S
muggler’s Blues 2 hit the water
running. Launched on a Tuesday,
the very next weekend was the three-
day South West Sports Boat Rally
and the following weekend, the
Torbay Airshow. Four weeks later
it was the big one – a south- west cruise. Five
days to see how far we could get.
The Monday dawned grey and breezy but the
forecast was for the wind to drop during the rest
of the week. We had to be back on Friday so were
keen to get going. A south-west Force 4 gusting
5 meant it would be a relatively sheltered run to
Dartmouth and across Start Bay. Once around
Start Point, however, shelter ran out. We decided
to scoot down and take a look – if it was too
rough, we’d return to the River Dart for the night.
I timed the arrival for slack water and crossed my
fingers. As we rounded Start Point we hit the swell,
but it wasn’t too bad. I throttled back to 17 knots
and we pressed on in the knowledge that we could
always ‘turn the sea down’ by turning and running
back with it. As we approached Prawle Point it got
steadily larger, balanced against the distance to
Salcombe steadily reducing. At Prawle, it was feeling
decidedly ‘intrepid’ but the boat was handling it
fantastically, and with only three miles to go we
pressed on to the sanctuary of Salcombe – we’d
made it! The afternoon was spent relaxing on
board. The sun even made an appearance!
The forecast suggested the sun would be fleeting
but the forecast was wrong – very wrong.
The next day, we pushed gingerly out of
Salcombe, Bolt Head to the west completely
shrouded by low-level fog. I considered turning
back until the fog cleared but weirdly, it wasn’t
foggy where we were. We pressed on cautiously
across calm seas, thick fog to starboard, blue skies
to port. We skirted the fog bank completely, and
20 minutes later were romping toward Plymouth
at 20 knots in brilliant sunshine. An afternoon in
Cawsand Bay, a night in QAB Marina, a morning
exploring the Barbican and getting supplies, and
we were all set to cross the border into Cornwall.
The coast curves inland between Plymouth
and Fowey, our next destination. But with flat
seas, yet more beautiful sunshine and ever-
increasing confidence in SB2, we ran straight
across – 20 miles, one hour. With the weather
now positively Mediterranean, we anchored
in the stunning Lantic Bay for the afternoon,
swimming and sunning. Fowey feels like an
authentic version of what Salcombe is trying
to be. A beautiful, relaxed, traditional coastal
town. Dinner at Sam’s is a must if you’re ever
down that way – it didn’t disappoint.By now it was Thursday. Falmouth was a tempting
20 miles on but we’d already got further than I
dared hope – it was time to quit while
we were ahead. We motored out of Fowey into
the blue calm, heading for Dartmouth. A lunch
stop in Cawsand Bay and then the longest leg
of the trip. Having bought the boat in part for its
performance, I was keen to try a properly fast run
and with a little tide beneath us, we scorched up
to Salcombe at 26 knots, slowed for the Prawle and
Start Point race and then wound out to maximum
cruise revs – 29 knots across Start Bay! Plymouth
to Dartmouth took one hour 15 minutes. Awesome!
After a night at Dittisham, Friday was just a short
familiar hop home. Heading toward Berry Head was
bitter-sweet. On the one hand, it marked the end of
a fantastic trip. On the other, we’d done it! We’d used
Smuggler’s Blues 2 exactly as intended – to cruise
further, faster and for longer; to stay on board,
to explore new waters, to push the boundaries.
And the trip had completely vindicated my choice
of boat. My Jeanneau 805 Leader had proved
comfortable, practical, capable, fast and surprisingly
economical. Absolutely 100% the right choice.For this month’s video recommendation, search
‘Good Times! Smuggler’s Blues 2’ for a glimpse
of life on board Nick’s boat this summerI was keen to try a really fast run, so with a
little tide beneath us, we scorched across
Start Bay and wound out to maximum
cruise revs at 29 knotsCOLUMNSNICK BURNHAM: With a Force 4 gusting 5, thick fog to starboard and blue skies to port, Smuggler’s Blues 2
was thrown in at the deep end on our maiden cruise – and she absolutely blew it out of the water
THE BORN AGAIN
BOAT OWNER
Smuggler’s Blues 2
relished her West
Country adventure26