#WEYMOUTH – Applications for booking visitor berthing in Weymouth Harbour and anchorage in Weymouth Bay during the sailing events of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are now open.
It will not be possible for visiting boats to enter Weymouth & Portland Harbours and expect to be accommodated during Games time without pre booking their berth or anchorage. It is essential therefore that bookings are made in advance, as it is expected that all available berths and anchorages will be fully booked, well before the start of the Olympic Games.
Weymouth and Portland Harbours will still be accessible at all times during the Games, via a dedicated channel and will continue to operate as working harbours for ferry services to the Channel Islands, commercial shipping, fishing, diving and other recreational water based activities. There will however be restrictions on the waters within Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour where the race areas are located, (known as the field of Play) during race times themselves.
Olympic sailing will take place between 28 July and 12 August 2012 Paralympic sailing will take place between 29 August – 6 September 2012
Over the last 18 months the Weymouth Harbour team has been working hard to ensure that boat owners who come to Weymouth & Portland in summer 2012 enjoy the unique experience of visiting the waters around the Olympic sailing events.
There will be plenty going on during the summer of 2012, including the free 'Live Site' on Weymouth Beach, where the sailing and other Olympic sporting events will be screened, the Weymouth Bayside Festival, which will host exhibitions; Dorset products, catering and entertainment, together with a 12 week programme of local cultural events called the 'Maritime Mix'; part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad Festival.
Peter Mole Weymouth Harbour Master, said: "We can start to share the excitement and feeling of anticipation with those who will be joining us for this once in a lifetime experience. Improvements are being made to services around the harbour, including new showers, extra pontoons, pump out facilities, Wi-Fi and a water taxi serving the 2012 anchorages out in the Bay.
"The Weymouth Harbour team look forward to welcoming boating visitors to view the Olympic races talking place in some of the finest sailing waters in the world with the beautiful backdrop of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. However all prospective visitors need to be aware that there will be restrictions during Games times and that for capacity and security reasons, all berthing and moorings in the harbour must be pre-booked."
