An early slight moderation in the forecast encouraged us to make a break for Dartmouth before Thursday’s forecast of much higher wind. Added to this the sea state continued to look manageable with a maximum of 1.2m around Salcombe.
We found the forecast generally accurate, with the exception of 24kt gusts just outside Plymouth! We motored with the jib up (in various states of reefing) with the wind, waves (not too high) and tide behind us. Mostly the wind was force 5 gusting between the bottom and top of its range (17-21kts) with a few more brief showings at 24kts.
So we were at Bolt Point at 1300, Salcombe at 1400, Start Point at 1500, and Kingswear Castle at 1615. The whole trip (36.6NM) including tying-up at Noss Marina done in 6 hours and 20 minutes.
Molia