank you we gave a nice donation to this wonderful group of volunteers. They often put their own lives at stake to save others. In between we explored the town of Newlyn, enjoyed a fish & chips from the local fishmonger, did our shopping and went looking for some accessories in order to do the necessary repairs.
Fred climbed the mast a few times to disentangle the topping lift and turn it loose. The halyard was taken down again and equipped with a new fastener and the lamp of the three-coloured light, at the head of the mast, was replaced. One of these days I spent with replacing the mainsheet by a new rope, both ends provided with a whipping and it looked much better. Newlyn harbour is a genuine fishing harbour, not aiming at boating, but lately there were more and more sailing boats and by now the facilities have been adjusted a little. There is the possibility of a shower, for this you have to pick up a key at the harbour master’s and outside office hours, the key hangs on a hook close to the fish market! The only showering space there is, behind a bright blue door, was reasonably clean and for the shower you needed coins. Next to us came a boat “Pala”, with an extremely nice English couple. Experienced sailors, who gave us useful tips of beautiful harbours and anchor spots. On one of these days we came to talk to a fisherman, owner of a very small fishing boat, who goes crab-fishing with his partner.
Our attention was drawn to one of the fish pots that held a so called Spider Crab. The fisherman told us these were hard to sell. We never had this kind of crab before, so we were eager to try! And soon the deal was made: the crab in return for a six-pack real Dutch ale! And there we went, with a bucket full of Spider Crab and the instructions on how to cook them. Now, we have a pretty large pan on board, but it was by far not big enough. Because we wanted the animal to have a ‘humane’ ending, we first boiled the water and then held the crab under water till it was all over. After that, we cracked his legs with a pair of pincers and boiled them, all in all it was quite an undertaking. But it was worthwhile, because in the end we enjoyed a heavenly dish. In the cockpit, with a glass of white wine, fresh French bread from the oven, fruit salad and a dressing, what more could you want?
The weather was changeable and on one of those rainy days a curious young seagull walks up and down at our window and taps with his beak on the glass. The harbour master is a very happy guy and because we were towed into Newlyn with a breakdown, we only have to pay for 1 night, instead of 3. That’s great, moreover now that we have the extra cost from the engine repair. We decide not to go on to Ireland, but along the English South coast, hopping from harbours to bays and thus sailing back. Ireland will still be there! Maybe next year. Maps on the table, set out the course, look up info on the harbours, calculate tides and waypoints set in gps: ready for take-off! The weather is still changeable, so with our sailing suits on we leave Newlyn on Thursday. It is rainy with a very moderate sun, good sailing weather! We make speed at 7 knots and move on nicely. In the afternoon the sun really comes out, sailing gear off and we enjoy the view of the beautiful English coast. Around “Lizard’s Point” we have só much power stacked up, that we have to start the engine. It is around 18:30 that we near Falmouth. First you see a wharf, where huge support ships from the Marine lie, next you sail up the river and you come to a bay where the harbour is. Our plan is to berth at a mooring, these are green for ‘visitors’. After some searching we find a free mooring place at last. Tired and hungry we dive into the galley to prop up something to eat. And just as we started to eat, some man is screaming from a little motor boat. Turns out that this mooring is not for visitors, it’s for the local ferry! Ooopps, our bad! So we could do little else but find another free green mooring. After some sailing around, we find out that there is not one free. We throw in the towel and head towards the harbour, which is close by. We berth next to a very familiar boat, the “Pala”, also from Newlyn. What a coincidence! The next day we receive a ground plan from the harbour master, on which is very well marked where all the moorings are. We should have had this yesterday…..we only had to sail on a little bit further…. One day in a crowded harbour is enough for us, so we sail Pegasus to a ‘free’ green mooring.
This harbour has more facilities, such as super showers, spacious enough for the both of us and which also switch on automatically! No hassle with coins, just a long enjoyment! There are also washing machines and dryers, which makes us decide to do the laundry for a change. We do our shopping and sail with a clean, but not entirely dry laundry back to the boat. There is a nice wind about, so we hang the washing on the line. Washing Day! For the rest we enjoy the sun while sipping at a glass of wine.
Saturday we get a phone call that Fred’s mother has been taken to a hospital. She is of age and lives in a nursing home. For the time being there is no reason to turn back immediately, but we are being kept up to date by Fred’s sister and the nursing home. In the afternoon we explore the town. In a telecom shop Fred buys an extra sim-card for cheap internet. Because the cell phone has room for 2 simcards, this card is placed next to the other. To brush up my English I buy a few books. We stroll around, buy a tasty sandwich and end up in a small park with a pond filled with beautiful waterlilies. At our return, Fred goes to work on the control of the anchor. With a little bit of creativity we manage to adjust the buttons in a small lockable plastic box. Hopefully it is now well protected against humidity and seawater. Wait and see. We replace some lamps by LED-lamps, which saves on the consumption of power. Sunday is a relaxed one, do a little reading and calculate the course for the next day. Monday we leave, with a nice wind, for Fowey. At first we go around 7 knots, but it soon amounts to 9. Around noon a little sunshine comes out, making it a bit more pleasurable. Nearing Fowey, we see a big white cross, that is promising….. how many ships have been wrecked here? We sail quietly onto the river and look for a free mooring. Luckily there is plenty of choice. The moorings and free pontoons lie on the other side of the river, across the town of Fowey. Because of the waves, it is much more difficult to pick up the mooring. We get help from a couple of people in a dinghy, who just happened to sail by. Always nice how boaters help each other out! Just after 13:00 we lie at the mooring and prepare our lunch. Only later we will find out that the boat will be tossed about by the wind and the current, which allows for a very unpleasant swell, but you can get used to everything. Fowey lies at the southern coast of Cornwall, about halfway in between Falmouth and Plymouth. Fowey harbour is named after the town with the same name, located on the west side. On the other side lies the much smaller village of Polruan. It is an old town with Medieval and Georgian buildings with a lively maritime history. Along the main street, Fore Street, you find many small shops. For the real gourmet there are many bistros, cafés and restaurants in Fowey, with lots of local products, like the well-known “Fowey River clams”. One of the most famous inhabitants of Fowey was de writer Daphne du Maurier. In the literary centre is an exhibition and a film about her life and work, which was so much influenced by this beautiful countryside. It is certainly worth it to look to the town from the water. We see a large ship sailing up the river from the sea, which is quite an inching and pinching. When it sails past us, we see that it is a Dutch boat and we really ask ourselves what it is doing here.
With the dinghy we boat to the pontoon with a steep footbridge to the quay. When you arrive at the top, you’ll find the harbour office, but the facilities, like the showers, are at a watersport club a few streets further down. They are simple, not over-spacious, but adequate. We stroll through the beautiful town, do some shopping and admire the church. On the grass there is a sign with the request not to feed the pigeons, so it is something that e-ve-ry-bo-dy does. We go looking for a restaurant and land at “Sams’s bistro & lounge”. As soon as you open the door of Sam’s, you get an instant feeling of joy. The house is from the 1380’s and on one side you can see the original stone wall. The decoration is in ‘60’s style and on the walls hang posters of famous popstars. Great background music, good service, relaxed mood, good food and reasonably priced. In short, a perfect formula for a nice evening out. Fred chooses clams, not really my thing, so I keep myself to the fried squid and a lovely bottle of wine. The dessert ‘takes the cake’. We take the ‘warm sticky toffee apple pudding’ and ‘eden mess, berries, meringue, clotted and ice cream’, now that’s what I call pleasure! We wholeheartedly recommend to have dinner here!
Tuesday is a lazy day, a variety of rain and sunshine, so ultimately suited to catch up on our reading. In the course of the day it gets sunnier and we decide to boat up the river with the dinghy. We see a lovely white house at the waterside, boy, to live there…
We see some older wooden boats, put on the quay and a bit further ahead suddenly an enormous factory. It turns out that in this part of England there is a lot of clay to be found; it gets processed here and then loaded on ships. This explains the presence of that large Dutch ship! On our way back we sail through to the village Polruan to have a look. The houses are built against the slopes, with narrow alleys in between. There is not much to do, just a small church with a lot of flowers and a pirate doll in the garden. Between the houses you can oversee the whole of the bay and of Fowey, a magnificent sight!
Wednesday is chores-day. We already bought some parts to construct one of the bilge pumps. For an outsider it might look if we do a lot of chores for most of the holidays. But we have no problem at all to combine the useful with pleasant. Every time a job is done, it gives us a feeling of satisfaction and brings us a step closer to our goal. Let’s face it, we still have a lot to do to get everything ready for our “Big Trip”. Again, as usual, we prepare ourselves for our departure. With the maps on the table we decide to leave the next day for Torquay.
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