17th- 18th July
We set off from Salcombe with the weather forecast of SW F5-6 increasing F7 later. As Dartmouth was to the SW we had the wind from our stern, so Chris decided to tie the dinghy to the back of the boat to stop any chance of it landing on our stern again. When we got out of Salcombe the wind had dropped to F2-3, but after an hour or so the wind started to pick up as forecast, taking us to Dartmouth.
We decided to go straight to Dittisham and pick up a mooring buoy. We were offered the same mooring we had back in May, rafted on a yacht called Zircon. We enjoyed a peaceful night in a very sheltered part of the river. Next day we went off in our dinghy to explore the river further up. Owing to the absence of any grandchildren, Chris was disappointed not to be able to play “pirates”. We took a walk ashore to try to locate the free showers provided by the local council but all we found was a rather neglected building housing toilets you only use when desperate. While we were ashore the local naval cadets were carrying out exercises for search and rescue and we found one of their casualties on a pontoon. (the one without shoes! see the photo). We had an early dinner, game of cards and had another good, undisturbed night’s sleep.
