Pottering - Part 48

Escaping from Calstock was not easy. Overnight there had been rain; briefly this morning, at high water, there was a fortuitous break, enabling me to make a start without getting wet.

However, within half an hour, drizzle descended, and I wondered how I would refill the outboard without water entering the tank. Providence was on my side, because at the right moment the drizzle fizzled out, but not for long. I had enough fuel in the tank to get me to Weir Quay. There I picked up a mooring, and heavy rain saw me retreating to the cabin.

Suitably refreshed with coffee and biscuits I set off once more, only to find persistent rain that reduced visibility to less than a cable. I continued through the narrows at Cargreen,  guided by the GPS. I was getting wet because my old waterproofs were no longer watertight.

Knowing that the Tamar Bridges were only a quarter of a mile downstream, I anchored to get out of the rain and to be safe. I may not have been able to refuel the engine because of the rain, and not long after passing the Bridge I would have to avoid three chain ferries operating from Torpoint.

I did the sensible thing, which was to anchor to the side of the fairway and await better weather.

The time is 12.50. The rain continues to lash down. I could be at anchor here for the remainder of the day and night.

I'll leave you with a few recent photos. One is of an unusual duck for these parts; another is of the parish church at Tavistock, and the other is of a yacht moored at Calstock boatyard. I think the yacht is a steel Bruce Roberts Spray.

P.S.

The motion was uncomfortable at anchor; therefore despite the rain I got underway and motored to Jupiter Point near the mouth of the River Lyhner where  I anchored in the lee. Later in the evening the anchor dragged because the holding was not good, and the wind increased. I picked up a mooring.