This is the sun rising over Inner Froward Point and the Mew Stone as we left Dartmouth (UK) on Deo Volente, a Nicholson 476, 26 June 2008. We'd been 'stuck' in Dartmouth for 3 days (a most beautiful harbour in which to sojourn) because of strong winds, and identified a 5 hour weather window to make a short hop down to Salcombe. The forecast was correct - by 11 am the wind was rising and we settled down in Salcombe for 3 more very windy days...The trip was enlivened as we were motoring into a west-south-westerly breeze and a good swell about 200 metres off the cliffs of Prawle Point when our engine died. (We later found out that it was a fuel blockage in the tank.) Even now, looking back, I'm impressed with just how quickly we unfurled the sails. A lee shore is a great motivator!
We entered Salcombe under sail (not normally encouraged) and used the tender, a 10' RIB alongside, as the driving force to round smartly upwind and drop the anchor just off the beach at Mill Bay. The Salcombe harbour staff couldn't have been more helpful, and later towed us to a mooring protected from the increasing wind.
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