The GPS Blog| Activity | Activity date | Activity description |
|---|---|---|
| Exmouth and back | 2017-07-30 | Round to Exmouth and back. Stopped at the Turf Locks for a pint on the way back. And then another pint when Gerry H appeared. Quite a strong wind but mostly on the side until it moved to being dead on the nose after leaving the pub!
The birds in the photos were by the Turf Locks. I thought they only "grouped up" like this just before they headed south for the winter and it's too early for that...
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Beach cafe sail | 2023-09-29 | Down to the Exmouth Beach Cafe with Malcolm B in his RS Vision. Gusts not as strong as forecasted but the wind was very shifty.
Gorgeous chocolate ice cream at the Beach Cafe (sorry Scooby).
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| 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
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| Monday evening sail | 2012-05-21 | A suprisingly breezy Monday evening sail.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Channel Islands - Exe to Brixham | 2012-06-01 | A sail down from Starcross Yacht Club on the Exe to Brixham ready for an 0200 departure from Brixham to Guernsey. Average speed an estimate as GPS time data lost.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Channel Islands - Alderney to Exe | 2012-06-06 | The return sail from Braye Harbour Alderney to the Exe Estuary.
The second half of the sail was very breezy as we sailed across in a gap between two lows.
Unfortuantely only the 2nd half of the track was saved on the GPS.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Exe estuary drift | 2012-06-17 | Downstream against the incoming tide. Over on the Lympstone side for a change as there was some water. Got about as far as the Duck Pond before the tide started to change.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Dart to Dawlish Warren | 2022-07-29 | Down to Dawlish Warren with Nigel H on his Dart 18.
Lovely gentle wind.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| 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
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| Exeter and back | 2017-03-04 | A gentle wide into Exeter and back with Liz.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| 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
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| Down river dinghy cruise | 2012-08-18 | To the beach cafe and back. Sunny weather and F2 to F3.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Scoobys second canoe trip | 2012-09-08 | Sccobys second canoe trip. To the Bull Sand and then down to the Warren. First trip out of his depth.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Meandering on Exe Estuary | 2012-09-09 | Some gusts but mostly lulls on short Wayfarer sail
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Exe Estuary
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| Down river dinghy cruise | 2012-09-15 | Down to the beach cafe and back. Very light winds most of the time but the sun was shining.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| 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
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| 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
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| Down river sail | 2024-07-31 | A down river sail in Malcolm B's RS Vision. Against the fairly weak tide and down to the floating cafe.
Tried helming the Vision on the way back. After all these years, it's the first time I'd used a centre sheeted main sheet. Very odd!
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| 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
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| Another twenty miler | 2016-11-20 | Well almost a twenty miler. The 2 inch rain fall in Exeter meant that the last part of the cycle path ride was under water.
Hard work cycling in to the head wind that was the remnants of Storm Angus. Disappointing that the winds dropped away for the homeward leg - as shown by the drifting boats when stopping briefly at SYC.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| March safety boat | 2013-03-24 | Safety boat at SYC. A cold march day - two degrees centrigrade. The windchill factor made it feel like minus four. GPS data anomalies account for the three or four short peaks in speed.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| First dinghy cruise of 2013 | 2013-04-20 | On safety boat duty for the first SYC dinghy cruise event of 2013. Lovely weather and a good wind but not much water on the neap tide. Upriver to the Goat Walk at Topsham.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Car buying bike ride - part 1 | 2013-04-21 | Bike ride into town to look for a new old car given that our Citroen has just dies with only 77k on the clock.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Exe estuary paddle | 2022-09-20 | A short paddle across the Exe estuary.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| 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
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| Exeter and back | 2017-02-27 | A gentle ride into Exeter and back. A mixture of sunshine and showers but at least the wind was from the side.
Most impressively, Liz managed to come off her bike but still remain standing at the end of the manoeuvre!
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Lympstone and back | 2016-12-19 | Round to Lympstone for a very nice and rather spicy tomato soup in the Swan Inn.
This ride takes me just over 500 miles since I started this regular cycling stuff back in mid October.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| First beach cafe sail of the year | 2013-05-25 | From SYC down to the beach cafe and back. The forecast said next to no wind but a lovely sea breeze kicked in.
Top sail.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Walking the hound to the Turf | 2013-05-26 | A hound walk to to the Turf Pub with Scooby Lizzie and Julian
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Brixham to Exe | 2013-06-02 | A light wind sail from Brixham to SYC on the Exe Estuary. Light winds but that was better than the forecast of next to no winds.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Exeter and back | 2017-04-24 | A fairly gentle ride into Exeter and back. Had the Marin loaded up with a pannier and computer bag as though I was going to cycle into work. After a bit of adjustment it all seemed to work ok.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| 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
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| Safety boat at SYC | 2017-06-24 | Safety boat for SYC dinghy cruise. Nearly an out to sea cruise but it was a little lumpy just out towards the fairway buoy.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| 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
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| Exeter and back | 2017-04-14 | Wanted a nice gentle ride as it was the first time back on the bike in three weeks - a camper van trip and a slow to end lurgie having got in the way.
And a nice gentle ride with Liz it was.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| 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
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| Sunny summers evening sail | 2013-07-10 | A lovely summer evenings sail. Just enough wind to go down estuary against the incoming tide.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| A sail, paddle and drift to the safe water mark | 2013-07-13 | More wind in the Estuary than out of it on this sail to the safe water mark at the mouth of the Exe
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Monday afternoon on the Pole Sands | 2013-07-15 | A canoe trip from Cockwood Harbour to the Pole Sands off Exmouth. Scooby loved it.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| 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
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| Work cycle ride | 2017-06-23 | In to Exeter and back. Stopped at SYC on the way back.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Exe SWM dinghy sail | 2023-08-30 | A lovely sail with Malcolm B in the Wayfarer. Out to the Exe Safe Water Mark and a little way beyond. Lunch on the beach and an ice cream at the Beach Cafe. The wind was mostly F3/F4 with occasional gusts to F5. A lovely sail.
And then used the new electric winch at SYC to retrieve the Wayfarer.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| A tale of two ferries | 2016-08-14 | Up to buoy 45 at Topsham (off the Goat Walk) passing the Topsham to Turf ferry and then down to Starcross (to the Starcross to Exmouth ferry pier). Then round the floating cafe and back to SYC.
A gorgeous day's sailing. A strong F3 up near Topsham and one of those rare days that it was warm enough to sail without a spray top. Marvelous.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Bike ride to Exmouth and back | 2013-08-11 | Bike ride round the Exe Estuary from Cockwood to Exmouth and back.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| 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
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| Exe Estuary sea breezes | 2013-08-26 | A lovely gentle sail in light sea breezes to and from the Beach Cafe at Exmouth
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Exe Estuary
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| Brixham to Exe | 2017-04-23 | A lovely day sail on Derek H's Fulmar.
First a quick trip with Liz on board round Berry Head. Mostly motor sailing and watching the wildlife.
Then, after dropping Liz off back in Brixham, a sail back up to SYC on the Exe. Light winds - but enough to sail most of the way. A chance to "play" with some of setup on Thalmia including the cruising chute and a think about how a preventer might be rigged.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| 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.
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Exe Estuary
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| Work cycle ride | 2017-06-20 | Hot. Very hot.
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Exe Estuary
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| Wayfarer sailing | 2024-04-27 | A free sailing event at SYC. About F3 to F4 but quite cold and overcast.
Turned the Wayfarer over to check its buoyancy and to have a look at the centreboard (which seems to still be in quite good condition).
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Paddle down to Starcross | 2024-06-17 | First time out this year in the Sea Eagle 486 inflatable kayak.
Wind was a bit stronger than we'd hoped (low end of a F4) so we changed out plans and paddled out against the wind and tide. Which meant an easy trip back when we ran out of puff.
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Exe Estuary
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| Basic bike ride | 2014-01-27 | Along the estuary to the A379 and back
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| 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
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| 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
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| First sail of the year | 2014-03-09 | A lovely breeze and some sun for the first dinghy sail of the year in the Wayfarer. Pottered round the club for a while to see if anything would break after the winter period without any sails. All fine - so headed up river. Bang! The port hand shroud parted company with the boat! A quick tack and then Liz repaired the problem (the circlip had come away from the pin holding the stay to the boat - luckily the pin was still hanging there). Lovely sail then back to the club.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Down river safety boat | 2019-08-17 | Safety boat for the Jim Vallis Memorial dinghy cruise.
Down to beach cafe.
Wind between about F1 and F4.
Tags:
Exe estuary
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| 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
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| 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
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| Lympstone and back | 2016-12-04 | Round the Exe Estuary trail to Lympstone and back.
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Exe Estuary
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| 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
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| 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
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| Another twenty miles | 2016-10-19 | Another ride into Exeter and back.
Hard work!
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| 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.
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Exe Estuary
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| SYC Dinghy Cruise | 2019-08-03 | SYC dinghy cruise down to the beach cafe.
Slightly stronger winds than forecast - about F4 much of the time - and a big 4.4 metre tide resulted in a top speed of 9.4 knots. Not bad for a 40 year old Wayfarer but we still haven't broken the 10 knots barrier yet!
Unfortunately the battery in the GPS ran out half way back.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Work cycle ride | 2017-05-23 | Into work and back. Not much wind which made it a bit easier.
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Exe Estuary
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| Lympstone and back | 2017-01-28 | Round to Lympstone and back with Liz. Got rained on at Countess Wear.
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Exe Estuary
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| Round to Exmouth and back | 2016-10-25 | I missed out on yesterday's cycle ride due to the incessant rain and being a wuss. To make up, today's ride was round to Exmouth and the start of the Jurassic Coast.
On the way out I told myself that I'd catch the ferry back. When I was there I thought "that wasn't so" bad so I rode back.
It's a long way for someone like me!
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| 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
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| 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.
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Exe Estuary
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| 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.
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Exe Estuary
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| 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.
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Exe estuary
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| Up river paddle | 2023-05-11 | Lunch on the beach at Hannaford's Quay
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Exe Estuary
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| Work cycle ride | 2017-09-06 | Work cycle ride
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Exe Estuary
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| 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.
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Exe Estuary
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| Exeter and back | 2016-12-03 | A windy ride into Exeter and back, Liz still in post lurgie mode.
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Exe Estuary
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| 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
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| 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
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Exe Estuary
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| 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
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Exe Estuary
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| 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.
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Exe Estuary
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| Beach cafe sail | 2018-05-19 | SYC dinghy cruise to the beach cafe. Great winds and plenty of sun!
Heading towards Springs so plenty of tide so quite a fast speed over the ground going past the Warren.
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Exe estuary
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| Work cycle ride | 2017-05-12 | Into and Exeter and back to work.
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Exe Estuary
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| 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
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| Free Sailing Safety Boat | 2016-08-13 | Doing safety boat for a Free Sailing at SYC on a lovely summer's afternoon. A pleasant F3 with the occasional gust made for almost ideal sailing conditions with just a few things to keep us slightly busy. A surprising overall distance as we spent the first 15 minutes at anchor (and expected to remain there for much of the afternoon!)
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| October dinghy cruise | 2015-10-10 | An iffy weather forecast (F4 gusting F5 with occasional F6) didn't tie up with the conditions at the start time so we went out with one reef. In the end, it turned out to be a lovely sail.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Beach cafe dinghy cruise | 2015-10-17 | A mid October dinghy cruise to the beach cafe. Winds of mid F4 forecast but mostly a bit lower than that.
Broke the tiller extension universal joint which made sailing back a bit different to usual.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| First dinghy sail of 2016 | 2016-04-02 | Weather forecast was for F5 gusting F6 and that was about right when we got to SYC.
As this was the first dinghy cruise of the year, it was cancelled and replaced with a sail near the club.
Put lots of reefs in so the crew didn't mutiny and then banged about across the estuary and back a few times. Turned out to be a fun sail.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| 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.
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Exe Estuary
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| Exeter and back | 2017-12-09 | Into Exeter and back. Just got bike back from a big service by Jon S. Combination of a freshly serviced bike and not much wind made the moving average a bit better than some other recent rides.
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Exe Estuary
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| Exeter and back | 2017-05-08 | Cycle ride into Exeter and back with a stop at SYC on the way back.
Not a bad average for me as I was on the Marin hybrid loaded up with a pannier, locks and a book.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| Up river safety boat | 2024-05-04 | A lovely sunny May day with a F3 wind and little tide. Up to about the Goat Walk.
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Exe Estuary
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| New Years Eve bike ride | 2016-12-31 | Exeter and back
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Exe Estuary
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| Squires Cup Safety Boat | 2016-06-12 | Safety boat for the Squires Cup racing for dinghies and cats on the Exe Estuary. Not a lot of wind so not much call for our services. Some rain at times.
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Exe Estuary
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| Up river dinghy cruise | 2016-07-02 | An up river dinghy cruise. The weather forecast was about right with its F4 gusting F5.
The "fleet" got spread out quite a bit and, as the weather wasn't great, we headed back to the club quite early.
The camera was on the wrong settings when the photos were taken so they've been over HDR'd to see if they can be made slightly interesting.
Tags:
Exe Estuary
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| SYC Mystery Dinghy Cruise | 2016-07-13 | "Officer Of The Day" for the SYC "mystery dinghy cruise". What the mystery was to be was, er, a mystery to us.
So we decided that it would be cricket and drinkies on the Bull Sands in the middle of the Exe Estuary at low water.
F4 gusting F5 a fair bit of the time but it seems a good time was had by all.
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Exe Estuary
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| Exeter and back | 2016-11-26 | Another twenty miler into Exeter and back.
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Exe Estuary
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| 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.
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Exe Estuary
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| Work cycle ride | 2017-08-15 | Work and back
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Exe Estuary
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| Work cycle ride | 2017-09-26 | First time back on the bike after two week summer hols - hard work.
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Exe Estuary
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| Work cycle ride | 2017-09-01 | Into work and back
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Exe Estuary
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| Summer Sail | 2016-07-30 | Went up river to about the Goat Walk and then back again. Liz did some helming for about the 3rd time in the 10 years we've been sailing on the Exe. Then some on water reefing practice and then back to SYC for the "Commodore's BBQ".
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Exe Estuary
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