Monday (29th June)
By 6pm All preparations had been made, food loaded up in the morning, the
fridge on to cool it down, baggage on board, everything ship shape and ready to
go. After a short delay waiting for some motorboats to pass through the lock we
set off to Ichenor where we picked up the first of several available visitor
moorings.
The plan was to stay overnight
and set off without any lock delay in order to get to Portland comfortably as a
day sail. We soon settled down to an exceptionally pleasant, quiet, sunny
evening in what is still a rather special, natural spot off the boatyard, club
and harbour office. A splendid meal of smoked salmon, pork and a cheese board
made the evening memorable and an excellent start to the holiday.
Tuesday
The forecast was for the wind to be easterly 3-4 becoming 5-6 later but
with little wind at 7am we motored off according to plan. The intention was to
be in the eastern Solent just as the tide turned which was 10:30 so we’d have a
full six hours of west going tide to help us on our way. Without enough wind to
make 5 knots we carried on motoring towards the dolphins and had a sustaining,
cooked breakfast that had been prepared earlier. Once through the Dolphins we
had no difficulty clearing the busy shipping lanes around Portsmouth. However,
off Gilcker, the quiet was broken by a high-pitched hum we’d never heard
before. In a flash the Team BAR catamaran slid passed a couple of boat lengths
away, foiling at several times the speed of the wind; with the hull well clear
of the water, it’s a most impressive sight.
By 10:30 we were off Cowes
with full sails up and the tide behind us propelling us west; Newtown River,
Yarmouth, Hurst all slid by and soon we were at the Needles Fairway and half
way along our passage. Annoyingly the wind dropped off here so we had to motor
for an hour but it soon pick up and we were back sailing in a pleasant 15 knot
wind. We went from the Needles directly to Adament shoal, which is south of
Lulworth, in order miss the race at St Albans and, more importantly the gunnery
ranges which were in use. This leg was 27 miles and took 4 hours; that's and
impressive average of 6.7 knots speed over the ground. The wind had built up to
about 20-25 knots and the sea became rather lumpy from Anvil point onwards but
the Contessa took it all in her stride. With the wind astern some nausea
inducing corkscrewing was inevitable but she remained well under control and
relatively stable.
The last few miles are often the longest and these were no exception as,
once clear of the ranges, we still had to make our way almost to Weymouth in
order to enter Portland Harbour by the East Shipping Channel; this is the only
one open to leisure craft. By the time we took down the sails the wind had
built up to a solid 25+ knots so heading upwind to drop the main became
distinctly lively and a reminder of how deceptive the apparent wind speed can be an a downwind leg. The
lights at the port entrance we were warned in the almanac so clearly to obey were
not visible and the marina staff were rather vague on the VHF but we managed to
get moored up eventually and without incident despite this. It was good to be
safely tied up after a fairly demanding sail of well over 50 miles which had
gone pretty well according to plan, just for a change.
Wednesday
Nominated to be a lay day, a welcome pause between two longish legs, and a
chance to see what we could make of Portland Marina. The simple answer is that there’s not a lot
going for it apart from its position and that it’s easy to get in and out of.
It’s in the middle of a marine industrial area and a long way from any shops or
restaurants, which is a shame. There is a sort of brassiere/bar but it’s only a
substandard pub and not worth using except in emergency. Fortunately there is a
good bus service to Weymouth where we spent a very pleasant day, which included
a good lunch at the Royal Dorset YC. We ended up in Hope Square where we had a
long and interesting chat over a couple of beers with a couple from the
Netherlands who were taking their yacht, Luna, to Dartmouth the following day
as we’d planned to. Dinner in the Harbour lights was nothing special apart from
the view of the moon rising over the solid mass of the bill, quite a spectacle!
Thursday
It was a very civilized start
for a lengthy passage, 9am, timed to get around the Bill on the inside just as
the tide was turning between 10:30 and 11am.
The forecast was for a southerly wind of 5-10 knots turning cyclonic
with rain in the morning but clearing in the afternoon.
Visibility was poor when we
left with the top of the bill covered in cloud but it seemed ok at ground
level, we just hoped it would stay that way for the next couple of hours.
Motoring out in such light wind was a bit gloomy but without incident. When we
got to the Bill as planned the sea was comfortable, just a moderate swell. The
mass of Portland shrouded in mist sat there brooding and mysterious as we
passed by, a reminder that this was not always a good place to be. The low groan of the fog signal did nothing
to make us feel more comfortable but it soon disappeared into the murk behind
us.
Initially we set course for Brixham as that
was the only place we could book a berth but a couple of hours away from
Portland the phone suddenly rang, it was Martin from Darthaven to say that he’d
found us a space. A slight alteration of course and we were on our way. For
several more hours the wind was fickle so it was a mix of motoring and motor
sailing to make sure we kept up 5 knots.
We were just starting to
believe that it would be a boring passage the wind started to pick up, we were
soon sailing along in 10-12 knots of wind. It suddenly picked up even more and
at 15 knots we started to take a couple of rolls in the main. Whilst doing this
it suddenly went up to 25 knots, in seconds! Struggling to put the first reef
in the main the wind increased to well over 30 knots so we ended up putting the
second reef in whilst the over sized genoa flogged wildly. A gentle hiss had
turned into screaming cacophony of wind and water which only moderated once
we’d tamed the genoa by furling it completely, it was quite the wrong sail for
that amount of wind! During this time the boat just sailed itself, virtually
without any control needed over the rudder, deeply reassuring. Recovering, we started to realise that the
wind had gone through 180 degrees and moved from the southeast to the northwest,
the way the boat handled in such conditions was impressive, after all we had
been caught with by gale force winds with almost full sails up! We were now in
control, motor sailing in roughly the right direction waiting for the wind to
settle down. Other yachts around us had similar difficulties, in various states
of disarray; the fishermen were not at all happy using channel 16 rather than a
working channel to let everyone know they were scooting for home.
It had been strange, there had
been no notice of a squall or indication of trouble, the sky had just got a bit
darker, fortunately it was short lived and after an hour the wind had settled
down to a more comfortable 25 knots. As the sky brightened our spirits rose and
we settled down on a close reach whilst we sorted the boat out. Not all was well down below, the deck vent
was not completely closed (it never had been) and with a couple of inches of
water flowing around on deck quite a lot had got through, just above our
sleeping bags and the cushions. Soon the
visibility cleared and we had a wonderful view of the coastline, a bit of sun
makes most difficulties easier to cope with!
Making a steady speed of 6 knots over the ground we could soon make out
Berry Head, Torbay, and the Dartmouth daymark; all looking very attractive and
welcoming. Naturally the last few miles took longer than expected but
eventually the Mewstone became clear, we passed it’s two cardinal marks and
entered the estuary and then the river Dart. Arriving at 8pm was just about as
planned, a good passage time wise and certainly a test for Lively Levante,
which she passed with flying colours.
Once in the marina we met
several other yachtsmen who had been out with us. We’d taken the same time as a
chap in a Rustler 42, but he did go the long way round the Bill though. The Dutch
couple had kept a closer watch of the wind speed than us, they’d seen a
sustained period of 35 knots when the squall was at it’s peak.
A Week In Dartmouth
We were pleased to have got to the
West Country but initially disappointed that rather strong winds were forecast
for the next week, force 6 & 7 every day. We then came to the realisation
that we were in one of our favourite places and that being forced to have a
relaxing week in one place wasn't so bad after all.
Our first day in Dartmouth was dry and sunny, just what we
needed to dry the boat out and fix a couple of minor problems that, as always,
crop up. We then ventured out taking the train to Greenways, walking to Colton
Fishacre and the bus to Brixham for lunch at the Yacht Club. The chance
discovery of a lively “Goosbery Pie
Fete” at Glampton livened things up a bit, this was really just an excuse for
local folk to have plenty of beer listening to some rather good live music.
It’s a friendly place, we’d felt very much at home and met
some interesting people at the Darthaven YC and from Chichester at the marina.
Something we could slip back into again sometime in the future, one couple had
moved their yacht from chichester to Kingswear, an appealing thought for us
too.
Thursday (9th July)
After days of wind at force 6 and 7 this was the first time light winds were
forecast so it seemed like just about everyone wanted to take advantage of it
and move on. At six in the morning there was a steady stream of yachts making
their way downstream and out to sea, free at last! Our plan was to arrive at
Portland Bill when the tide was relatively slack which was at 15:00 so with 43
miles to run and a bit of tide to help us, a 7 o’clock start was called for,
quite civilised.
The hills around us looked
rather cold and grey as we left at 06:45 but the forecast was for a sunny day
with light south westerly winds backing south east and increasing to force 4,
occasionally 5. We hoped we’d be able to make plenty of progress before the
wind turned against us. At first the sea was as smooth as glass with hardly a
breath of wind to make a ripple on the surface. Motoring out was a pleasure,
after all the strong winds a passage using the Iron sail made a pleasing
prospect. Passing the castle and going out to sea with the daymark on the hill behind
uswas tinged with sadness, we’d had a very relaxing and enjoyable stay.
Once past the now familiar Mewstone Rock and
clearing the coast the wind started to fill in from the North West which was a
bit of a surprise but it was only 5 to 6 knots so we settled down for a quiet
motor across the bay on a course of 080 with plenty of other yachts about, some
from Torbay, to keep us company. With the engine ticking over at 2000 rpm we
were doing a steady 5 knots though the water; nice and quiet, ideal for some
reading and a pleasant contrast to the conditions we’d experienced on the way
in. During a passage in such easy conditions it’s making up the log and meal times
that punctuate the day; on the hour the log was updated and every two hours we
had something to eat or drink. A cooked
breakfast and the pasties we had for lunch went down rather well as the miles
slowly drifted by; shame we weren’t doing more exercise!
It was all rather uneventful
really, the most we had to do was to avoid a fishing boat in the middle of Lyme
Bay that insisted on wanting to be in the same place as us even though there
was hardly any shipping around, most inconsiderate! The other pastime was
listening to Lulworth Range Control on channel 16 constantly trying to shepherd
craft out of the way of the extended range that was in use that day. Time after
time we heard “Fast craft south of Kimmeridge heading east, this is Range Control”,
most of the time their calls were unanswered, a sad reflection on those motorboat
owners.
Reluctantly Berry Head and the expanse of Torbay receded to the west, Lyme Bay
opened up and eventually Portland appeared on the horizon and gradually grew in
size to the east. The visibility was excellent so at one time we could see the
whole of Lyme bay as a panorama, a rare moment to be savoured. We took a
cautious approach rounding the Bill about two miles off to avoid the race
limited in its power by neap tides; in the event it turned out to be quiet
enough for two yachts to take the inshore route but still very agitated in between.
Seeing acres of white water rising up into sharp, triangular peaks was a
reminder of the reputation this race has and to give it the respect required.
Our speed over the ground had
been raised by the tide to 7 knots for several hours so we’d made good progress
and arrived, on time, at 3pm. Having cleared the Bill it was not difficult to
then head north passing the Shambles bank to the east and head up to Grove
point assisted (as we’d hoped) by a tidal counter current. Shambles Bank there
is clearly a popular place for anglers, what had appeared to be a line of boats
heading for Weymouth turned out to be day boats moored with their rods out; hopefully
they caught something for it looked a bit unpleasant there rolling in the
swell.
Pasting Grove point, we
watched the huge concrete arms and forts of the harbour, still mighty but with
little purpose now as they crept by. The East Shipping Channel appeared to port
and we were soon safely moored up in a spacious alongside berth, well away from
the bustle of the visitor’s area. It was 5pm, a little earlier than expected
but then it had been an easy passage; those 55 miles could have been so
different! A quiet evening followed with the traditional sailing dinner of fish
pie accompanied by some rather nice sauvignon blanc. The stillness and quiet of
the berth was an appropriate background to the singing of traditional sea
shanties; an impromptu gathering of musical folk on the large wooden schooner
adjacent to us made for a particularly pleasant evening.
Friday
Another day, more
uncooperative winds, so typical of this summer. The forecast was for it to be
sunny but with a south easterly force 3 to 4, right on the nose if you were
heading east. The good news was that the range had suspended operations so our
fears of having to head ten miles offshore, well out of our way, to avoid the
outer range were unfounded. The tide was west going until about 1pm so there
was no point in leaving much earlier than 11 o’clock so we had a relaxing start
to the day with breakfast and a chat with some neighbours in an Arpege who were
hoping to head back to the Solent.
Once clear of the harbour,
full sails went up but it soon became clear that the forecast was a little
optimistic, a strong force 5 than 3-4.
With a reef in the main and a couple of furls in the genoa we started to
tack across Weymouth Bay along with half a dozen other yachts. It was a lively
sail but comfortable.], the Contessa is in her element on a beat in fresh winds
and seas. Off Osmington Mills each time we tacked we assessed how we were doing
against the competition; we were holding our own against these larger boats!
Unfortunately none of us were doing very well in terms of speed over the
ground; it may have been fun but with only 2 miles made good in an hour it was going to take a long time to reach St
Albans head. Nothing else for it but to wind up the headsail and motor along
inshore to avoid the waves; this was by common consent and magically within 10 minutes
the whole “fleet” were under power. We were delayed slightly as the alternator
drive belt, which had been fine all the way across Lyme Bay, started to scream;
all rather unpleasant until taken off.
Close inshore the sea was surprisingly flat and we were soon making much
better progress with the added advantage of an excellent, close up view of the
Jurassic Coast. Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove, Worbarrow Bay Kimmeridge all slid
by, the colours and layers of strata all highlighted by the glorious sunlight. Approaching St Albans Head the coast looked
deserted, no walkers, nobody anchored (not surprisingly) at Chapmans Pool, only
the lonely NCI lookout post that we knew would be keeping watch over us. Close
inshore to the headland to avoid the race was quite pleasant at first but that
soon changed becoming moderately rough as we headed westwards to the Light
house at Anvil point, another race to be treated respectfully! Once clear of
the point it was only a few miles past Swanage bay and the Old Harry rocks
towards Poole Fairway and our destination for the next two days. Off the wind
it was tempting to put up the sails but for such a short distance it didn't
seem worthwhile as it was still rather bumpy and we were keen to moor up
without delay. Numerous motorboats roared pass as our welcome to Poole, by
reputation, the home of the Birmingham navy.
Naturally we had to wait for
the chain ferry to pass into the harbour, up the North Channel to Parkstone
Yacht Club where we’d booked a berth. It’s full of yachts, always buzzing with
racing activity, a great family club, such a sharp contrast to neighbouring
Salterns Marina where we could only count three masts amongst the motorised gin
palaces. Not a great sail but a 40 mile
passage made in less than seven hours, an average speed of 6 knots thanks to
the tide rather than the wind.
Saturday
A lay day and a welcome break from all that motoring. The club is an
excellent place to stay with a well organsed haven and extensive club house
facilities; our first stay and certainly one to be repeated. Our stay coincided
with a “cruiser” rally organised by the Contessa Association so we were in good
company with a dozen other 32’s in the haven overnight. Our plan was to take
the bus into Poole but it wasn't needed, it’s only a half hour walk and a very
pleasant one at that around the bay. Parkstone used to be the centre for Flying
Boat activity both military and civil with Imperial airways.; the bay was the
centre of one of the main take off and landing areas. All the yacht club
buildings, Parkstone, Salterns and RMYC all played their part during the war.
It brought back memories of seeing unused flying boats moored in the distance
when crabbing on holiday in Sandbanks in the early 1960’s.
Sunday
Rested and re-provisioned we
were ready for next leg of our return journey as far as Gosport. The Contessa
Association had organised a race back starting at 11am, which was just about
right to get to Hurst and the entrance of the Solent as the tide turned east.
We knew the weather was going to be a bit rough with a westerly force 6
forecast but it was behind us and we would be in good company. We had no
intention of racing so motored out through the East Looe Channel whilst
everyone else was struggling to put up their sails, fortunately it was high
water so the channel was more forgiving than usual. This was just as well as
the wind was soon gusting 7 and once clear of the land the wave state became
quite rough. We were soon making a steady five knots with the headsail out but
with several furls in it; this allowed us to sail under control without any
tendency to broach.
As the first away, unconcerned
about the start line (which many missed anyway) we led the fleet, at least
until Hengisbury Head. Several 32’s had followed us inshore with full sails up
whilst the more racing oriented members sailed offshore with spinnakers up; so
much for it being a “cruiser race”. Naturally they all went faster but much
less than expected, main sails often got in the way of headsails and one very
over canvassed competitor spent much of the time careering wildly from one side
to the other with some impressive broaches but little in the way of boat speed.
It was quite a sleigh ride with lots of white water created by between 25 and
30 knots of wind, exciting but unforgiving! The wave state, always more
important than wind strength, was quite rough, especially off Hengisbury Head.
The long keel of the Contessa and the compact stern really paid off; a clear
demonstration of why the design had performed so well in the 1979 Fastnet, she
almost sailed herself.
Approaching Hurst we were amongst a string of yachts cutting the corner of
North Channel taking a direct line into the narrows. It was a tense period as
we passed through the turbulent water, but soon over as we passed rapidly into
relative calm. By the time we were off Yarmouth the wave state had dropped
right off and by staying close to the south side of the Solent we were shielded
from the worst of the wind. The autohelm was able to take over so we had a much-needed
lunch with hot soup, it might have been summer but still cold! Once over the
tide had set in and we were shooting through the Solent at 7-8 knots over the
ground. An hour later we had a couple of tense moments as we jibed off Cowes,
then we were storming past Osborne Bay and in another hour off Gilkicker. in
the company of another Contessa who abandoned their mainsail too and followed
us all the way into Gosport marina.
It didn't take long for us to
be safely moored up drying out some rather wet oilies, thankful that we had
such a good heating system. The passage of over 40 miles had only taken 6.5
hours, another record-breaking trip and a reassuring experience for us as the
boat had handled so well.
Monday
The last, short leg back home
to Chichester but not without difficulty as the weather was going to be much
the same as the day before, and we had to get over the Bar. Leaving at 8am
meant that we’d be entering the harbour at high water and just might avoid the
worst of the weather. It was a fortunate that we were listening to the Queens
Harbourmaster on channel 11 as there were four ships all trying to get in or
out whilst we left; knowing what their intentions were, it was easy to keep
clear.
Naturally the wind had gone from virtually nothing in the marina to a good
20 knots, gusting 25. Time to be conservative (again). With just the headsail
up we made good progress through the dolphins and on to West pole where the
wind had risen to a sustained 25, gusting 28 knots. As it was slack water the
bar was no worse that the sea offshore and once in the security of the harbour
it became quite calm. We were home; not wishing to be purists we tidied up the
sails and motored past Ichenor and back to our berth.
Overall a great two week holiday,
some exciting sailing contrasting with a relaxing week in Dartmouth. We’d found
how to live comfortably on the boat, worked out how to do things and now have
everything we need carefully stowed and in a sensible place. The 250 miles we’d
covered had built confidence in both the boat and ourselves. We’ll be able to
face those challenging conditions that inevitably arise when cruising the
Channel with less apprehension in future which can only make it easier to enjoy
the more moderate sailing we plan to do.
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