Portland Race

[firstascent2002]

Lymington to torbay straight and pass well south of the Race or Lymington to Weymouth, then Weymouth to Torbay via the inshore route for the experiance? Tides will be half way between springs and neaps.

Any thoughts and advice on taking the inshore passage gratefully accepted
Jamie

 

[oldharry]

Make sure you get the timing right, and dont expect it to be there in anything much above F4.

Keep a careful watch for Pot lines.

 

[firstascent2002]

Don't expect what to be there? The inshore passage?

 

[oldharry]

Yes - it quite rapidly disappears as the weather worsens. By f7 onshore, its white water all the way in.

 

[Sans Bateau]

If you have the crew to do the watches, then go well south of Portland. It'll add many hours to your trip to divert into Weymouth and Weymouth back to Portland is a long way.

 

[Robin]

Going from Lymington means you have added in the tide gate at Hurst to complicate the equation. However if you were to start from Poole or Studland then you can take the inshore back eddy tide to arrive at St Albans Head at or even just before the tide turns west (say 30 minutes before HW Dover), this gives you another 7 hours or so of favourable tide to get well past Portland Bill (aim for 4 mls off) before the tide turns against, probably half to two thirds across Lyme Bay depending on your speed.

If you go into Weymouth the detour adds several hours to the straight route plus the added hassle of being rafted up and needing careful timing to take the inshore route round the Bill. If you do chose this, anchoring in Portland makes it easier ti time your getaway rather than extracting yourself from a raft. The route round the Bill passes very close inshore of the end of the Bill, isn't wise at all at night IMO, and the passage itself is full of pot markers and frequently divers around slackwater which is when you would want to be there. After passing the end, head north up the west side a bit before turning on your course across Lyme Bay as the tides will otherwise tend to push you into the race area, if returning this way also allow for this southerly tide set by aiming a bit north of the tip.

 

[MoodySabre]

Excellent article in September 2006 PBO - worth getting from the copy shop or cadging a copy.

 

[simonfraser]

let me know if you want a copy, pm me with your e mail

 

[tangomoon]

It is a very narrow passage a cable or two and I wouldn't in onshore winds + 5 even then use your head below that. The race is absolute hell in even a puff of wind sometimes avoid it. Watch out for pot ropes and markers. Speak to Weymouth harbour master he was v helpful some time ago

 

[BlueChip]

SWMBO and I I have done Dartmouth from Yarmouth IOW in one hop several times in our 37 footer, as long you have enough SOG to get past the Bill on one tide then you can effectively ignore the tides in Lyme Bay. Its a long day but worth doing. Going into Weymouth is just so much hassle on the way to the West Country and its easy to get stuck in the raft and be late for rounding the Bill.

 

[rwakeham]

We did this the first time this year and it was an experience. We went into weymouth on the way down and back, and it does feel like a diversion. Phone or talk to the weymouth harbour master who is really helpful. On the way down we took the inshore route, the sea was calm and the weather fine, our speed over ground down the east side of the bill peaked at 12 knots ! Whirlpools everywhere etc. Any buoys would be dragged under the water flow.

On the way back we were 1 hour too late and kept well clear, but it took a long time to get into weymouth. Weymouth does get busy, there are isolated stories of boats being broken into when rafted up and it is a bit rough. But there are a couple of good places to eat and it means you can see more of the dorset coast which I rather like.

 

[Rustyknight]

If you see me in Weymouth, wandering round with my camera, stay tied up........ cause it might be hairy at the Bill, as in the pic below! D

 

[oldharry]

That looks around a F5 isnt it RustyKnight? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif First time I did it in a 20 footer, there was a bloke swanning around in a rowing boat laying yacht traps - er, fishing pots.

Seriusly though, it is actually possible in the picture to see where the inshore passage is - the gap between the crane and the bigger waves close offshore mark it clearly. Round to right out of the picture the bigger waves will have closed right inshore by which time you are too late to change your mind!

The Crane is actually on the eastern side of the Bill, and at this stage you have IIRC around half a mile to go before you enter the race itself. On the ebb tide going west it is far worse on the western side where the back eddy from Chesil Bank meets the ebb.