Swimming with buoys

It was an isolated sunny day amidst the downpours and Rachel and I set off for Kelly's Cove near Kingswear.  The hedges were packed with blackberries and sloes, and the sea off Dartmouth was similarly packed with boats, because it's the Regatta. Kelly's Cove is not really a cove, but a series of rocky inlets; you climb or jump in off ledges and it's a great place to explore.  On past swims the water has been gin-clear but today it was a milky green - I guess because of all the rain and wind we've had.  Rachel and I bobbed about and swam round to another little cove where we found a bright orange buoy; we spent some time trying to dislodge another one but it was wedged into a great tightness as they usually are.

From Stone Age to Sci-Fi

I love discovering new places.  Today it was Mill Bay, a cove near Kingswear.  Richard had kindly organised the swim, and we were meeting by the post office in the village. Simple enough you might think, but there was the usual faffing about as we all tried to find each other, not helped by diversions and footpath closures.  Mark came up with the perfect collective noun: a dither of wild swimmers.  Eventually we all set off, with the pine-green waters of the Dart estuary glittering below, past increasingly grand houses festooned with palms and exotic plants.  Mill Bay was a revelation.  A u-shaped cove with a strange gothic building, which apparently was first a limekiln, then a mill, and finally a boathouse.  The sea was enticing.  It was flat calm and dappled with light, with glimpses of water through channels and interesting looking rocks.  Richard led us just a short way into the bay before disappearing off to the right.   We followed, and found ourselves swimming into an acute triangular cave which then opened out into a massive cavern before leading to another cave and out the other side.  We felt like cavemen and women, blundering around in the dark at the heart of the cavern, before slipping back into the water and swimming out to the light.   Looking back at the entrance to the second cave from the sea, it was just a slit in the rocks; you wouldn't imagine you could swim in. I've decided to call these the Tardis Caves. Thanks to Richard for a brilliant adventure.

 

Off the rocks

In the summer we'd swum off the rocks at Kelly's Cove near Kingswear; it was like being in Greece. Perched on a rocky promontary, surrounded by flat turquoise sea, we plunged into beautifully clear water and dived through exciting underwater channels. (previous entry here) Returning in November it still, amazingly, felt like summer; the sun was out and sparkled on the sea. It was a different matter getting in though, as the swell was pushing vigorously against the rocks, foaming angrily. I felt a bit worried about having brought everyone to swim, as it was rather daunting. Nevertheless, protected by boots and gloves and in some cases wetsuits, we bravely got in. We went in one by one, sitting on the rocks and then pushing out with the swell. Once in, it felt wonderful. The sea was warm, and we were rocked up and down by the swell, bobbing around like corks. Despite the lively sea the visibility was good; I dove down and through a veil of blue I could see white rock below, and then further along, white sand. Delicious.