Portland Bill in a Mobo for a relative novice

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sprocker

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Our new (To us) upgrade to a Sessa C30 is currently at MDL Mercury where we bought her at the end of last year. She has been fully serviced (Thanks to Volvo Paul for all of his help!) and is due to be lifted back in in early March.

I then plan to take her around the coast from the Hamble to her home berth in Torquay as soon as tides/weather permits. I was going to do this in two stages Hamble to Portland, stay overnight, then Portland round the bill and across Lyme Bay to Torquay next day.

My one concern is rounding Portland Bill, as I have never been around before and, depending on who you listen to, can either be very scary or a non-event. All of the information that I can find online concerns sailing around and the various methods to use.

I have so far got the idea that I need to select neap tides, slack water, and as little wind as possible.

Do we have any forum members that have experienced Portland Bill in a motor boat that can offer help and advice?
 
The thing to remember about notorious headlands is that are so because of the potential to become very very grim. With Portland in your boat I would suggest that you are not going to care to venture around it anyway unless you are happy with the 40
miles across Lyme Bay which in itself can be unpleasant. It is also more about timing if you are in a sailing boat that peaks out at 5 knots..not much point in arriving against the flow, then ;)
That said, you want to be very very close in..50 metres or so..it is very deep and obviously the closer to slack water the more peaceful it will be. That close in, you can see the overfalls starting further out so it is reasonably obvious where not to head for!
All being well, it is a short 75 metres or so to be clear of the worst, but you should expect some waves and or swell possibly building either side. To put it in perspective, on a good day the Bill will be crowded with boats smaller than you bobbing about fishing. On a bad day, I have been ten miles off and it was still not fun.
I actually have a waypoint positioned right close in, one about 5 miles off and one about ten miles off. If you are heading west/outwards, you probably have more choice whether to go or not. If you are heading home eastwards, sod's law dictates that you will have less timing options and I have found I can decide on which of the three reference points to aim for on crossing back. Arriving at the Bill and deciding you prefer to be 5 miles off it is a long detour...
Choose good weather and as close to slack at the Bill as you can and you will zoom past before you notice. Keep an eye out for lobster pots as their bouys can get dragged just under the surface.
 
Another sailyboat person talking here, I'm afraid - but in a fast mobo can you not just go down round the outside of the whole lot? We use the inshore short-cut because at 5 knots it's a long detour, but at 25?

Pete
 
Been round there a few times in the S28.
The first couple of times were fine, as we stayed about 5Nm off.
One time trying to exit Weymouth for Brixham went a bit wrong - I was so paranoid about going into the "Shambles" that I ended up blundering into the overfalls instead. It got a little tense as we discovered what happens when a 28ft boat meets 2m standing waves.
A better plan would have been either to head to the East Shambles buoy and then due South for a few miles, or pucker up and take the "200 metre route". I've never fancied the latter, although everyone says it's entirely possible.

In some ways, the easier option would be Hamble to Poole, then just go around the whole lot 5 miles out at 25kts.
Taking account of wind/tide also makes a big difference.

With westerly winds, the waves in Lyme Bay never seem to end: you keep looking at the chart thinking "I must be getting some shelter from that big chunk of land by now", but it only flattens off in the last couple of miles.

.
 
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We came round in close in very unpleasant weather f5/6 in a 43 footer. It was fine (in fact it was flat and you steer clear of the race as described) but coming across Lyme Bay was horrid. I was with family and dog and it was no fun at all.

I wouldn't hesitate to use the inner route again but would only go across Lyme Bay in good weather.
 
We came east from Plymouth last Summer, and Lyme Bay seemed a long way. Portland Race was a non event, but we made the trip in benign conditions. I would wait for winds below 10 kn, and I'm sure you will be fine.
 
prv said:
Another sailyboat person talking here, I'm afraid - but in a fast mobo can you not just go down round the outside of the whole lot? We use the inshore short-cut because at 5 knots it's a long detour, but at 25?

Pete
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Yes indeed, but it depends on your plans...We have stopped at Bridport and at Lyme Regis, but if you prefer to cross Lyme Bay in one go, then somewhere between the beginning and the end of the passage I usually like lunch ;)
If homebase is the Solent then that would normally mean a break Weymouth or east a bit..hence the "detour".
I confess that I find open sea extremely dull boating, so it is more rewarding going along the very varied coast. It might be a few miles more than a straight line but alot more enjoyable, whatever the speed.
OP...that marina is a bit out of the way..you will have alot more fun tying up on the town quay in Weymouth. There is a pontoon there (on the right hand side) and showers etc in the HM office in the same place. Plenty of pubs and eateries to hand. Just VHF the HM as you come in if you are not sure what to do. All pleasantly informal.
Just to echo and repeat...if you are happy to be going westwards across Lyme Bay, then I don't think you should worry about the Bill ...it will be a tough trip going into any sea/wind/swell from the west, and don't forget to let any passing weather settle a bit. AT 30ft, I don't think you will want more than F3 for that many hours or it will seem like a never ending slog.
 
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gjgm said:
somewhere between the beginning and the end of the passage I usually like lunch ;)
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I guess that's the mobo/sailyboat difference again - we quite happily cook lunch or dinner while going along.

Or indeed bake bread under sail in the middle of the Channel :D

P1010248_zpsnsmuvey7.jpg


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(That's the dough rising in the sun, not the finished product)

Pete
 
prv said:
I guess that's the mobo/sailyboat difference again - we quite happily cook lunch or dinner while going along.

Or indeed bake bread under sail in the middle of the Channel :D

P1010248_zpsnsmuvey7.jpg


P1010249_zps6i5svmay.jpg


(That's the dough rising in the sun, not the finished product)

Pete
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I did that trip many years ago in a new 30ft Regal it was my first long trip Mercury to Torquay
Did it in 4hrs door to door Just had to wait for the right conditions flat calm all the way bobed around in lyme bay while we had lunch and then continued our journey. by the time you have gone into portland or weymouth you may as well keep going as long as the conditions are good.
Be patient and wait for the weather. enjoy
 
mlines said:
I know its no help but I bet you had a long look at those flat calm weeks we had a short while back and perhaps thought that moving first and servicing second might have worked?
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I most certainly did Martin. Unfortunately those flat calm weekends saw me crawling around underneath her scraping, sanding & priming etc. The law of sod will mean winds will pick the day she goes back in the water!

Thankyou for your replies so far gents, all advice and experiences are very much appreciated.
 
Hi, for what it's worth; my Portland roundings have so far all been in sailing boats, as it is only this winter that we have got ourselves a motorboat. But that's a positive - if it can be safely negotiated in a 5 knot sail boat... incidentally, I would always choose to overnight in Weymouth rather than Portland, and stay in the outer harbour too... nice atmosphere, lots to see and watch, some nice pubs and good fish and chips etc too, and no need to wait for the bridge to lift prior to departing. With a motor boat it's only a few extra minutes from Portland marina so worth the effort I think.
As to rounding the bill, the others here are quite right - it's really all about picking calm weather, and staying close to the Bill, like as close as a real stone throw away from the shore, keep a keen eye out for all the pot markers - quite a few get submerged by a few inches by the strength of the stream, so quite easy to miss, it's a pain that all the pots get put pretty much exactly where we all need to be! The water tends to be eerily spookily smooth even though it's moving along at a fair pace... as to the state of tide to take it at, it's well written up in the almanacs (I can't recall the actual timings) and the advice given has always been spot on for me/us. I have heard a few first hand accounts of getting it wrong! Certainly it's a place to take seriously - but not to the point that you should feel the need to miss out on Weymouth and/or do the massive diversion offshore - assuming you're happy to go in good weather. In bad weather I'd want to be a good number of miles off.
 
"I have so far got the idea that I need to select neap tides, slack water, and as little wind as possible"

It is as simple as that. Benign conditions and the luxury of being a mobo and able to arrive at the Bill at slack means that the inshore route is easy as long as you avoid the pot bouys.
 
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I've done it several times now - I've only ever taken the in shore route and it's always been fine. Plan for neaps if possible but at springs it's not so much of a problem in good weather but plan to go at slack water to be sure. The key with Lyme bay is to get wind and tide together.
 
Sounds like a deja vu. We did our own delivery trip from the Hamble to Torquay and had exactly the same plan in mind - which basically collapsed quite spectacularly half way through the needles channel with green water over the top of us and the wife throwing up... Don't ask!

Like you though we planned the trip well in advance, asked lots of questions and got loads of useful tips about the Bill.

The plan was to head for Weymouth or Portland and "tuck in" either to break the trip up, or wait for the weather window. I had virtually memorised visitmyharbour.com for all ports between the Hamble and Torquay.

However we had a bolt hole option - and used it - which was Poole. If you are with MDL, you can take advantage of their freedom berthing and it costs you nowt.

The next day the weather was benign, and we went from poole about 10 miles off and straight into the jaws of Torbay about 3 hours later. We were out if sight of land for a fair portion of that.

The more planning you do beforehand, the more you will enjoy it and the sense of achievement when you arrive is quite exhilarating.

Wish you all the best with the new boat and hope you have many happy memories on her...

Next step the Channel Islands :encouragement:
 
Switch said:
I've done it several times now - I've only ever taken the in shore route and it's always been fine. Plan for neaps if possible but at springs it's not so much of a problem in good weather but plan to go at slack water to be sure. The key with Lyme bay is to get wind and tide together.
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I'd agree with all of that. Done it many times over the past 30 odd years, always the inshore passage, never had any issues in doing so. I've even dived a few 100m away from Portland Bill, great diving area. Basically tide runs to the East 2hrs before to 4 hours after high water, so plan for slack or tide just turning your way. However if there's a strong onshore wind, think twice, thrice and stay at home. In over 30 years, the only time I've been seasick is on a dive boat pushing through the race, not a pleasant experience.

I'd also recommend staying inshore if the wind is from the N, which is very much the recommended direction. And then a lunch time stop in Lyme Regis is not to be missed, I had my first ever mooring there and it's still my favourite small harbour. There's a choice of 3 pubs on the harbour side as well as a few snack and fish and chip stalls. A great place to spend either a few hours or even a few days.

Whatever you do, just enjoy the trip. Picking the right weather and tide conditions are key, get those right and you'll be fine and have a memorable first trip home.
 
More good info which has been taken on board, thankyou gents.

Lyme Regis is one of the places on our cruise list for this year, we've called in a few times by road, and want to do it by sea.
 
This may or may not help, but I went from Hamble to Dartmouth last summer as a complete novice.

Initially I planned a stop at Weymouth so it was in 2 stints, but in the end we just motored all the way taking the offshore passage. My boat is only a 27ft single screw.

It is all about conditions as others say. Because we took offshore (which makes total sense if its a single run) we just made sure that the wind and tide were going to work together and that it was no more than F4 (anything more is a little bumpy for my boat).

The whole thing was totally fine and no problems. Its just all about the conditions.

I did on the way back stop at Weymouth and we did the inshore passage and due to that we timed the route with slack, but it was only necessary because we were stopping locally.
 
We also did it last year as novices in our 40ft motorboat. We waited quite a long time at Portland marina for the right conditions - we went home by train for a while and came back when the forecast was looking good. The best navigation aid we found is this: http://www.sailingalmanac.com/Almanac/Navigation/portlandbill.html
The web page presentation is dire but the content is good. I transferred it to a text document and printed it out.
Here is what it looks like if you pick the right combination of wind and tide:

 
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