3rd July – Sunday
We were up bright and early and left Poole Quay at 09:00 to be at the No 1 Bar Buoy off of Studland Bay at 10:00. We were joined by two other yachts heading the same way. We managed to put our sails up and continued, planning a long tack to clear “Old Harry’s Rock”. The other yachts were on engine and took a closer route, along the shore. Our passage took us past Anvil Point which is just west of Swanage. This area has a long ridge extending some 4 miles offshore which causes overfalls and a race (ripe tide). Our passage plan took us about 5 miles out then once we were clear, we made a heading to Weymouth. Ahead we could see a dark line in the sea with breaking waves off Anvil Point. The yachts which took the inner route must have seen this and decided that it was not safe and so headed out along the line of breaking waves until there was calmer water.
Once we were past the hazards the wind dropped considerably. However, we carried on sailing at about 2 knots for the next 45 minutes or so and then decided it was time to put the sails away and start up the engine. Very quickly the skies cleared and the temperature began to climb and we both peeled off a couple of layers of clothing to avoid overheating.
We were now fast approaching Weymouth harbour and Chris radioed in to request a berth for a couple of nights and confirm bridge opening times. We had missed the 14.00 opening, so made fast on the waiting pontoon and took a walk to see where our berth was located. With half an hour to spare, we strolled back and bought chips for Chris and an ice cream for Carole and then sat and watched the world go by until 16.00.
Dead on the dot of 16.00 the alarms went off and we joined the throng of boats entering the marinas on the other side of the bridge. Note for future, not all boat skippers are courteous and wait their turn as seems to happen most times on the east coast. We found our berth and tied up and settled down to enjoy the late afternoon sunshine.
After a short nap, we cooked our supper, washed up and took a walk to the marina office and facilities before settling down for the night with our books. It was a pleasure to be in a quiet marina unaffected by tide and, at least for tonight, strong winds. We had a good night’s sleep.
4th July – Monday
We awoke a bit later this morning and after breakfast, Chris went for a shower and Carole stripped and changed the beds. After a shower on the boat – it’s a good opportunity to give the heads (the room where the toilet, sink and shower are) a good clean. Carole’s sister, Elaine, called and we arranged to meet in Debenham’s restaurant for afternoon tea and cake at 14.45. Carole then headed to the marina laundry room and turned two bags of dirty laundry clean with the help of the machines. Note, their laundry room is the best and least expensive so far. After a quick text to say we were running late, we legged it into Debenham’s to meet Elaine and Rob, who had just returned from Spain. We had a catch up over our refreshments and then all walked back to the boat to sit briefly in the sunshine. Unfortunately, it was not to be a long visit today as Elaine had to prepare herself for work the following day. It was, however, nice to see them and hopefully we will catch up with them again soon.
Chris had been passage planning for our next trip to Brixham and on checking the weather forecast for the next day decided we would have one more day in Weymouth. So an executive decision was made to eat out tonight, then go shopping for suppers onboard for a couple of nights. We tidied ourselves up and headed out for a stroll round town to see what was on offer. We ended up in a small Chinese restaurant and enjoyed a tasty oriental feast. Afterwards, we ambled back to the boat and spent another evening snuggled up with our books and iPads. Another peaceful night’s sleep followed.
5th July – Tuesday
Chris sorted out some work related matters, while Carole checked cupboards and fridge for her shopping list. We then took a walk, heading first to Weymouth station to buy two ‘over 60’s’ railcards, then on to B & Q to get some adhesive to repair the cockpit table as a piece of wood had come unstuck. We then returned to the boat via Iceland supermarket after completing our shopping. The weather had greatly improved and we found we didn’t need our jackets this afternoon. Carole baked off some rolls for lunch, which we ate with cheese, tomatoes and pickle, then after clearing away, Carole had a nap while Chris did his repair. Chris then cooked a tasty supper of cowboy pie and beans which went down well with a small glass of beer. While Carole washed up, Chris completed his passage plan for Wednesday’s trip to Brixham. Before we knew it, it was bedtime.