2024 April 20th Day 22, to Hope Cove

With the "gate" around the Bill of Portland not "opening" until 09:27 there was no need for the normal early start and I weighed anchor at 07:50, and after motoring out of the harbour it was a leisurely sail much of the way down the east side of Portland until the wind shifted and dropped and I was going slowly on a dead run so on went the engine to get to the Bill at the optimum time to get the best push from the west going tide.

As usual there was a flotilla going round, 1 way ahead, 3 of us
pretty much to the schedule and a few well behind.

Passing close to the Bill and even closer to the off
lying rocks and pot buoys. Note the scale.

The obelisk on the left marks submerged rocks just offshore. 

I miss judged it very slightly and went round 5 minutes early in benign conditions with the wind filling in from the ENE at 11 knots, up went the cruising chute and I headed off making better than 4 knots, over the next 3 hours I made good progress until the wind died to 6 knots or less so on went the engine.

The first filmed dolphin of the trip, apparently a singleton 
(Common Dolphin).

Unfortunately the engine had to stay on for the rest of the day but on the bright side it did allow me to get all the way to Hope Cove in daylight.

Turning into Hope Cove.

68 nautical miles in twelve and a half hours.

Click here for Polkerris.

2024 April 19th Day 21, to Portland.

The inshore forecast on Friday morning dropped the strong wind warning, although the weather gods had a different idea, so with a bit of a scramble to get off the mooring before the tide turned, I was off at 09:00 in a light wind that increased to F5 as I got into the Solent. I could not quite weather Sconce Buoy (south of Yarmouth) so on went the engine to go through Hurst Narrows and the mile or so though the North channel.

Approaching Hurst Point, note the water breaking over the
norther end of the Shingles bank (centre).

It was a quick but bumpy ride in a strong F5 wind, sailing for comfort (a relative term) under a double reefed genoa and no mainsail. The boat is very well balanced under this rig giving the autopilot very little to do.

Then, at just the wrong time and place, the wind increased to F6 as I was approaching Anvil Point and the expected bumpy ride turned into very bumpy until I was past St Alban's having gone outside of St Alban's ledge.

Hamble to Portland 55 miles in 12 hours, 5 minutes slower than
the east bound trip going back to Hamble for repairs.

Click here for the trip to Hope Cove.

2024 April 17th Days 19 & 20,back to Hamble to fix the anchor windlass.

A bumpy but quick ride back under headsail only in a stronger than forecast F5-6 wind. With a F5 northerly wind forecast it would have made getting onto the mooring very hard work so it was a good job I had booked the RAFYC walk ashore pontoon which would also be more convenient and save getting the dinghy and outboard into and out of the water.

I will write up the windlass problem in my normal post on defects for the cruise (link opens in a new window), but for now there turned out to other issues than a burnt out motor and I had to replace the whole windlass.

The offending windlass came out very easily but
there were big problems to follow.

With brisk winds forecast overnight on the 18th and through the 19th I moved to the mooring earlier than planned to avoid struggling with the wind.

56 nautical miles in 12 hours back to the Hamble.

Click here for my return to Portland.

2024 April 16th Days 18, away to Hamble tomorrow?

The weather is still problematical but on Wednesday I should be able to move out, it is going to be windy but offshore at least until I am into the Solent. A problem was that the wind could be anywhere from NW to NE and still fresh by the time I get to the Hamble which would make getting onto the trot mooring difficult single handed with wind against tide, but I have been able to book a berth at the RAFYC from Wednesday morning through Friday morning which will be easier to get on to, save getting the dinghy out and making multiple trips to and from shore and hopefully give a more stable platform for repairs to the anchor windlass.

Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis - Strong wind warning

24 hour forecast: West or northwest, veering north for a time, 4 to 6. Slight or moderate becoming smooth or slight later. Showers. Good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: Northwest 4 to 6, veering north or northeast 3 or 4 later. Smooth or slight. Showers. Good, occasionally poor.

If I can fix the windlass in time I could then head off for points west on Friday morning.

Click here for the rough trip back.

2024 April 14th Days 16 - 17, back to Portland Marina and weather bound again.

The weather forecasts are driving me to distraction! As things turned out I could have left Saturday and, with some night sailing and motoring been on the mooring in good weather on Sunday. 

Sunday morning I woke up to no wind and did not check the forecast till past 09:30; the new forecast showed a relatively calm day with strong winds reaching the Hamble after c 04:00 Monday, quick calculations showed if I motored I could be in Hamble by 02:00, tight but possible with Portland Marina a safe fall back, the eco buoys at Studland would not be a sensible option with wind forecast to be F7 occ F8 for Monday.

I was underway within 10 minutes with washing up still to be done and bedding needing to be stored but with calm seas that was soon sorted and I motored across Lyme Bay making better than 6 knots in calm seas.

Typically the wind increased from 8 knots at 15:40 when I was 6 miles off the Bill of Portland with the tide about to turn adverse. By 16:26 it was blowing 16 knots and by 17:26 up to 20 but this time there was less tide and I had the wind and waves behind me and with some gentle surfing was making c 7 knots through the water and quite comfortable.

A rather more direct track eastbound than west bound.

A decision had to be made, Portland or Hamble? According to the met office domestic forecast for Hamble I still had several hours in hand to get to Hamble but it did not feel right, it would mean a couple of expensive nights in the marina but it seemed sensible to go there.

Another decision was to go west or east of the Shambles bank. West is a good deal shorter but would have more adverse tide and goes rather close to the Portland Race. I went east as the safe option but I don’t think it took that much longer because as soon as I turned round the bank I had the tide c30 degrees off the bow rather than dead ahead and I made 6 knots over the ground to the harbour entrance.

Portland from south of the Shambles Bank

Getting onto the pontoon was a big challenge, when I was allocated the berth I was very pleased, I would be almost dead into wind (I had said I was single handed and would not be able to get into a berth down wind) with a slight bias blowing me on to the pontoon, but when the gale arrived I would be blown off. Unfortunately in the 30 minutes it took to rig fenders etc. and to get into the marina the 20 knt wind had veered from SSW - SW to West I was going to be blown off. 

Fortunately the berth master has realised what had happened and came a long way from the office to take my lines; but it was a fraught couple of minutes and two attempts before I was secure.

My route in cutting the corner a bit inside the buoy.

It was a very good decision, by 02:00 the wind was over 20 knots and by 03:00 30 knots, getting onto the mooring in that would at best have been extremely difficult.

The down side is that the forecasts have changed again, on Sunday the gale was to blow through Monday night but as I write on Monday morning winds will keep me here until Thursday 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬!

The gale is also stronger than forecast, the wind gusting to 53 knots at the breakwater at 09:30.

55 nautical miles in nine and a half hours.

Update Monday evening. Perhaps Wednesday?

Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis - Strong wind warning

24 hour forecast: West or northwest 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 or 5 later. Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate. Squally showers, fair for a time. Good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: Northwest 3 to 5. Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in north. Showers. Moderate or good.

Click here for what is hopefully the denouement.

2024 April 12th Days 14 - ?, Anchor problems & going back to square one.

Unfortunately Brixham is as far as am going to get on this attempt, the anchor windlass failed when I was anchoring, I had hoped that it was a minor electrical problem but the motor is dead and will have to be replaced. 

I am going back to the mooring on the Hamble to do that, I’m not sure how long the job will take and I don’t want to run up more big bills at a marina if it turns into a long job. I can then hopefully pick a new start date with better weather than on this attempt. 

A replacement motor for the windlass is on order for delivery to the RAFYC so hopefully it will be a quick turn round.

Now I have to wait for some calm weather to manually pull up 40 metres of chain and a 10Kg anchor. Fortunately in an emergency I can still anchor using the bower and chain rode or with one of the other anchors and rope rode, but getting either back up will always be an issue so I will probably head for a buoy at Studland so I can time my entry to the Solent with the tide and onto the mooring. Of course the weather is making life complicated again with more high winds arriving Sunday / Monday.

Saturday 13th April.

The view from Fishcombe Cove

I woke up at 06:00 to find no wind vs the F3 - 5 forecast so I got the anchor up with less difficulty than I thought I would have - but it was very calm, it would have been very difficult pulling into fresh wind or tide. I moved a short distance to pick up one of the new "Eco Buoys".

In Fiscombe / Churston Cove waiting for yet more bad
weather to hit. It would be very picturesque and peaceful but
For jet skis dashing about, I guess they don’t like the noise
either as many have music blasting out to drown out the engine.

I could be here for a while:

Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis - Strong wind warning

24 hour forecast: Southwest veering northwest, 3 to 5, increasing 6 for a time. Slight or moderate. Mainly fair. Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: Northwest 3 or 4, backing west or southwest 5 or 6, increasing 7 or gale 8 later. Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough later. Fair, squally showers later. Good, occasionally moderate later.

It could easily be Wednesday or Thursday before I get away. Typical, the 19:00 forecast remove the F6 bit.

Click here for yet another change of plan and the trip back to Portland.