534 NOTES ON THE PHYSICAL CONDITIONS EXISTING 



From thence the sandbanks of the Skerries extend in a north-easterly 

 direction for three miles. The tops of the banks lie from two to five 

 fathoms below the surface, but between them the water deepens to nine 

 or more fathoms. On the outer side the slope of the banks is very steep, 

 and more so toward the end away from the Start. In some places it 

 descends from five fathoms to eighteen within a hundred yards. On 

 the inner side the slope is more gradual, but when from four to five 

 fathoms are reached there is a sudden dip down to about seven. This 

 is caused by the central channel of the bay, which narrows as it ap- 

 proaches the Start, and is generally about nine fathoms deep. Half a 

 mile off Hallsands, in June, 1902, a depth of fifteen fathoms was 

 obtained by the lead, and according to the Brixham fishermen this 

 part is " full of pits." 



At the other extremity of the Skerries Bank there is a sudden dip 

 to fourteen fathoms at the Bell Buoy, and from there across to the 

 Mewstone, on the far side of Dartmouth fairway, the depth approaches 

 twenty fathoms. Beyond the east Blackstone, half a mile to the east 

 of the Mewstone, there is a bank of sand well known to the Brixham 

 men, but not clearly indicated on the charts. It begins on the southerly 

 aspect of the Blackstone, and runs in a north-easterly direction for 

 nearly a mile. The depth of water over it varies from ten to fifteen 

 fathoms, but, like the Skerries, there are depressions at various places. 

 Immediately inside it the depth varies from thirteen to eighteen fathoms- 

 The presence of this bank is of great interest, and the water over it 

 almost always displays some disturbance. 



As we pass towards Berry Head we find a deep channel within half 

 a mile from the shore. On one occasion during May, 1902, a depth of 

 thirty fathoms was recorded a quarter of a mile off the Cod Rock. The 

 greatest depth given by any chart for this place is twenty-eight fathoms, 

 and the Admiralty charts give only twenty-three. Outside the channel 

 the depth of water is but seventeen to nineteen fathoms. Apart from 

 these exceptions, the depths given by the Admiralty charts were found 

 to agree fairly well with the records. 



The soil in the Great West Bay varies from rough gravel and stones 

 to fine sand and mud. Along the thirty-fathom line we find for the 

 most part gravel and coarse sand, except at the two extremes. Five to 

 six miles off the Start in an easterly direction, with Prawle Point on a 

 line with the Start, there are banks of fine sand, which in the begin- 

 ning of summer are covered by mud. This region is called the " Corner " 

 by the Brixham fishermen, and, it will be noticed, lies straight off Dart- 

 mouth fairway. The depth over these banks is about thirty fathoms, 

 and they are surrounded by water one to two fathoms deeper.* 



* These banks are not to be confounded with Start Bank, which lies to the south of 

 Start Point. See chart. 



