PORTLAND HARBOUR

I was happy with our selection of Weymouth as harbour for the winter of 2020. Even in the wildest of gales Luna would sit quietly on her mooring lines while wind whistled through the rigging. However, Portland was the place to go for excitement. The hub of activity is a pebbly patch next to Billy Winters bar and diner, where kitesurfers, windsurfers and ‘wing surfers’ (see next page) of all ages pull up in their vans and get their kit ready. The reason this place is the mecca for local riders is thanks to the geography of Portland Harbour; Chesil Beach blocks any swell from prevailing south-westerly winds, so it can be blowing hard but the sea opposite Billy Winters is completely flat. It is also shallow, which is ideal for beginners, as we will discover on the next page.