sailing from the solent to falmouth

[SaltyC]

never sailed into there before. But isnt it a dry against the wall sort of place?

Stopped there in 2024, calm weather and curious. Mooring buoys in bay (I anchored) There were pontoons and supposedly 2m of water LWS, didn't risk as single habded and 'just passing' would go back if passing and go on pontoon.
Yes longer than direct but shorter days for the canine crew.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Heading West last summer I picked up a buoy off Yarmouth around the same time, I’d only just shut the engine down when a launch came alongside asking for harbour fees (around £35 I think)

I cast off at 4:30 the following morning…

In a similar vane I had just arrived in Falmouth from Camaret at about 3.30 am, anchored and had just got into bed when there was a knock on the hull I put my underpants on and went into the cockpit to find the harbour masters launch alongside. Before he could say anything I launched into a tirade about waking people up in the middle of the morning for harbour dues with a few choice words thrown in. Eventually when I stopped he said no but you have got to move as there is a boat leaving the docks in half an hour and you are anchored in the swinging ground but as you mention it that will be £X if you are staying longer pay in the office and display the ticket and we won't disturb you.

 

[billyfish]

I've done the same route to Falmouth every year for the last 10 or so. With me dog and a flubber. ️ portland. Up the Dart. Plymouth. Falmouth. You can anchor most harbours and spend your dosh on better things it also makes for more adventurous dog walks....and don't forget as soon as you get round the Bill....easy...to start worrying about getting back .

 

[Lightwave395]

Depending on what boat you have if you get down the Solent to Yarmouth then get the tide right you can get to Portland from where you can creep down and around Portland bill inshore and into Lyme bay

 

[wonkywinch]

A useful guide to Portland inner passage .. eOceanic

 

[Boathook]

In a similar vane I had just arrived in Falmouth from Camaret at about 3.30 am, anchored and had just got into bed when there was a knock on the hull I put my underpants on and went into the cockpit to find the harbour masters launch alongside. Before he could say anything I launched into a tirade about waking people up in the middle of the morning for harbour dues with a few choice words thrown in. Eventually when I stopped he said no but you have got to move as there is a boat leaving the docks in half an hour and you are anchored in the swinging ground but as you mention it that will be £X if you are staying longer pay in the office and display the ticket and we won't disturb you.

I got a free mooring at the yacht haven once. Turned up at office to pay as the staff were walking away from the locked office. Told them that we were leaving early and staff said if that was the case ok, otherwise if we stayed a bit late we would have to pay. Did leave early before office opened as we needed to catch the tide.

 

[zoidberg]

A useful guide to Portland inner passage .. eOceanic

According to the above, "the 'Inner Passage' presents no concern"

I beg to differ. There are hundreds - I say again, hundreds - of crab pots and their pick-up buoys littering the length of the Inner Passage. Most of them are unmarked and close to invisible.

Get one or more of them around your prop and rudder and 'no concern' suddenly becomes a sick joke.
But don't take my word for it. Pop into the Lifeboat office in Weymouth and run your eye down the many pages of Services to vessels entrapped by those pot-lines around their nether bits, unable to sail or steer - and just a few yards from steep rocks.

And there's no need. Draw a line on the chart ( remember them? ) from the Needles Fairway buoy to a mile off Start Point, and you pass well clear of the Bill of Portland.

'The land claims more ships than the sea.'

 

[billyfish]

Not so many crab pots theses days . The crabs are moving north to colder waters. Noticed I'm not catching so many bait crabs this year.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

According to the above, "the 'Inner Passage' presents no concern"

I beg to differ. There are hundreds - I say again, hundreds - of crab pots and their pick-up buoys littering the length of the Inner Passage. Most of them are unmarked and close to invisible.

Get one or more of them around your prop and rudder and 'no concern' suddenly becomes a sick joke.
But don't take my word for it. Pop into the Lifeboat office in Weymouth and run your eye down the many pages of Services to vessels entrapped by those pot-lines around their nether bits, unable to sail or steer - and just a few yards from steep rocks.

And there's no need. Draw a line on the chart ( remember them? ) from the Needles Fairway buoy to a mile off Start Point, and you pass well clear of the Bill of Portland.

'The land claims more ships than the sea.'

I agree it only really comes into play for those who wish to break the passage.

 

[Dutch01527]

Salcombe and Foyey do not have walk ashore pontoons for visitors but they have a water taxi. Dartmouth and Brixham have commercial marinas and Harbour walk ashore pontoons without electricity mainly. Prices range from c. £30 to 60 per night for a 12m boat.

Not really many cheap places to leave the boat. Cargreen Yacht Club in Plymouth have cheap visitors swing moorings sometimes at £15/night I think.

I have done Yarmouth to Dartmouth and Dartmouth to Falmouth in a 10m boat each in a long day. The first one especially needs a strong tide in your favour and use of the engine to keep average speeds up.

 

[johnalison]

Salcombe and Foyey do not have walk ashore pontoons for visitors but they have a water taxi. Dartmouth and Brixham have commercial marinas and Harbour walk ashore pontoons without electricity mainly. Prices range from c. £30 to 60 per night for a 12m boat.

Not really many cheap places to leave the boat. Cargreen Yacht Club in Plymouth have cheap visitors swing moorings sometimes at £15/night I think.

I have done Yarmouth to Dartmouth and Dartmouth to Falmouth in a 10m boat each in a long day. The first one especially needs a strong tide in your favour and use of the engine to keep average speeds up.

Fowey has Mixtow Pill for walk-ashore, but it’s a good while since we stopped there.

 

[Dutch01527]

Fowey has Mixtow Pill for walk-ashore, but it’s a good while since we stopped there.

I did not realise that, opposite side of the estuary but good option.

 

[Leslie frank]

I like Yealm. Good value bouys and great shelter

 

[Tomaret]

I ought to add, where to leave the boat for a week or two? at sensible prices if that ids possible

A couple of times I’ve left my boat on the moorings at Torpoint Yacht Haven. They have an hourly water taxi and it’s only a short walk to the chain ferry and buses to Plymouth railway station.

 

[Dockhead]

If I were doing that to get to Falmouth, rather than cruise that stretch of coast, I wouldn't stop at all. It's not that far. 150 miles or something from the Needles, so just one overnight if you have reasonable wind and weather. It's much less effort and time than day sailing, and you'll have more time in Falmouth, a lovely destination.

If on the other hand I wanted to cruise that coast, my preferred places to stop would be:

1. Weymouth. Nice place to spend an evening, used to be not that expensive if there's a free berth. I see, however, that the tariff it's already £4.10/m; yikes. If Portland, just anchor.

2. Dartmouth. The visitor pontoons are often full but you can usually get a mooring.

3. Salcombe. Anchor. Salcombe can be an alternative to Darmouth and you save miles by going straight around Start Point rather than diverting North. But if you have time, both destinations are lovely. "Crossing the bar" is an experience.

4. Fowey. If you have the time. Take a mooring. The moorings are £2.63/m (!), so you might try to anchor, which could feasible depending on your draught. I think even then you're liable for harbour dues, however.

Walk ashore berthing is not cheap anywhere on this coast, that I know of. In Dartmouth, if you are under 12m, you can go onto the "Double Steps Pontoon" very cheaply, but only from 17:00 to 08:45. We sometimes go on the Town Jetty, but there's very limited space, and it's now £3.33/m, I see. The site is also saying max draught of 1.8m; it must have silted up a lot since I was last there.

If you want to avoid schlepping the dog in the dinghy, but don't want to pay the stiff overnight berthing tariffs, you can always do a short stay, then go off an anchor.

The cost of berthing compared to the Baltic is just staggering. Looks like everything has more than doubled since COVID.

An excellent overview of all possible stops can be had from Visitmyharbour.com , including chartlets of all the harbours.

 

[wonkywinch]

... If Portland, just anchor ....

Not forgetting to pay the harbour dues. Was a very similar thread recently with my Portland comment here -

Post in thread 'Plymouth to Poole route in a 26 foot yacht'

30 Oct 2025

I understand that some people anchor in Portland Harbour somewhere, not sure exactly where.

Plenty of space in 2-4m of water. See anchor symbol on my chart. Don't forget to pay online (signs on breakwater to remind you).

Much less swell than outside bit still exposed to winds from NE to SE direction.

Harbour dues & permits - Portland Port

• wonkywinch

 

[Dockhead]

Not forgetting to pay the harbour dues. Was a very similar thread recently with my Portland comment here -

Post in thread 'Plymouth to Poole route in a 26 foot yacht'

30 Oct 2025

I understand that some people anchor in Portland Harbour somewhere, not sure exactly where.

Plenty of space in 2-4m of water. See anchor symbol on my chart. Don't forget to pay online (signs on breakwater to remind you).

Much less swell than outside bit still exposed to winds from NE to SE direction.

Harbour dues & permits - Portland Port

• wonkywinch

Naturally.

Last time I anchored there, there was no marina and no harbour facilities. Just a great open space with room to anchor 1,000 yachts at least. And no harbour dues.

Progress, I guess! But I see the harbour dues are reasonable at least, at £16 per night up to 15m.

About what you would often pay for a pontoon berth in a provincial town harbour in Sweden, with electric included, and possibly even a sauna included.

N.B. the position of the entrance to Portland Harbour -- there's hardly any distance advantage, to going into Weymouth. To my mind, the only reason to go into Portland would be either to see the island, or to save money. Otherwise, I'd go into Weymouth every time, where it's so atmospheric to be berthed at the harbour wall in the middle of the town.

 

[LittleSister]

Depending on what boat you have if you get down the Solent to Yarmouth then get the tide right you can get to Portland from where you can creep down and around Portland bill inshore and into Lyme bay

. . .
I have done Yarmouth to Dartmouth and Dartmouth to Falmouth in a 10m boat each in a long day. The first one especially needs a strong tide in your favour and use of the engine to keep average speeds up.

If I remember correctly you need to keep up 5 knots in the right direction to keep the tide with you from Yarmouth and round Portland Bill, but worth it if you can and are trying to 'make progress'.*

Once past Portland Bill, the tidal streams in Lyme Bay are modest and boat speed is less critical. Next 'tidal gate' is Start Point, but most people will be stopping off somewhere before then.

(*That 5 knots was above the normal 4 to 4.5 knots of my former 23 footer, so we gunned the engine all that way Lymington to past Portland Bill for one trip. It was a blessed relief to at last turn off the engine and waft along under sail until we got to IIRC Dartmouth.)

 

[MontyMariner]

in easy stages using pontoon berths

What! No dinghy?
This was my log from 2010 when I went down to the Scilly Iles, the time and distance might be of some help. I anchored where possible.

 

[PhillM]

Torquay harbour master pontoon to starbord as you enter. Ive not been there for a few years but cheap and cheerful. Worth checking the almanac for current pricing.

Failing that up the river at Dartmouth. Further north from the town and the prices fall.

There are a couple of yards on the Cornwall side of Plymouth Harbour. Cannot remeber the names offhand but I seem to recall they are modest compared to the marinas. Someone will be along who knows the name of the yard that offers moorings at Tor Point.. I really enquiring and they were available for monthly stays - not walk ashore but somewhere to leave a boat for a reasonable price.