Salcombe

Noble95 · 18 January 2015, 22:03

Just booked a weeks boating holiday to salcombe, any do's/donts?

Firefly · 18 January 2015, 23:47

Visit South Pool but don't miss the tide. Watch out for Wolf Rock. Stick to the channels, don't speed and prepare to wear the "Salcombe Grin".

lukewhiting · 19 January 2015, 00:40

I'd say the same! Defiantly watch the tides and your speed

Brian · 19 January 2015, 07:48

Take a seat at the harbour office area and listen to all the yachties and large power-boat owners braying at each other.
"Did you remember to bring the Fortnums pate, dahling?", etc etc.
Hours of endless amusement watching them all wallowing around in their overloaded sibs, shouting at each other.

gareth9702 · 19 January 2015, 09:28

The harbour will be very busy during the regatta week (3-7 August) and busy during the other events (for a list: Home - Salcombe Yacht Club). It can be very choppy on the visitors' buoys opposite the yacht club, and calm but busy on the visitors pontoon in the The Bag. There is a very nice cove just on the Salcombe side of Prawle point that has clear access if the conditions are calm. Newton Ferrers and Dartmouth - both about 45 minutes away - are worth visiting. There is another very sheltered beach tucked just inside Start Point.

Firefly · 19 January 2015, 14:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian

Take a seat at the harbour office area and listen to all the yachties and large power-boat owners braying at each other.
"Did you remember to bring the Fortnums pate, dahling?", etc etc.
Hours of endless amusement watching them all wallowing around in their overloaded sibs, shouting at each other.

I'd forgotten that bit... Endless free amusement. Braying at each other whilst barking out puerile nautical instructions and advice to children with names such as Sebastian and Pippa...Happy days

Brian · 19 January 2015, 15:37

Best thing I ever saw was:

Man and wife with two kids come down to launch their sib.
Man bellows instructions at humble and obedient wife.
“Plug that pump in there-no not there stupid, THERE”
and
“Put the oars in, load up the food AND the picnic basket, don't forget the wine”
and so on and so forth. Giving the minutest of instructions to everyone else, whilst doing nothing himself.
Eventually, after they place boat in water, he commands the two kids and family to stand back while he boards the sib.
It immediately starts to fill with water.
“You've not put the plug in the back” shouts the husband.
“Well, you didn't tell me to dear” calmly says the wife.

Collapse in mirth by the assembled watchers.

paul sparkes · 19 January 2015, 17:09

Im heading over to Salcombe next week for a spin in the SIB. Mainy to check out the slips etc for when i pick up my new boat in a few weeks. I will lwt you know what its like.

Dartmouth, Totnes and the River Dart are worth a visit

Firefly · 19 January 2015, 22:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian

Best thing I ever saw was:

Man and wife with two kids come down to launch their sib.
Man bellows instructions at humble and obedient wife.
“Plug that pump in there-no not there stupid, THERE”
and
“Put the oars in, load up the food AND the picnic basket, don't forget the wine”
and so on and so forth. Giving the minutest of instructions to everyone else, whilst doing nothing himself.
Eventually, after they place boat in water, he commands the two kids and family to stand back while he boards the sib.
It immediately starts to fill with water.
“You've not put the plug in the back” shouts the husband.
“Well, you didn't tell me to dear” calmly says the wife.

Collapse in mirth by the assembled watchers.

Priceless. I'm sure people go to Salcombe just to see these episodes..

lukewhiting · 20 January 2015, 08:59

I went a few years ago with my thundercat. I twice saw this bloke who had a brand new looking 300hp brig.

Saw him both times at the pontoon at the main slipway. First time he tried to birth at the pontoon and instead hit my boat quite hard into the pontoon leaving marks all down the tubes!!! He Didn't seem to care and I was close to throwing him in the water!

Second time I didn't have fenders out and just had my leg in between. And geuss what...did the same!

Think he was to scared to moor as he sat floating until the pontoon was clear.

All the gear and no idea!

paulbrown22 · 20 January 2015, 11:30

For a slow/scenic trip, heading up the estuary to Kingsbridge with suitable tide is a lovely trip, and there's a visitor pontoon up there to stop on. Depending on what boat and how far you want to go, we love Newton Ferrers/Noss Mayo, and Dartmouth's a good place to visit as well.

Firefly · 20 January 2015, 12:24

At Torquay Marina, I once witnessed the proud new owner of a 40ft Fairline turn up, overnight bags and family in tow, eager to take his new toy out on her maiden voyage.
Almost all available marina staff were assigned to a line, whilst the new skipper prepared for departure. With everything and everyone safely on board, the engines were duly fired up. The excitement was tangible as they prepared to slip. Then, for reasons that soon became apparent, the owner began testing the bow thrusters with amateurish enthusiasm, totally oblivious to the effect it was having on the poor chap holding the bow line.
Content with the performance of the bow thrusters, he brought in the lines and throttled forward into the fairway, straight towards the sterns of boats moored ahead. His intention, indeed his only option, was to turn to port 90 degrees, into the fairway. However, his predicament was threefold; he was going too fast, running tight alongside the pontoon on his starboard and he was harbouring a total misconception of the principal of bow thrusters.
It is worth noting that at no stage, since the initial application of power, were the throttles or steering touched. Instead, the unsuspecting owner stood by the helm with one hand on the thruster control. With the stern of the boat ahead looming, he gave the bow thruster full wellie to port. To his horror and unsurprisingly, nothing happened. Well, when I say nothing, I mean nothing happened to the current speed and course. The skipper went into immediate meltdown and made his next big blunder. Still ignoring the throttles, he swung the steering full to port. Two things happened in a very short space in time. The starboard corner of his gleaming teak covered bathing platform was forced to confront the edge of the pontoon and then the stanchion itself. The platform lost; perhaps, more accurately, he lost the starboard corner of his platform. By now he had somehow managed to point the boat in the direction he so desperately needed. Then came the painful demonstration of linear momentum in practise. Although he was pointing the right way, he continued to travel broadside on the original course, straight into the back of 3 moored cruisers. Metal bent, fibreglass crunched, wood snapped and a tender popped like a balloon.
What experience has he got, I asked the harbour master, as soon as I could speak. None, he replied, it’s his first boat. Somehow, you can always spot a novice!!!