Day 89- Sunday 14th August- Weymouth to Lyme Regis

Today I said hello to the old Bill and ended up with Hylje on the Cob. In between was the perfect sail.

I read and re-read the pilot books, spoke to people who had done the inside route around Portland Bill and then aimed to time my arrival at High Water Dover. Like many things, the fear of the thing is often worse than than the thing itself. Approaching the end of Portland Bill down the east side,you can not see the tip until you are committed to going around it.The island is famous for providing the Portland stone that has been used to build much of central London. The rock is quarried right at the water's edge and would have been removed by sea. This would be a tough place to be in many conditions.

 You can see the breakers in the distance, but have no idea how far you will be from it until you get there. The sun was shining, so visibility was good, which meant spotting the lobster pot markers was easy.I was surprised how slow the current was moving, but 1.5kn at so called slack water wasn't bad I suppose.

Apart from the lighthouse, the boats making the route inside the race provides good entertainment for holiday makers. A few speed boats able to play in the surf,( so long as their engines were running) hung around on the edge of the race. No sooner was I there, than I was through.

Once around the Bill, Lyme Bay stretches away in front of you. The wind was a force 5 from the West, so where I went from there depended on how close I could get to the wind. and where this would take me in the Bay.About a 4 hour port tack took me to Lyme Regis. Effectively the choice was here or West Bay, but there is no real choice, Lyme Regis wins every time.

The sun was shining, the wind was strong, but constant, and the coast was stunning in the clear air. The coast line varies from rolling Dorset farmland to sand covered cliffs. they have a lovely ochre colour.

All the way from the bill a Hill called Golden Cap becomes a feature to aim at. The sandy top must give it its name.

Just as I reached Lyme Regis, the wind dropped, then started blowing from the NW. This meant that the harbour should be very calm in this offshore wind.

They provide a pontoon off the Cob Quay in  summer, so it is possible to remain afloat, rather than to have to dry out in the harbour.

The town was humming in the warm sunshine.It is the end of Carnival week. Gig races were going on, with teams from all over the south west.The cob was full of people crabbing and catching the sun.

Lyme Regis describes itself as the Pearl of Dorset. It certainly is a lovely place in a great county. I have seen some impressive coastlines on this trip, but today this bit of the Dorset coast looked as good as any.

Tomorrow I aim to go to Teignmouth. This will be the last stop before the last leg to Dartmouth. Hopefully Joe will be able to join me for this leg. I'm savouring these last few miles.Tom Cunliffe describesTeigmmouth in his Cannel Pilot as "simply the most fun you can have without taking your oilies off". I don't remember it being that good, but I'm prepared to try and see what he's on about.