Chat 18 catamaran and the Torpoint ferry

Chat 18 catamaran and the Torpoint chain ferry Sailing our Chat 18 catamaran in the river Tamar offers several challenges. Not just from the strong tides or the naval traffic (both RN and foreign warships) but also from the three chain ferries. These seem to be a uniquely British invention. Most similar ferries use wires or ropes, both of which I've seen elsewhere. Of course, few of any type are left these days, as bridges have been built over most waterways. So on England's south coast the ones at Saltash and the Itchen have long gone, but Sandbanks/Studland at the mouth of Poole harbour and the "Floating Bridge" across the river Medina at Cowes still exist. However they are short crossings and there is only one ferry. All that means that the Torpoint ferries are the largest and busiest chain ferries in the world. The service was established in 1791 and chain ferry operations were introduced by James Meadows Rendel in 1832. If you're really bored see here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpoint_Ferry We live just 1/4 mile upstream of the ferries. So every time we want to go for a proper sail (as opposed to staying in the river Tamar) we have to sail past them. Much easier to do when there is a good wind, as in today's video. And it's always best to pass just behind one - that way you know you won't hit one of the others! Even so we have all had our scary moments, particularly when racing in strong winds under spinnaker. My sailing club (Torpoint Mosquito SC) is just downstream of the ferries, so when we are dinghy racing we normally stay on the south side. Very occasionally the wind has dropped when the incoming tide was running hard and we have had to be towed away. Although one year someone hit the ferry and another boat got stuck on the slipway. Very embarrassing all round, especially as all three ferries had to stop for an hour while the dinghies were extracted - and it was rush hour so over 200 cars were trapped on board. You can see a basic cruising guide to the upper Tamar here: https://kingpointmarina.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/rya-guide-to-the-river-tamar-plymouth.pdf More on the Chat 18 here: https://www.sailingcatamarans.com/index.php/designs-2/2-catamarans-under-25ft/475-chat-18-daysailing-catamaran