Studland to Weymouth – 24 nm
Thursday 10 July
It’s very hot as we get La Bamba ready this morning and we need to wait for the tide to turn – so we have time for a cool swim off the boat.
Then we say goodbye to Harry and his friends.
And set off down the Dorset Coast in perfect sailing weather. The wind is a gentle 7-9 knots, the sea is as flat as a pancake and we slip along at 5-6 knots.
We sailed over the ‘race’ at St Alban’s head which can be fruity in rough weather. Even in these flat seas and light winds we saw some white horses.
This reminded us of Angela last time we were here, exclaiming with delight when she was 6: ‘Look at the white horses Daddy!’
The breeze keeps us cool and we listen to VHF Channel 8 for all the advice on the military exclusion zone so that we don’t get shot. We listened to all the chatter and set our course accordingly.
A patrol boat then approached us and asked us to change course by 5 degrees, he was very polite: ‘Could I ask you to sail your beautiful yacht on a course of 270 degrees?’ How could we refuse? So we tacked over.
Apparently he had tried to call us on the radio but we didn’t hear him. We had however heard him talking to absolutely every other boat in the area!
Later I saw another yacht sail in exactly the same place that we had been in and there was no request on the radio or otherwise for it to alter course. I think the patrol man just wanted to take a good look at La Bamba!
We were one of the few yachts actually sailing, we did have to do a few tacks as the wind was full Westerly but we were more or less the same speed overall as the motor sailors going straight up the coast, especially as they had to come out anyway to miss the exclusion zone.
We sailed past Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door – a great favourite of Victoriia’s, of our Ukrainian family.
We tried out our Watt&Sea Hydropower generator and it worked! At 5 knots it gave about 50-80 watts, and at 6.7 knots it was up to 110 so when we are roaring down the trade winds at 10 knots plus it should power us very nicely – David is expecting 400W or more.
We only used it on one tack as we are waiting for our second metal bracket- the plastic one is not as good.
Weymouth is a lovely little town and we rafted up to wait for the bridge at 4pm.
The bridge opens every 2 hours during the day so you need to time your coming and goings.
Here we are in the Marina tucked inside the town, and I can hear swifts which always makes me happy.
I have filled up with water and tidied the boat,
David is mending the leaks from the upgraded pipes of the water-maker.
