Fowey to Dartmouth

Pilgrim of Brixham in Dartmouth

In Fowey we were lucky to be tucked away up on the pontoon as the storm came a day later and lower harbour had 2m swell forecasted at port entrance as per our pilot. I was told it was quite choppy on the Saturday, the wind was reaching almost 20 knots up in the river bend but no swell. It was quite raw, hopefully it was the last blow of King Bore, the polar chill until next winter, it is time to relinquish power for the summer to step in. Saturday morning I did a quick run ashore and waves were up close to a meter in the lower harbour by then.

Pontoon 6

We had this time the services of the Fowey water taxi and he charged 8GBP/ ride, conveniently available on VHF ch 6. Service is from 0900hrs to 2100hrs. I think I spent all in all about 300GBP in rides for 3 days in port. 

China clay elevators

Our berth was opposite the Bodinnick china clay terminal and opposite our pontoon was an old clay elevator, the proper jetty is around the corner and they have 2-3 tugboats on standby there as well. Not very romantic for the discerning yachting guests but I don't mind. Some guests were surprised about china clay being exported to Finland for the paper industry and also to Egypt, (maybe papyrus industry?). When I was younger I think I have been here before taking a load up north.

Same ladies still rowing

As we rocked up the pontoon the tide was almost slack so it was very easy to just slowly ease her alongside and tie her up starboard side to. The pontoon was full of broken seashells that had probably been dropped there by seagulls wanting to break them up and eat them. Otherwise it was all good pilings and pontoons, at low water one could see in the bushed probably old pontoons that had been discarded there. At same time we also had the show of squirrels and storks wandering the exposed waterline for tidbits.

Fowey town

I only went ashore once to get some cornish pasties and got some for the crew as well. My Indian crew liked it very well and called it English samosa. The size of them is massive so for me I was content with a small slice. In the old day one of those must keep you going for the whole day. The museum was still closed so didn't get to see it this time either.

Fowey town

Fowey town, RNLI pontoon

Fowey town, small yard

Fowey town, opposite side, looks like an old mill

Fowey town, John Luck's unlucky project

Storks

Pilot leaving us in Fowey

As our next port was Dartmouth with 4 hours of sailing I decided to leave Monday early morning to arrive around noon for lunch. Pilot came on time and I cast off and eased Mosaique into the river, I went a bit forward in front if the china clay terminal and then I did an about port swing to turn our bow towards the sea, slowly we headed down river with one engine pushing as along 4 knots down the river. Soon enough we were closing in on the Fowey castle and the pilot jumped off and we headed for Dartmouth.

Fowey entrance

Fowey castle

As we left the small bay at the Fowey inlet we were hit by swell from south, the stabilisers kept us well upright but we were pitching again, as we headed for start point lighthouse we were going east and then turned to a northerly course and things got better. Then we did the final approach and pilots came way out to meet us. I kept going up the channel, passed the castles at the entrance and saw the massive  naval officers academy. As we headed up the first straight we were approaching the town jetty, I went close to right hand side of the channel close to the cruise ship buoys and past our berth to turn around. 

Start Point lighthouse

As I turned as fast as I could we drifted down with the current quite fast but it became slower as we showed a smaller profile to the ebbing current. With the stern up the current we drifted down to our berth and as my mate on the aft deck told me the stern is free to approach (there was a another ferry on the jetty). I did my maneuver and got her going sideways, the current pushed me also a bit so merely only had to brake down our fast approach. Soon enough we were close enough to throw heaving lines and spring lines went ashore and then head lines. Within minutes we were tied up and gangway rigged for guests to go ashore.

Robert, 47ft Watson lifeboat built from the 1955-1963

Tugboat "Hauley V"

I also noticed the Pilgrim of Brixham at her buoy and after checking her out on the internets she indeed is a rare gem. She was built in 1895 at the yard of J.W & A. Upham in Brixham Devon, for 10th Generation fisherman Silas John Pine. She became BM45 in 1902 when Brixham was able to register fishing vessels. She fished out of the port under Silas Pine’s ownership until 1912 when she was sold at auction in Plymouth. She was purchased by a Lowestoft dealer and was subsequently sold to new owners in western Sweden. Pilgrim, then named ‘Pilgrimen’, was used as a fishing vessel, a cargo vessel, a private home and as a sail training vessel. She had wartime exploits during the two world wars and was extensively modified. In 1999 she was brought back to Britain and was restored up until in 2013 when she was successfully Class certified by the MCA.

Pilgrim of Brixham

Some time later I went for a short walk in town, the museum was already shut so I settled on walking around. There were a few pubs and some restaurants, at the open fresh market was late so they were also closing up. I did a full circle of the center and ended up going to the Sloping deck tearooms, there I had a fish and chips with a flapjack for pudding. They were both quite nice but the flapjack was too much and it settled in the bottom of my stomach like a brick. I didn't have to eat anything else until next morning.

Kingswear on opposite side

Dinghies are popular

Sloping deck tea rooms

Sloping deck tea rooms

Dartmouth tidal pool at low water

Dartmouth tidal pool at high water

The next morning I was out and about in time for the museum opening (11.00hrs) and headed up the road. The museum is on the  was on 2 floors and had on display the naval history of Dartmouth, the miniature collection of the first engines and the Mayflower display.

Mosaique on city pier

Steam train on opposite side on Kingswear, maybe also going to platform 9 3/4?

Dartmouth center

Opposite side of Dartmouth, Kingswear

Entrance to the museum or you could just opt to get sloshed

In the Mayflower display it was explained how the movement came about and how they finally left Britain for new promised land, Virginian colony', being persecuted for their religious beliefs separating their puritan views from the Church of England, i.e. they were separatists. It almost sounded like the woke movement of today. They went at first to Holland, as they had freedom of religion there, but life there didn't turn out well so the plan to migrate was hatched after King James I made an agreement with the Dutch (to fight the Spanish) on the condition that the puritans are declared outlawed. Originally they had 2 ships, the smaller Speedwell to bring the pilgrims from Leiden, Holland to Mayflower in Southampton and then cross together. 

The Mayflower drawing

Unfortunately the Speedwell developed leaks frequently and was repaired in Southampton, then Dartmouth but finally abandoned in Plymouth after an attempt to cross but they were forced to return. So all the pilgrims from Speedwell crammed into the cramped Mayflower and some abandoned the trip altogether and went back to Holland. Finally the Mayflower left for the Americas on 16th Sept 1620 (pretty late in season) with a complement of 130 persons (of which 102 passengers). 

The Mayflower drawing

They had faffed a long time at South of England so their provisions were already low. Finally they arrived in America 11th Sept 1620 to Provincetown harbour (Cape Cod) and before that they had come up with the 'Mayflower compact' forming the rule of law of the colony (it was later used as basis to draft the US constitution). John Carver was with this selected as their first governor. The document was revolutionary in that the colony was formed by all the participants as a mutual enterprise and not at the behest of any royal edict or order.

The Mayflower drawing

As they arrived so late they had no time to farm and get crops so the local indigenous tribe, the Wampanoags, kept them alive by donating feed. They also had forgotten to bring any fishing gear from the old land in their hurry to leave. During this first winter nearly half of the passengers died due to harsh conditions, malnutrition, and disease like scurvy, pneumonia and tuberculosis.

Come spring 2021 the Mayflower returned to Britain in half the time with half the crew too where it was then scrapped. 

Mayflower compact

In 1957 the historic voyage of the Mayflower was commemorated when a replica of the original ship was built in Brixham, England and sailed to Massachusetts in 53 days. She was captained by none else than the famous Alan Villiers. He was clever and did not try to go against all the lows feeding out from the American continent but went south an then took the tradewinds over and then followed the coast up to New York in much shorter times than the original pilgrims.

Mayflower II, built in Brixham 1957

(credit: humanities)

Mayflower II in 1957 (credit: Plimoth)

Villiers delivering a sermon at sea (credit: Plimoth)

The Mayflower model

The Mayflower is a cornerstone of American history, symbolizing freedom, community, and the founding of the nation. The General Society of Mayflower Descendants estimates that over 35 million people can trace their ancestry to the Mayflower passengers.

The Mayflower model

The next room was full of miniature models of working steam engines built from 1970's by David Hulse based on notes and drawings from the times. He has donated all the models for permanent display at the museum. The collection comprises 8 steam engines chosen to show how Newcomen's 1712 invention was adapted to improve efficiency and effectiveness right through the horizontal Trevithick engine of 1804 used in Cornwall to power the first locomotives in the world. 

The Evolution of Steam

These engines were operated by condensing steam being drawn into the cylinder, thereby creating a partial vacuum which allowed atmospheric pressure to push the piston into the cylinder. It is significant as the first method to harness steam to produce mechanical work. Newcomen engines were used throughout Britain and Europe, mainly to pump water out of mines. Hundreds were constructed during the 18th century and later James Watt came out with an improvement that doubled fuel efficiency so most engines were upgraded to this design. That's why Watt is today better known than Newcomen in relation to the origin of the steam engine. Thomas Newcomen was born in Dartmouth in 1663.

The Newcomen engine

William Pit engine

The Arnold Mill engine

The Pickard engine

The Lap engine

The Lambeth engine

The Smethwick engine

Triple expansion steam engine

Bust of William Henley, a Dartmouth famous personage

Ship models

Dartmouth benefited greatly from the triangular trade where the ships took salt to Newfoundland, then loaded cod from there to Portugal/ Spain and from there brought European wares to Britain e.g. port wine.

Christopher (John Hawley's Cog, 1402) and the Mayflower model

English Hoy 1710, the rig is identical to that of the Cleveland, 

the first English Royal Yacht of Charles II

HMS Bounty and Artemida of Cadiz

Sir Francis Drakes flagship, the Golden Hinde, 

used in the circumnavigation of the earth 1577 - 1580

PS Kingswear Castle, built in 1924 and fitted fitted with a 1904 compound steam engine.

She still does harbour cruises on the Dart.

In 1863 Queen Victoria stationed HMS Britannia and HMS Hindostan in Dartmouth laying the base of the naval training there and at same this could maybe be seen as the birth of yachting as they then came with regattas and designed vessels for it (yachts) albeit Charles II had started with the hobby already much earlier. In 1944 they probably had the biggest 'regatta' ever when 480 vessels passed the gap to the beaches of Normandy saving countless souls in retreat.

HMS Hindostan and HMS Britannia on the river Dart at Sandquay by C.W. Fothergill

HMS Britannia print

They also had two films from the 2nd WW explaining the operation of the 15th Motor gunboat flotilla of how they were used to pick up spies and insert agents covertly on the French coast.