A visit to the River Yealm – Tue 24 Aug

It was a blustery day as I headed out of King Point Marina with winds from the NE, so I decided to set Chione on a broad reach and settle down for a comfortable sail without actually heading to anywhere in particular. After a couple of miles heading directly out to sea I decided to tack back towards the shore and into Wembury Bay. The tide assisted and I managed to sail into the centre of the Bay, heading directly for St Werburgh’s Church. With the wind blowing directly from the mouth of the Yealm, I dropped all sail and decided to motor in to explore. The channel to avoid the bar is well marked and thereafter, despite a couple of anchored yachts, it was easy to follow the leading marks. As expected, the River was busy with only a few moorings available – mostly in shallow water. I headed up the River past the moorings before turning around and heading back to sea.

It was now lunchtime, so I unfurled only the jib and had a slow sail past the Mew Stone before hoisting the main and making good progress back to Plymouth Harbour without the stay sail. The River Yealm looked beautiful; definitely somewhere to visit again and hopefully find a mooring when there are less visitors!