A day of rest and exploration for the MBM fleet in Weymouth Harbour...
Tuesday 11th July
Day 4
Position – Custom House Quay, Weymouth
50°36′.453 N 002° 27.057 W
It was a slow and relaxed start to the day. It had rained heavily overnight however in contrast to yesterday, under sunny blue skies, Weymouth was a bustle with colour and people. The sandy beach was packed with sunbathers and in the harbour; many fishing boats were on the move.
Many boat crews wandered off into the town, which is just a few hundred yards from the pontoons. Other boats broke free of their rafts to re-fuel. Cruise Leader Neale Byart and Jon Mendez went over to assist MBM boat ‘Penpal’ who had been the casualty yesterday. They helped the owner install a much needed bilge pump below the leaking anchor locker.
It appeared to be a good call not moving the fleet to Dartmouth today. A yacht called ‘Timekeeper’, who had escaped a raft of Motor Boats Monthly boats early morning bound for Dartmouth, reported back later on that his passage around Portland Bill had been very uncomfortable. The plan is to move to Dartmouth tomorrow. Time Flies will go out with the first boat and speed off towards Portland Bill to access the sea conditions.
Today, the MBM team were introduced to the smallest crewmember in the fleet, a black cat called ‘Poppy’ who is travelling aboard Broom 42 ‘Joli D’. Her owners said ‘Poppy’ didn’t really know what to make yesterday’s bouncy ordeal; she was actually seasick but a good recovery today.
Claire unfortunately had to cancel tonight’s dinner at the Royal Dart Yacht Club, but she has managed to re-arrange the dinner for Thursday night. To catch up with itinerary, the fleet will stay in Dartmouth for only two nights instead of the three planned and then, it will move onto Plymouth where the boats will stay one night instead of two.
