31 May 2026 5 min read Trips

Anstey’s Cove to Salcombe: Racing Friends, Coastguard Drama and a Proper Sail

Gem smashing through 20 degrees

Feeling sunburnt, slightly under the weather and questioning whether we should even leave Anstey’s Cove, we cast off anyway and pointed Cheeky Monkey towards Salcombe. What followed was a brilliant day’s sailing filled with fast reaches, reefed sails, Coastguard searches, and the reminder that sometimes the best passages are the ones where there’s no rush to get anywhere.

After spending the previous day at the airshow, I wasn’t exactly feeling at my best when we woke up on Sunday morning.

I’d managed to spend far too long in the sun without any sun cream and was paying the price. My arms and face were nicely cooked, I felt cold and shivery, and my stomach wasn’t entirely happy either. Whether it was the sunburn, something I’d eaten, or the combination of a breakfast bap, steak and a fair amount of wine, I couldn’t say for certain.

For a while I seriously considered staying put in Anstey’s Cove for another day and letting my self-inflicted ailments pass. But we’d planned to head for Salcombe, the weather looked good, and neither of us was keen to lose a day. So we decided to grin and bear it.

At 09:25 we lifted the anchor and set off.

Robert aboard Frothy Coffee was joining us for the first part of the journey. The plan was for him to sail with us towards Dartmouth before peeling away for lunch with his daughter and partner.

With sails up, we headed out past Ore Stone and Thatcher Rock while Robert gradually worked his way further offshore looking for better wind. At first, his strategy seemed to be paying off. We were close-hauled and he steadily gained on us until, just after passing Ore Stone, he overtook us.

It felt suspiciously like a race.

As soon as the wind shifted and we found ourselves on a beam reach, though, Cheeky Monkey came alive. Suddenly we were flying along at around five and a half to six knots, which is a lovely speed for her. Before long we’d reeled Robert back in, overtaken him across Tor Bay, and left Frothy Coffee disappearing into the distance astern.

By the time we were approaching Dartmouth, he was around half a mile behind us and still falling back.

While all this was going on, the VHF had become unexpectedly concerning.

Crossing Tor Bay, we heard a Pan-Pan involving a yacht called Solace. We could hear the Coastguard and the lifeboats, but not the yacht itself. From the transmissions we gathered that it was likely a solo sailor using a handheld radio and paper charts, without GPS.

The sailor believed he was around five miles off Berry Head, but something didn’t quite add up.

Tor Bay Lifeboat was tasked to search and we could see them out there through the binoculars. Another lifeboat RIB arrived as well, and we found ourselves scanning the horizon, wondering if we might spot the missing yacht.

The Coastguard asked Solace to count from one to ten over the radio so the lifeboat could try to get a directional bearing from the transmission. Unfortunately that didn’t work. They asked him to repeat it again, giving the lifeboat more time to try and get a fix.

Then another yacht broke into the conversation.

The skipper apologised for interrupting but explained that from what she could hear, the sailor on Solace seemed to be describing features that sounded much more like Lyme Bay than Berry Head. If she was right, he was far further east than everyone had initially thought, which would explain why nobody could see him or hear his radio transmissions clearly.

We continued listening as the search unfolded.

Thankfully, some time later we heard the words everyone wanted to hear:

“Pan-Pan cancelled.”

Solace had been located.

At almost the same time, another Pan-Pan was developing. This one involved a vessel called Sparrow, which the Coastguard kept referring to as “Pirate Ship Sparrow.” The boat was overdue and welfare checks were being requested at regular intervals.

For a while the responses were intermittent, which kept everyone slightly on edge, but eventually communication was re-established and the situation appeared far less concerning.

It was reassuring to hear both incidents heading towards positive conclusions rather than becoming something more serious.

By this point we’d spoken to Robert on the radio. He’d been following the Pan-Pan incidents too, and with some less favourable weather appearing later in the day, he was debating whether to continue.

In the end he peeled away and headed back towards Brixham while we carried on towards Salcombe.

As we passed Dartmouth, the wind began to build.

We were now close-hauled again and seeing gusts in the high teens, occasionally nudging around twenty knots. Later in the day we’d record a maximum wind speed of 24 knots.

We tucked in two reefs, fully reefed the boat, and settled into what turned out to be one of the most enjoyable sails of the year so far.

The boat felt beautifully balanced and we spent most of the passage hand steering.

Gemma took the helm for long stretches, which was particularly impressive because these were stronger conditions than she’d normally choose to steer in. Not only did she handle it brilliantly, she also managed to push Cheeky Monkey beyond six knots while hand steering.

She definitely earned some bragging rights for that.

The rest of the afternoon was spent tacking steadily westward. There was a little swell around but nothing uncomfortable. The skies were mostly blue with occasional cloud drifting through, and despite the stronger wind it never felt particularly cold.

Most importantly, there was no rush.

So many passages end up feeling like a race against time, tides, marina bookings or daylight. This one didn’t. We simply sailed, enjoyed the sailing, and accepted that we’d arrive whenever we arrived.

And that felt rather nice.

We sailed almost all the way to Salcombe, only starting the engine just after passing Start Point to motor around the headland and into the estuary.

With a favourable tide under us, we slipped through Salcombe’s narrow entrance, navigated the modest amount of traffic, and picked up a visitor buoy without any fuss.

By 16:55 we were securely moored.

Our original plan had been to visit the Musto shop as soon as we arrived so I could finally buy some sailing gloves. Unfortunately, by the time we’d moored up and tidied the boat away, it had already closed for the day.

Rather than cut short what had been a fantastic sail just to chase a pair of gloves, we decided we’d visit the following morning instead. We were planning a leisurely departure from Salcombe at around 10 o’clock, which would give us plenty of time.

Looking back, it was one of those passages that had a bit of everything.

A friendly race across Tor Bay. Two Coastguard incidents unfolding around us. Fresh winds, reefed sails, plenty of hand steering, and very little diesel burned.

Most importantly, both Pan-Pans ended with good news, and we arrived in Salcombe after a genuinely enjoyable day’s sailing.

Sometimes that’s all you can ask for.