Cork Week 2008 with Anticipation

My first experience of Cork Week Regatta was this year on Anticipation - a Beneteau First 40.7 owned and skippered by Pete Newlands who is based in Cowes. We set off from Cowes after a day's delay due to adverse weather and made slow, bumpy progress out West. After pulling into Dartmouth [due to technical problems and exhaustion] we set off again in better weather - passing the Lizard and Land's End out into the Celtic Sea.

This time I wasn't involved with the provisioning and it was interesting to see how Leanne went about it. There were 11 mouths to feed on the outbound delivery trip and Leanne cooked several meals for us to eat on the journey. These were made from fresh ingredients and frozen in a large tin foil tray. This meant that the food was more transportable and all we had to do was choose our meal, let it defrost and just pop it in the pre-warmed oven. Once most of us had stopped hanging over the rails to feed the fishes [i.e. after Dartmouth] we enjoyed pasta bake, mild green Thai chicken curry and spaghetti bolognaise - and managed to keep it down this time! Saving the tin foil containers also comes in handy as these can be reused for roasting vegetables or cooking bacon and sausages for breakfast.

Arriving in Crosshaven just over 4 days after departing Cowes, one enterprising crewmember managed to find a bottle of wine and a case of beer despite it being 3 a.m. in the morning. This didn't last long but was a welcome arrival drink as we don't drink alcohol on passage.

After a brilliant night's sleep, we spent the next day making sure everything was in good order for the start of the racing. There was some time off in the afternoon and rather than just succumb to the fast food stands, Wil and I walked to the Farmer's Market in the village to have a look around. Here were enticing stalls of local produce where we nibbled our way around then settled on some mackerel pate, homemade fishcakes, dinky little round courgettes, bright red peppers, succulent tomatoes and salad with nasturtium leaves. Armed with a bottle of high quality olive oil and a nice bottle of wine, we headed back to Anticipation. As everyone else was content to brave the fast food stands, we had the yacht to ourselves. Wil is a genius in the galley so all I had to do was open the wine and have a stab at making Melba toast to go with the pate. Delicious!

In the following days, we were totally focused on racing, winning all 9 races in our class!!! We did take a litlle time out to visit some local restaurants during the event. Then it was goodbye to a successful Cork Week and back to Cowes. This time, the weather was favourable and we made it the return passage in less than 48 hours.

Fast Cruising: Falmouth - Dartmouth

On the morning of our first fast cruise from Falmouth to Mevigissey, hardly a breath of wind stirred across the starting line outside Falmouth but once passed St Anthony's Head the breeze picked up, the spinnaker was hoisted and A Day At The Races surged ahead! We anchored under sail outside the harbour entrance to Mevigissey and after a lunch of chicken and avocado wraps we weighed anchor using the power from the sail only and blasted across to Fowey.. Mooring up off Pont Pil, we had dinner on board Vectis Secundis with Kate after pre-dinner drinks in the cockpit. The scenery is stunning here and we were quite content to view Fowey from this aspect. Next day, we did take the water taxi across to have a coffee at the yacht club and go exploring. There are some fabulous food shops in the town mostly selling local produce. Fowey is famous for its mussels so a few kilos were purchased from FoweyFish for a moules marinere back on board to be enjoyed that evening.

Then it was off to Plymouth the next day for dinner at the Royal Western Yacht Club overlooking Queen Anne's Battery Marina. Before setting off for Salcombe, we visited the market in the city centre and bought some scallops, prawns and monkfish for a seafood spaghetti on board. On arrival in "The Bag", our haul from Plymouth was quickly turned into a magnificent feast with a little cream added to the seafood for a touch of luxury. Our final leg from Salcombe to Dartmouth dawned grey and blustery and we raced eastwards towards Dartmouth in next to no time. Our final evening in Dartmouth saw torrential rain but that didn't deter everyone from putting on their evening finery for dinner at the Royal Naval College. After dinner, the fast cruise prizes were awarded and A Day At The Races won her class and was joint overall winner with Fioreun, a much larger Beneteau.

A Few Days in Falmouth

We arrived in Falmouth a few days before the start of the Little Ship Club West Country Cruise which attracted over 25 yachts from all points of the compass.

Falmouth is a real hub of activity for all things nautical. With several marinas, the National Maritime Museum and lots of sailors - both local and visiting from far flung places [more of that later ...] We moored up near the Town Quay which was only a stone's throw away from the bustling High Street with its fishmongers and cafes. Also nearby, were the best showers I've encountered for a long time ... constant hot water and a shower cubicle the size of a small room to yourself. Beats going for a shower next to the car park in Dartmouth!

The day after we arrived,the Falmouth working boats were racing in the harbour under grey skies and gusty conditions. We braved the elements to sail out for a grandstand seat and were rewarded with the magnificent sight of these wooden vessels going full pelt with their bright coloured topsails on show. Also racing were gaffers "Jolie Brise" and "Alice" in full flight.

After a private dinner at the National Maritime Museum on Saturday and fish 'n' chips on Sunday, we decided to buy a crab the next day to eat on board. We bought our crab from Arwenack Fisheries in the High Street. Here, the crabs are delivered fresh each morning, cooked for 20 minutes in boiling salted water and are ready to be sold by 10 o’clock. It took a bit of effort to prepare but the results were worth waiting for. Click here to go to recipes and click on crab salad to find out how it's done.

One unexpected event happened: I came across two friends who had just returned from crossing the Atlantic in a Twister 28 called "Pouncer". Spying the aforementioned "Pouncer" one afternoon, there was no mistaking this was Jane & Charlotte from Greenwich. After leaving a note, Jane turned up later for a cup of tea and a good gossip. Arriving in Falmouth was their first landfall since Bermuda and they were having a rest before pressing on with the final leg to Greenwich.

Reluctantly it was time to go and head off into the east but the rain had stopped and a fair breeze blew to take us and the rest of the LSC fleet towards Dartmouth.

Day 5 - A Day at the Races: River Yealm to Falmouth

We slip our mooring at 0730 in brilliant sunshine and weave our way downstream. Again, the northerly wind does not materialise so we're forced to motorsail towards St. Anthony's Head.

Mackerel lines out again but no bites this time.

Arrive Falmouth 1700 and treat ourselves to fish & chips with a bottle of chilled muscadet.

Day 4 - A Day at the Races: Dartmouth – Dittisham – River Yealm

Setting off in bright sunshine, we cast off from the Town Quay to motor gently upstream for breakfast at Dittisham. Finding a free buoy, we moored up for cereal and croissants in this beautiful stretch of the River Dart. Reluctantly, we slipped our buoy and turned around to motor downstream towards the river entrance and onwards towards Start Point. After Prawle Point, there wasn’t much breeze, so we paid out the mackerel lines and motorsailed towards the entrance of the Yealm River. There was great excitement when two mackerel took the bait and we reeled them in with great care.



On arrival in the Yealm River, we motored slowly amongst the moored yachts looking for our friends on Bagheera – a Bowman 40. Finally we found them well upstream and rafted alongside for a drink and supper. It was almost like “Ready, Steady, Cook!" as both galleys were in action racing to complete at the same time so both crews could sit down together.

Bagheera came to the finish first with their steak casserole made with diced peppers, onions and tomatoes served with new potatoes whereas I’d opted for Sharon’s sausage casserole in red wine with mustard mash – somewhat tricky on a classic yacht with hardly any work surfaces to use.

Unfortunately, we hadn’t caught enough mackerel to feed everyone and two small fish were enough for 4 as a starter. Baked in foil with freshly ground black pepper and a squeeze of lime, after 15-20 minutes, the mackerel tasted sublime served on fresh wholemeal bread and butter. But we took our sausage casserole and mustard mash over and the two crews had a very convivial meal washed down with red wine and followed by cheese and biscuits. To end, David - the owner of Bagheera - made fresh coffee in his vacuum cafetiere. A great piece of kit if you can find one.

Then it was time to cast off and find our own buoy for our overnight stay with a wee dram of Famous Grouse whisky to finish before turning in.

Day 3 - A Day at the Races: Portland Harbour to Dartmouth

Another early start to make sure we catch the right tide for the inner passage past Portland Bill. You have to pass close to land to avoid the notorious race and it seems that you could reach out and touch the lighthouse itself as you pass. Breakfast was on hold until we were safely clear and on our track towards Berry Head. As well as muesli today, we had wholemeal toast – courtesy of the grill on the Force 10 oven – with Barrie’s homemade marmalade.

After breakfast, we set up the spinnaker expecting a broad reach down to Dartmouth on account of the forecast northerly wind. As soon as we were ready to hoist, the wind backed to westerly again so we had to put the kite on hold and go back to white sails. Motorsailing for most of morning :-( we eventually found some wind we liked after lunch as the clouds closed in and precipitation was evident over the land. Just as we reached the entrance of the River Dart, the heavens opened and it was time to find a good excuse to go below!

On arrival in Dartmouth, the clouds parted and the sun came out again so steaming gently, we joined the melee of yachts jockeying for position to moor up on the town quay. After a couple of overnight stays at anchor, we needed to replenish our stores. We found that the Co-Op store had been turned into a M&S food which delighted the guys onboard. Whilst the range of pre-packed food is good at M&S Food, it is difficult to find basics - such as flour and HP brown sauce - so another trip was required to find the Spar.

When we returned from our provisioning expedition, Dartmouth was in full swing with yachts arriving from all points of the compass. On Bryn Mawr – a Southerly 110 - the crew were getting ready for a barbeque on board. Chris & Jan Humphrey [Skipper & First Mate] were joined by their friends Sally & Phil Johns {Bosun and Cabin Boy, not necessarily in that order] and were preparing some wonderful ingredients to pop on their clip-on barbeque. They had arrived earlier that afternoon and bought Tiger Prawns from the local fishmonger and meat and vegetables to make their own kebabs. Also, Phil had marinaded some chicken pieces in white wine vinegar, tomato sauce and sliced fresh chillis – it all looked amazing!

Day 2- A Day at the Races: Hurst Point to Portland Harbour

After a quick breakfast of muesli and fresh fruit, we weigh anchor and depart at 0645 with a good northerly breeze and sunshine. For lunch, we stopped in stunning Lulworth Cove for sandwiches: salami, ham, tomato with mayonnaise on wholemeal bread – yum!



Then onwards towards Portland Harbour where we picked up a buoy and had another supermarket ready meal: this time, Chicken in a cream sauce with fresh broccoli and new potatoes. Ready meals have improved considerably over the last few years and are handy if you’re short of stowage space as we are on A Day at the Races . She was built in 1966 for Sir Owen Aisher and designed for offshore racing rather than gentle cruising. Originally named Yeoman XIV, she is built of teak and has recently been re-varnished and re-painted so is looking rather splendid at the moment.