Cornwall Cruise England’s Covid Freedom Day came and went in July, but sailing still presented issues for anyone wanting to venture abroad, or even to the Isle of Man. ECYD’s Freyja couldn’t head for the usual Baltic cruising grounds, for example, but her staycation did bring opportunities to saunter along the English coastline instead. A bunch of 5KSC members took her west from Plymouth, enjoying a week of pleasant winds and close-up views of the rugged cliffs. I could quite easily see how the numerous caves – invisible from land - would tempt smugglers of old, although we never went close enough to see if they were still stuffed with contraband or trade our illicit barrels of rum. For me personally, it was also a sense of déjà vu. Before the peak holiday season, I was with an all-female crew who’d planned to take Ynot to Scotland but found ourselves tangled in Covid red tape so reverted to a commercial yacht hire in Cornwall instead (see last edition of CS Sailing). By mid-August, visitor numbers on land had soared and the narrow little streets of Cornwall’s tiny fishing villages were swamped. Fantastic for those shops and restaurants that had lost trade, but less appealing for sailors like me who prefer peace and tranquillity. I silently decided to visit Mevagissey, Fowey and Charlestown again some other time, April or October maybe.
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