We set off at 0900 from sunny Torquay in a light southerly wind to catch some remaining good tide into Lyme Bay. However there were larger than expected waves against us at this stage, making it a bit slow.
At lunchtime the predicted moderate wind arrived from the southwest and the waves reduced to allow us to make better speed, even as the tide turned against us in the middle part of the bay crossing.
We approached the middle of the Isle of Portland to pick up the earliest tide that flows towards the Bill on the western side. We got there at about 1730 and began the fast ride round past the lighthouse. On the eastern side we encountered a patch of fairly rough water – this is the famous race – which made the necessary gybe more difficult than it really needed to be!
Very soon we were round the Bill and back in calm water, with only a few miles to the Portland Marina. 51NM in 10 hours 15 minutes (average 4.97 kts).
Visit to Abbotsbury
19 June 2026
Waiting for good tide to go across the channel, and for the weather to get better, we took the bus to the lovely village of Abbotsbury at the other end of Chesil Beach.
We visited the Tythe Barn (and its cafe) and the abbey pond where the swans were sitting on the path and not in the water! Then the church and the Ilchester Arms for lunch, before climbing the hill fort to see St. Catherine’s Chapel on its summit overlooking Chesil Beach and Lyme Bay.
Molia