Weymouth is blumin great

Welcome to the UK South Coast. To the foreigner who arrived there after half a life of sailing in other places, it is wonderfully charming and pleasant, some of the best cruising grounds in the world.

I have always loved Weymouth since I first sailed there about 7 years ago. The harbourmasters are most particularly pleasant and helpful, proven to me vividly once when I failed to arrive back from London before the office closed, and needed to get my boat keys, and one of the harbourmasters very cheerfully drove in and opened the office to give them me.

But Weymouth is only one of many very lovely ports on the South Coast. How about Dartmouth, Salcombe, Falmouth, Fowey, Lymington, Cowes? I could go on.

I'm writing this from the island of Gotland in the middle of the Baltic Sea, en route from Finland back to the Hamble. I was just thinking this morning that however much I love the Baltic, I am really looking forward to getting back to the UK for the "bonus summer" (September-October is already cold and nasty here -- the sailing season ends in August) in the Channel. Weymouth will definitely be on the program.
 
Love Weymouth except for the showers; as my friend said: "If it says eco then it ain't gonna work!"

They turn on by temperature sensors. So you have to be under them to get them working; cold!

Then you warm up and stay warm; sensor senses that nothing is happening: turns shower off!

Move around to turn shower back on: cold

Repeat.

That was in 16 so maybe they've sorted that one now :)
 
Fish quay a bit ripe last week but quiet at night now that the seacat has gone to Poole. Putting on shore lines a bit hit and miss and as ever the inside boat always wants to leave early. (It was us this time), but everyone is philosophical about it. If it is 4 deep in front and behind you it pays to really think through how you are going to exit. I like the place. Worth taking the bus to the bill and seeing how rough it can be and how close in you can get for the inshore bit.
 
I was there a few weeks ago. They are now much more organised with marked out 'parking bays' and are using the pontoon on the Nothe side for shoal draft larger boats as well as smaller boats.
For the Olympics, they took over the public toilets on the Nothe side near the bridge and turned them into a proper shower block, access code same as block in Marina office. They are still touch sensor operated with a crap flow rate and not very hot, as indicated in post #25
 
I'm fond of Weymouth as a town and have some happy memories of family holidays there when I was a child. But I have to say that the lifting bridge is enough to put me off the marina - Portland for me!
 
I was there last March enroute fro Penzance to the thames, and it was far and away my favourite harbour, by miles. Spent 3 days there, it kicks the arse off salcombe and cowes et al for charcter, good pubs and good prices.

Best of all, had the whole pontoon on the north side to myself :)
 
I was there for a few nights a week ago. I stayed in the marina, as being a Haslar berth holder, this was free, so I cannot comment on the Harbour Master's shower facilities. However, those in the marina are good and the staff are very friendly and helpful.

I like the town, very traditional English Seaside Resort with all the expected attractions. Some excellent restaurants, I would particularly mention the Old Harbour Chippie, enormous portions and gluten free batter if you need it, and also the Thai House. Excellent breakfasts at the Harbourside Cafe. The Ming Wah, which was one of my favourites in the past, seems to have lost its way with dry duck and an almost inedible beef dish.

The town is also very compact with a M&S food hall a short walk from the harbour or marina, and the station also very close by if, like me, you need to change crew

The bridge is a bit of an inconvenience, but you can moor up on the waiting pontoon if you need an early departure.

It's worth spending a night at Portland too, if only for the sunset from the Cove House Inn on Chesil Beach.
 
Whilst Weymouth is attractive to visit I'd much rather park the boat in Portland Marina; also easier short-handed. Watching the sun go down over Chesil Beach from the Cove House Inn can be rather special.
 
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