Taking mum and Dad sailing!

My Mum and Dad are out with me tomorrow for a little sail in Arwen. Neither are sailors but they love being out in the boat which is great. I love taking them out in it. The weather will be nice tomorrow too which will be a bonus.

Winds will be light and from the north and the tide will be going out for much of the day – so sailing out will be fine; sailing back in will be hard work! High tide is around 6.30 am and low tide around 12.30pm. It’s a 5m tide – pretty big.

I suspect we’ll do a shortish trip – probably around the Cattedown area – The Plym estuary. (Latitude: 50º 21'N Longitude: 04º 07'W).
 

Some of the key landmarks around the area

Then we’ll potter across the front of Plymouth Hoe – around the back of Drakes Island and back again.

The Cattedown is on the eastern side of Plymouth. It’s a mixture of old wharves, marinas, moorings and old coastal villages.

Looking across towards the Victoria Wharves on northern side

It is still a commercial part of Plymouth with small ships coming in and out on higher tides. There is an aggregates terminal close to Laira Bridge; oil storage tanks; bulk materials for agriculture is offloaded on one of the wharfs.

One of the small ships that comes into the Cattedown on a regular basis

China clay is exported (we have big china clay pits up at Lee Moor on Dartmoor).

The China Clay works at Lee Moor

There is a fish processing plant as well on one of the wharves. On the opposite side at Mount Batten are huge hangers which have boat building companies in them and there is the local water sports area as well.

The pontoon is where the water taxi goes to and fro between Mount Batten

and the Barbican about 400m away to the north

It’s a busy little area and there is plenty to see. The local Fire brigade rescue boat is moored up near Turnchapel which also has a Royal Marine base for landing craft etc.  Anyway I will post more tomorrow when we get back. I'm really looking forward to it.

Steve