16 June - Portland Marina

We eased into Portland Marina at sunset last night.

From wikipedia, Portland Harbour "...is one of the largest man-made harbours in the world. The harbour was made by the building of stone breakwaters between 1848 and 1905. From its inception it was a Royal Navy base, and played prominent roles during the First and Second World Wars; ships of the Royal Navy and NATO countries worked up and exercised in its waters until 1995. The harbour is now a civilian port and popular recreation area, and was used for the 2012 Olympic Games."

I remember getting a trip in the back of a Royal Navy Wessex helicopter here as part of school cadet trip, when it was a big naval base. Now the only signs of that naval presence are a few auxiliary ships - sad in a way but its current form of Marina and National Sailing Academy is probably a sign of more peaceful and happier times.

There are nevertheless a few large ships outside using the shelter of the harbour.

We can tell we're on the UK south coast because everything is slick and expensive.  We were amazed to see this sign on the pontoon as we rocked up:

Perhaps the most professional and biggest marina we've visited, but also the most expensive.  The waters around seem crowded and every little inlet seems to be packed with yachts.  It's a far cry from the empty spaces further north.  Nevertheless, despite the size of this place, that it was the host to the 2012 Olympic sailing events and the fact that we're adjacent to the UK National Sailing Academy, I'm proud to say that we still dominate the place with the most powerful yacht and, as (nearly) always, the biggest mast!  It's not Lorient, where all of the masts are bigger than ours!