Portland, 12th June 2010
So we've rounded The Bill! 64 nautical miles in 13 hours door to door from Dittisham to Portland Marina. Ok, so it's not exactly Cape Horn, but it's a coastal
passage that requires a bit of planning and timing, and the currents and races around the Bill are to be respected, even in the relatively benign conditions that
we had. The forecast F3/F4 northerly winds were notable by their absence for much of the time, so we had to motor sail for a large part of the passage. It was
a significant passage for us, the longest we have sailed together, and took us to to the first place that we haven't been to before - it's all new
destinations from now on.
To back track a bit, in Dartmouth we spent a couple of days in Darthaven Marina, and then a lovely few days on a buoy up the river at Dittisham, our new favourite
place, after Frenchman's Creek and the upper reaches of the Fal. We realised that we hadn't taken many photos during the first few weeks, and reflected that this
was because we had been visiting places we have been, some many times, before. We have though, enjoyed the beauty and
tranquillity of them no less than on previous
visits.
The forecast for Saturday 12th June looked perfect for the crossing of Lyme Bay - N-NW winds F3-4, occasionally 5. We did the passage plan and calculated
our timing so that we would pass about 2.5NM south of Portland Bill just as the Race went slack and the east-going current began. We dropped the mooring at Dittisham at 0700 and made our way out of
Dartmouth to find the wind just as forecast, so set sail and were on our way. As the wind began to increase a little, we were beginning to get a second reef in to
keep the angle comfortable and the speed down a bit - after all, our passage plan was worked on an average of 5 knots to arrive off Portland Bill at the correct
time, and we were doing 7 knots. The weather, however, had other ideas, and the wind began to drop off, so back to full sail in the now 9-10 knot N-NE wind and
Pipit was happily romping along at 5-6 knots. As the wind dropped to 5 knots and less, we had to resort to motor sailing to keep the speed up, adjusting our speed
and plotting fixes on the chart each hour to check our course. A few adjustments in both our course and speed saw us reach our Portland Bill waypoint before
changing course to pass The Shambles Bank and around into Portland Marina. The wind had picked up again, so we had another cracking hour's sail from the Shambles
to the outer breakwater at Portland Marina.
We celebrated our safe passage with a lovely meal at The Boat That Rocks (the bar and restaurant at Portland Marina, so
named as it was in this area that the film was made). The Marina facilities are by far the best we have experienced and reflect the £16m expenditure, in readiness for some of the 2012 Olympic sailing events. The fairways
are extremely wide, likewise the floating pontoons that are also longer than the boats tied to them and actually float (those who have experienced 'other' marinas
will appreciate the significance of these comments!) The shoreside facilities are equally impressive, with top quality fittings everywhere, including marble
tiled showers that put many hotels to shame - the ladies even has a bank of five hair dryers along a bar, complete with stools, although missing the drinks
menu! Sunday, we had a walk down to Chesil Beach, which is more spectacular than most photos reflect. After lunch, we walked all the way out to Portland Bill
Lighthouse and back, enjoying the amazing views across Lyme Bay, back to Chesil Beach and over the Marina and toward the cliffs behind Weymouth Bay and the Purbeck Hills
beyond. All stunning, though very different from the coastlines and vistas of Devon and Cornwall. And so today, a day's work beckons for Andy, and for me, washing,
shopping and other chores. Our next passage will take us to Poole, a full day's sail for which we'd like to have the right weather, so with the wind blowing fairly
fresh NE today and the same forecast for tomorrow, we may linger here a day or two...
A perfect 'summer' evening at Dittisham.
The vineyard at Sharpham - not quite the experience we were expecting, but we came away with some 'produce' anyway...
Once Agatha Christie's holiday home - Greenway House, not Pipit...
En route to Portland.
The lighthouse from the sea...
...and from the land.
Chesil Beach.
