Lyme Regis visitor pontoons (plastic)

[C08]

Some years ago we spent a horrible night on the plastic visitor pontoon at Bridport, there was very little wind or waves but the pontoons were jigging around and our boat with it. They were almost dangerous to walk around on as they moved so much. So I have a wariness of these lightweight pontoons. I see that Lyme Regis have a set of plastic visitor pontoons behind the Cob so perhaps sheltered from the worst in SW thro to NNE. Any recent experiences on these pontoon and is it as bad as I fear it might be or is my experience in Bridport unusual?

 

[dk]

They do move about a lot in a swell. Certainly avoid them if the wind has any east in it. I've seen folk crawling off on their hands and knees, but then that was in fairly extreme weather.

 

[dk]

You can go alongside the wall inside the harbour if you give them notice and don't mind drying out and a thousand tourists walking by ogling into your cockpit!

 

[vyv_cox]

I remember berthing alongside the visitor pontoon in fresh northerlies in the river at Douarnenez, open to the north. It was nearly impossible to walk along the long line of pontoons, partly due to their light construction but also due to the sizeable swells.

 

[weustace]

Not that recent, but I was alongside one of those in a SW 4-5 in around 2018/9 (how time flies!) when the arrangement was the same. It was rolly and not particularly comfortable, but felt safe enough. A lot of movement on the pontoon; if I were to be passing Eastbound (as I was) in similar conditions nowadays I'd keep on passage instead...

Lyme Regis is a charming place--I bought my current boat from there, which was a memorable experience - going out on the hard sand in wellies for an "underwater" inspection, followed by a test sail and return from the mooring by dinghy!

For those able to dry on the flat, there may be space inside the Cobb on fore/aft mooring lines. HM (on my last visit) was helpful by phone.

 

[Boathook]

Not that recent, but I was alongside one of those in a SW 4-5 in around 2018/9 (how time flies!) when the arrangement was the same. It was rolly and not particularly comfortable, but felt safe enough. A lot of movement on the pontoon; if I were to be passing Eastbound (as I was) in similar conditions nowadays I'd keep on passage instead...

Lyme Regis is a charming place--I bought my current boat from there, which was a memorable experience - going out on the hard sand in wellies for an "underwater" inspection, followed by a test sail and return from the mooring by dinghy!

For those able to dry on the flat, there may be space inside the Cobb on fore/aft mooring lines. HM (on my last visit) was helpful by phone.

When I went there in 2019 the HM tried to get us to upgrade from a mooring buoy to the pontoon for an extra £5. We had dinghied ashore at the time and couldn't be bothered with going back and moving. It was flat calm for a few days so not a problem.
These plastic pontoons are also used at St Marys, IoS as they are easy to dismantle for storage ashore during the winter.

 

[weustace]

I would have preferred a buoy, all else being equal--but the pontoons are tucked in behind the outer breakwater, whereas the buoys are completely open to the S and fairly open to the SW (or were then anyway) so I don't think it would have been tenable.

In a flat calm (not that it will ever really be truly still in a place like that IMO) I'd take the buoy too.