Chapter 9 – Short afternoon sail

From Padstow to Newquay bay – A quiet Night at Anchor

Our next long crossing was to take us to Newlyn, in Cornwall, Penzance Bay.

But we had to get out of Padstow and it’s drying channel, to anchor somewhere outside so we could have an early departure the next day.

We had first chosen a pretty anchorage in Padstow Bay, which we had investigated the day before. But John suggested we sailed further down, and find a place to anchor that would make the next crossing shorter.

We had time, the weather was nice, and the tide allowed us to leave Padstow at 15h00.
We were heading for Newquay Bay, some 15 miles down the coast. Besides saving us 3 hours on our next leg, it offered a shore whose depth was gradually decreasing, insuring a quiet anchorage in 5 meters water depth at low tide.

It was a nice and short afternoon sail. We took all our time, hoisting our sails even though the little breeze was not exactly in our favour, tacking for a while at low speed.

We eventually dropped anchor at around 20h00 in a well-protected cove, and started to enjoy a peaceful evening, as well as our last beers on board.

John pulled out his new fishing gear, and I could once again appreciate his (unrewarded) patience.

We had noted the bearings of a few remarkable items on shore, and did check them from time to time, but the sea was very calm, there was no swell, and we didn’t move at all until our departure the following morning.

After the stop in busy and crowded Padstow, it was a strange but pleasant feeling to quietly wait for the nightfall.

(To be continued)

Anchored in Newquay Bay