The GPS Blog| Activity | Activity date | Activity description |
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| Exeter and back | 2017-10-07 | Too windy for us to want to go sailing (F4 gusting F6) so Liz and I cycled into Exeter and back.
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Mill On The Exe
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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.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2017-02-06 | Super fast on the way out. A bit slower on the way back. The last five miles were into a fairly strong headwind right on the nose. That and pouring rain and the cold put a slight damper on the last quarter!
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2016-12-18 | Foggy ride into Exeter and back
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2018-01-20 | Into Exeter and back with Liz. Picked up some free tide timetables from the very nice people at Bridger Marine on the Quay.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2017-04-17 | In to Exeter on the Marin bike. Stopped at SYC on the way back to watch Liz and Nigel on the safety boat.
About the same strength and direction wind as yesterday so it seems that the posh bike makes me about 1.5 mph faster.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2017-08-26 | Into Exeter and back. On the posh bike but far too many blind and deaf walkers, kids and doggies on the paths to be able to go too fast.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2017-12-23 | Into Exeter and back with Liz
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2016-12-17 | First ride in a fortnight - work and the weather put paid to the previous weekend.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2017-04-16 | Into Exeter and back. A fair old head wind on the way out but speedy on the way back. Not a bad average for me given that I'm still not fully over the lurgie I've had for the last couple of weeks.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2017-01-21 | Cold days cycle ride into Exeter and back. Just above freezing. Very gentle ride with Liz - reflected in the somewhat slower than usual average speed.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2016-12-05 | To the Mill On The Exe and back
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2017-06-12 | Quite hard work as I hadn't been on the bike for the last three weeks and there was a bit of a head wind on the way out.
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Mill On The Exe
Exe Estuary
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| Exeter bike ride | 2021-10-20 | Liz post work
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Mill On The Exe
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| Into Exeter and back | 2017-08-05 | Too windy for sailing so we went cycling. Quite a big bit windy said Liz after her first time on the bike for quite a while.
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Mill On The Exe
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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.
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Mill On The Exe
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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!
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Mill On The Exe
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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.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2017-01-05 | Quite fast on the way out but a bit of a head wind on the way back slowed things down a bit overall.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2017-02-21 | Another "fast for me" ride into Exeter and back. Fast - as in more than 14mph average. There was a sod of a headwind on the way out so made up time on the way back (although I could swear that the wind changed direction just as a I started back from Exeter).
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter | 2018-05-18 | Into Exeter and back with Liz.
Coffee at Lutzys and then a fairly strong breeze to contend with on the way back.
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Mill On The Exe
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| New Years Eve bike ride | 2016-12-31 | Exeter and back
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Mill On The Exe
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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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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2018-04-23 | Into Exeter and back with Liz. Stopped for a coffee at Lutzy's.
Watched the dredger deepening the channel out from the Turf Locks.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter cycle ride | 2017-10-22 | Into Exeter with Liz. Strong headwinds on the way out - faster on the way back.
Saw a Bentley with a bike rack on the back at the Swan's Next park.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Dawlish and Exeter | 2017-12-18 | Into Dawlish with Liz to pay a bill and then up to Lutzy's on Exeter Quay. A lovely sunny winter's day with next to no wind.
Liz says "bad back and snotty nose" the reason for the slightly low average speed.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2017-12-04 | A ride into Exeter and back with Liz
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2017-12-26 | Easy ride on teh way out. Wet and windy on the way back. Stopped at SYC on the way back to fix the webcam and weather PC. Weather station recording 20 knots of wind right on the nose for the remaining part of the journey home.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2018-01-28 | First time on the bike after the gears were mended. All good.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2016-12-29 | Into Exeter and back. Moving average a little disappointing given how hard I pedaled!
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Mill On The Exe
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| 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,
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Mill On The Exe
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| And another twenty miles | 2016-10-21 | To the Mill On The Exe and back again.
This one was very slightly easier than yesterday but that's probably because it was such a still day.
Average of 12mph!!! I don't think I've ever averaged that before.
Cheating slightly by stopping to read a chapter of a book at the Exe Quay (safe water mark) and at the Turf Locks - as it was such a nice day.
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Mill on the Exe
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| Floods, a puncture and a disputed cupcake | 2018-03-04 | Post snow flooding on the Exe cycle path meant a bunch of walking. Liz didn't want the gorgeous Lutzy's cupcake bought for her so it was half each - the first "snack" this year! Then a blowout on the way home on Lizzie's rear tyre. Not helped by the poxy pump we had with us only being able to half inflate the tyre. A trip to the LBS tomorrow for a replacement.
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Mill On The Exe
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| 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.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2018-02-16 | Into Exeter and back with Liz. Straight into a headwind on the way home.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Bike ride into Exeter | 2017-07-02 | A leisurely bike ride into Exeter with Liz. Liz's first time on the bike in a while. Combine that with hundreds of ISCA Academy 10 year olds vying to see which one of them could throw themselves under Liz's front wheel first, and the average speed makes more sense. Stopped at SYC on the way back.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2017-03-04 | A gentle wide into Exeter and back with Liz.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2016-11-27 | Liz's first time back on the bike at the tail end of a two week lurgy.
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Mill On The Exe
Exe Estuary
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| Another twenty miles | 2016-10-20 | Third day in a row of cycling into Exeter and back.
Every day is getting harder - surely that's not right!
A couple of "reading breaks" on the way back.
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Mill on the Exe
Exe Estuary
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| Exeter and back | 2018-02-12 | A gentle cycle ride into Exeter with Liz.
First time on the bike in nearly two weeks due to a winter lurgie that refused to go. Still not 100% right yet!
Lutzys was still closed.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Lutzys cafe | 2017-11-11 | A cycle ride into Exeter and back with Liz. Stopped at Lutzy's Cafe for the rather nice custard tarts and some coffee.
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Mill On The Exe
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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!
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Mill On The Exe
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| 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.
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Mill On The Exe
Exe Estuary
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| Exeter and back - quite fast | 2017-02-18 | A very fast (for me) ride out to Exeter (averaged 16.2mph - would have been faster but for the hordes of pedestrians on the last couple of miles) and a somewhat slower ride back into quite a strong head wind. Stopped briefly at SYC to watch the dinghy instructor pre-prep course.
Fastest overall average I've managed on the 20 miles "Exeter and back" ride. First time averaging over 14 mph!
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2016-11-19 | Another 20 mile ride into Exeter and back.
First ever average of 13 mph on a twenty mile ride.
Storm Angus had left the flood prevention overflows in full spate in Exeter.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Exeter and back | 2018-01-29 | Into Exeter and back with Liz to do a bit of shopping.
Bit windy and had to walk past the people putting up a new fence along the railway along the estuary.
There was a new cruise boat - The Spirit Of Loch Ness - in the Turf Lock. Not seen her before.
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Mill On The Exe
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| 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.
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Mill On The Exe
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| Another twenty miles | 2016-10-19 | Another ride into Exeter and back.
Hard work!
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Mill On The Exe
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| Bolberry Down and Soar Mill Sove | 2019-09-07 | First day of hols! Whiteley's off to new camp-site near Salcombe - remember for family happiness mobile signal not great for route finding! New camp-site with very friendly owners.Walked to Saw Mill Cove lots of dog swimming & ball throwing. Views of Rame Head (Liz's favourite headland!), Burgh Island & the Eddystone. Expensive pints at newly furbished bar on way back.
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Soar Mill Cove
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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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Mill On Th eExe
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| 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
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Exe Estuary
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| Scooby's last summer holiday walk | 2019-09-23 | Your activity description here
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Exe Estuary
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| 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.
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Exe Estuary
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| 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
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Exe Estuary
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| Pole Sands Paddling | 2023-04-07 | First time out in the inflatable kayak this year.
A lovely day and a lovely paddle for lunch in the Pole Sands and then a little explore round the far side of the Pole Sands.
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Exe
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| 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.
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Exe estuary
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| Beach cafe sail | 2024-10-02 | Down to the Beach Cafe in the Wayfarer with Malcolm. Quite big tides and quite variable winds. Good sail overall.
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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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| 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.
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Exe Estuary
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| 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.
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Exe estuary
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| Exe Estuary Meandering | 2021-07-21 | With Nigel H on his Dart 18 avoiding the heatwave. Just enough wind for a cooling breeze.
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Exe Estuary
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| Lympstone and back | 2016-11-05 | A windy ride round to Lympstone and back.
Back on the Marin after its trip to the LBS for a new rear wheel.
Not a happy bike - gear change was really sloppy, the chain came off and the rear brake rubbed. No wonder it all felt such hard work.
Stopped at the Swing Bridges to watch them open to let yachts up to the canal basin.
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Exe Estuary
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| 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.
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Exe Estuary
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| 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.
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Exe Estuary
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| Pole Sands Paddling | 2019-06-22 | Out to the Pole Sands in the canoe with Scooby.
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Exe Estuary
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| Work cycle ride | 2017-08-22 | Windy on the way back - hard work. The wind was against and small white horses were starting to develop on the estuary. Not a good combination for the ride home.
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Exe Estuary
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| 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.
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Exe Estuary
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| 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!
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Exe Estuary
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| Beach cafe sail | 2017-04-15 | Down from SYC to the beach cafe at Exmouth. Two very different forecasts - this time the Met Office was right and it was F4 with gusts to the top of F5. Wind was from the NNW so an easy sail with a couple of gybes on the way down. A lot of tacking on the way back but a really great sail for the Wayfarer with one reef in.
A max speed of 9.5 knots isnt bad for an old Wayfarer - OK there might have been a little tidal assist at that point! One day, we'll make 10 knots.
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Exe Estaury
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| Darts Farm and back | 2017-01-07 | Off to Darts Fram to hire a tandem for Liz's birthday next week. Liz bought a leek!
Average speed distorted by the time spent shuffling round Darts Farm while Liz looked for other stuff to buy.
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Exe Estuary
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| Drew Trophy race from Exe to Brixham | 2013-07-27 | A very slow cruise from the Exe to Brixham for the SYC Drew Trophy race. Came 2nd! Partly due to some boats giving up and motoring due to lack of wind. The photos show the flat as a millpond sea at the start of the race.
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Exe
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| Brixham to the Exe | 2013-07-28 | A windy sail back from Brixham to the Exe after the Drew Trophy. Winds didnt quite reach the forecast 24 knots but were mostly between 10 and 20 knots. Lovely sail back under full head sail only.
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Exe
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| Exe to Dartmouth | 2018-06-16 | With the SYC Newport Trophy cancelled due to the possibility of a Force 6, we set of with Peter S for company hoping to get as far as Salcombe.
However, with the wind pretty much on the nose, progress was a little slow for us so we motor sailed.
As we crossed Torbay we saw the annual Brixham Trawler Race taking place.
The weather forecast was pretty much right (with maximum gusts of about 26 knots - F6), so we gave up on the idea of rounding Start Point and ducked into Darthaven Marina in Dartmouth.
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Exe
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| Kayaks and canoes with Jacqui and Carol | 2023-06-03 | A lovely June day, bottom of the tide paddle down the estuary with the Canadian canoe and the inflatable kayak. A top picnic lunch and then across the estuary to Lympstone in the inflatable and the Triumph single seater kayak.
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Exe Estuary
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| 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.
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Exe estuary
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| 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.
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Exe Estuary
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| Basic bike ride | 2014-01-27 | Along the estuary to the A379 and back
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Exe Estuary
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| Work cycle ride | 2017-08-01 | Into Exeter and back
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Exe Estuary
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| Work bike ride | 2017-04-28 | Into work and back.
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Exe Estuary
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| 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!
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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!
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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!
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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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| 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.
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Exe Estuary
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| Up river paddling | 2023-08-24 | Up river loop via The Turf, the Clyst and Lympstone.
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Exe Estuary
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| Bull Sands paddling | 2024-04-18 | After tailing the safety line while Derek H went up the mast of his Fulmar, down to the Bull Sands against the wind and tide (only F3 and neaps). Lunch on the Sands and then an easy paddle back as the wind and waves got up a bit. Top paddling / exercise!
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Exe Estuary
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| SYC beach cafe sail | 2015-08-01 | We haven't been out on the Wayfarer for quite a while. That sounds bad given that it's the height of summer but a quick check shows that I've actually sailed over 490 nautical miles since our last Wayfarer trip so I haven't exactly given up sailing!
A breezy sail down to the beach cafe - we put in a reef for the way back which wasn't too cowardly as there were a couple of capsizes on the way back.
Big tides which is the main reason for the quite fast average speed.
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Exe
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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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| A drift and a sail to TSC | 2017-07-15 | Light westerly winds and little tide so we sailed and drifted towards Topsham Sailing Club. Ran out of wind just before TSC.
Sitting having coffee at SYC afterwards and we spotted a yacht where it shouldn't have been. Alan W's yacht had broken its moorings and was drifting down past buoy 29. There was already a safety boat moored up to the slipway so we took that and returned the yacht to a mooring.
Can't believe we did 5.9 knots at any point today (but that would mean my code is wrong so maybe we did!!!!!!).
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Exe Estuary
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| Dittisham to Exe | 2024-07-04 | After deciding that we both much preferred trying to get the AIS fully working before crossing the end of the shipping lanes on the way to Roscoff, we decided to head back to SYC and wait for the next decent weather window for a crossing.
A fast sail back.
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Exe
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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.
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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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| 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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| 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.
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Exe Regatta 2016
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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!)
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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.
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Exe Estuary
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