free mooring at lyme regis

I have often picked up a mooring buoy at Lyme Regis and spent a very comfortable night. I find when moving up or down the Channel if the winds on the nose and I'm tacking Lyme Regis is a single tack from either Start Point or Portland Bill.
I'm not sure if I shouldn't be paying someone for the pleasure of picking up a buoy. I've never had a dinghy with me when arriving at Lyme as I would love to go ashore and have a look around having read about it in so many books.

But I can highly recommend the buoys there for a comfortable night.
 
LadyInBed said:
Lyme used to be quite an accessible harbour till the local authority blocked the east wall to shore area, which stopped the harbour back flushing causing the harbour to fill up with sand! :mad:
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I've been using Lyme Regis for more than 30 years and I was always told it was a self flushing harbour, but in all those years, long before the beach was imported, I only remember the sea actually coming past the east wall on the landward side once. In reality seems to make no difference.
 
longjohnsilver said:
In reality seems to make no difference.
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au contraire! In the seventies I used to launch and dive out of Lyme. The lifeboat used to launch from a fairly steep slip and the public slip was just across from the lifeboat stn by where the old HM's office was.
The boulders were put in precisely because of the fairly strong back flush current, to protect the holiday makers from being flushed into the harbour.

Found a pic:
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Totally off topic (I think) but why is the poor thing muzzled? It looks like you'd be more in danger of being slobbered to death than anything else...
 
LadyInBed said:
au contraire! In the seventies I used to launch and dive out of Lyme. The lifeboat used to launch from a fairly steep slip and the public slip was just across from the lifeboat stn by where the old HM's office was.
The boulders were put in precisely because of the fairly strong back flush current, to protect the holiday makers from being flushed into the harbour.

Found a pic:
article-1368134-0B34349400000578-105_634x410.jpg
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That's Harry Mays boat in your pic! Do we know each other, I used to dive out of Lyme with Dave Hull on Amos John in the early 80s and later with Chris Govier off Neptune. And I had a mooring in the harbour for a number of years.
 
Nice to see a bit of humour rather than the usual dour jobsworth types that can run local authority concerns!
 
longjohnsilver said:
Do we know each other, I used to dive out of Lyme with Dave Hull on Amos John in the early 80s and later with Chris Govier off Neptune. And I had a mooring in the harbour for a number of years.
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Probably not, I was DO for Westland Helicopters BSAC Special Branch. We used our own boat.
The name Chris Govier does seem to ring a bell somewhere.
 
whilst we are in a cottage rather than the boat - did pop into HM office (outside of which is dog mooring) and they explained that they have put in new pontoons outside the harbour which they said have about 6ft at lw and also have visitor swinging moorings just outside entrance -both look promising as long as wind not easterly - have sailed past a few times but might try another time to call in,
 
PaulR said:
whilst we are in a cottage rather than the boat - did pop into HM office (outside of which is dog mooring) and they explained that they have put in new pontoons outside the harbour which they said have about 6ft at lw and also have visitor swinging moorings just outside entrance -both look promising as long as wind not easterly - have sailed past a few times but might try another time to call in,
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Thanks was just googling up distances 67' a long day sail from Western Solent then, SWMBO Wants to go there sounds like it could be done.

I was going to ask for this info, hmm is that 6 foot at springs or neaps I draw 1.9m thats (10 cm) 4" more :o
 
onesea said:
Thanks was just googling up distances 67' a long day sail from Western Solent then, SWMBO Wants to go there sounds like it could be done.

I was going to ask for this info, hmm is that 6 foot at springs or neaps I draw 1.9m thats (10 cm) 4" more :o
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You might squeeze on to the very end of the pontoon (which is the plastic Lego type) or better to either pick up a buoy or simply drop your hook.
 
I was in Lyme Regis last night on a visitor mooring quite by accident. Arrived late and left early for the Bill inshore route. Despite the pilots advice the moorings are in plenty deep enough water for a 2m keel. I was really happy to find this. Nicely tucked in behind the Cobb well protected from the slight SW channel swell. Not sure about the pontoons - they were empty, but the majourity of the moorings are a very short tender ride to the harbour.

I'm glad we found this as it adds a new dimension to weekend cruising from Portland.
 
onesea said:
Ohh SWMBO worse choice plastic pontoons or Mooring buoys and Dinghy which will she choose :D :D
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Neither in a strong easterly! I was down there at the end of March getting boat ready to put on its (harbour) mooring and a Nic345 broke away from one of the visitor moorings and had to be towed off the beach (the one between the wall and Cobb) by the lifeboat. In strong easterlies the HM disconnects the pontoon from the wall and I've got some interesting video of it looking like a ride at Alton Towers.

In these conditions a better option is to dry out against the inside wall and HM will be v. helpful if you do that.
 
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