What's going on with the boat?

After ten years living on Tarquilla we have moved to land. I'm often asked if we love the house or miss the boat and the real answer is - both. We still have Tarquilla and we are open to all options at the moment as far as her future is concerned. We will carry on working on her, it would be great to be able to sail her again. The Scilly Isles, Portishead marina, Bristol harbour and Falmouth are all places we have talked about as well as many others further afield. But, on the other hand, if a family was looking for a boat, ready to do the preparation she needs and wanted to take her on then we would sell her. She is not ready to sail off into the sunset but has a lot of life left in her. If you or someone you know would be interested then please contact us. She is 3 ply cold moulded, 42 foot long, one off design built in the 1960's. She has 2 double cabins and 2 single berths, a good size saloon, a decent size galley, head and a covered cockpit. She has two engines and a full suit of sails. We have lots more photos and can provide more details or answer questions. In the meantime, this blog has come to a natural pause for now as we take on new adventures.

Jelly watching

This week a favourite pastime has become jellyfish watching. You may have heard that the warmer waters this year are expected to bring record numbers on the Devon and Cornwall coasts and although we are yet to see the predicted ‘jellyfish soup’ they are certainly around.


Watching the jellyfish


We have seen one large barrel jellyfish in the marina and several compass jellies. These are really quite pretty and you can imagine an ancient mariner looking at the pattern on their back and believing that it looked just like a compass rose. With a pretty, cream coloured body and distinctive maroon markings they don’t appear to be in any rush to get anywhere and move slowly along, pulsing gently. We’ve made sure we keep our toes well clear of the water in the marina though when they are around as these ones are known to have a nasty sting.


Compass jellyfish
 
There are also lots of little fry around at the moment in shoals, darting around like wriggling strips of silver. One evening a group of big bass were hunting in front of the boat, herding them to split the group then leaping to grab as many as possible. We hung over the bows watching them for ages.


Buddleia
 


Cuckoo Pint

It is good to still be spotting such interesting and unusual animals and plants. The deckhands have also been watching moths of many sizes and colours, ants, beetles, anemones, seaweeds, wild flowers and the antics of the gulls. So far the elusive Weever fish and Blennies have not been spotted but it is certainly not for want of trying. They have now requested a visit to see how the Peregrine Falcon chicks at Plymbridge are growing, they are keen to be involved in the Marine Conservation Societies projects and spots are being earmarked for blackberry picking as the sun ripens them in the hedgerows ready for us to enjoy.

A hairy caterpillar




Comments

  1. Hi Sarah and gang,
    My father-in-law (in Coventry) keeps asking us if we're seeing many jellyfish. The last jellyfish we saw was in Falmouth back in early June. They seem to have abandoned French and Spanish waters!
    Martina

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They've all come to Devon and Cornwall for their holidays! Good to see you are all enjoying Spain,
      Sarah

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts