The Second Season: Why Autumn is a Sailor’s Secret at King Point Marina
Ask any seasoned sailor around Plymouth to name their favourite month on the water and a surprising number will not say July. They will say September. As the summer crowds thin and the schools go back, a quieter, gentler season settles over Plymouth Sound, and for berth holders at King Point Marina in Millbay it can be the best sailing of the whole year. This is autumn sailing from Plymouth at its finest, and it is a secret worth keeping.
The sea is at its warmest now
It feels counter-intuitive, but the water around the South West is at its warmest of the year in early autumn, having soaked up a whole summer of sun. Combine that with the often settled, high-pressure spells September brings, and you get sailing conditions that can be kinder than the gustier days of high summer. The evenings draw in a little earlier, so passages want a touch more planning, but the trade is a real one: steady breezes, warm decks and a Sound you can often have largely to yourself.
Quieter water, familiar favourites
With the peak-season traffic gone, the cruising grounds on your doorstep feel newly spacious. A gentle sail across to the anchorage at Cawsand, a run east to the wooded calm of the River Yealm, or simply a lazy afternoon reaching back and forth across Plymouth Sound all feel different in the softer autumn light. Anchorages that were busy in August have room to swing, and the visitor moorings up the coast are easier to come by. From King Point’s sheltered basin you are moments from open water, so it is easy to slip out on the good days and make the most of every settled window.
The big tides of the equinox
September also brings the autumn equinox, which this year falls on the 23rd, and with it some of the largest tides of the season. Bigger tides mean stronger streams to work around the coast, so it pays to check your tidal planning before a longer passage and time your departures to carry the fair tide. Handled with a little care, those same big springs can whisk you along the coast beautifully. It is all part of the rhythm of sailing as the year turns.
Golden evenings ashore
The pleasure of a September berth does not end when you tie up. With Royal William Yard a short stroll from the pontoons, an evening ashore at a waterfront restaurant as the light turns golden over the water is one of the season’s quiet luxuries, and far easier to book a table for than in the thick of summer. It is the whole appeal of a walk-ashore berth at Millbay in one evening: sail in the afternoon, dine on the waterfront, and be back aboard as the marina settles for the night.
A home port that makes it easy
What makes the second season so enjoyable is having a base that lets you seize the good days without fuss. King Point’s naturally sheltered basin, 24-hour gated access and walk-ashore berths mean you can be down at the boat and away on the water in minutes whenever the forecast smiles, then home again whatever the hour. As autumn goes on there is time yet for plenty of days afloat before winter, and no better place to enjoy them from.
Thinking about a berth for the seasons ahead? We would love to welcome you to Millbay. Talk to the team about walk-ashore berthing at King Point on 01752 424 297 or marina@kingpointmarina.co.uk.
