Monday 17th August-10pm

The Coastal Adventure Begins:

What a difference a couple of days can make.

Yesterday afternoon (Sunday) at 3pm, after a good breakfast, a day of final preparations and a LOT of passage planning, we pushed Penny B away from Newlyn Harbour and started the next chapter of Hometown Row.

This part of the adventure is going to be very different.

For the last 2,100 nautical miles, the objective was simple: cross an ocean.

Now we’re coastal rowing.

That means charts, weather forecasts, tidal streams, anchorages, headlands and working out where we can realistically get to before the tide turns against us.

Yesterday morning was spent with charts and weather information everywhere, calculating our likely speed and looking for a suitable first anchorage.

We settled on somewhere about 12 nautical miles away.

Kynance Cove.

And what a choice it turned out to be.

Kynance is one of Cornwall’s most spectacular little coves, famous for its turquoise water and dramatic serpentine rock stacks. Its name comes from the Cornish word kewnans, meaning “ravine”, and from the sea you can see exactly why this place has been photographed and painted for generations.

Approaching it from the water at sunset was something else.

From offshore, the entrance initially looked quite daunting. Huge rocks seemed to guard the way in and for a moment you wondered exactly where this supposedly peaceful anchorage was hiding.

Then we slipped behind them…

And everything changed.

The wind disappeared and suddenly we were tucked into this beautiful, calm little cove.

We were the only boat there.

After the vastness and violence of the North Atlantic, sitting on Penny B eating dinner while the sun went down over this tiny Cornish cove felt almost surreal.

People were swimming and jumping from the rocks, probably looking across at our little ocean rowing boat wondering what on earth we were doing there.

And we were thinking exactly the opposite:

This is what this next part of the adventure is all about.

We have already proved that we can push ourselves to absolute exhaustion.

We don’t need to do that anymore.

From here to Burnham, we want to explore the coastline, meet people along the way and enjoy the journey.

If we need some help to keep the expedition moving forward, we’ll ask for it.

We’re no longer chasing an unsupported ocean record.

We’re rowing home.

And we intend to enjoy doing it.

After dinner it was time to settle down for the night.

At 5am this morning, after a really good night’s sleep, up came the anchor and we set off again.

Next stop: Coverack Harbour, around 12 nautical miles away.

Unfortunately, this one wasn’t quite so relaxing!

It was a proper slog.

Paul and I were pretty much two-up on the oars for the entire five hours.

Although this part of the journey isn’t supposed to be about grinding ourselves into the ground, we also have to accept that sometimes the only way to make the next safe harbour before the tide changes is to get our heads down and pull.

And I’ll admit…

I did not enjoy that leg.

My body was basically saying:

“Dawn, we’ve crossed the Atlantic now. We’re done with this rowing nonsense. Can we please go home, lie on a sofa and watch Netflix?”

Unfortunately my body was overruled.

We kept pulling.

And we made it.

At around 10am, just as we dropped anchor at Coverack, the heavens opened.

Perfect timing really.

We had the whole day to wait for the next favourable tide, so cabin doors closed and it was time for a very well-earned nap.

When we eventually emerged again, everything had changed.

The rain had disappeared, the sun came out and the whole place seemed to come alive.

Kids were learning to windsurf, people were swimming and everyone seemed to be out enjoying the water.

For once, instead of looking at the coast from hundreds of miles away…

We were part of it.

At around 4pm, it was time to move again.

Up came the anchor and we headed towards Portscatho.

Unfortunately, the Atlantic apparently hadn’t received the memo about this being the relaxing coastal section of the expedition.

Another hard slog followed.

We spent the evening battling against the wind, but kept chipping away at the miles knowing we needed to get there before the tide changed again.

Finally, at around 10pm, we arrived.

We found ourselves a nice little anchoring spot — close enough to some other yachts not to feel completely alone, but definitely not too close!

Anchor down.

Hot food on.

Blog written.

And now it’s time to crawl back into my sleeping bag.

Because tomorrow morning…

The alarm goes off at 4.30am.

Then we lift the anchor and see where this coastal adventure takes us next.

For the first time in a long time, this expedition feels less like surviving an ocean…

…and more like rowing home.

And I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens along the way.

Night night from Penny B. ❤️

Dawn

“Together Paul and I are rowing home — the long way round.”

Hometown Row

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