Barry Pickthall’s cruising blog: Chichester to Plymouth

Author and sailor Barry Pickthall, with family and friends, is sailing his Rhodes 6-Tonner, Sea Jay, on a cruise from the Solent to the Scottish Western Isles and back. This is his blog, to be updated over the summer of 2023… Week 1:  March 31 – April 12, 2023.  Chichester Harbour to Plymouth. Day 1 […]

The post Barry Pickthall’s cruising blog: Chichester to Plymouth appeared first on Sailing Today.

Author and sailor Barry Pickthall, with family and friends, is sailing his Rhodes 6-Tonner, Sea Jay, on a cruise from the Solent to the Scottish Western Isles and back. This is his blog, to be updated over the summer of 2023…

Week 1:  March 31 – April 12, 2023.  Chichester Harbour to Plymouth.

Day 1 – postponed! Reason: Storm Mathis which hit the British Isles 30-31 March, bringing 50-70 knot Souwesters and rain between.

The storm uncovered another problem – Diesel bug in the fuel tank. Despite the strong winds, I didn’t foresee any problems dropping Sea Jay’s mooring and motoring down Itchenor Reach against the winds to berth her alongside the Harbour master’s jetty to load all our stores.  But no sooner had we cast off, then our new Vetus 11hp diesel began to ‘hunt’ with the revs dropping from 2,500 back to 800rpm every 30 seconds or so. There was not enough power to push us against the conditions nor get her back to our mooring. All I could do was turn downwind and get into the shelter of the entrance channel to Chichester Marina. Only thing, there was a whopping great dredger moored up alongside the visitors pontoon. All I could do was drop anchor in the mud, let Sea Jay settle on the falling tide, and row ashore for the night, leaving a kind marina manager to keep an eye on her.

April 1. Back the following Dawn, I removed the tank inspection hatch to see these black sponge-like spores lying in the bottom. It took 3 hours to pump out the diesel, clean the tank, clear all the fuel lines with a suction pump, replace the main filter and refilling the tank with fresh diesel.

Finished an hour before high water. Engine started straight away, and we motored the 1 mile back to the Harbour master’s jetty without further ado.

How far had the diesel bug spores affected the fuel lines?  No further than the tank it seems.  We cut the main filter in half to expose the paper membrane and it was completely clean!

April 2:  After spending the previous day loading stores and hauling Son-in-law Ian up the mast to adjust our Nasa Clipper wind instruments, gallant crewman Simon Trantom and I were all set for a 09:30 high water start from Chichester, and hitch a ride on the outgoing tide all the way down the Solent. Winds NE force 4 with flat seas. The wind gods were with us all the way!

10:30 – Chichester Bar Buoy

11:30 – Passing the forts off Portsmouth with the wind and sun on our backs

12:30 – Passing Cowes – Speed over the Ground 7 Knots!

PHOTO CREDIT: BARRY PICKTHALL/PPL

14:30 – Took the inshore channel past Hurst Castle as the winds swung to the East and ran a under poled-out genoa across Poole Bay towards Swanage.

18:30 – Picked up a mooring north of Swanage Pier and settled down for the night. Swanage is not the best anchorage when the winds are easterly, but the breeze died right down overnight, saving us an hour both ways had we sought shelter in Poole Harbour.

This was Simon’s first night aboard and I sense he would have preferred mill-pond conditions, but any qualms he might have had were soon put aside the following morning, once he had his hand on the tiller again.

April 3:  09:30 – Drop the mooring and head for Dartmouth – 75 miles according to Reids Nautical Almanac

09:45 – rounded Anvil Point and headed West towards Portland Bill.  I had planned to pass through the Portland Race at low water to minimise the wind-against-tide affect south of the lighthouse, but the tide had turned an hour earlier producing a bit of a chop. Nothing that SEA JAY couldn’t cope with, but to avoid the worst we turned south parallel to the white waters and sailed around it all.

The winds turned Easterly  force 3-4 in Torbay and we spent the rest of the voyage (and half the night) enjoying a glorious run to Dartmouth  arriving just after high tide at 23:00, tying up on the visitors jetty.

April 4:  Spent the day exploring Dartmouth and taking SEA JAY up the beautiful River Dart towards Totness. Must be one of the finest estuary/rivers in the British Isles.

First task was to find the public toilet and showers opposite the jetty steps.  Not a very edifying experience. Three toilet cubicles and one of only two showers out of order. It costs 20p to have a pee, but the machine did take credit cards too.  Not so the shower block at the back of the building. You need coins for that – a 1 Euro coin in my case.  Thankfully, the building is a favourite spot for Jehovah Witness disciples to hang out. Simon didn’t have a cent to his name, but believing that cleanliness is second only to Godliness, the two blessed him with a 20p piece!

Just 2\10 marks for the Town Council’s maintenance programme – especially during Easter Week.

We then treated ourselves to a full-blown English breakfast at  Café Alf Resco  www.cafealfresco.co.uk  What an experience! A plate layered with bacon, baked beans, bread, eggs, mushrooms, sausages , tomatoes, white pudding and more, swilled down with an endless supply of hot tea! Thoroughly recommended!

The trip up the River Dart began with a top-up at Dartmouth’s fuel barge. SEA JAY had burned only 26 litres since leaving Chichester and I apologised to Peter the ‘Pump’ man.

“Don’t worry…the Tall Ship PELICAN OF LONDON pulled up earlier and took 8,000l”

Service with a smile from Peter the ‘Pump’ man…even when you only need a drop of fuel!

Dartmouth is wonderful in the Spring with bulbs in flower and buds on the tree lined banks just starting to turn green.

Even Agatha Christie’s Georgian holiday home GREENWAY perched high up on the East Bank can be seen through the trees at this time of the year.

Had dinner at the gourmet Seahorse restaurant. seahorserestaurant.co.uk Certainly, fine dining and very enjoyable – the bill came to £70 a head. I had intended to go to the Rockfish therockfish.co.uk a short way down the waterfront where they say ‘Tomorrow’s fish is still in the Sea’. I had eaten there before, but all I could remember was the amusing weather forecasts played in their bathroom. I and asked the Harbour Office for directions  – they sent us to the wrong one!

Both are highly recommended, but from memory the Rockfish is better value.

April 5 – Dartmouth to Plymouth – 37 miles.  We caught the early morning tide and motor-sailed south to Start Point with a weak Nor’easter behind us.  Simon reminded me of the tragedy in these waters during WWII, when German E-boats attacked landing craft filled with American troops practicing a beach landing on Chapman Sands prior to D-Day.  The British saw them coming and radioed Plymouth, but no one could warn the American ships which were working on a different frequency to the British Forces.  Hundreds of young men lost their lives that day – and a salutary lesson for both Countries!

The winds turned SW 10knots at Start Point, leaving us with a close fetch towards Plymouth.  The original intention had been to make for Falmouth, but a stuttering engine still suffering from some form of fuel starvation, prompted me to call Plymouth Yacht Haven close to the old Sunderland flying boat base at Mountbatten to see if they had a spare berth.

What a welcome from manager Steve Kitchen and his team. So friendly and attentive. It was the right weather call too, for no sooner had we tied up, then the Sou’wester began to blow the chains off dogs.  It gave us a chance to return home for Easter and leave Gavin and his mechanics at Mountbatten Boat House to give our fuel lines and engine a professional check.

It’s been blowing like that for much of the time since, with the winds not predicted to abate until Friday 14 April at the earliest.

I can hardly think of a better serviced marina to be holed up in!

Next port Falmouth or Newlyn before heading across the Irish Sea to Wexford.

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