19 June

19 June 2012 – Falmouth to Newlyn

After the strong winds over the weekend I finally set out from Falmouth to Newlyn.  My original plan was to go to Penzance as Newlyn has a poor reputation both on the web and in the Shell Guide regarding the relationship between fishermen and Yachtsmen.  It is, after all, a working fishing harbour!

I decided, in the end, that Penzance was not viable as it has a sill and is only accessible for 3 hours each tide.  Doing the calculations indicated that I would have to hang about for several hours before I could go in and exit several hours earlier than I needed to get the correct tides for Lands End.

In the end it was “a no brainer” – it had to be Newlyn.

To get the tide around the Lizard I slipped my moorings at 05:30 in a really beautiful morning.  The sun was shining on the houses behind the harbour and there was a gentle breeze.  Y main worry was that I had miscalculated the tides but the sight of 10 other yachts heading the same way reassured me.  Unfortunately, while I had the sails up, There was insufficient wind to drive the boat at more than 1.5 knots (why is it this trip either has gales of no wind?).  So we all set out under motor – the big boys shooting ahead and the small ones dropping behind. 

The tides were exactly as I wanted them and we shot down the coast and I, being conservative, had allowed the 3nm clearance the books recommended for the Lizard.  Some of the boats started to cut across and I went with them to some extent, but when I saw them rolling about I went back to my old course. Even so I did roll about for 30 minutes.

The rest of the trip was a very pleasant motor sail.

Newlyn really is a fishing harbour.  The EU has spent a lot of money upgrading the facilities including putting in pontoons. While the fishing boats have priority they tend to moor alongside the central quay allowing yachts to use the pontoons.  When you talk to the fishermen they all seem fine – more chatty than many of the yachtees!  There are limited facilities – public loos (which are kept clean but could do with an update), showers at the Fisherman’s Mission- but a good co-op close by and some electricity on the pontoons.  At £18 a night a good deal.