Portland Bill offshore advice

engli7 said:
Thanks jimi. So you think we don't have to wait for optimum time (around HWDover) to be at Portland if we're 5-10m offshore (and close to neaps). So it's OK to set off much earlier and get to Portland pretty much on the ebb? Would that be right?
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What's your port of departure?
My favourite is always to overnight outside Yarmouth, then leave a bit before the tide turns west.
Depending on your boat and the wind strength/direction, that may get you to Dartmouth for last orders.
If the wind goes light and on the nose, I've always enjoyed a stopover at Brixham.

I like the inshore route around Portland, but I'd combine it with overnight in Weymouth normally.
 
If I was passage planning fo a single leg from the Solent to Devon, I'd be aiming to leave Yarmouth to catch the first of the ebb in the Needles Channel, the west going tide should get you past Portland (40Nm at 6Knots boats speed + 2 knots of tide). I've gone past Portland 3 to 4 miles off and not been affected by the race, in heavier weather I'd aim a bit further off. I've found St Aldhelms a bit harder to avoid cos it covers a bigger area and is more on the shortest point to point line.
 
Our routine was from Poole, going close inshore along the coast to St Albans using the inshore eddy ( starts around 2hrs before HW Dover), arrive St Albans at slack water about 30 mins before HW Dover, with west going tide just starting, next waypoint set to pass 4mls south of Portland bill but would not be anal about hitting it. Depending on wind, would carry fair tide well across Lyme Bay and tide after that not too bad against. At 6kts average boat speed (STW not SOG) we made Poole-Dartmouth in around 10 hours. FROM the Solent I might consider getting to Studland and disturbing NGM and then departing from there. We did that many times day and night. Best time from Poole Fairway to Dartmouth was 9 hours all sailed. ( Jeanneau Sun Legende 41) Never noticed anything other than very strong tide stream running 4 miles south of Bill ( even 3 miles) other than a possible and normal wind against tide effect.
 
Hello lw395. Point of departure will be Yarmouth, to give us fastest exit... and sounds like we can set off earlier than I thought. Now aiming for Brixham.
 
engli7 said:
Hello lw395. Point of departure will be Yarmouth, to give us fastest exit... and sounds like we can set off earlier than I thought. Now aiming for Brixham.
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No harm in being a little flexible where you end up!
On holiday, I will refine my plans according to progress.
 
Re inside passage, it's something I'd normally only do if stopping in Weymouth/Portland first, else I'd conceive of the trip as a delivery to the West Country, stand offshore all the way and time the passage to take advantage of the maximum ebb further east. However if you haven't seen the Jurassic coast then, as Dom says, its worth planning the trip differently and stop in Lulworth (if the wind's not onshore) and/or Weymouth (one of my favourite spots).

If inshore, then keep in close until you're round - about the same distance you can throw a spud.

Portland Bill.jpg

The thing that always then seems to disorientate me is when to spit out the other side. I always think I'm not heading far enough to the NW - or too far!
 
I am currently on Portland and was at the lighthouse watching the race from about 1800-2200 last night. Spud-throwing distance is no joke. He means it. The race was dramatic last night, with neapish tides and no wind at all. At 2200 I was standing by the monument at the end watching the flood tide go past like it was a river in spate.

However, one yacht motored past earlier, only about a mile off, in placid water, while just in from him all hell was breaking loose. There was a very clear line in the water.

Fascinating.
 
KAL said:
I am currently on Portland and was at the lighthouse watching the race from about 1800-2200 last night. Spud-throwing distance is no joke. He means it. The race was dramatic last night, with neapish tides and no wind at all. At 2200 I was standing by the monument at the end watching the flood tide go past like it was a river in spate.

However, one yacht motored past earlier, only about a mile off, in placid water, while just in from him all hell was breaking loose. There was a very clear line in the water.

Fascinating.
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So someone can throw a spud one mile?
 
savageseadog said:
So someone can throw a spud one mile?
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Nooooo, the yacht was a mile off. The inshore passage is spud-chucking distance off the point, according to #28. Mind you, if there are people chucking spuds at my boat while I'm attempting the inshore passage, I might opt for the offshore instead...
 
Worth repointing out that inshore passage is only worth it if departing from somewhere within Weymouth bay, otherwise it's a significant deviation
 
jimi said:
Worth repointing out that inshore passage is only worth it if departing from somewhere within Weymouth bay, otherwise it's a significant deviation
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Or if you've gone up into the bay to avoid the eastgoing tide.
 
lw395 said:
Or if you've gone up into the bay to avoid the eastgoing tide.
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And are trying to correct one error in planning with another, or are racing and were not quick enough earlier on:p.


The inshore route is just fine if timed right and to/from inside the bay but has multiple pot marker hazards to avoid often added to by divers and dive boats at slack water. We stopped using it when we recognised that the straightest route from Poole to Dartmouth was to go 4miles off. We liked visiting Weymouth but usually chose to anchor in Portland and walk in anyway plus being based in Poole could weekend there easily any time, whereas if headed west ( for a departure cross to Southern Brittany or for true west country cruising, really wanted to get across Lyme bay asap.
 
It's often a beat so 'straightest' doesn't come in to it.
Whether gong up into Weymouth Bay to avoid tide is 'an error in planning' depends on where you start from and what your constraints are.
If you start from a long way east, you will be avoiding tide somewhere.
I've had a couple of really nice trips going inshore at Portland, then making the most of the Westgoing.
Equally, taking the W all the way from Hurst can be great.
Or even leaving from Langstone and outside the Wight.
 
lw395 said:
It's often a beat so 'straightest' doesn't come in to it.
Whether gong up into Weymouth Bay to avoid tide is 'an error in planning' depends on where you start from and what your constraints are.
If you start from a long way east, you will be avoiding tide somewhere.
I've had a couple of really nice trips going inshore at Portland, then making the most of the Westgoing.
Equally, taking the W all the way from Hurst can be great.
Or even leaving from Langstone and outside the Wight.
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For sure the slower boats in the fastnet races would often short tack through the inshore route if they didn't expect to make the tide gate in time, but most cruisers will not be slow to add some donk power assistance.

I was happy enough to tack about once round the bill in the slacker tides of the Bay, but liked to make a real effort to make the Bill Gate offshore in good time, hence using the back eddy inshore from Poole to St Albans to arrive there ( St Albans) just as the tide turns west, that gave around 8 hours of favourable or not so bad against to get well on the way across Lyme Bay towards Dartmouth.
 
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I always enjoy a stop in Weymouth when heading west and have always used the inshore passage from there with no problems.
Returning used to be more of a conundrum because the tide across Lyme Bay does not serve to help me arrive at the right time for the inshore passage so I used to head outside and go round the Shambles as advised by the Pilot Books even if heading back to Weymouth.

Then I visited the Coast Watch hut on Portland. It is generally manned by local yachtsmen who told me I did not need to go so far out and could safely cut inside the Shambles. They even suggested I give them a call - on phone - and they would advise me as I approached how close in I could come. I have now learned that in calm weather less than a mile is fine. Closest I've been is about .75m.

Two years ago, when coming from Exmouth, I called them and they suggested that, even though I was outside the advised timings, with an east going tide (Wind W3), I could safely take the inshore passage.

This I did. It did provoke a comment from my wife as we went through "You didn't tell me it would be like this". In fact it was no problem - there were interesting swirls in the horizontal plane but none in the vertical.

Do not mess with the Bill in bad weather! Take an opportunity to go to the Coast Watch Station in a good Westerly gale and they will let you look through their amazing binoculars! It is truly spectacular and you quickly see why Portland Race was chosen as the place to film the storm sequences for "The Cruel Sea".
 
We've often kedged in Portland of gone into Weymouth when passage making East or West.

In ANY sort of reasonable weather I've always chosen my timings carefully and used the inshore passage. (By day or night)

I haven't been round for a while so I wonder whether there are more pots than before from others comments.

I'm still surprised by the number of people who say they avoid or don't choose the inshore route. It's not exactly tricky pilotage but you do have to be comfortable about being VERY close inshore.
 
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