ANCHORAGES There are moorings, but there’s still plenty of room to anchor off St Mawes St Mawes, Cornwall St Mawes is the ‘St Mawes is quiet and CORNWALLSt Mawes antidote to Falmouth Penzance Falmouth very Cornish’ Helford Lands River – a quiet place to End St Mawes YC is exceptionally friendly and has good showers for £1 a go, as well anchor and a very Cornish Lizard Pt as a good bar and an excellent selection Fl(2)G.10s of books to keep you entertained over a village to explore. Kit Pascoe E Narrows ST MAWES 2FR(vert) pint. If you come to see the working boat (occas) championship in early July, you’ll get v Castle 3 recommends it Fl(2)R.10s. 4 to meet all the locals too – possibly the W Narrows Moorings Moorings Lugo Rk Fr Alex Photo: merriest bunch of sailors in the world. 64 Q(6)+LFl.15s hile Falmouth’s town St Mawes Amsterdam Pt There are several cafes and restaurants to anchorage is generally a keep you filled with good food as well as a Fl.G.2 .5s bit of a squash between Castle Carricknath Pt small branch of the Co-op on the front and marinas, just a mile to the A a tiny but delicious bakery on the dockside east lies the blissful peace ch ncis. opposite the harbourmaster’s booth. Fl.R.2 .5s 5 ofW St Mawes. Though a long way by road, Fl(2)10s Secure your dinghy to one of the two sets Black Rock A the distance between Falmouth town Iso.WR.15s22m m rt: of steps inside the harbour walls, minding and this tiny village is short enough to be Shag Rk 16/14M Horn30s any ferries coming in or out. Dinghies (2) A xine he xine crossed by dinghy (in good weather) or St Anthony shouldn’t be secured to pontoons, ferry. It’s a very attractive anchorage. Head although you may see some that have 0 1,000m A Although there is supposedly a £5 th been. There’s a free water tap just along anchoring charge, whether it’s actually from the yacht club, towards the Co-op, collected or not seems to be an undecided the cardinal mark on Black Rock, the only that you can use to fill cans, but beware of matter. The helpful harbourmaster is thing you have to watch out for is the its extravagant ability to drench you while currently in no rush to collect any fees, so shallow patch in St Mawes’ entrance. It’s you’re using it. as to attract yachts shocked by Falmouth’s marked with a south cardinal buoy that St Mawes is quiet and very Cornish high anchoring charges. The anchorage off should be left to port. Anchoring is usually with tourists mainly coming over on the St Mawes is spacious, well maintained and easy in front of the village, but there are a Falmouth-St Mawes ferry. The anchorage the harbourmaster’s RIB can frequently couple of things to take note of: the seabed is well protected, unless the wind is be spotted out and about. There are also has various patches of thick weed that will westerly, in which case you could always visitors’ buoys available to the east of stop your anchor holding, and you must hop over to Falmouth for shelter, or the Castle Point. be watchful of the depth around the edges Helford, which is close and stunning. Getting into St Mawes is absolutely and further upriver. Although you can From St Mawes you are in an ideal straightforward, regardless of which anchor up the Percuil river past the glut of position to explore further up the Fal, direction you’re coming from. Once you’re moorings, there are very shallow patches mackerel fish your way to the Helford, in the entrance of the Fal, having minded with weed and I’ve seen a boat drag here head round the Lizard to Mullion Cove or St Anthony’s Head, Pendennis Point and despite the shelter. go east to Plymouth and beyond. W 60 www.yachtingmonthly.com OCTOBER 2015.