Exe to Cork 2024
312 nautical miles and 58 hours sailed, 4 ports, 3 marinas/moorings and 1 anchorage.
Trip overview
In early 2024 Derek H kindly asked if I would like to join him on his Westerly Fulmar yacht Thalmia for a trip across to Ireland.
Although Derek usually prefers "solo sailing" cruising, getting to Ireland quickly was best achieved by a sail from Lands End to Cork and that's a 30 hour sail. So the plan was for me to sail with Derek from the Exe across to Cork. At which point Derek would head onwards to explore the south and west of Ireland's cruising grounds and I would make a leisurely return via Cork, Dublin and Rosslare (which would be all new for me).
Because there wasn't a convenient weather window for the crossing to Cork, the trip was done in two parts. First was the trip from the Exe down to Salcombe and then on to Mylor in the Fal estuary. The second part (a week later) was on to Newlyn (near Penzance) and then across to Cork in southern Ireland.
Also see Derek's Youtube video of the trip.
Activities from the trip
| Activity | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Topsham to Salcombe | Wednesday 22nd May | A sail from Starcross Yacht Club on the Exe round Start Point and into Salcombe. F8 winds and thunder and lightening (briefly)! Wasn't boring. |
| Salcombe to Falmouth | Thursday 23rd May | On from Salcombe and down to Falmouth. Bouncing into the choppy waves and some water in the boat. |
| Trelisick | Thursday 24th May | Having reached the conclusion we didn't have an upcoming "weather window" for a trip across the Celtic Sea to Cork, we had a "day off" and sailed up to Channal Creek and Trelisick House on the Fal. Then into Mylor marina. |
| Falmouth to Newlyn | Friday 31st May | With a decent "weather window" in the offing it was down from Falmouth to Newlyn. Lovely sail down from Falmouth and round The Lizard and then four and a bit hours bashing into short choppy seas. |
| Newlyn to Cork | Saturday 1st June | A thirty hour sail (and motor sail) from Newlyn, round Lands End and then on to Cork. A lovely trip / experience with some interesting bits overnight as fishing boats did their best to keep things interesting. |