Getting over excited........!

I’m off to Salcombe at the weekend.



I’m off to Salcombe!


I’m off to Salcombe.........

You can tell I’m excited. I’m acting as crew in my friend’s character post boat. We are meeting up with other post boats and its going to be great fun. I LOVE Salcombe......who wouldn’t? It’s a spectacular place out of season; somewhat overcrowded and tiresome during the summer season! I briefly mentioned it in a previous blog – see http://arwensmeanderings.blogspot.com/2010/05/anchoring-troubles.html  You can find out more about character post boats at
http://www.characterboats.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&catid=34

14' 6" Character Post Boat: my friend owns one and it's a real pretty boat

Salcombe is in South Hams – an area of outstanding natural beauty (ANOB) in South Devon. It lies on the shores of the outer Kingsbridge estuary, which for the geographically inclined is an example of a ‘ria’ (guess which subject I teach!!).

The southern end of this google earth image opens out rapidly; go north and it is a myriad of creeks reaching inland to Kingsbridge

Before I start on the sailing, what I love about Salcombe is it's small wonderful houses, narrow streets, quaint shops and hidden away boat building yards. Then there are the wide variety of different chandlers, a quay where crabbing boats off load; lots of boats to see and admire......out of season its nautical heaven!

Copyright Shaun Ferguson: this is the view looking across Batson Creek to the little boat building yards that back onto the little creek on the right

The town's main street (Fore Street) runs parallel to the water’s edge and it has alleyways branching out up the steep hillside to the rest of Salcombe. The streets are narrow, the buildings fighting for space! Island Street is the other main street in the town, and is linked to Fore Street by a wide waterside pathway, with superb views across the Estuary. Island Street provides a home for the many boatyards of Salcombe.

Narrow streets

Houses right down to the water's edge

Looking across some of the small craft pontoons to the new lifeboat pontoon

Copyright Roger Cornfoot

There are plenty of ship wrecks in the outer harbour area dating back to the Bronze Age (the Bronze Age for Pete’s sake – wow!). In 1936 a four masted Finnish barque stranded itself at Bolt head...there is even a WW2 submarine – sunk in the 1950’s as a sonar target. Salcombe was a fishing village and ship building area through the 16th century.......herring was the main catch. The town went with the royalists during the civil war! In the 1700’s they even had smugglers! In the 1800’s Salcombe was famed as a fruit export/import emporium! Salcombe ships sailed to the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Azores bringing oranges, lemons, pineapples, sugar, rum, and coconuts, ebony wood....the list was endless. By 1870’s Salcombe had 35 shipwrights, 14 ships carpenters, 3 ships riggers, 3 sail makers and assorted tin platers and blacksmiths!

Batson creek leads nowhere but it does have the main public slipway; the main pontoons for visiting yachts calling in on the harbour master; and the main pontoon for the lifeboat

Anyway enough history.....what about the estuary and the sailing waters I hear you all cry?

The estuary entrance lies between bolt head on the west and Portlemouth downs on the east. The ria, caused by the drowning of a river valley through sea level rises, is huge and goes all the way up to Kingsbridge.

Looking across the main fairway channel from East Portlemouth side of the ria

The outer estuary is to the left of the photograph

There is a bar at the entrance, exposed on low spring tides, which can be tricky to pass depending on wind conditions. Either side of the estuary is a number of superb beaches and anchorages. My favourite is East Portlemouth but don’t ignore South and North sands, Cable cove or Fisherman’s Cove. A ferry operates between Salcombe town quay and South/North sands – a great little trip. You can catch a foot ferry across to east Portlemouth as well.

Looking across the outer estuary: you can see the bar being exposed - it goes out beyond the back of Wolf Rock which is on the right of the photo in middle channel

The little ferry that operates between the town's whitestrand pontoon and North and South sands on the western flank of the outer estuary area

taken from the East Portlemouth foot ferry jetty: copyright Salcombe restaurants

There are loads of little creeks to explore – Batson creek where there is the public slip, fishing boat quay (they land 2000 tonnes of local shell fish each year) and some small craft pontoons; along with a little side creek off that up to the rear of some fantastic old boat building yards; many of which are still in operation.

Aerial of Batson Creek public slipway: since this photo was taken, harbour authorities have put a pontoon alongside the outer edge of the slip for temporary tying up of boats just launched

You can arrange in summer to have your car parked next to the slip and your trailer stored in the adjacent trailer park

One aspect of Salcombe not so pleasing is the fact that it has the second highest property prices in the UK, outside of London and Sandbanks in Poole, Dorset. Properties with estuary or sea views can fetch between £1m and £5m and some rent for as much as £12000 a week in the high season. It is popular with a well off nautically inclined social group and all the cafes, shops and businesses cater for this. So...go out of season!

One of my (and my wife's) favourite escapes and hidden pleasures.....we abandon the kids on a Sunday morning, drive across to Salcombe and sit on the terrace drinking Lattes and reading the Sunday papers........wonderful!

So what about the sailing I hear you ask....., get on with it..........well creeks, pubs, sandy beaches, mudflats, herons, seals, cormorants, dolphins (I spent a very happy 30 minutes last year at 5am in the outer harbour before the traffic was about.....drifting with a family pod of porpoise who took great delight in playing around Arwen.......and I didn’t have a camera.....just don’t go there! No one believes me!).

Horsepool Cove and creek is worth exploring as the tide comes in

- if you have a shallow draft like mine

It is a spectacular area for dinghy sailors and plenty of places to camp cruise. You could lose yourself for a couple of days within the estuary confines....easily. The harbour master team patrols the estuary throughout the year in boats with blue and white fendering. They listen out on VHF channel 14 I think – although I will confirm that after Saturday’s jaunt.

One of the many little pubs found in the windy streets of Salcombe: copyright Roger Cornfoot

The waypoint to gain entrance to the estuary is Wolf Rock buoy 50.13’53N 003:46’.58W (again do your own checking on this....I’m still learning about giving Lat and Long). There is an 8 knot speed limit from the bar onwards and remember that with a strong onshore breeze from south east – the bar is very dangerous! It is downright treacherous when the tide is ebbing and I can personally vouch for that from last year.......stupid – I sailed on an ebbing spring tide....ignorance and limited experience are a very potent cocktail of disaster! On that occasion I was very lucky, managed to avoid wolf rocks and learned a valuable lesson!

Can't move in august....all the little tenders stored on the slip between the main pontoons outside the central car park and harbour master's office in town centre: copyright Shaun Ferguson

I’m not sure but will try and confirm at weekend, a rule I heard told last year....that in July and august, yachts cannot sail within the harbour area due to overcrowding. Dinghies can......in fact Salcombe yawls seem to take great delight in sailing up and down and across the estuary at the busiest times!

I’m not qualified to give you detailed information about the lead in marks...other than to say that once past the bar......you can find the red bass rock buoy and the green cone wolf rock buoy. The leading line goes between them both. If you keep on the green side you can continue north to the Blackstone beacon.

This map shows the area up from 'the bags'.....carry on up the estuary here

and you are creek crawling; and stranded when the tide goes out....its all

mudflats!

Further around from the town quays is the area known as the bags. Lots of swinging moorings, deep water pontoons, the old Merseyside ferry the Egremont (which is now the ICC sailing club). If you carried on up – you would be creek crawling on your way to Kingsbridge!

Did I tell you how EXCITED I am about sailing with my friend on Saturday in Salcombe?

I'll post a little report at weekend; in the meantime.....I'm out on the water in the river Lynher area on Thursday......but that's with the Navy....and so no photos or posts on that one!

Steve