Keith Saville tells us about sailing in the beautiful Falmouth Harbour.....
This year I am keeping my Gull Spirit 2634 in the field next to Restronguet Sailing Club which has a steepish concrete ramp down onto a shingle beach. Its fine if the tide is in when you come back but if it is low water then it is a bit of a pull up a stony foreshore single handed, especially at my age and fitness level! Dinghies can be kept here from a week to a full year with car parking on site if required. I did notice during Falmouth Week that people were camping in the field next to the owners house but I'm not sure if this is a permanent arrangement but there are other camp sites not too far away. Dinghies can also be launched from two concrete ramps in Mylor Marina but the trailers must be parked in the 'valley' that leads up from the marina.
Sailing inside the sheltered Harbour has lots of options. There is deep water all the way up past the King Harry chain ferry and moored ships to Smugglers Cottage where cream teas are available! You can carry on past here all the way up to Malpas where there is a pub and then on to the centre of Truro when there is sufficient water. Creeks than can be sailed into when there is sufficient water are St Just Creek, Mylor Creek and Restronguet Creek with Penryn River and Percuil River (St Mawes) accessable at all times. St Mawes has a sandy beach inside the breakwater and has shops and toilets. Loe Beach has a cafe and toilets just off the beach.
In the last couple of months when I have been out sailing the wind always seems to have come from the North West and gusty with it. I have planed under full sail on a broad reach all the way from the north end of the harbour at Turnaware Point to the entrance of St Mawes Harbour with the waves building up as I progressed! The return trip was much slower and wetter requiring a lot of manual bailing as I have no self bailers! [they never seem to work on a Gull Spirit anyway!]
I have also made several trips across to Helford and up past Helford Passage to Frenchman's Creek. Its about 4 miles entrance to entrance and I pick my weather forecast very carefully before I set off! Just to the south of the entrance is Gillan Creek with a small shop and at high tide you can sail up to the top of the creek. At Helford Passage there is a pub to starboard with another pub to port along with the sailing club nearby. Frenchman's Creek can only be accessed at high water as it is silted up, similarly with Port Navas Creek. Given sufficient water you can sail all the way up to Gweek.
On Black Rock at the entrance to Falmouth Harbour you tend to get seals sunning themselves and out in the bay I have had a basking shark cross my bows a few boat lengths in front and I have also seen a small pod of dolphins a few hundred yards off to starboard.
I hope that the above is of some interest.
It is most definitely of interest. I went walking in the area a few years ago and I remember thinking that this was perfect Gull sailing country. Please let us know if you've also had such wonderful sailing this season. Send cruise reports and pictures to me.
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