100 DAYS OF SUMMER
Graham and I have been boating for 10 years and acquired our second boat, a Fairline Targa 34 we named Lyons Maid, seven years ago. We started out as complete novices and gradually built up our experience and RYA training to the point where Graham has now completed a Yacht Master course.
During those first 10 years we struggled to juggle work and family holidays with decent weather. Boating should be fun and we were loathe to go out in inclement weather, not only because of the dangers but also the risk of having to leave Lyons Maid away from her home berth in Northney Marina.
In 2018 we both stopped working and wanted to spend more time on the boat. I suggested that instead of planning a series of day or weekend trips, we based ourselves on the boat for the summer and only visited home when necessary. Our goal was to explore the South West coast of England at our leisure. Being MDL berthholders we could take advantage of their Freedom Berthing facility to leave the boat in Plymouth, Brixham or Torquay free of charge if we needed to travel home at any point.
GO WEST
We set off on 27 May and reached Portland Marina two days later. We prefer Portland to Weymouth for the open space, the nearby beaches, the walks and the village atmosphere, and we could still cycle to Weymouth on our folding bicycles.
Our eldest son and family were holidaying in Weymouth at the time and we spent the time exploring its historic quayside and enjoying the beaches with them. Fog hampered our plans to move further west for several days so we even managed a night out at the theatre.
Cruising from Portland to Brixham presented more of a challenge. The almanac advises caution and we had heard many tales of difficult passages around Portland Bill. I was also a little worried about crossing Lyme Bay, knowing we would be out of sight of land
