Portsmouth - Falmouth

[Chas25]

Hi all,

I'm after some advice and assistance for a trip I'm planning in June, I along with my brother are planning on taking our Monterey 218 LSC with 1.7 Merc Diesel from Portsmouth to Falmouth, for a weeks holiday!!

We have booked an appartment for the week commencing the 18th June, and all being well we are planning (please note this is first choice but is VERY fluid!!) on either heading off mid dayish Friday with an overnight stop somewhere like Weymouth or early Saturday morning with a view to trying to do the whole trip in a day with maybe 1-3 comfort stops (depending on how things are going!!)

I'm confident we will hold enough fuel for the run as ~40 gallons should give us (at the very worse 20 hours of motoring) but I would like to have a list of places and prefereably phone numbers of places that sell Diesel so I can Check availability on route should the need arise.

Also I would appreciate some numbers of places to stop should conditions deterioate!!

I know there will be a number of people who think I'm mad, but there are a number of reasons why I really want to try it now, both me and my brother have got just over 2 weeks off work, we know if the weather is looking pants we'll get in the car drive down and sit in the pub down there!

If we start off and the weather gets worse we either turn round and come back orve in somewhere and sit it out, while our goal is to make it to Falmouth if we don't get there I'm not going to loose any sleep!!

So Can anyone help with some advise on preperation contact numbers places to stop? Is anyone else planning a similar trip and fancy meeting up for a section? But and most importantly /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif anyone fancy meeting up for a celebratory drink in Falmouth when we (hopefully!) get there!!!


Thanks in advance!

 

[hlb]

Done the trip many many times, all be it in a bigger boat. As long as you pick the weather, it should be no problem. Pass Portland bill close enough to spit at it, but stay wellclear of Start Point. Diesel available just about anywhere. Dont need phone numbers, but do need a pilot book,charts and GPS. Think one day a bit optomistic.

 

[Chas25]

Thanks for the advice,we've got all the charts, and a GPS chartplotter, by Pilot book do you mean something like the channel Almanac??

Surprised about you comment regarding Portland bill I had been planning to give it a VERY wide berth (used to work on the headland just up from the lighthouse so have seen what it can be like!) totally agree about the weather!

Thanks for the advice

Regards

Chas

 

[Wiggo]

We did Falmouth-Christchurch in a day, and it was bloody hard work. Sounds do-able in the right conditions, but spread over a couple of days, though others may disagree. Fuel available most anywhere, like the man said - Cowes, Yarmouth, Lymington, Poole, Weymouth, Torquay/Brixham, Dartmouth, Salcombe, Plymouth. A few obvious stops, but two long legs (Weymouth-Dartmouth and Dartmouth-Falmouth) to contend with.

You will need to check tides and winds, as a boat that size could be badly affected by wind over tide.

 

[tcm]

hi. As hlb says, you need an almanac, and gps is useful. The thing you need is "macmillan's almanc 2005" or similar.

I personally think you also need soemthing to sit in should you puncture the boat or otherwise have to abandon - a liferaft. You can rent these. Of course you don't need one, er unless you need one, so best get a liferaft.

You should try and become an expert in forecatss for theday in question before you leave. Partly on here, mostly on weather site, get the forecast, and ask everyone incl a call to the destination. Try and build up a picture of whjat they think the weather is gonna be, and if their forecast are constant, or (for the same day) changing for the better as the day approaches -or for the worse. In other words, most of the weather they predict will happen - it's the timing that they can get wrong. This is also why forecasters always feel they are right, cos they usually are, sort of, just a bit eraly or late...

Why midday fridayish? Why not crack of dawn? For a long trip, starting as early as poss give you calmer dawn start and the maximum possioble amount of time to sort things should there actually be a problem.

Is that datte chosen for tides? except, with a small mobo, you want wind and tide together, so er iif ya dunno whatthe wind is, you don't know when the wind with tide is....

Best option for an early start is perhaps sneak up to lymington, kip on the boat and bash straight out at six am or earlier. No, you don't have to pay either.

Key thing is decision to stop OR go across Lyme Bay cos there is not much hiding place if it cuts up. But you will have a better idea of weather. If it's a bit much on the nose you can get respite within the bay. Ideal landfall is Dartmouth, otherwise Torquay. With less tidal stram near the shore, it should be calmer. Remember , the prevailies are from SW so if it is calm do as much as you can on day one and with early start it is certainly possible to do Falmouth at not-too-mad speeds.

Unless my oown plan go very wrong indeed, i sadly wion't be in falmouth to have a drink with you.

 

[Wiggo]

Portland, like St Albans has an 'inside' passage. It canm save you going 5/6 miles off to avoid the race, but it is very narrow, and very close inshore (think 100m from the cliff foot), so not to be tackled in fog, probably...

 

[whisper]

Is it any further, taking the outer route around Portland Bill if you are coming from "The Needles" and heading into Lyme Bay - haven't got a chart handy ?
Also strange how much more supportive the answers are to this post in comparison with the recent S.Coast Delivery one, which was in a considerably larger boat. I reckon trying to do this trip in a day is barmy - should be spread over at least 2 or 3 for enjoyment and more flexibility over the weather eg. Portsmouth to Weymouth - Weymouth to Dartmouth/Salcombe - D/S to Falmouth.

 

[Wiggo]

It's not really any further, but it's easier. The race can extend a long way out, and it isn't always obvious where the outside edge of it is, whereas the inside is very clear, and in a fairly obvious spot.

I think the different attitude is down to several things - it's not a new boat to Chas25, it's got better fuel range, being diesel, they're planning to go in June not March, he has alternatives including not going at all and just driving there by car.

 

[hlb]

Buy West Country Cruising. It will give you most of whats in an almanac, plus details of harbours, phone numbers and even fish and chip shops. Bit of history as well.

Doing the trip in one day will be very hard work, a five hour trip in mine is quite enough for one day, bet you will be tired after two or three hours. Not saying it's not doable.

Tuther thing is, it's such a shame to miss out all the glorious places on the way. I spend a week or two going from one tut tuther. A good holiday in its self.

 

[Chas25]

I have no problem in the trip taking 2, 3 or even 4 day's, in fact if I don't make it down it doesn't bother me that much!! I would prefer (in a perfect world!!) to get down there earlier spend the week relaxing and enjoying myself and then at the end of the week slowly head back taking in all the sites!!

The way I see it last year when I towed my old boat down that took 5 hours sat in a car, i'll be quite happy to spend nearly double that going down in the boat, but it comes down to what the weather decides to do!!

Having said that after 3-4 hours we may of had enough even if the weather is good so will just stop overnight!! Your suggestions for a '2 stop' strategy are the same as mine which is reassuring!! (Weymouth and Salcombe)

I should stress, I am not going to 'try' and do it in a day, if the weather is on our side and we're enjoying the cruise we'll keep going, if not we'll stop!!!

 

[whisper]

Sounds fine to me - hope you are able to get a weather window and enjoy yourselves. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[tcm]

yep, i agree.....

apart from the bit about going inside which i *might* think about, but then go miles offshore with lots more options. As near as makes no difference if heading offshore in both directions.

 

[Wiggo]

I woudn't recommend taking D2 through the inside passage at St Albans - you can spit on the cliffs as you go past, it's that close in. If you're in a small boat, though, it's easier than wondering if it will get better if you try another mile offshore....

 

[hlb]

Rubbish. Theres loads of room. I know every one says, go close enough to touch it, but really the inside chanel is at least 100yds wide. So quite easy for D2. In my experience, overfalls go much further out than it says on the charts, and once in them even if turn round. It takes forever to get out.

Mind, I usually bash through the middle anyway /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Wiggo]

I've been through there when I'd swear it was only 30 yards wide, though that is 30 Forum yards, so more like 50. The St Albans Ledge overfalls go a long way further out - I think the chart says 3 milles, but it's more like 5 or 6. And yes, we can bash through it, but you wouldn't want to in a 21 footer, particularly not as it would be unlikely to be f10 or above...

 

[hlb]

Dont think TCM's boat is 30 forum yards wide!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[tcm]

course it is. 30 Forum yards wide, and 5.25 metres long, much cheaper.

 

[BrendanS]

For places to get fuel, see www.marinefuel.info. The prices are a bit out of date, but are in process of being updated for the new season.

As to going inside channel or offshore at Portland, depends on whether you call in at Weymouth or not. The inside passage is fine in even quite rough conditions, but head down towards Chesil beach before you head off across Lyme, not just round the headland. If you are planning to go straight across from Solent to say Salcombe, not stopping at Weymouth, then it's far easier to go outside St Albans (you need to be 5 miles out) and outside Portland (you need to be 7 miles out), and outside Start Point (I'd like to be 5 miles out, but 3 will normally do). So plot a line from W Solent to 3 or 5 miles out from Start Point, and you'll find that you are nicely outside St Albans and Portland.

It's quite a nice cruise, and in good sea conditions from Solent to Salcombe is only 5 hours or so (I do it in 4 hours, cruising at 30knts with the odd break, in a 21' boat). Allow a bit longer if conditions are rougher. There are many other things to take into consideration though, not least of which is stopping to assess conditions as you come into Lyme Bay, as there are no effective bolt holes once you start across - you either continue or turn back. I'll happily talk you through my experiences in a similar size boat.

 

[hlb]

Or maybe I'll talk about broken windowscreens etc etc. Course depending on wind. In a small boat there is also Lyme Regios to concider. Ok not perfect but much nearer??

 

[BrendanS]

Loose, not broken, and hardly life threatening. It only came loose cos I didn't do basic maintenance on it before I set off, and just got looser. Other times I've had no problems.

In a small boat, you'll know within an hour or two if it's doable, and would head back before getting to Lyme Bay. Lyme Regis I'd only consider if things went drastically wrong, I'd have nosed out into Lyme Bay, then headed back to much safer haven of Weymouth if things weren't comfortable - it's not really a safe haven if you are doing direct route from Solent to Salcombe