Recent sailing Part3. Failure to get up the Lynher

September 10, 2015 by flexwing462 4 Comments

After my 2 days with Geoff and was back on my little boat again, I wanted to take advantage of the big tides that were happening then and try to get as far up the River Lynher as I could at high water. I’d heard that there was a pub at a place called Notter Bridge which could be got to by a Kayak or canoe and really wanted to see if I could make it up to there in a Paradox.

My sketch map of the Tamar and its tributary the River Lynher

So I anchored in the River Tamar between Cargreen and the Bridges and waited   The plan was set off on the last bit of the ebb to the junction of the main river and the Lynher, take the young flood up to the Dandy Hole.

Waiting at anchor in the Tamar

While waiting, I’d discovered that a nice wholemeal loaf, one of two which had been bought the week before had grown some mould on the outside. I’d scoffed the first one already before meeting up with Geoff and was worried in case this second one was going to be a total loss…

So I scraped off the mould from the sides of the loaf – found that it was only the surface that was spoilt and then left it on the aft deck in the sunshine hoping to dry it out a bit more.This summer has been quite humid and I always struggle to keep mould from the bread and the cheese.

The sunshine treatment worked well and I was still able to eat the bread a few days later.

Just before the tide changed I upped anchor and sailed in a very light breeze down under the 2 bridges and into the Lynher just as the flood started.

Sailing slowly up the Lynher with the rising tide towards  the Dandy Hole.

The river all above the Dandy hole dries out completely at low tide and I had to wait there for a bit until there was enough depth to go onwards.

Went on slowly. Very little wind in the the river which is in a deep valley so mostly sculled the boat along with the tide helping progress.

And under this railway viaduct as the rising water made progress possible

Eventually had to take the mast down as the river became narrower and the branches of the trees lining both  banks met completely overhead.

The mast down

The tress meet overhead.

By this stage, the journey was getting more difficult. I was too busy fending off from the trees and rocks to take more photos. And, although the tide was still rising I’d met an increasingly strong current against me, presumably due to the abundant rainfall  that we’ve had lately.. Also the river was getting very shallow and narrow.

Eventually decided that it would be foolhardy to go any further. The ever stronger current impeded me and I repeatedly grounded in the shallows and the river was so narrow that there were only a few places where I could turn the boat round.

I quite expected to meet the African Queen being pulled along by Humphry Bogart and Katherine Wotsit at any moment.

So, common sense prevailed.  I managed to turn the boat and get back through the shallow gravelly bits to deeper water and out of the woods.

I hightailed it back to the Dandy Hole where I could anchor in deep water and only just made it before the night closed in.