Dawn broke in Blood Alley with a beautiful sunrise but no wind. The fleet gathered and made their way out of the harbour towards Anvil Point and St Albans Head. Much discussion had taken place but it was decided that no tide meant no over falls so this is what we aimed for.
We dressed for rough water and washboards and hatches were closed, which was just as well as the over falls at St Albans were quite exciting with water over the deck and the engine powering through the water. But almost as soon as you were in the rough water you found yourself out the other side - a bit like a theme park ride, lots of anticipation and over in seconds.
We found our way barred by a very polite but firm Range boat, directing us to a waypoint some 5 miles off shore, to avoid the guns at Lulworth ranges. With little wind it took sometime to cover the ground but we eventually turned astern of another Range boat and set course for Weymouth. As we cleared the range limits on the Weymouth side we did hear several loud guns but no water splashes which was disappointing and does beg the question 'what was the target?'
We arrived in Weymouth at about 15.00 after an early start and spent sometime exploring the flesh pots on offer (for that read chandlers, supermarkets and garages for fuel).
Another early start was required to tackle the looming Portland Bill and having sought advice from the Harbour Master that confirmed our passage planning we felt suitably confident to turn in for the night.
Pictures : Richard in Egret dressed for St Albans Head, Simon (accompanied by Mac, the Scottie dog) in Damson en route to Weymouth, the approach to Weymouth harbour, the fleet tied up alongside.
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