Motoring around Portland Bill

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irwarren

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We have a 28 foot boat and would like to travel West rather than pootling around Poole Harbour all the time. Any advice concerning getting around Portland Bill would be gratefully received.
 
Just head off when the weather is fairly settled. We go that way several times every year in 24 and 29 ft boats. Going West we generally take the inner passage past the Bill. This is very close to the Bill, and I mean close, but you miss the race and the rough sea which you can see next to you. It really is nothing to worry about. We are going that way next Saturday and stuff the weather!
 
Hmm. Think your better with a bit more planning than advised above. But as said, in good weather take the inside passage and keep going round, till you can see that your passed the overfalls. About three or four miles out, it seems to get a bit rough again, then calms down. It's pleasanter on a good day, to go round the coast, calling off for a pint now and then.
 
Yes, in fairly settled weather it is fine and only when it is fairly settled. The worst bit is the next 40 miles to Berry Head which is not very interesting. Depends on your objective - get to where you are going and enjoy being there or enjoy getting there and see everything on the way. You can get more shelter following the bay all the way around and it is a very impressive coastline. My long term forecasts say the wind will drop right off next Saturday and we are off. We've done it before with a F5 on the nose and it really wasn't worth it.
 
irwarren said:
We have a 28 foot boat and would like to travel West rather than pootling around Poole Harbour all the time. Any advice concerning getting around Portland Bill would be gratefully received.
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Head East. There's loads more places to visit around the Solent - Yarmouth. Lymington, Cowes Newton Creek, Southampton, Portsmouth and more. Much easier to get to for a first big trip than heading West, and going across Lyme Bay can be really rough in a 28 footer as there is not much protection from the prevailing South Westerlies.
If you have already done that and are definitely going West the buy a copy of Reed's Almanac as that has really good advice on how and when to get round Portland Bill Its really aimed at yachts but for your first trip round the Bill its worth following the suggested route so you will feel safe
 
Head East. There's loads more places to visit around the Solent

The Solents hardly a trip from Poole, he's probably been there ad nauseum.

I've always been glad to get away from the place, back to the proper boating West.
 
Well if you go West, you have to go a long way to find anywhere decent, probably Dartmouth. That must be over 70 miles. Going East from Poole, Yarmouth is 16 miles, Newtown Creek is 20, Cowes 25 and even my favourite, Bembridge is only 36 miles.

It all depends on irwarren's experience. Certainly my first outings from Poole were to the Solent before heading off to the West
 
RIN said:
It all depends on irwarren's experience. Certainly my first outings from Poole were to the Solent before heading off to the West
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There's also a good number of places to visit to the West out of Poole that don't necessitate negotiating the Bill.

Swanage, Chapman's Pool, Worbarrow Bay (my favourite), Kimmeridge, Lulworth etc. All well worth a visit to get used to the likely seas he will encounter off Portland as the "Heads" can be tricky if you get wind/tide wrong just like the Bill.
 
To be honest, I used to just blam through the portland race, before finding the inner passage. In any weather to cross Lyme bay, it aint much of a problem. Just blam through it, it's only a mile or two.
 
We are planning our first trip west,from Southampton to Teignmouth hopefully first week in august,depending on weather. Must admit Ive been reading all I can find on the passage especially past the Bill. I was planning on staying well clear,say 4-5 miles out. My boat is a Colvic sunquest 29,and she does tend to roll about a bit in choppy Solent waters. Does the panel agree,as it would seem from quotes above,the inner passage would be a better bet,or does it get better the further out you go,all this assuming we pick a decent day.
 
In other than fine weather, I d try to pass at least when the Bill is at slack water- which is alot easier to plan from Poole than it is when returning-something you need to think about. Being unsure of how it will be, I tend to go way off- and it can still be kicking up, 5 miles plus. I dont agree there is nothing to see inshore on Lyme Bay.. if the weather if calm, its a nice trip. BUT. but but, it can be a damn long slog back home, so try to ensure you dont bump into wind over tide all the way across
Still, from Brixham west, there are a great number of fine places to stop- its a shame Lyme Bay is in the way !!
 
Yes, the inner passage is loads better / easier so long as the wind is not from the south, or is light. You still want to aim to go through near slack water, or at least wind with tide. You really do have to stay very close to the land, like 50-100 yds. I seem to remember it shallows slightly on the SW tip of the bill, but only close in, and there are no other underwater hazards to worry about.

As HLB says, don't go through in a straight line, but rather hug the the bottom of the bill, going in from the NE, and coming out to the NW, assuming you are heading westwards. If you do that it's a breeze, saves a fair bit of time, and there would still be some swell going the outer route, even 4-5 miles out.
 
Easy when there's no wind, but watch out for pots.
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