Page 12 - Folk Boat Year Book 2021

Spiritus Summer Cruise 2020 Daily Dose of Dolphins Stephen Mead

I took social distancing to another level had to book – this is sailing isn’t it - who
over the summer of twenty twenty and knows where the wind will take you? “
went west. Taking advantage of the offer
to berth free in any other Yacht Haven,
my plan was to leave Spiritus my classic
wooden Folkboat in Plymouth for a
month or two.

Sailing mostly single handed and with
the odd friend along for some legs, the
passages to Plymouth where easy jumps;
Lymington, Portland, Dartmouth,
Plymouth where the only real testing
time was a wind shift to the west while
crossing Lyme Bay. After six hours of Dropping Will in Dartmouth I sailed in a
beating to weather it’s always good to be charming south-westerly past Start Point
rewarded by dolphins. They were so and it’s rushing overfalls, waived at
close to the healed hull that I felt they Salcombe, and cut a course for the Mew
would hop into the cockpit with us. It stone marking the entrance to Plymouth
was also good that I had my old mate harbour. More Dolphins made their
Major Will Anderson to share the fun as unexpected and friendly presence. They
Dartmouth seemed impossible to reach. always seem to stay with you for an
More tea and biscuits then. allotted time which is about two minutes
and then there off. Don’t bother to get
Being short – (that’s me and the boat,) I your camera unless you are David
naively thought that we could just pop in Attenborough’s cameraman because it’s
anywhere but the previous night we had so much better just to watch and whistle.
spent an hour puttering off Weymouth During the rest of the week, I did manage
with Will on the radio using all his to film them and in slow motion as they
military charm trying to persuade the came and played with the hull but
lovely Harbour Master (Harbour haven’t we been spoilt by wildlife
Mistress?) to let us squeeze in for the documentaries, having to explain that
night but eventually we took no for an the dark shadowy bit of the sea is a
answer and went into the welcoming but dolphin loses the audience a bit.
rather bleak Portland Marina. My
evening refrain was “Who thought you
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