The GPS Blog| Activity | Activity date | Activity description |
|---|---|---|
| Up river sail | 2016-10-22 | First time out on the Wayfarer for quite some time.
The wind didn't manage the promised F3 / F4 and we ran out of wind trying to get past Topsham.
A seal popped its head out the water about 10 yards away from us and watched us sail by the Turf. Liz would have taken a photo but was too preoccupied trying to retrieve the Double Decker she'd dropped down the centre board casing.
Pleasant sail/drift in the autumn sun.
Tags:
Ese Estuary
|
| Up and down the Exe Estuary | 2012-04-01 | Down towards Starcross a couple of times and up to the Turf on a gloriously sunny April afternoon. Lovely F3 to F4 wind. An average speed of 4.5 knots in a 30 year old Wayfarer is none too shoddy
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Sail with Liz and Julian | 2012-04-14 | No wind but some thunderstorms. Not the ideal sail on the estuary for Lizs brother.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Up river cruise to Goat Walk | 2012-05-19 | An up river dinghy cruise from SYC to the Goat Walk. Light winds on the way back. About 15 boats out.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Down river paddle | 2022-07-15 | And just a little bit out to sea.
Lovely day - hot but with a cooling sea breeze.
Retrieved a kite surfers board after he had some minor difficulties.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Work cycle ride | 2017-07-25 | Work and back
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Exeter and back | 2017-03-10 | Into Exeter and back. Average speed not too bad given that there was quite a strong headwind on the way back.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Pole Sands paddling | 2024-02-27 | Down to the Pole Sands for lunch.
Going to have to be renamed The Pole Pebbles - it is much more pebbley this year.
Tags:
Exe estuary
|
| A perfect summers sail | 2012-07-22 | With the first spell of decent weather this summer the dinghy cruise down to the Beach Cafe and back had an excellent F3 southerly sea breeze and lots of sunshine. Marvellous.
All the best photos courtesy of Lizs brother Julian.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| A sunny Monday evening sail | 2012-07-23 | A great Monday evening sail. The tail end of a F3 sea breeze and a strong incoming Spring tide. The average speed over the ground may not win any prizes but a cracking sail down past the floating cafe and through the moorings
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| A very gusty sail | 2012-07-29 | A very short sail as Liz wasnt too keen on the gusty conditions. It was windy as the top speed of 8.2 knots was actually against the tide. It felt fast for an old Wayfarer with a lot of the front of the boat out of the water as we planed down wind.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Monday evening sail | 2012-07-30 | A Monday evening sail to the Goat Walk - quite gusty.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Dart to Dawlish Warren | 2022-07-29 | Down to Dawlish Warren with Nigel H on his Dart 18.
Lovely gentle wind.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Work cycle ride | 2017-07-28 | Very windy (WindGuru said 25mph gusting 40) on the way back and wet. Wind was maybe 30 to 45 degrees off being dead on the nose so slightly easier than it might have been.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Round to Exmouth | 2017-08-14 | Round to Maer Rocks at Exmouth. Started raining just as I got to Exmouth. The last seven miles straight into the wind and the rain were hard work.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Exeter and back | 2016-12-03 | A windy ride into Exeter and back, Liz still in post lurgie mode.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Autumn estuary sail | 2012-10-06 | An end of summer sail down to the beach cafe and back. Fairly light and variable winds. Six SYC boats.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| More rowing than sailing | 2012-10-20 | The last SYC dinghy cruise of the year. Varied between next to no wind and no wind at all. Rowed about two thirds of the way. Lovely morning to be on the estuary though.
Tags:
Exe estuary
|
| Slow bike ride | 2012-12-09 | First time back on the bikes for quite a long time. Ride was slow and painful and painfully slow
Tags:
Estuary
|
| Safety boat at SYC | 2013-02-17 | Too windy for us to go out sailing as we havent been out for a couple of months. So ended up doing safety boat. Good fun - a little bouncy. Suspect the occasional max speed peaks are GPS data anomalies.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Dawlish Dart sail | 2021-06-23 | Around to Dawlish with Nigel H on his Dart 18. A lovely sail. Took a while for the sea breeze to come in but once it did it was a pleasant, steady force 3 or so. Sun as well!
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Exe paddling | 2023-07-25 | Up to Topsham Sailing Club and back via Hannaford's Quay.
Out into a weak breeze and then back into a strong breeze!
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Orcombe Point Paddling | 2023-10-26 | Around a low tide and out to (pretty much) Orcombe Point.
Lovely late October day with little wind and a fairly big tide.
The recent easterly storm has made quite dramatic changes to Bull Hill Bank.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Exeter and back | 2016-11-28 | A windy ride into Exeter and back. Luckily the wind (F5 to F7 on Met Office forecast) was mostly on the side,
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Up river to the Turf | 2013-04-28 | Only the 2nd dinghy sail of the year. Up river as far as the Turf in a nice gentle breeze
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Gusty estuary sailing | 2013-05-04 | A sail in the Wayfarer with Derek H. The wind was very gusty and very shifty. Made for an interesting sail even though we only went back and forth across the estuary
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Exe Estuary dawdle | 2013-05-12 | Not quite the F4 gusting F5 that was forecast. That and the fact we managed to get the furling line wrapped round the head sail furling drum means that we didnt go very far.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Super summer sail | 2013-05-18 | A lovely sail up to the Goat Walk at Topsham. We had planned to go as far as the motorway bridge but the wind didnt have the west in it that the forecast said it would. Met Malcolm and Graham at the Goat Walk. The max speed of 6.9 knots isnt bad given that there was no tide to speak of.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Out to sea dinghy cruise | 2021-06-12 | About 16 boats sailed down from SYC to the Pole Sands and Beach Cafe. Then a little way out to sea (up and down around the safe water mark). A little bouncy for about 100 yards in the swashway as the last of the ebbing tide meet the sea breeze. Comparatively little screaming heard from the crew.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Work cycle ride | 2017-06-20 | Hot. Very hot.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Starcross Steamer 2017 | 2017-02-05 | Down to Starcross Yacht Club for the annual Starcross Steamer dinghy pursuit race. One hundred boats on the water.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Exeter and back | 2016-11-27 | Liz's first time back on the bike at the tail end of a two week lurgy.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Exe estuary dinghy sail | 2013-06-29 | A nice sail on the Exe in maybe a F3 to F4 on the day of the Hurricane and Dart opens. Imploded trailer tyre cut short the time available for sailing a little bit,
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Liz, Jill and Ben stroke Agas | 2013-07-05 | Liz, Jill and Ben cycle to Darts Farm and lust after the Aga cookers. Jills son probably not so impressed. Back via Topsham.
Average speed severely affected by taking GPS with them when Aga stroking.
Rather unbelievable max speed generated when Liz heads towards the till mistakenly believing she can actually aford an Aga.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Scooby's first canoe trip of 2013 | 2013-07-07 | Up river to the new wreck just north of Starcross and then back down to the Bull Sands where Scoobie ran non stop (when he wasnt digging). Luckily we were too early for the Olly Murs sound check!
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Canoe trip from SYC to Turf Pub | 2013-07-08 | A canoe trip from SYC to the Turf Pub on the Exe Estuary. Set out near low tide. Journey follows the just greater than paddle depth contour on the way out and later, with the higher tide, on the way back.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Pole Sands Paddling | 2020-08-31 | An ideal days paddling. Wind and tide with us on the way out and on the way back!
Liz fell in when getting out of the kayak on the Pole Sands.
Much screaming from Liz and Scooby when we came back round the outside of the Pole Sands.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| June sea breezes | 2017-06-17 | A splendid sail in the Wayfarer on the Exe Estuary. Drifted about for half an hour waiting for the sea breeze to kick in. When it did it was a splendid steady F4 to F4. Combined with neap tides, it made for a splendid sail. Liz helmed and we went to rescue a pair on a Topper that capsized and seemed to be filling with water. Luckily a passing rib helped as after we had a couple of goes we still hadn't found a spot on the Bull Sands where Liz could stand up in the water!
Then went and had a look at the B14 event and got slightly in the way of one of the crews (oops - apologized later!).
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Lympstone and back | 2017-01-28 | Round to Lympstone and back with Liz. Got rained on at Countess Wear.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Up to buoy 45 | 2017-08-19 | Quite a "feisty" sail as the weather did pretty much what was forecast - which was F4 gusting F5. They were fairly big gusts on the way out. Ran aground near the Turf Locks - whoops - and mutinous crew made the captain get out and push us off.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Sunday evening sail | 2013-07-21 | That rare occurrence - plenty of water, plenty of wind and plenty of sun. A lovely evening sail on the Exe Estuary.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Bike ride to Exmouth and back | 2013-08-11 | Bike ride round the Exe Estuary from Cockwood to Exmouth and back.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| The not-Topsham sail | 2013-08-18 | Thought the westerly wind would be ideal for a sail up to Topsham. However, it turned out to be too gusty and with large wind shifts to make that a good idea.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Exe Estuary sea breezes | 2013-08-26 | A lovely gentle sail in light sea breezes to and from the Beach Cafe at Exmouth
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Exe paddling | 2022-08-06 | Ended up being a tour (past) most of the Exe estuary sailing clubs. So past Exe Sailing Club and Lympstone Sailing Club. Stopped at Starcross Yacht Club for lunch and then back past Starcross Fishing and Cruising Club. Would only have had to go past Topsham Sailing Club to get the "full set".
Watched a little of the Solo and Laser Opens at SYC.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Work cycle ride | 2017-06-16 | Into work and back
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Lympstone and back | 2017-01-22 | Round to Lympstone on a lovely winters afternoon. Enough wind for the sailors at Starcross Yacht Club but not so much as to make the cycling unpleasant.
Photos are from Lympstone looking at SYC and from SYC looking at Lymptstone.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Beach cafe sail | 2023-08-16 | In Malcolm B's Vision down to the Beach Cafe for a choccie ice cream. Saw Colin and Avril Y in their inflatable kayak.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Cycle ride and SYC | 2014-01-26 | A basic cycle ride to the A379 and back again with a stop at the sailing club to watch the death and destruction. Some very big gusts of wind going through led to a few capsizes.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Basic bike ride | 2014-01-27 | Along the estuary to the A379 and back
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Lizzie bike ride | 2014-03-07 | First time back on the bike after a couple of very wet months. To the Swing Bridges and back again.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Swing bridge and back again | 2014-03-08 | A lovely cycle ride to the Swing Bridges. Bit of a sod on the way back straight into the southerly force 5 all the way. Aidans first time back on the bike for a couple of months.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Carrick Roads and Restronguet Creek | 2019-07-14 | With the promised easterly being more like a southerly, there was a long enough fetch for some waves that weren't to Scooby's liking. So after lunch and some icecreams (which were to Scooby's liking) we diverted into Restronguet Creek for some quiet top-of-the-tide paddling past The Pandora and onto Point. Then back below the rather marvelous Tregunwith Farm campsite (£9 / night for 2 adults, 1 dog, 1 camper van, 1 car and a canoe) and back to Mylor Yacht Harbour.
Tags:
Fal Estuary
|
| Commodore's Cruise | 2017-07-29 | The weather forecast was rubbish - no winds and heavy rain. Turned out to be a nice wind and only occasional rain.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| First Wayfarer sail of 2017 | 2017-04-02 | First time out in the Wayfarer this year. A very gentle sail and then a drift back down with the tide as the wind died away as forecast.
Some noisy scroat was scaring up the birds in a hovercraft between the Clyst and the Goat Walk.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Up river paddle | 2023-05-11 | Lunch on the beach at Hannaford's Quay
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Push The Boat Out at SYC | 2014-05-26 | SYC's "Push The Boat Out" day to offer people a taster of dinghy sailing. A very successful day - about 70 people got to try sailing and the winds were an ideal F2 to F3.
Liz got to try helming a Topper on dry land!
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Squires Cup safety boat | 2014-06-08 | Safety boat duty on a rather damp and drizzly Sunday in June. Free tea though!
Tags:
Exe estuary
|
| Evening up river dinghy cruise | 2014-06-12 | A lovely evening's sail up to the Goat Walk at Topsham. Sun and a decent wind (which only died as the last couple of boats arrived back). We had a brief detour a little way down the Clyst taking advantage of the high tide.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Beach cafe sail | 2014-06-16 | A sail down to the beach cafe in our Wayfarer with Bob and Andy in the Wanderer. Big tides and some lovely winds. Top sailing.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Whole fleet paddiling | 2019-06-29 | Paddling with Richard and Helen - first time out on canoes.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Down river paddle | 2023-08-09 | Next to no wind and very little tide, so a quick down river paddle against the little incoming tide.
A few photos of the boat that sank at the weekend and was raised yesterday - as well as a few of the posher yachts on the estuary.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Work cycle ride | 2017-08-15 | Work and back
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Beach cafe sail | 2024-06-20 | Sail down to the beach cafe in Malcolm B's RS Vision. No wind until we got some sea breeze. Then hot weather and a reasonable sea breeze. Sail aided by the new mainsail on the Vision.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Bart's Bash | 2014-09-21 | After ten year's sailing at Starcross Yacht Club we've completed our first ever dinghy race (we did start one about five year's ago but got bored half way through and sailed off up-river).
This race was in memory of Bart Simpson who died in America's Cup practice last year and to raise funds for his sailing academy.
Amazingly we weren't last - but pretty close. On the plus side, 68 boats in the water and we didn't hit one of them!
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| October beach cafe sail | 2014-10-11 | Good winds and big tides for a late season sail from SYC down to the beach cafe. Some excellent winds round the Warren and the Docks. Died away a little bit for the last mile back to SYC.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Starcross Steamer 2015 | 2015-03-15 | First cycle ride in ages. To SYC and back again for a brief watch of the Starcross Steamer pursuit dinghy race.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Estuary sailing in the Wayfarer | 2015-04-10 | A near enough perfect spring breeze made for an ideal morning's sailing on the Exe Estuary. Maybe 12 to 14 knots of steady south to south easterly wind made for a great morning's sailing in the Wayfarer with Liz's brother Julian. Chose the right day to take off work for once!
The average speed isn't too bad but reduced a little by having to sail back up the estuary against the tides.
Tags:
Exe estuary
|
| Pole Sands Paddling | 2019-06-22 | Out to the Pole Sands in the canoe with Scooby.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Work cycle ride | 2017-05-02 | Cycle ride to work and back. Not that windy but the wind was against on the way to work and against on the way home!
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| SYC safety boat | 2024-01-28 | Crewing on an SYC safety boat
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Another 100 mile week | 2016-10-28 | Exeter and back - bringing up the 100 miles for the week.
For much of the ride, the smoke from the large fire from the buildings surrounding Cathedral Green was visible. Very sad.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Pole Sands picnic | 2015-08-15 | Sail down from SYC to the Pole Sands. A bit of everything wind wise. From nothing to about a F4 and quite a lot of gusts in between, Put first reef in for the trip back which made things easier
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Paddle to the Pole Sands | 2015-08-17 | A paddle from Starcross to the Pole Sands making the most of the sunny almost windless weather. Scooby ran miles on the sands.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| SYC trip to the beach cafe - by bike | 2015-09-05 | A first SYC organised cycle ride. From SYC on the west back round to the beach cafe at Exmouth on the east bank. Ten participants.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Wednesday evening safety boat duty | 2015-09-09 | A Wednesday evening on the Exe Estuary crewing for Bob J on safety boat
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Short Wayfarer sail | 2023-05-07 | Not much wind so just a short Wayfarer sail up the estuary a little way.
Docking arms now fitted to new launching trolley.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Lympstone and back | 2017-04-29 | Dinghy cruise was cancelled because the winds were too strong so Liz and I went cycling. Doh! Hard work on the way back from the Swing Bridges as it was straight into the F5 winds.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Exmouth and back | 2016-12-28 | A slightly longer cycle ride than usual. Average speed would probably have been a fair bit better if it wasn't for a strong wind right on the nose for the last 6 miles.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| To St Davids and back | 2016-10-27 | Slightly longer cycle ride today to make up for doing the last 2.5 miles yesterday by car (due to having broken three spokes on the rear wheel).
So it was on the "spare bike" today which I hadn't ridden in about a decade. That's a Ridgeback Genesis Day 2. I stopped riding it as the estuary path used to be too rough for it. With the new cycle way its an ideal bike.
At maybe a couple of stone lighter than the normal bike (with its panniers etc) and with no breeze at all, it felt like cheating.
Keeping up with Liz was much easier than the last couple of time!
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| April Free Sailing | 2016-04-16 | A pleasant sail back and forth across the estuary. Started about F4 gusting F5 so we went out with one reef. Wind eased so we shook out the reef. The offshore lifeboat came up the river.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| First beach cafe sail of 2016 | 2016-04-23 | First SYC sail to the Exmouth beach cafe in 2016.
The forecast was north easterly F4 to F5. However, on the way back from the beach cafe it was really quite gusty and I'd guess that the gusts might just have been F6. Combined with a fairly large tide and the NE wind being against the tide, it made for an interesting sail back.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Beach cafe sail | 2016-05-07 | Wind forecast was for a F4 gusting F5 and, after a slow start, that's what we got. Stopped half way down to put in one reef. Top choccie ice cream at the Beach Cafe. With the wind well behind us on the way back, put two reefs in the main and had full headsail on the way back. Still went quite fast on the way back.
The top speed of 9.8 knots - in a Wayfarer - is a clue to the size of the tides.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Beach cafe paddle | 2024-11-01 | Too little wind to go sailing so Malcolm B and I headed down river in the Sea Eagle kayak
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Work cycle ride | 2017-09-28 | Windy and slow on the way back
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Work bike ride | 2017-04-28 | Into work and back.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Xmas day bike ride | 2016-12-25 | A ride with Liz into Exeter and back. Lots of kids on the cycle path with shiny new Xmas present bikes.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Another twenty miles | 2016-10-26 | Out with Liz for another cycle ride into Exeter and back.
Trying to "power" up the bridge at Powderham, I broke 3 spokes on the rear wheel. So the last 2.5 miles are Liz alone as she went home to get the car to rescue me and the broken bike.
That means the "reserve" bike tomorrow - the almost unridden Ridgeback Genesis Day Two.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Exe Regatta Committee boat | 2016-07-16 | On a rather nice Westerly acting as the Committee Boat for the catamaran racing of the 2016 Exe Regatta. Knowing nothing about dinghy racing, we were pulling up and down various flags at the request of the endlessly patient PK. No real idea what most of the flags meant and I suspect a very goodly proportion of the competitors don't (I think they just listen for the alternate sound signals).
Still a very pleasant way to while away a Saturday afternoon on the Exe.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Bike ride to the Double Locks | 2016-07-17 | A bike ride along the Exe Estuary and canal to meet up with Rose and Midge for the first time in ages.
Wobbled back along the cycle path and stopped at SYC for a quick view of the 2nd day of the Exe Regatta.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Mackerel for tea | 2016-07-18 | A glorious summer sail on a Dart 18 with Nigel H. Caught some mackerel for the first time ever - a few hundred yards off the safe water mark. Blisteringly hot and light winds - ideal for a summer sail / drift
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Exe to Dartmouth | 2024-07-03 | The plan was to get to Salcombe but the fairly strong westerly winds would have made the Start Point to Salcombe bit quite arduous so we stopped in Dartmouth instead. Dartmouth was "full" so we picked up a buoy in Dittisham instead.
Tags:
Exe estuary
|
| Work cycle ride | 2017-09-26 | First time back on the bike after two week summer hols - hard work.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Beach Cafe dinghy cruise | 2023-05-20 | A downriver dinghy cruise. All sorts of wind - from absolutely nothing in the 4 knot tide past the Warren with the Tudor Rose approaching to a good F4 for the 2nd half of the trip back.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Xmas eve ride | 2016-12-24 | Into Exeter and back. First solo ride for a couple of week and the slightly higher speeds made it hard work!
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Second Wayfarer sail of the year | 2017-04-14 | A short sail in the Wayfarer. Sail somewhat shortened as replacing the forestay with a new one took longer than expected - the mousing line was shorter than the mast so we ended up with no stay or mousing line in the mast!
Light winds so we practiced some on water reefing.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| First cycle ride in months | 2016-10-10 | First bike ride in a very long time. Only as far as the Countess Wear swing bridges over the Exeter Canal.
Work is about half way through the 14 month schedule of work on the swing bridge / roads.
As per the pictures, one of the bridges was open because of the work.
The swing bridges are being retained but re-aligned during the work.
The bridges have history - there's a plaque on them that reads "In May 1944, these bridges played an important part in the preparations for D-Day. They were used over a period of three days and nights, for rehearsals of the famous and crucial glider borne attack on the bridge over the Canal de Caen (Pegasus Bridge) and the River Orne (Horsa Bridge), by the Second Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, on the night 5/6 June 1944"
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Bike ride to Exeter | 2016-10-18 | Start of a possible attempt to maybe get a little fitter.
A twenty mile round trip ride into Exeter (Mill on the Exe area) and back again.
The final climb back up Cockwood Hill nearly killed me.
Tags:
Exeter Estuary
|
| Another twenty miles | 2016-10-19 | Another ride into Exeter and back.
Hard work!
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
| Beach cafe paddle | 2024-06-23 | A paddle down from SYC to the beach cafe with Marija and Jeremy L.
Very pleasant paddle around the low tide.
Strangely, a very foggy day for some of it.
Passed Nigel H's "office" on the way back and then Nellynui once last time (before she heads off to her new home).
Tags:
Exe Estuary
|
