DAY THREE - PLYMOUTH TO FOWEY

The weather forecasts have been doom and gloom so eventually it was decided to set off this morning with a three-stage course plotted, and see how far we could manage with options to stop at all three.  Si's family were joining us, Sarah, and children Paddy and Meg, however once we got out of Plymouth breakwater and started to round Rame Head it became glaringly obvious that this wasn't the day for a family outing.  We retreated back to Cawsand Beach to deliver Sarah and the children back to dry land before heading out once again.  With 20 minutes of concentrated driving, putting all our Advanced Rib Driving Certificate skills to full use, we were finally out of the worst of it and heading on our way to Fowey.  I have to say I am more deeply in love than ever with "ConTTentment"!   Ribcraft have built us a seriously sturdy boat and although we were climbing some large waves, at no time did she feel "flighty".  She really comes into her own when the going gets tough.  The same must be said for the Gekko helmets, without which we would have been seriously drenched and struggling to see with face fulls of salt water.  The helmets are amazingly comfortable and are really essential to maintain visibility when the waves are coming over the boat.
Having had biggish waves on the bow, we headed around the Head and had an exciting ride with a good force 5-6 southerly with waves on the beam.  In parts the seas were exhilerating, enabling us to get up on the crests of the wave and go with them.  However,  further along the sea became more confused and you had to keep constantly correcting the boat to make sure you took the bigger waves in the right way.  A moments loss of concentration or hesitation and you ended up with a "twister" - a good smack up the spine with a corkscrew effect for good measure!  Again, the "two man helm" procedure came into it's own, and is proving to be a godsend when conditions are testing.
You didn't want to take too long to make the turn into Fowey, with biggish waves coming over your beam, but once you had made the turn the "surf" into the harbour was fantastic.  We moored up along the pontoon and enjoyed a delicious lunch at "Sam's", where the barman informed us of the afternoon forecast of 27 knots of wind, gusting 40!  We decided to call it a day here, and make for Newlyn tomorrow, when the forecast is marginally better.
I enjoyed a wander around the town whilst Si and Anthony sorted out boat matters, and saw headlines blazing in the local newsagent "Britain prepares for hurricane".  A great week to be setting off round Great Britain!  We are reconciling ourselves to making as much headway as we can before Sunday night, when we may well be held up in port for a few days until it passes over, and we can make the run for Milford Haven.

Plymouth to Fowey:
Distance travelled:  28.9 nautical miles
Time travelling:  2 hr 30 minutes
Average speed:  11.6 knots
Fuel consumption:  31.4 litres Teal