An English Summer 22

 

Crab boats unload the night's catch, onto the deserted main street, as we leave, on the ebb.

The dawn sun climbs above the tall hillsides; and shimmers off water, still as beaten metal.

The flags, of Dartmouth Castle, snap, in a north westerly breeze, as Stargazer clears the harbour mouth.

Stargazer gybes her way south, sailing the angles, over cobalt seas.

We round Start Point, in the company of a coaster.

At first we reach west. Then, off Salcombe's Prawle Point, the wind deserts us. We lie, drifting westward on the tide, as the dark shadow, of a wind line, advances slowly toward us. We beat south west, as high as we can point, in the new wind direction, in six to seven knots apparent. Passing the Eddystone light, ten miles to seaward, out in the strongest tide, whilst it favours us.

This is a thermal wind, a sea breeze. Despite the predictions of the forecast, I am certain that, with today's sunshine, it will build . I also have a hunch, that it will revert to the north west, by evening. 

We are in luck ! The breeze builds. Five miles south west of the Eddystone, we tack, back inshore, out of the, now adverse, tide. The wind is up, to twelve to fourteen knots apparent, and building nicely. 

By dusk, our north westerly lift has arrived and Stargazer is striding along. Hard on the wind, in twenty one knots apparent, a single reef (in place of our customary two) in the main. We are deliberately sailing overpowered, to claw the critical extra couple of degrees, to windward, that will allow us to lay the mouth, of the Helford River, on this tack. 

We anchor, below Frenchman's Creek, on a moonless night. With the spirit, of Daphne du Maurier's Frenchman, and his privateer, la Mouette, for company.