Speed freaks will again be gathering at Portland harbour, Portland, DT5 1SA, on Saturday 10th October, 2009, for Weymouth Speed Week. The event runs through to Friday 16th October and is open to any sailing craft over a 500m Course. Portland harbour is bounded on its south western side by Chesil Beach . Chesil Beach is a pebble bank, forming a huge natural breakwater that stops the waves but not the wind. The Harbour therefore has ideal speed sailing conditions, with a combination of smooth strong winds (prevailing south westerlies) and flat water. Chesil Beach itself, is regarded as one of the natural wonders of the world; it is an 18 mile, shingle bank or tombolo (shown as a blue line in the satellite image), that forms part of the World Heritage Jurassic Coast.
Spectators are always welcome and the Weymouth Sailing Centre is usually open to all during Speed Week. The event also hosts the International Speed Windsurfing Class, Speed World Cup and the British Championships sanctioned by the United Kingdom Windsurfing Association. Wemouth has been chosen as the site to host the sailing events during the 2012 Olympic Games.
It has been pointed out that strictly speaking, Weymouth is a separate area to Portland, so to avoid confusion I have included a Google map. The event will be based at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy that is located at the Portland end of Chesil Beach. It is reached via Portland Beach Road. Note that the red map marker"A", may not be located exactly over the Sailing Academy, which is clearly adjacent to the harbour; you turn left at the roundabout, so as to keep the water on your left, in view.
It's that time again; the time when wetass speed freaks descend on Weymouth's Portland Harbour for Weymouth Speed Week.
Portland Harbour is to be the sailing venue for the 2012 Olympic games but during speed week, speed sailors take a crack at the World sailing speed record and in particular aim to hit the elusive 50 knot barrier for the first time. All manner of craft enter, including sailboards, kite boards and some exceptionally engineered cutting-edge designs. Competitors come from around the world, although this year, the Luderitz World Cup is being held in Namibia during the period 15 September - 13 October, 2008, which overlaps Weymouth Speed Week 2008, running 4 - 10 October.
Top speed board sailors are now regularly hitting speed in excess of 45 Knots and some like Martin van Meurs have been logged as reaching peak speeds of 50 knots but for the world record, the speed must be averaged over a measured distance, eg. 500m.
The unique geographical location of Portland harbour results in ideal speed sailing conditions of smooth, strong winds and flat water. Spectators are encouraged at the event, which usually includes workshops and demonstrations, and the Weymouth Sailing Centre is open to all during Speed Week.
This week we are pleased to bring you a couple of videos posted by Luke Gartside (Lukedreams), so settle down to 10 minutes of action. The first shows surfers in the area just to the east of Bournemouth, that is soon to be transformed by the first artificial reef in the northern hemisphere.
And this second, rather more colourful, video shows highlights from the Animal Windfest at Sandbanks, Poole, which is just to the west of Bournemouth. It illustrates the sort of board, beach and surf activities that cause adrenaline junkies to flock to England's south coast. In case your not familiar with this region, it is bounded by the New Forest, Lymington and Solent Water to the East, and Weymouth, site of the 2012 Olympic sailing events, to the west.
I picked up on this event a couple of months ago and suddenly I find that it is almost upon us. A large pagan gathering near Weymouth in the UK, to celebrate the festival of Beltane, is being organised by Dorset druids and witches. Several hundred people are expected to attend the festival, running from May 2 to May 4, 2008, which will culminate in the ritual burning of a wicker man.
.jpg "Screenshot from World Wind software displaying NASA Landsat imagery.")
Portland harbour is bounded on its south western side by Chesil Beach . Chesil Beach is a pebble bank, forming a huge natural breakwater that stops the waves but not the wind. The Harbour therefore has ideal speed sailing conditions, with a combination of smooth strong winds (prevailing south westerlies) and flat water. Chesil Beach itself, is regarded as one of the natural wonders of the world; it is an 18 mile, shingle bank or tombolo (shown as a blue line in the satellite image), that forms part of the World Heritage Jurassic Coast.
