Eve of St Mawes Short Break 3 Day Sail

Join at 3pm on St Mawes Quay.

All itineraries are subject to the weather and the skippers decision.
The area outlined by the blue points above mark the area likely to be sailed but not necessarily all of it.

Day One
Meet on St Mawes Quay where all the ferries from Falmouth arrive. If the tide is in Eve will be tucked in the corner of the Quay just in front of the Ferry Steps. If the tide is out you will row our pilot cutter tender No 8 out ot Eve.

Once on board a safety and facility briefing will be given. Very soon you will be hoisting sails and getting under way.
The objective for the first day is get you to see how it feels to sail on Eve and get to somewhere not in St Mawes for the first night onboard. It will not be far away and the idea is for it to be sheltered and scenic and in time for a freshly cooked supper. The area is bounded by the Fal and Helford Estuaries for day one.

Day Two

Leaving the Fal or Helford area Eve we have time to sail the 24 miles to Fowey or stay closer at home and sail down the coast towards the Lizard. It all depends on the wind direction, tides, the ability of the crew and the decision of the skipper.
Eastbound
If going east towards Fowey you will pass on the way Gull Rock that has many breeding Cormorants, Shags, Razor Bills and Guillemots.
Rounding the large and famous Dodman Point the Bay of St Austell opens up before you. Close by is the village of Gorran Haven and the fishing port of Mevagissey. It is possible to stay overnight in Mevagissey or some of the sheltered bays up towards Charleston. If heading on to Fowey when you are bout two thirds of the way across the St Austell Bay the keen eyed can spot the top of the Tropical Biome at the Eden Project.
Fowey Harbour entrance is quite small and many people will watch you sail into this fascinating harbour. Fowey is on the port side, left, and Polruan on the Starboard, right side as you go in. There are normally pontoons or mooring buoys to pick up. The pontoons are not connected to the land so its either use the rubber dinghy and outboard or the Water taxi to go ashore. We always try to give time ashore in Fowey as it is an interesting and characterful small town with good restaurants, pubs, galleries, book shops, chandlery and many gift shops. (Oh and a cash machine, chemist and tiny supermarket.) There are also a very good shops for delicatessen, butcher and fish monger.
West and Southbound we can explore the coast down to the Lizard and may stop at Coverack or Cadgewith and some tiny little bays.

Day Three
If you have overnighted in Fowey or Mevagissey you will be sailing back to the Fal and keeping a close watch for all that you might spot at sea. These waters are frequented by basking sharks, sun fish, dolphins, porpoise and the occasional pilot or fin whale. There is no way we can guarantee seeing any of these wonderful creatures but the more you look the more you will see. In the air it is common to see Gannets and very occasionally Puffin and Storm Petrels, Adam’s favourite sea bird. I think of them as the swifts of the sea, they are similar in size and spend long months at a time without landing except when breeding.
Wherever you started from by the evening you will be either in St Mawes on Eve’s mooring or within striking distance of St Mawes for the following morning.
At least one evening we make it possible to go ashore after supper for a drink in a local pub. It is not something we do every night as we often want to take you to a remote but beautiful spot. As much as possible we try to give as much variety as practical over the three days.

Day Four

On the last morning we make sure you are well fed before putting you ashore in St Mawes by 10am.

Where do we go in three days ?

St Mawes - Home of the Pilot Cutter

In the 19th Century St Mawes was famous as the home port for many Falmouth registered pilot cutters and for building the best six oared pilot gigs in Cornwall (Peter’s Boatyard). Eve might be a recently built pilot cutter but the village is still very proud of her. The locals are always very keen to hear about your adventures when you return. Each year Classic Sailing organises a Pilot Cutter Review and racing with St Mawes Sailing Club and St Mawes Pier and Harbour Company and there are many other sailing events in St Mawes and Falmouth Bay throughout the year. Our ladies gig boat team won the World Gig Championships last year, so its not uncommon to be overtaken by a gig boat when sailing !

The Roseland Coast & Carrick Roads

One of the largest deep water harbours in the world, Falmouth Estuary provides an extensive sailing ground with a few shallow banks to keep navigators on their toes. In the winter oyster boats still dredge under sail, keeping the Falmouth Oyster Beds a sustainable fishery and creating a bygone scene for photographers and artists who bravely sail Eve in October and March. In summer there is a large fleet of Falmouth Working Boats who hoist colourful jackyard topsails and race very competitively several days a week. There is a stunning backdrop of steep farmland, windswept headlands, National Trust beaches, castles and small harbours.

The Lizard Peninsula

Stretching fourteen miles southwards the dark serpentine cliffs of the Lizard Peninsula protect Falmouth and the Roseland coast from the prevailing South Westerlies and ocean swell. The West facing side is lashed by winter gales, but in the calmer months there are caves to explore and coves like Lankidden, where Eve’s anchor bites into a wide sandy strip miles from any village. Right down the end is the Lizard lighthouse station at Church Cove, and if you can find a gap between the lobster pots then Cadgewith is a fair weather anchorage which feels very out on a limb even in summer. Row ashore to buy fresh fish or wander amongst the thatched cottages and fishing boats. Just around the Manacles Reef is Coverack with its hidden harbour and the most precipitous windsurfing school in the country. There is a fish restaurant with its own lifeboat ramp and the famous Roskilly ice cream shop is compulsory for adults re-living their childhood.

Helford River & Frenchman’s Creek

A great place to hole up after a bracing sail, and explore ashore. Woods are full of Bluebells, or wild garlic in spring or you can rustle through the autumn leaves to the pub in autumn. If you want a swallows and amazon’s messing about in boats holiday—the Helford is where you come. From a mooring there are always interesting boats to watch sailing in and out the wide river entrance...and dinghies dodging deftly between the moorings. Rockpools, tidal mud, waterside pubs with terraces you can row to, egrets and oystercatchers, exotic gardens like Glendurgan and the internationally renowned Trebah Gardens add to the sub tropical, lush setting. Beyond the deep Helford pool anchoring is forbidden on the oyster beds, but we know a few tucked away spots. If the tide is very high we can dry out against an ancient quay and relax or enjoy a BBQ—knowing there is no escape until the next tide.

Around The Dodman

There are endless anchorages in Gerrans and Mevagissey Bay either side of the Dodman if the winds are W through to NE. Lantic Bay, Silver Mine Cove, Kiberick Cove and Gull Rock, Towan Beach, Polkerris are some of our favourites.

There are very few marinas in Cornwall which is part of its charm. If we grow weary of the anchor windlass we can opt to be centre of tourist attention alongside in tiny ports like Mevagissey or the port of Charlestown where the Onedin Line and many other period dramas have been filmed.

Fowey—Pirates Lair

The delights of Fowey often beckons—historically home to Fowey Gallants— a fiercesome band of pirates, the present day harbour is equally colourful. The pilot book says the cliff lined entrance is accessible in any weather, but in big seas shooting in though the entrance is best done under sail as quickly as possible. Eve can easily create an entrance sailing into this historic port; With Fowey on one bank and Polruan on the other there are always plenty of spectators to watch you. The town has galleries, good restaurants and waterside bars and there is always something to watch out on the river. Troy’s (one design sailing boat) or gig boats racing, the steam launch, water taxis, ferries, canoeists, tall ships or china clay ships all keep the river scene interesting, and there are great walks along the coast in either direction. Once a year in May the Daphne du Maurier Festival takes over the town with literary and musical events.