La Bamba – Voyages of sailing boat La Bamba

Winter jobs

Early 2026

This winter, despite spending 6 weeks skiing, David has been very busy on La Bamba. This blog is for the techie nerds and gives a glimpse into the hard paddling underwater that the swanlike glide of the yacht seldom reveals….

September Limericks

On Chesil Beach we walked in a gale

Pebbles? There’s bale upon bale

The ones that we found

Were so smooth and round

So glad that we didn’t sail!

Back home via Old Harry

Lyme Regis to Old Harry 43nm

Tuesday 30 September

There was absolutely no wind this morning. A beautiful dawn over the Dorset coast after a lovely sunset last night.

Light Airs to Lyme Regis

Brixham to Lyme Regis 31nm

Monday 29 September

We set off knowing the forecast was for light airs and variable. Neither of those words are what sailors want to hear.

Briskly round to Brixham

Salcombe to Brixham 25nm

Saturday 27 September & Sunday 28

There are very unfamiliar grey skies today as we leave Salcombe.

A Slow Sail to Sunny Salcombe

Dartmouth to Salcombe 15nm

Thursday 25 September & Friday 26

We picked Penny up off Dartmouth quay in the afternoon – it’s getting to be a habit, meeting Penny in Dartmouth! (See previous blogs)

Delightful Dittisham

Tuesday -Wednesday 23-24 September

Just up the river from Dartmouth and Kingswear is the most delightful village of Dittisham. We moored up on a visitor’s buoy in the deep (18m!) and generous river Dart.

Dare to Gybe off Portland Bill

Weymouth to Dittisham 60nm

Monday 22 Sept

As we were in the inner harbour at Weymouth we had to wait for the first bridge opening at 10 to leave in mostly Northerly winds and fine sunshine.

Weymouth and Chesil Beach

Lymington to Weymouth 38nm

Friday & Saturday 19/20 September

On Friday we enjoyed a beautiful sail to Weymouth. We left in fine weather and flat seas with the wind a delightful 9 knots which built up to about 14.

Three Sails to Studland Bay

Saturday 23 August

Yesterday we were very pleased to welcome my mother Christine and my sister Catharine onto La Bamba as it was their first visit.

Unfortunately we were so excited to have them that we forgot to take any photos! It was a perfect sunny day and we enjoyed lunch at The Haven followed by a walk on the lovely Lymington Sea Wall.