Hamble to Dartmouth

[DoubleEnder]

I will sail from the Hamble to Dartmouth some time in the next couple of weeks, depending on weather and crew.

My ‘plan’ is to wait at Yarmouth, leave there on the last of the flood, exit the Needles Channel on the first of the ebb. And then do the trip in one leg, passing a good 5miles south of Portland Bill.

I’ve not done this passage before though I do know the Needles and the Bridge and won’t go there in wind against tide situations.

Anything else specific I should think about or be aware of?
Thank you
Graham

 

[burgundyben]

Make sure you are far enough South of St Albans.

Otherwise seems fine to me.

What are your planned refuge ports if needed?

 

[DoubleEnder]

Ah yes Studland. Poole. Weymouth. Portland. Err that’s it. Maybe Brixham I suppose. Thank you

 

[Seven Spades]

If you can go to Studland and anchor there rather than Yarmouth, it really helps it means you carry the tide much further across Lyme Bay.

 

[Bobc]

If you can go to Studland and anchor there rather than Yarmouth, it really helps it means you carry the tide much further across Lyme Bay.

That would be my advice too.

 

[lw395]

From Portsmouth or the Hamble, nipping down to Yarmouth the evening before is easy to do.
If you're going to go to Studland, you might as well go to Weymouth.

I have done what the OP proposs several times, it normally works well.
A couple of times the wind has died and we've stopped at Brixham, then round to Dartmouth on the tide next day.

What I'd do probably depends on how the wind is forecast and times of tide.
From Yarmouth, might as well wait until the tide is almost turning, no point punching the last of the flood.
Starting from Lymington you can be out of the tide.
Alternative is a night on the hook at Hurst.

 

[Robin]

If you can go to Studland and anchor there rather than Yarmouth, it really helps it means you carry the tide much further across Lyme Bay.

+! You can use an inshore back eddy/slackish tide along to St Albans to arrive there and round close inshore around 30 minutes before high water dover then carry favourable tide well into Lyme Bay.We reckoned to do Studland to Dartmouth in around 10 hrs doing this if we kept around 6kts though water. We always passed Portland ABOUT 4 miles off at which point SOG readings are quite impressive. tide is foul last hour or so but not that strong on west side of the bay as it sets into the bay

 

[Seven Spades]

From Portsmouth or the Hamble, nipping down to Yarmouth the evening before is easy to do.
If you're going to go to Studland, you might as well go to Weymouth.

Do not do this going to Weymouth is a huge waste of time. It will take you as long to get to Dartmouth from Weymouth as from Studland. You also restricted on your departure time to get the race right around Portland Bill.

It only takes about 3 hours from Yarmouth to Studland and if it is a pleasant evening it can be a lovely night sail. It is easy to anchor when you arrive.

 

[Robin]

Do not do this going to Weymouth is a huge waste of time. It will take you as long to get to Dartmouth from Weymouth as from Studland. You also restricted on your departure time to get the race right around Portland Bill.

It only takes about 3 hours from Yarmouth to Studland and if it is a pleasant evening it can be a lovely night sail. It is easy to anchor when you arrive.

Once again +!:encouragement:

 

[lw395]

Well obviously it depends on the times of tide and whether you want to sail all day, what the weather actually does etc.
We tend to actually sail our boat, so don't tie ourselves to passage plans that require maintaining a VMG of 6 knots.
Studland is a very long way off the rhumb line, especially if there's any South in the wind.
If you leave Hurst with the tide, you can get to Weymouth. The next tide gets you to Dartmouth.
Yarmouth to Dart is more doable in one hit the more you're happy motoring, or the more favourable the breeze.
It can pay to go up into Lyme Bay somewhat to avoid the worst of the tide when it turns.

There isn't a right or wrong way in general, plan to suit what you want to do, the boat and the weather.
I quite like the 'holiday starts at Yarmouth' approach as getting the boat ready and getting off the mooring etc tends to be a bit hectic for us. With a full crew I may just leave the mooring and keep going.

 

[Robin]

Well obviously it depends on the times of tide and whether you want to sail all day, what the weather actually does etc.
We tend to actually sail our boat, so don't tie ourselves to passage plans that require maintaining a VMG of 6 knots.
Studland is a very long way off the rhumb line, especially if there's any South in the wind.
If you leave Hurst with the tide, you can get to Weymouth. The next tide gets you to Dartmouth.
Yarmouth to Dart is more doable in one hit the more you're happy motoring, or the more favourable the breeze.
It can pay to go up into Lyme Bay somewhat to avoid the worst of the tide when it turns.

There isn't a right or wrong way in general, plan to suit what you want to do, the boat and the weather.
I quite like the 'holiday starts at Yarmouth' approach as getting the boat ready and getting off the mooring etc tends to be a bit hectic for us. With a full crew I may just leave the mooring and keep going.

Maintaing 6kts for us did mean engine assist on occasion in a W33 ketch over 14 years but in our later Sun Legende 41 over 10 years was easy peasy. Nowadays with twin x 260hp yanmars very easy peasy

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

Lots of good advice here as usual, but if it looks like motoring conditions and you stay out of the stronger flood (along the N. shore) you can go straight from Hamble and have high water meet you somewhere before Hurst.

 

[LadyInBed]

Do not do this going to Weymouth is a huge waste of time. It will take you as long to get to Dartmouth from Weymouth as from Studland. You also restricted on your departure time to get the race right around Portland Bill.

It only takes about 3 hours from Yarmouth to Studland and if it is a pleasant evening it can be a lovely night sail. It is easy to anchor when you arrive.

:encouragement:
Exactly so, and the stress of PB inner passage if you don't know it against an offshore passage.

 

[lw395]

:encouragement:
Exactly so, and the stress of PB inner passage if you don't know it against an offshore passage.

But if the weather's nice, a good opportunity to take the inshore route. If you ever find yourself wanting to go into Weymouth on the way East, it's always nice to have seen the Bill before.

 

[LadyInBed]

But if the weather's nice, a good opportunity to take the inshore route. If you ever find yourself wanting to go into Weymouth on the way East, it's always nice to have seen the Bill before.

but the plan was . . .

My ‘plan’ is to wait at Yarmouth, leave there on the last of the flood, exit the Needles Channel on the first of the ebb. And
I’ve not done this passage before though I do know the Needles and the then do the trip in one leg, passing a good 5miles south of Portland Bill.
Graham

 

[Kukri]

I believe my sister, crewing for a friend, is the joint holder of the record for giving Portland Race a wide berth in hard weather: They were in sight of the Channel LV when it reported F9.

 

[lw395]

but the plan was . . .

My plans are often flexed in response to the weather.
On a nice day, Portland is not a strong reason for not stopping at Weymouth, if that's where the wind takes you.

 

[Robin]

But if the weather's nice, a good opportunity to take the inshore route. If you ever find yourself wanting to go into Weymouth on the way East, it's always nice to have seen the Bill before.

Eastbound the time taken to get to Weymouth from the inshore passage could have you passing Swanage going via the offshore option. Weymouth IMHO best visited as an intended destination not as a stopover.

 

[lw395]

Eastbound the time taken to get to Weymouth from the inshore passage could have you passing Swanage going via the offshore option. Weymouth IMHO best visited as an intended destination not as a stopover.

Quite likely true, depends on the wind direction.
I've found Weymouth a handy stopover because you can get alongside and there are some useful services. I also know people there, so I'm biased.
I like Swanage, but it's basically anchor and maybe row ashore for the pub and supplies. And it's no good in an Easterly.

 

[Sans Bateau]

When we used to do this trip we would anchor in Totland bay which if the tides were playing ball mean an overnight there, then leave 1 hour before HW for Totland, by the time you got into the main fairway down to Bridge, the ebb had just started. This we did once to Plymouth in one hop, dealing with the flood across Lyme bay.