Tom Cunliffe rounds Portland Bill on the inshore passage. ©Tom Cunliffe

It's slack water when Tom Cunliffe comes past Portland Bill. He thinks back to Weymouth ~ seagulls, eagles, the Jailhouse Café and a creative Harbourmaster....

[@DrCrabfingers]

Nice to see Portland Bill from the sea....as a local the Jailhouse cafe is totally new to me...never even heard about it, how odd. Even more odd is thinking of ships being overwhelmed by a tidal race and sinking...that really is extraordinary. I never get bored of watching the tide ripping around the Isle of Purbeck....it really does form rapids at Portland and Swanage. Great video Tom, I love these little yarns of yours, there's always a nugget of wisdom and always a tale to lift one's spirits.

[@peterw4338]

Tom Cunliffe inspires me to go yachting. I can't wait to get stuck in and hoist the rudder, sit back and watch the keel flapping in the breeze

[@sheilamorrison1954]

lol

[@Horriblebastad]

I loved it up there,great people. My first inshore passage from Portland harbour to Exmouth last summer. I just checked with the coast guard,prior to leaving harbour. Great guys. The reassurance,and advice they gave made a nervous first timer feel more comfortable.

[@TomCunliffeYachtsandYarns]

Good to hear. First time can always be a bit nerve-racking. Tom

[@jeffreysearle2996]

Hey Tom, I have been using the saying, bit of kit with my American friends in Newport . Makes me feel like a proper British sailor. 😎

[@nicvine]

We did this route in our Nic 35 last summer, used every page of your Shell Channel from Dover to Scilly. Can't get enough of these vlogs. Special request: how about a guest appearance from the crew/camerawoman, Ros?! And if you are stuck in port, give us a guided tour of Constance and the clever things you have rigged up. Fair winds.

[@josephlai9759]

Thank you for introducing me to Portland Bill in your book The Complete Yachtman. In the process of finding out more, I came across this video of yours. Looks like at slack tide, it is contrasting different from the violent races at other times.

[@TomCunliffeYachtsandYarns]

Hi Joseph. That's right. You have to go round Portland Bill at the right time, or you'll regret it. Tom

[@PrinceKlutz]

Great vid, Tom. Makes lunch in the office bearable. What are you riding now? I had a Yami FJR 1300, but had an unscheduled get-off and it's no more.

[@colsmith7257]

In Brisbane, on the south bank parklands, which is a basically a corporatised public area , full of cafe's and basically a playground for the effluent residents in the private tower blocks. The native Ibis birds which have reached epidemic proportions due to the open rubbish dumps. These birds are vile, they stink, steal your food. Well some bloke with an eagle was employed to help manage the problem. Some people complained and said it was too stressful for the birds. Humanity has reached its end when the birds are allowed to spread disease and foul the place up. I'm very surprised to hear they allow the sea gulls to be shoed off. I've watch pigeons flew over council staff while they were eating. I mean the pigeons were more like flies, all that dust and debris being breathed in while they ate. Government on rare occasions care about life, and then only briefly. Sailors are solitary figures, but they understand community and value of life. Unlike the maggots gourging themselves on the dead horse of community.

[@petem6354]

Enjoyable travelogue but what we love about Tom's yarns is his sharing of sailing tips. So it would have been nice to hear his views on the pros and cons of the inner vs outer route around the old Bill

[@iainhunneybell]

Inside route? Seem quite a way off, although you’re past The Bill at this point. Advice I’ve been given and used is “to be within teabag throwing distance of the shore”. It works and you come shooting out the western side, I guess carried by a counter current 🙂

[@columkenn]

Is that prison cafe still there?

[@Andrewhicks-t4i]

Yes it is.

[@nigelmtb]

Enjoy the trip, Tom and crew (Ros, I assume).

[@keithtpullin]

Nice Vid Tom, Cheers.

[@greggron]

What’s the point of doing a video about the Portland inland passage and just talking about restaurants. This could have been helpful, it’s anything but.

[@TomCunliffeYachtsandYarns]

I've made another video about Portland, Greg, that you might find more technically enlightening. It's on the channel somewhere. Otherwise, can I recommend my pilot book, 'The Shell Channel Pilot' - available from my website www.tomcunliffe.com. Tom

[@greggron]

Tom Cunliffe - Yachts and Yarns thanks Tom. I have the book already 🙂. Done the outer passage many times. Still not grown them big enough to try the inner yet though. Sadler 25