Big summer plans-lyme Regis, Tuckenhay and Weymouth

[Adam and Hayley]

However It had a had a few parking issues:


https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/712662...shing-harbour/

[Adam and Hayley]

In may respects this bit was dead easy.

We refuelled on the fuelling pontoon in the middle of the river Dart.. £ 1.99 a litre for petrol. Some would squeal at the price but you have to buy a barge, maintain it, fill it up, employ a couple of people to run it buy a boat so the staff can get to work and back, etc etc etc... It was worth every penny just so I didn't have to lug extra cans on foot, head off in a taxi or have 25 litres in a spare can on deck.

We were more or less at high tide. Theres a 6 knot speed limit as you'd expect and we followed a couple of passenger vessels up to Dittisham.

Now at Dittisham there are some BIG sand banks just waiting to catch out those without chart plotters as they dry as the tide goes out. The big passenger vessel went straight over the top but we followed the greatest depth as it was more interesting (river banks and lots of shiny boats).

[Adam and Hayley]

About the top of the Dart as far as sailing boats are concerned it Totnes. There's a massive pleasure boat that goes into there 400 passengers inn the name of Cardiff Castle.

It must have a very flat bottom as we were showing less than a metre of depth on the way back down.

There's a pub as you enter Totnes on the left opposite the passenger embarkation called the "Steam Packet Inn"
You can tie up at the steps and go up for a coffee.

On the way back down to Dittisham the tide was falling and with about an hour to go before low tide we were watching the depth gauge closely

[Adam and Hayley]

Back to Dittisham. The plan was to go ashore for lunch but the pontoon was swarming and it was fairly clear that a boat of our size was not welcome- plenty of hire boats and sail boat tenders but really no space. So back to a buoy and just ate our pack up there


... Then it peed with rain!

[Adam and Hayley]

... more to follow

[Adam and Hayley]

a quick thing to point out: Because it was the Dartmouth Regatta (a fact we had missed) we had to be off our pontoon at 10.00am where asme'd planned a lazy morning, a spot of lunch and then get to bow creek ready for2 hours before high tide.

.. instead of that we were bang on low tide!


but we went to have a quick look at the entrance.

LOTS of mud.

We were in neutral (watching a seal just at the mouth...or was he watching us!) when we noticed we were boing pushed up the creek anyway. The depth gauge showed nothing and the chart plotter showed lost of green.


We cut the engine and raised it and just began to drift up stream.

and drifted and drifted

The boat went wherever it went, forwards, sidewards, backwards as it eddied through the currents of the rising tide.

Occasionally we got caught in the mud and had to push ourselves off with the boat hook

[Adam and Hayley]

We've got a Lawrance HDS7 with a navionics card. The route of the stream was bang on.

Ok we were overtaken by kayakers and paddle boarders but we were 1 -2 hours after low tide rather than 2 hours before high.

We finally got to The Maltsters Arms and pulled up at the Lowestoft all possible low tides.


Ironically half and hour later there appeared to be water everywhere but in reality the low stream-like flow gave us the best depth and no chance of getting caught in the mud

[Adam and Hayley]

A couple of hours later some of the locals arrived in their launches as well as a some sailing boaters in their inflatabes.

Food was great

Beer was great

..
and having lots of people admiring the rib was great!

[Adam and Hayley]

the Next morning, on high tide, we just followed our tracks back to the Dart and from there down to Dartmouth and then, stopping only to see the dolphins, back to Bridport

[Adam and Hayley]

Imray C5 takes to from Bridport to Dartmouth as well as over to Weymouth in the other direction


And the greatest of help was the pilot book-"The West Country Cruising Companion"

[The Black Pig]

Originally Posted by Adam and Hayley

However It had a had a few parking issues:


https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/712662...shing-harbour/

Yes considering the boat was piloted in via the harbour master it was a bit of a pigs ear

The Dart is a a very enjoyable river to discover and now free for sibs to use

I have been as far as Tuckenhay but no further upstream as I had to get back to salcombe for the tide, with a little tug from the HM on route

The best way to see the regatta is on the water as Dartmouth is usually mobbed

[lakelandterrier]

Originally Posted by Adam and Hayley

Back to Dittisham. The plan was to go ashore for lunch but the pontoon was swarming and it was fairly clear that a boat of our size was not welcome- plenty of hire boats and sail boat tenders but really no space. So back to a buoy and just ate our pack up there

Sounds like you had a ood day on the Dart - you do have watch the sandbanks on ebb tide - especially Ower Flats round Dittisham.

for future reference if the pontoon is full, or you are too large for it ,the Dittisham-Greenway ferry will usually be prepared to run you ashore if you find a buoy close to its crossing route AND attract its attention.

[Adam and Hayley]

Thanks Lakeland Terrier. I wish we'd known that but will do next time.

It was a great trip which is why I've tried to Put in as much detail as I can as it's relatively straightforward once you've done it but can look like an impossibility and a planning nightmare.

The staff at the Maltsters were FAB. And the food great.

[Adam and Hayley]

I guess, Black Pig, that it's perfect for a SIB as you can slip in and out where I was scared of churning mud

[Fenlander]

A & H very much enjoyed your report. A cottage in Dittisham using the pontoon for the period is on our short list for summer 2019 sibbing.