The North coast is a wild one; but there, again, Port Rush and
Londonderry are very safe, and Port Rush is an especially snug little
harbour. Care should be taken to work Rathlin Island Sound with the
tide, whichever way it is wished to sail, as the tide rush there is
very strong. Between Rathlin and Belfast are bays, each of which has
its small tidal harbour, and, if the weather is threatening, the
distances between them are so short that opportunities can be snatched
for going from one to the other. Larne itself is a fine harbour.
Coming from the North to the South of England, a yacht of 30 ft. and 5
ft. 6 in. draught can be taken by train and launched with the greatest
ease in Southampton Dock, and Southampton being so near London makes
it the rendezvous of many cruising yachts. A good cruise from there is
to run across to Havre (Rouen is easily reached by train from Havre,
and well worth a visit), thence to Cherbourg, thence through the
Alderney Race, between Cape La Hogue and the back of Sark, to
Guernsey.
At Guernsey the yacht's copper should be cleaned, if necessary. It is
the best harbour in the English Channel for scrubbing the bottom, as
there is good mud and a capital supply of running water close and
handy at low water. From Guernsey, weather permitting, with the aid of
a fisherman or pilot, the yacht can be taken across to Sark one day
and to Herm another. Sark is one of the loveliest and most picturesque
islands on our coasts. Any trip to Jersey ought to be made by steamer,
as it is an abominable harbour for a yacht, the rise and fall of the
tide being over 40 feet.
The next sea run may be to Falmouth, thence to Fowey, Polperro (this
port had better not be entered except by dinghy, but it is a very
quaint little fishing village and not much frequented except by
trawlers), Looe (this is an open anchorage), and Plymouth. All these
places have beautiful rivers, with the exception of Polperro, and the
Fal and Tamar are both navigable at high water some considerable
distance up.
Leaving Plymouth, the yacht might very well touch at the mouth of the
Yalme, and the dinghy be rowed up the river. Salcomb and Dartmouth
should not be left out, and both have rivers, the heads of which
should be seen. Dartmouth is a well-known yachting station, and its
club is very prettily situated, so that the members have a full view
of the anchorage. The tide there is strong, and two anchors will prove
better than one.
Torbay comes next in order, working back to Southampton, with Brixham
and Torquay; both so often described that it would be wasting space to
add anything to what has already been said.
The only gauntlets to be run are West Bay, which can be very
troublesome at times, and the Race off Portland Bill, which can
generally be avoided by hugging the shore of the Bill. Weymouth,
again, requires no words of encomium. It is as well to anchor off
Portland or go right up Weymouth Harbour, where the yacht will have to
take the ground.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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