Not only does the Fal Estuary and its surrounding areas provide a myriad of amenities for visiting sailors who want to moor up and spend time ashore, but it also offers beautifully sheltered waters with various rivers and creeks for enjoyable exploration.
But before going to Falmouth itself, you might be tempted to spend some time in the Helford River, particularly if you have arrived from the direction of Britanny or the Isles of Scilly. Sheltered in anything other than easterlies when an uncomfortable swell can enter the river, there are various mooring and anchoring options. You can anchor in the mouth of Gillan Creek (albeit space there is very tight), on the south side of the Helford River itself up to the Voose north cardinal mark, or in Durgan Bay to the north (but not at its east end where there are clearly marked eelgrass beds). After passing Polgwidden Cove (from which 7,500 American troops embarked for Normandy in June 1944) to starboard and Bosahan Point to port you will arrive in the Pool, where there are about 25 visitors’ moorings, all identified by a green pick-up or main buoy and, depending on conditions and the size of boats, rafting up is permitted two abreast.
