Marvellous minor harbours

In our trailer sailer, Coast-in, we like to visit what Reeds Almanac lists as ‘nearby minor harbours’. My wife, Sue, and I had been thinking about the north Cornish coast for the last decade, despite Mark Fishwick’s opinion in his West Country Cruising guide that there’s little real cruising potential on this dangerous stretch of coast.

Admittedly, it’s probably not suitable for bigger yachts. However, having visited many minor harbours with the former Trail Sail Association in our lift-keel Etap 22i, we thought we would give it a go. After all, he does say: “Just possibly, in very settled weather, and with an offshore wind, a little bit of cruising can be contemplated.”

We planned the trip for mid-July – before the school holidays, thinking (wrongly) it would be less busy. It never gets completely dark at this time of year, and we’d definitely have enough light to navigate by from 0530 until 2100. Also, the swell coming in from the Atlantic would be less than it would late August after the American hurricane season.

Each leg would best be done in daylight with