Sailing

 

Ssailing has been an activity that has been enjoyed for a very long time. It has involved a variety of yachts ranging from a small gaff-rigged sailing dinghy of no particular class to a 31 foot Westerly Berwick in which a complete circumnavigation of the Iberian Peninsula was made..
Sea bat.

Early Days

The first craft was a 12 foot gaff-rigged dinghy in which the skills of sailing were acquired. By towing it behind a car it was taken to the Mediterranean and Adriatic and to sailed on the Italian lakes of Garda, Como and on Lake Geneva.

The next vessel, a 'Sea Bat', shown here, gave a faster and more exciting sail,but was also much wetter. It was ideal for taking on the top of a car and sailing in warmer waters.

The first small cruiser was, a 21 foot 'Vivacity' which was used for exploring around the Bristol Channel.

 

Dawn sail off Penzance, Cornwall.

Local Sailing

The final cruising yacht was a Westerly Berwick, called 'Joy of Mann' which gave greater scope for more ambitious projects. Horizons widened to take in the Scilly Isles, Ireland, Brittany and finally, a long cruise around the coasts of Spain and Portugal.

This photo was taken at dawn off the coast of Cornwall, heading westwards towards the south westerly tip of England at Land's End. Other pictures include a views off Land's End, a sketch of the harbour at St Ives, sailing off the Welsh coast and 'Joy of Mann' in Padstow Harbour, Cornwall.

Having cruised in 'Joy of Mann' for some eighteen years we finally gave her up and returned to dinghy sailing.

Scilly Isles.
The Isles of Scilly consist of a group of five inhabited islands and more than a hundred uninhabited islets and rocks situated some twenty-eight miles from Land's End. They are all small, the largest, St Mary's being only three miles across at its widest point but they have marvellously clear water and wonderful, white sandy beaches. We are fortunate to have them within reach of a twenty- four hour sail from our home harbour in North Devon. It is like sailing into another world. Just look at the pictures! And here are some sketches of a distant view of the islands, a night anchorage in the Cove and dolphins playing around the boat as we sail away. And here's a couple of photos of sketching aboard 'Joy of Mann'
Joy of Mann on the anchorage at Jenny's Cove, Lundy Island.

Lundy Island

Lundy Island lies in the Bristol Channel , closer to North Devon than the Welsh coast it is sometimes clearly visible from the mainland and sometimes shrouded in mist. An old, local verse makes use of this characteristic to predict coming weather. It takes approximately three hours to sail from the mainland if appropriate use is made of the strong tides. Here you can see 'Joy of Mann' at anchor off Jenny's Cove, a small anchorage on the somewhat exposed western coast which provides shelter only in settled conditions and when the wind is from the east. At this point the cliffs are very steep and spectacular and landing is difficult.

Joy of Mann sailing through the straits of Gibraltar.

A Circumnavigation of the Iberian Peninsula. Here you can see a sketch made on board 'Joy of Mann' as she sailed through the Straits of Tariffa, towards Gibraltar.

1.Sailing the coasts of France and Spain.

2.Along the north Spanish coast to Galicia and the Portuguese border.

3. Along the coast of Portugal.

4.Southern Spain and Gibraltar

5.Along the Mediterranean Costas.

6.A short cut home.

7.Map of the route.

Canoeing in northern Minnesota.

Not quite sailing but still wet and watery!

A canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of northern Minnesota.


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