Helford River Cornwall UK

We had planned to leave the River Fal at 1000hrs with the first of the ebb tide on Monday 30 Aug but the engine alternator had other plans.  When we started the engine the ‘low charge’ alarm came on as normal but failed to go out.  A quick double-check and, no, it wasn’t a false alarm, the alternator really wasn’t charging the batteries.  Happily, the problem wasn’t too hard to spot or to resolve.  The issue was that the (booted) positive lead on the alternator was resting on part of the engine block.  Over the years the vibrations caused when the engine is running have worn a hole in the boot and the positive terminal was now shorting to earth (the engine).  So I reinsulated the terminal and added some extra protection in too and 50min later than planned we set off down river.

Peter Flutter’s Sundowner under sail in Carrick Roads

We motored downriver and then set sail.  With a lovely light breeze and flat water we caught up with Peter Flutter’s Sundowner and managed to get some reasonable pictures of her under sail.

Pendennis Castle again.  This time from the sea

Helford is only a few miles from the entrance to Falmouth Harbour but outside the harbour the light easterly breeze dropped away frustratingly.  We stuck with it for a while but the slatting of the sails as BV rolled on the slight swell began to drive Nicky mad so we rolled away the headsails and switched on the engine again.

Final run-in to the Helford River – just August Rock on the starboard side (well-marked by
a starboard-hand lateral buoy

Top:  Ocean Hobo still persevering under sail approaching the entrance to the Helford River.  Bottom: view as we enter the river

The Helford River is a lovely spot, though very open to wind and waves from the east.  Happily, the forecast light winds were unlikely to cause any problems, other than a little slop and roll, either in the anchorages close to the entrance or on the visitors’ moorings.

The Helford River is busy with moorings.  Visitors’ buoys are green

The beach by Porthnavas Creek

We motored through the moorings enjoying the river views both to the north….

The Helford River Sailing Club on the southern shore, our venue for dinner later in the evening

……and to the south.

Top: view east from our anchorage. Bottom: looking west.  Frenchman’s Creek
(of Daphne du Maurier fame) is just around the wooded headland in the middle of the
picture, to the left of the anchored boats

Having heard that the oyster beds were not in use this year, we decided to anchor to the west of the moorings in an area previously off-limits due to the oyster beds.  There’s a deep (10m) pool here but we anchored just off this with a number of the other OCC boats.

Top: a busy gathering at the Helford River Sailing Club, nearly as busy as at the
Royal Cornwall Yacht Club. Bottom:  West Country Meet organisers
(L-R) Sue Head, Colin Campbell, Becks Campbell, John Head

The evening gathering at the Helford River Sailing Club was another thoroughly enjoyable and convivial affair and, once again, the evening seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

At the end of the evening The Amazing Professor Buckett-Chuckett hypnotised and
levitated Colin to the astonishment of all in the crowd!

And it was not without its surprises either.  Right at the end John Head’s ‘good friend’ Professor Buckett-Chuckett performed a most daring magic act, hypnotising and levitating Colin to the amazement and awe of all in the crowd.  A spectacular end to a fun weekend of (some) sailing and (lots of) socialising!  Our thanks, again to Colin and Becks Campbell and John and Sue Head who put so much time and effort into pulling the weekend together for the enjoyment of so many OCCers.

Helford River, Cornwall, UK

River Fal nr Falmouth Cornwall UK

River Fal views

On Sunday 29 August we cast off from our mooring off the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club and headed the few miles up the River Fal to the mid-stream pontoon just above Ruan Creek where Colin and Becks had arranged we should meet for an informal raft-up, lunch and a chat.

King Harry Ferry landing point close to Trelissick House on the west side of the River Fal

There was virtually no wind so we motored the whole way.  The Falmouth estuary is lovely but the scenery becomes particularly delightful when you enter the confines of the river.

The King Harry chain ferry in action.  The ferry has priority over all vessels apart from
those with a pilot on board

Ships moored above the chain ferry

But there are also some surprisingly large ships moored on the river, awaiting orders or the knacker’s yard.

The Smugglers’ Cottage pub

Just around the corner from the chain ferry and, when we visited, the moored ships, is the Smugglers’ Cottage pub.  It’s in a lovely spot and is well worth a visit for the shipping memorabilia on display inside.  However, on this visit to the Fal we didn’t have time to stop.

The OCC gang moored up on the mid-stream pontoon near Ruan Creek

Colin and Becks had been told that it was not possible to book berths on the mid-stream pontoon, so had asked OCC members with larger yachts to arrive early to hog space on the pontoon and to provide rafting opportunities for smaller boats.  When we arrived, shortly after Zephyr, we found the pontoon quite empty and the crews of those yachts that remained already informed by the harbour staff of the day’s planned rally.  However, when the harbour staff stopped by a little later they said that following recent storm damage rafting was no longer permitted.  It was neap tides and the forecast was for virtually nil wind; Colin and Becks argued the point that without rafting there was no way to fit all the planned vessels on the pontoon.  Had the harbour staff given them even a day’s notice, other arrangements could have been put in place.  Point taken, the harbour officials relented and agreed to rafting one out; light boats only to raft.  Success!  And, in the end, most of the non-OCC yachts left the pontoon and only a couple of yachts needed to raft up and only for the afternoon.

A huge spread of food – unsurprisingly we didn’t manage to finish it all

So, with mooring arrangements in hand, out came the gazebo, some tables loaned by the RCYC and a few sun chairs and, as boat after boat arrived the spread of food and drink grew in quantity and quality.

It didn’t take long for crews to gather on the centre of the pontoon, which gradually dipped precariously towards the surface of the river.  We caught up with friends from the previous evening and made new friends.  Amongst them we met James Wharram (of Wharram Catamaran fame), his partner, Hanneke, and soon-to-be daughter-in-law Elizabeth.  Later we were shown around the new 21ft catamaran that they had sailed the short distance up from their home, in an inlet a little further down the river.  Low to the water and very compact in the hulls, there is no shelter on the deck but it looks to be fun, fast and manoeuvrable for day-sailing or weekending.  Definitely waterborne camping, almost backpacking, rather than caravanning!

The party slowed in the mid-afternoon as people retired for a siesta or a break away from company.  Rockhopper, owned by OCC members Mindy and Reinhart arrived on the pontoon, quite unaware of the OCC gathering that was just winding up.  They had overwintered in Belgium and were cruising the UK, partly as a means to accruing time out of the Schengen area so that Mindy could return without penalty in the winter.  We invited them to evening drinks aboard BV and had a fascinating evening talking with them.  Both Mindy and Reinhart had previously worked at the US bases in Antarctica and the stories they had to tell of life at the sites, the experiences they had had and of the wildlife they had seen were incredibly interesting.  We talked late into the night, far later than we had intended.  Not so bad for them as they planned to stay for a few days before heading out to the Scilly Isles but we had planned another fairly prompt departure in the morning though, happily, we didn’t have far to go.  Just a short hop to the Helford River, so maybe a slightly more relaxed start would be OK!

River Fal, nr Falmouth, Cornwall, UK

Falmouth Cornwall UK

Falmouth ahead

We left St Mawes at 0945hrs on Thursday 26 August to make the very short passage across Carrick Roads to Falmouth Harbour.  We wanted to pick up one of the harbour mooring buoys so that we were in a good position for the OCC West Country Dinner at the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club on Saturday but had no idea if one would be available.  By moving on Thursday we reasoned that we’d have time to bag one and also to explore Falmouth and Pendennis Castle before the OCC West Country Meet activities began.

St Mawes Castle

Behind us we left St Mawes Castle with its arcs of fire covering the eastern side of the entrance to the harbour.

Pendennis Castle dominating the other side of the entrance to Falmouth Harbour.  On the
left of the ridgeline is the original Tudor keep, on the right is the Artillery Barracks (built
at the end of the 19^th or the beginning of the 20^th century).  Between them are some of the many buildings constructed over the castle’s 400 year active life

Higher up, on the western side of the entrance, we could see Pendennis Castle; our next sight-seeing destination.

Zephyr owned by Colin and Becks Campbell who organised the OCC West Country Meet. 
 The Royal Cornwall Yacht Club is just visible on the shore above Zephyr with 2 marquees up in the grounds

But first we needed to find a suitable mooring.  We scoped a couple of anchoring locations further out but when we got to the visitors’ mooring buoys, which are very close to the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club, we were pleasantly surprised to find that there were 2 available.  We picked up a convenient one and later found out that we were moored right next to Zephyr, an Ovni 395 owned by Colin and Becks Campbell who were organising the OCC West Country Meet.

Having bagged our mooring it was time to explore ashore with a view to stocking up the fridge and wine cellar as well as paying for the mooring etc.

Falmouth quartered and some shopping done (with more left until the weekend) on Friday we decided to walk up to Pendennis Castle (run by English Heritage, obviously!) to have a good look around.  There’s a pedestrian sign for Pendennis Castle close to the Maritime Museum but after that the signs run out and the only ones available are aimed at car drivers.  Should you plan to walk to the castle the most direct route by far is to follow the signs for disabled access car parking, rather than those for the ‘scenic route and car park’.

Pendennis Castle covers a large area and has buildings dating from all eras of its history.  
Left: the Tudor keep is the oldest part of the castle. Right: The Artillery Barracks dates from the late 19^th or early 20^th century and was in use as a barracks until as late as 1956

Pendennis Castle covers a lot of real estate though when it was first built in Tudor times, like St Mawes Castle, it comprised just the stone keep and the immediately surrounding battlements.

View across to Pendennis’ sister castle in St Mawes.  The castles were originally built in
the 1540s, at the behest of King Henry VIII, to guard Cornwall and specifically the
anchorage in Carrick Roads, against attack by the French and Spanish ships

These gun emplacements were installed in Elizabethan times, when Henry VIII’s fort was expanded to include the whole headland

Unlike St Mawes Castle, Pendennis Castle remained fully active as a military establishment through WWII and up until 1956.  In WWI it was a training establishment, with many new volunteers and conscripts having their first taste of military life the barrack building or in the huge tented camp in the castle’s grounds.

Top: a display of the castle’s guns from throughout its history, highlighting the development
of artillery.  Bottom:  Pendennis Castle was actively used in both World Wars.  This ‘disappearing’ WWI gun lifted up out of its emplacement for ranging and firing and was
lowered down for reloading and when not in use

But it was also an active military establishment in its own right with operational guns and crews tasked with providing area defence.

Top: The ‘disappearing’ gun.  Bottom: This large WWII gun was one of a pair
located in Half Moon Battery on the most seaward side of the headland

In WWII Half Moon Battery was installed almost at the most seaward end of the headland with 2 enormous guns to provide coastal defence for several miles out.  Higher up and closer to the keep is the Battery Observation Post bunker, from where a lookout for enemy shipping was kept and ranging orders were sent by field telephone/telegraph to the gun crews.

The original Tudor keep of Pendennis Castle

Seen this before?  A display of cannon inside the Tudor keep, very similar to the display
we had seen in St Mawes Castle a couple of days earlier

Top left:  looking back from the keep towards the gatehouses (from 2 eras) and the large
barrack building (mostly hidden behind the stonework of the keep).  Bottom: the
‘disappearing’ gun from the keep

Spellbinder on the mooring buoy next to us

Back on board BV we spotted Spellbinder arrive to pick up the mooring buoy next to us after a trip away to the Helford River.  I leapt into our dinghy to lend a hand if necessary and later on, when passing on their way to the shops, Nick Nottingham and his son, Jonty, invited us aboard for sundowners.  That turned into a very convivial evening with Nick and Jonty coming back to BV for dinner.  As we compared notes we realised that we know a lot of the same sailing OCC friends; it’s a small world in the cruising community!

Saturday brought boat chores (laundry, shopping, generator love) before an excellent OCC dinner organised by Colin and Becks Campbell and hosted at the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club.

We began with canapes on the terrace before sitting down in the Club’s ‘Upper Deck’ where we ate a delicious meal and met all number of interesting fellow sailors.

We ended up sitting next to a couple Alan and Claire Foster (Moonstone of Aberdour) to whom we had waved in passing in Nova Scotia and with whom we had spoken on one of the OCC’s daily radio nets.  We also met Anne Hammick, editor of the Club’s twice yearly publication, Flying Fish, for whom Nicky proof-reads.  Colin and Becks talked to us about the Azores and Back Race, held every 4 years, the next one in 2023, and we were introduced to the Commodore of the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club who is very busy working to move the club forward from the combined ravages of a lack of income due to Covid and the difficulties arising from owning and running a listed building as a clubhouse.  It was a fascinating evening and, as ever, there was insufficient time to even meet all the people present, let alone have full conversations with them all.  But the advantage of the West Country Meet was that there were 2 more events over the weekend at which we hoped to have the opportunity to meet more of the group.

Falmouth, Cornwall, UK

St Mawes Cornwall UK

Blue Velvet at anchor off St Mawes

On Wednesday 25 August we woke in St Mawes to another beautiful day.  We were keen to get ashore to explore, both to visit the castle (and not just to make in-roads into our English Heritage annual pass!) and to see something of the village itself.  As a part of latter, Neil had said that we had to try the cinnamon buns at the Da Bara Bakery which is run by friends he and Nici met on holiday.

Looking south across St Mawes.  The harbour is to the left of the pier.  On spring tides much of it dries

We dinghied into the harbour where we found a couple of options for leaving the dinghy.  There is a pontoon which is generally afloat (except at low spring tides).  The harbourmaster charges £5 per day for the use of the pontoon.  Or you can tie your dinghy to steps in the harbour wall.  There’s no charge for this but the steps dry so you might end up with a long carry back to the water, as we did later in the day.

Attractive housing lines the road that leads up to St Mawes Castle

The houses lining the harbour and the road leading up to the castle are most attractive and have fabulous views across the inlet.

View along the beach below the road that leads up to St Mawes Castle

Da Bara Bakery cinnamon buns and coffee, as recommended by Neil in Dartmouth

We enjoyed the views whilst taking elevenses as recommended, and very good the buns were too!

A beautiful day to be sailing….or to be touristy by the sea

Coffee-stop complete we strolled up to the castle……

St Mawes Castle entrance

……which really is rather impressive.

We were far from the only people enjoying the castle, and the grounds were filled with people picnicking or just enjoying the views, like us.

Top: when the castle was in its prime the square stone contained a carved and painted
 coat of arms but centuries of erosion have worn it away.  
Bottom: view out across the entrance to Falmouth Harbour from one of the gun
 emplacement ports.  Pendennis Castle (originally a near double of that at St Mawes)
 can be seen on the headland to the right of the picture.  Between them the guns
 of 2 castles could cover the whole of the harbour entrance

The views from the main tower are, unsurprisingly good and it was lovely to see so many boats out on the water enjoying the fabulous weather.

A sample of the weaponry, some replica, some original, on display inside St Mawes Castle.  The circular tower
allowed for all round defence, though the hillside close behind the castle was probably its most vulnerable point

Inside there are displays of the weaponry in use in the castle when it was first built and for the century or 2 afterwards.

In time, the castle expanded and gun emplacements were set up outside the main tower, providing greater defensive cover further up the harbour

The castle from the outside.  Top and bottom left: from one of the lower gun emplacements.  Top left: note the
gable end of the sunken magazine which housed powder and shot for the outer emplacements

The gun emplacements outside the tower are also well stocked with replica and original cannon.  Closer to the water are some more modern emplacements (c19th century) where cannon were mounted on swivel systems to provide greater arcs of fire.

The castle from the landward side

The upper reaches of St Mawes, where there is excellent all-round protection.  Much or the area is very shallow
 and, whether deep or shallow, the whole area is filled with moorings

From the castle we meandered back into the village via a variety of small, steep lanes and then headed further out, past and through some more modern housing estates, to see the inner reaches of the St Mawes inlet from the landward side.  It’s a shame that there is no coastal path running along the water’s edge (and the foreshore looked very muddy!) but there were some access points to the water and we also enjoyed views across the inlet from the road, as well as views of some very up-market properties!

St Mawes’ beach.  The harbour wall can be seen just above the lower tree branch.  The dinghy pontoon is just
 visible above the branch, to the right of the end of the wall

Back around the headland we reached the main beach, which was busy with paddleboarders and sandcastle builders alike.  This is probably where our pilot book means when it states ‘anchor off the beach’ but since it was written, moorings have taken over in this area, leaving no space for a casual visitor.  Given the settled easterly weather, our anchorage nearer the entrance suited us perfectly, and we could happily have stayed for several days more.  However, we had plans to join in with some Ocean Cruising Club events in Falmouth for the weekend and so, given that it was a Bank Holiday weekend and likely to be busy, we had decided to head across the estuary the next day.

St Mawes, Cornwall, UK