Exeat, Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 45.2, Cowes, Isle of Wight

Monday’s sail east couldn’t have been more different to our previous attempt two days earlier. The sea was calm, the sun shone, and we reached Fowey within three hours on a fast comfortable reach with a brisk north-westerly. Bliss!

Whilst we usually take a swinging mooring in Fowey harbour, we opted for a visitor’s pontoon up the river on this occasion so that we had a little more protection from the strong incoming winds. This proved a good bet, and when the 45 knot winds blew in overnight on Tuesday we felt safe and secure, despite the wind whistling all around us. Moorings are £33/overnight, but a free night is thrown in if you’re staying for a week – and even without the freebie it’s cheaper than staying in a marina. Although there’s no water or electricity on these pontoons, you can fill up with water at the shore-linked Visitors Pontoon by Berrills Yard – and even stay on this VP overnight from 4pm-8am if you need shore power (for an extra charge). Further facilities are available at nearby Mixtow Marine.

On the hottest day of the year (and after a wash-out summer), Lulworth Cove soon filled up on Saturday morning. Families, paddle-boarders and swimmers made a beeline for the beach, while rambling groups, tourists and joggers swarmed along the coastal path. It seemed like the entire population of Dorset had suddenly descended on the area, as everyone tried to make the most of the sun that had finally decided to shine on the UK. With the Cove fast-turning into a churning mass of SUPs, swimmers, motor-boats and sightseeing RIBs, we beat a hasty retreat and sailed out along the Jurassic Coast, drinking in the magnificent views of the stunning UNESCO coastline.

Light winds meant we couldn’t sail very far, but it was only a short hop to Weymouth, which would be a good starting point to sail across Lyme Bay on Sunday. As Weymouth harbour doesn’t offer fuel, we motored into Portland marina to replenish both our fuel supplies and water tanks. There’s also a Lidl supermarket just opposite the marina, which is very handy for stocking up with essentials. With a short stay booking (4 hours), we managed to shop, shower in the marina’s excellent facilities, and re-fuel ready for our long day’s sail tomorrow.

Leaving Portland, we planned to anchor for the night but our first attempt opposite the beach in Weymouth Bay proved a terrible choice: the bay is plagued by jet-skiers who seemed to circle us in ever noisier displays of engine power. After an hour of enforced noise pollution, we gave in, raised the anchor, and headed back to Portland harbour for the night. Peace reigned in the serene anchorage opposite Castle Cove Sailing Club.

After taking Buddy for a quick run along the beach at Hamstead/Newtown, we left the anchorage with the early morning tide. Light winds were forecast for most of the day, so we needed the tide at least to be in our favour if we were to get anywhere.

As we motored out of the Solent, a thick haze on the horizon made for a very eery atmosphere; it was the first time I’d seen the lighthouses at Hurst Castle and The Needles lit during daylight hours. With light wind and poor visibility hindering our progress west, we stopped at Chapman’s Pool for lunch. Several other boats had clearly had a similar idea, but the rolling motion in the anchorage meant that none of us fancied overnighting there; most boats had left by the time we returned from a quick dog-walk. We followed suit and pressed on to Lulworth Cove, gawping at the magnificent Jurassic coastline and its fascinatingly varied geology that’s best viewed from sea.

Lulworth proved much more sheltered from the swell – and by this time the haze had burnt off in the afternoon sun and we were able to enjoy the breath-taking views from the coastal path when we went ashore.

Before starting our journey west, we managed to squeeze in one day’s sailing in the Solent with Skipper’s parents – and happily, we were blessed with perfect conditions.

Picking them up from Hamble, we had exactly the right amount of wind to sail across to Osborne Bay, with the sun beaming down on us all the way. Skipper’s 89 year old dad took the helm for the day, while his 83 year old mum kept watch. We dropped the anchor for lunch and, although this spot can be rather rolly with lots of passing traffic from motor boats and ferries, it proved calmer than usual, with a delightful breeze keeping us all cool.

The wind grew increasingly light on our return sail to Hamble, and many of the racing boats around us were in full spinnaker mode – always a splendid sight! After dropping our passengers off at the visitors’ pontoon by the Royal Southern Yacht Club, we motored to Newtown Creek for the night.

The heatwave had clearly brought all the sailors on the south coast out in force because the creek itself was packed. Even the anchorage of Hamstead, just outside Newtown’s entrance was busier than I’d ever seen it – usually there’s only one or two yachts anchored here; when we arrived I counted 18. But as the sun was beginning to dip towards the horizon, we had little choice except to join the throng.

Alderney would be our last stop before sailing back home to the Isle of Wight. Sadly we would only have half a day to explore the island, as the weather conditions for a Channel crossing looked best the following day. But after reaching Alderney at lunchtime and anchoring in Braye harbour (£10 to anchor), we headed straight to shore and managed to pack enough in to get a flavour of the place.

In fact, Alderney might just be our favourite Channel Island of all the ones we’d visited in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. It felt the most residential, the most interesting, and the combination of stunning scenery, fascinating history and equally spellbinding architecture was compelling. Although many of the shops close for a half day here on a Wednesday, we enjoyed walking through the picturesque High Street and soaking up the history of the old town. We then took a circular route back along the beach, picking salt-enhanced blackberries as we went. An old schoolfriend of mine had invited us to dinner that evening, so we were lucky enough to have a spectacular supper with her family. Then we repaired back to Exeat, ready for an early departure in the morning.

Though it may be the smallest of the Channel Islands, Sark packs a punch for dramatic scenery. Sailors are spoilt for choice of picturesque bays to anchor in – though many of them involve a lengthy climb up to the headland. But with steep cliffs come spectacular views!

We initially anchored in Dixcart Bay on the southern shore of Sark, and clambered up the steps from the beach to explore the nearby village. I say village but it’s more of a collection of small shops and craft galleries lining “The Avenue” – where the only other traffic beside fellow pedestrians is the odd horse-drawn cart taking tourists around the car-free island. We bought a few supplies from the grocery store here, which sold Waitrose-branded products amongst other things, and I stocked up on Guernsey milk and butter which we’d developed a taste for in the few days we’d spent in the Channel Islands.

Passing some Guernsey cows grazing in the nearby fields, we walked on to explore the vertiginous 100m long causeway of La Coupée linking Big Sark and Little Sark. Looking down the 80m high cliff-face, I was inordinately grateful for the handrails and concrete supports that had been built by captured German Prisoners of War in the 1940s. Apparently the schoolchildren of Sark would crawl along on their hands and knees before these were erected.

With the midday sun beating down on us, we didn’t quite make it all the way to the end of the promontory of Little Sark, turning back to retreat to the cool hospitality of Stocks hotel. While families with young children cooled off in Stocks’ outdoor pool, we enjoyed the shady respite of their indoor bistro for lunch. Nearby Hugo’s also looked a top dining spot but was fully booked on the day we were there.

Finding Dixcart Bay a little rolly, we moved round to Derrible Bay for the night, which seemed marginally better but still affected by swell.

Herm is the nearest island to Guernsey, and it made the perfect spot for us to anchor overnight after leaving Beaucette late on Sunday.

At only 1.5 miles long and 0.5 mile wide, there’s not much to Herm but what there is is very lovely – including the magnificent sandy stretch of Shell Beach. The water lapping at the golden sand here is as translucent as ice – and almost as cold. Before we dared brave its chilly depths, we set out to explore the eastern shores of the island on foot, clambering over the dunes to rejoin the footpath back to the beach. Sweltering under the midday sun, we were grateful to plunge into the bracingly crystalline sea, before heading back to Exeat to plan our next island-hop.

Mid-afternoon, we raised the anchor and headed round to Sark island, anchoring in Dixcart Bay on the island’s east coast.

Beaucette proved a thoroughly relaxing and restorative pit-stop: the sun shined, our teenage son caught up with a Guernsey-based friend, and we enjoyed exploring the sandy coastline on foot – picking juicy blackberries from the nearby hedgerows as we strolled. We also managed to successfully navigate the island’s buses, catching a bus just ten minutes walk away from the marina into the nearest town of St Sampson (the same bus continues on to St Peter Port if you’re interested in reaching Guernsey’s capital).

There’s a big Co-op supermarket in St Sampson with lots of excellent fresh produce (a sight for sore eyes after a few days on board!) and even a selection of French goodies from Carrefour, reflecting the island’s geography of being nearer France than England – and a popular day-trip destination for French sailors. Not knowing when we might next get to a shop, we stocked up for a few days-worth of meals, then caught the bus back to the marina (Google maps is brilliant for showing you which bus to catch where, with live times and updates for the route you choose).

After two days in Beaucette, we thought we really must visit more of the islands in the Bailiwick of Guernsey before it was time for us to return home to the Isle of Wight – but we could happily have stayed longer; there’s something rather magical about being nestled safely inside the craggy cliffs of this former quarry, and the facilities and restaurant on site are second to none. On Sunday evening, when the tide was high enough, we tore ourselves away from this Channel Islands’ haven and sailed round to an anchorage off nearby Herm island.

The morning brought calmer conditions to Guernsey and we were able to head round to Beaucette marina. Access can usually be made three hours either side of high tide (to account for the sill at its entrance) but, as we were unfamiliar with the marina, we wanted to enter as close to HW as possible.

Beaucette is located in a former quarry that was once used to mine blue granite; the black craggy rocks form the marina’s enclosure and it makes for a fantastically dramatic backdrop – in many ways a lot more interesting than any modern, purpose-built marina. This is not to say that Beaucette doesn’t have mod-cons: indeed, it is very well tended and the facilities are second to none with a spotlessly clean shower/loo block, laundry facilities and a 5-star restaurant where we had two exceptional meals starring both fresh seafood (scallops, turbot, skate, oysters) and a superb steak platter. Pontoons are walk-ashore with electricity and water, and there’s also a fuel dock.

After checking-in (along with Guernsey’s St Peter Port and Alderney’s Braye harbour, Beaucette is a designated port of entry to the Channel Islands, and anyone arriving from either the EU or the UK has to register their arrival by filling out a Customs form), we set off to explore the coastline along this north-eastern shore.