International Sailing Federation Olympic Website

With just 177 days to go to the start of the Olympics the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has just opened their brand new website that will cover the games.  http://www.sailing.org/olympics/london2012/home.php

Weymouth plan Secure Parking for Cyclists for the Olympics

Part of the parking and road package includes plans for those who wish to Cycle into Weymouth for the games, so perfect for residents and even those who are camping or staying on the outskirts of the town.
There are three Cyclist Parking Centres planned at Westham Bridge, The Nothe, and Brunswick Terrace.  Something I am certainly going to use anyway, and I would expect them to be very popular.

Ben Ainslie Free from Further Punishment to compete at Olympics in Weymouth

Britain's Star of Sailing Ben Ainslie one of the nicest guys you could meet, who had a nightmare of an event in the World Championships in Perth just before Christmas has at last been given the thumbs up to compete in Weymouth in July 2012.  I am not going to drag the whole thing up again we all know what happened, but the RYA quite rightly have decided that being disqualified from the Worlds was enough.  Great news, time to move on, and lessons learnt from crews, TV boats AND organisers.

Camping in Weymouth for the 2012 Olympics

There are of course quite a few Camp sites around the outskirts of Weymouth that have been established for years and they get quite busy during the Summer Holidays and 2012 is expected to be the same. The powers that be seem to think that visitors might decide on at the last minute to come to Weymouth for 3 or 4 days and obviously some will wait and see what the weather does. But, that said it is always advisable to book early, some sites will get booked up sooner than others. I have couple of ideas that you might find helpful and they are both quite different and are new for 2012.

First is the 2012 Camping at the Games Website. The actual website itself is very user friendly indeed and works in conjunction with CampingNinja which is great for all your camping needs any year not just 2012.  The website is very easy to navigate and you can trim down your search requirements and come out with the perfect site.  They have a New site in Weymouth which is just for the games. The beauty of this site is the location because it is 2 minutes walk to the beach!  It is close to a lot of local amenities including the Lodmoor Country Park and The Lodmoor pub and restaurant which is right next door.  From the Beach at Lodmoor it is a 10 minute walk along the beautiful Sea Front to where all the action will be at Weymouth Beach Live. The actual site is going to be on the grounds of Weymouth College and has been used for various things like Scouts in the past, last year it was the Sea Cadets who used it.  As I said this location is just about perfect and you won't get any nearer, and so the price is excellent value. The link you need is Camping at the Games in Weymouth  The cost is just £10.00 a night!  If you have tickets for the Nothe to watch the Sailing it is about a 30 minute walk, not just any old walk though, it is a beautiful walk, along the beach and around the Harbour and then up onto the Nothe. But, there will be buses running as well, loads of them.

The 2nd one I have is something completely different it is located at  Eweleaze Farm Campsite, which is an established campsite in it's own right. It comes with a small private beach and farm animals This year they have got a company called Honey Bell Tent Hire on site and they are hiring out Bell Tents during the Summer Holidays of 2012. These massive Bell Tents which can fit the whole family easily under one roof, and you can bring  your own bedding, or hire a fully furnished tent including all the bedding, when you book. You can see those on Honey Bells Tent Hire  To get into Weymouth the Farm provides a shuttle bus which is of course perfect, or you could drive to the nearby park and ride, that would cost £10.00 for the day for the whole family.  You could also catch a local bus from the main road. Even walk! So plenty of options and staying out of town is really not a problem.

So two ideas there at both ends of the budget spectrum..........Happy Camping!!

The Show will go on at the Weymouth Pavilion

The Borough Council have AGREED to pay the £60,000 required to keep the Weymouth Pavilion OPEN!

Picture by Dan Roads, more of his work can be found from the link at the top of the page

RB12 by Land Sea & Air Starts and Finishes at Weymouth & Portland Sailing Academy

If hosting the Olympics wasn't enough the Weymouth & Portland Sailing Academy has been chosen as the Starting and Finishing point of the RB12. It will take place from the 21-30 June 2012 and will be an endurance Round Britain Race by Land Sea and Air. All 3 Elements will be having their own race and selected ports of call will be on each day around the whole of Great Britain have been chosen. Weymouth gets the cream of the race as it will BOTH start and finish. Lots more information to follow on this building up to the start.

Plans coming together for Spectacular Olympic Torch Celebration in Weymouth

The powers that be have been huddled together this week to finalise what is being billed as a Spectacular overnight visit of the Olympic Torch in Weymouth Dorset. The date is of course 12th July 2012 and is just 5 months away!  To have the Olympic Torch in your town is a massive privilege and so should rightly be given the status as such. The country will be watching, and probably the World will be watching. It seems by all accounts that the night will be spectacular in Weymouth and quite rightly so, we are a major part of the 2012 Olympic Games and the night of the 12th of July should be celebrated. Weymouth knows how to throw a party, but this one, has to be the best one of all, I am sure it will be.

Weymouth FC Selling 100 x £99 Season Tickets now!

In a obvious bid to raise money due to a cash flow problem mainly caused by the cancellation of Saturday's home game, and the lack of any other game until February 18th Weymouth have pledged to sell the first 100 purchasers of their £99 season ticket offer on a first come first served basis now. Anyone interested in taking up the offer should contact Tel 07809 145268 or email weymouthboard@gmail.com  The plan was to take the money once 1000 tickets had been pledged, but with the current problem this seems like an excellent way of raising £10,000 quickly........not sure how good this is going to be for Next Season though!! For that reason I am not going to buy.

Bye George! Mr Rolls ditches Weymouth for Kettering Town

Well according to the very bold print of The Non League Paper the deal is almost done!  Mr George Rolls our saviour has turned his back on his beloved little club in the south England and is about to buy a lot of shares in Kettering Town.  Kettering like Weymouth are in dire straits in fact in probably a worse position than the Terras.  They owe money to the Police and Stewards but are trying their best to pay them, and the latest report is that the Stewards have now been paid. Like Weymouth they have great fans, and their fans had a bucket collection at Friday's Nights meeting to collect the money for the Stewards. My point is, they are just like Weymouth were, living everything hand to mouth. It is reported the players have not been paid for at least a month and that is very close indeed now to two months. Obviously something has to give quickly because these are full time players, something has to happen very very soon.







The Poppies are now playing at the fantastic stadium that used to belong to poor Rushden and Diamonds, Nene Park. (As it happens Nene Park is 8.5 miles from Kettering, the same as if Weymouth were playing at Dorchester, not that distance matters) It is a brilliant stadium no doubt about that, but it certainly cost R&D dear, they no longer exist.  There is a twist, and that is the fact that Weymouth ex Chief Executive Gary Calder ran R&D along with Steve Beasant.  It goes on,  Mr Beasant is a property developer and tried a few times to take over at Weymouth. Mr Martyn Harrison when he gave up the reins bless him,  thought long and hard about who he was going to sell to, and he decided against Mr Beasant.  Gary Calder had a failed bid also, or was it a joint Calder/Beasant venture, god only knows.  So it is a bit of a mess, and it would appear that they are the front runners to take over from George. We shall see what happens, of course nothing has been signed, and my contact at Kettering is even saying that the Rolls deal is off. The fans forum meeting on Friday was leaning towards a 5 man local board so it could be a case of the Non League Paper going to press a little late, as this is a very fluent situation indeed.  But I have been saying all week the rumours are rife, and of course they will be now, but lets make one thing really certain, NOTHING has been signed, and that's no surprise considering who is involved in all of this is it.?  DONT BELIEVE ANYTHING YET  Good Luck to our fellow supporters at Kettering Town.

More Details on Park & Ride Buses and Coaches for Weymouth Olympics

It would appear that approx 150 buses are being lined up to transport spectators to the Nothe and Beach for the Olympic games in late July 2012.  Nothing new in the fact there will be FIVE park and ride locations, that has been the plan for a long time now. However they are starting work on the temporary sites this week I believe.
Thats the Monkey Jump car park and the one at Littlemoor.  What is quite new is that you can now book your park and ride or COACH trip to Weymouth on the London2012 Website  The coaches that are available include Birmingham Gloucester Cardiff  Exeter and Southampton. These coaches will drop off at a Preston Beach Road site which will be NEXT to the Lodmoor Country Park, but still within easy walking distance of Town. But the plan includes Park and Ride buses from here to town and the Nothe.  It is these locations where the Ambassadors will come in very handy indeed to help people arriving get to the correct location. Easy of course if you know Weymouth, and a brilliant walk,  but not so easy if it's your first time finding the Nothe from Preston. LINK TO BOOK COACHES http://www.london2012.com/getting-to-the-games

Weymouth's Lewis Tasker goes to Evesham

Weymouth lose their 2nd player in a week as Lewis Tasker joins Sam Malsom leaving the BLS.  Lewis has gone to fellow Southern League Team Evesham and so I wish Lewis all the best.  Weymouth Manager Brendon King is still trying to sign a striker in time to play on Saturday.

A Fourth Option for the Weymouth Pavilion

Well it appears all of a sudden there is in fact more than 3 options for Weymouth Pavilion there is a 4th one, which probably makes more sense than the other 3 put together. We have been down this road before and I have to say the proposal that was scraped after years in the planning was a bit of a monster!
However I still think there is a way this area could be developed without creating something that is out of proportion to the town. A sensible project might get the backing of the town, although I fear nothing will ever get the FULL backing of the town because they are spilt down the middle. But anything that keeps the theatre going and makes the area look better than it does now has to be worth looking at. You can read the full story in todays Echo http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/9508477.Property_expert_keen_to_redevelop_Weymouth_Pavilion_site/

Nominate a Weymouth Hero or Contributor to Win Olympic Sailing Tickets

What a great idea, the Weymouth Council have 35 PAIRS of tickets for the Nothe for the Sailing Events and they are taking nominations from the Weymouth area. It should be someone suitable, that could be someone who has contributed significantly to the town.

If you have someone who you would like to nominate please go to http://www.dorsetforyou.com/london2012/ticketnomination

Olympic Route Network (ORN) through Weymouth for Olympics

I think most people realise that a dedicated route for all Olympic Traffic will be implemented for the games at the Weymouth & Portland Sailing Academy. The planning orders are now all in place and the route for the games is no surprise. However for those living in Buxton Road and indeed Wyke on Portland road some residents and businesses will see no stopping areas outside their properties.  Weymouth & Portland ORN Route PDF Document  The full plan can be seen on London 2012 Weymouth & Portland 

Stourbridge 1 Weymouth 2 Jan 31st 2012

Well the game could have been called off, and most Weymouth fans and I suspect a few Weymouth players might have said OK I can live with that!  On a very cold night and Weymouth losing 2 Key players against a strong Stourbridge side..............and after 9 minutes 1-0 down to a disputed goal things were not looking very good.

But!

It's football you never know and we were only 1-0 down, a point that was stressed LATER on the Stourbridge forum. I did worry because at half time some guy said ok it should have 3-0 and they really they should be looking at another 3 in the 2nd half...... hang on another 3......you didn't get 3 in first half!!

In fact it was sort of suggested that the game was as good as won.....................Oh but don't we just love those kinds of situations, the game was not all over and it was half way though the 2nd half that Weymouth got all square. Things went quiet on the Stourbridge forum, and I expect they went quiet with the 200 odd that turned out in the freezing cold to see their team LOSE! As Weymouth grabbed the winner with about 3 minutes to go. FANBLOODYTASTIC! Really well done to every one who travelled up today, very cold, on a hiding to nothing, and we won a magnificent 3 points. That's why we support you!!!!!

This is NOT a season changing result we have been pulling these kind of unlikely results off all season, we have been playing good football for half the season, and by golly some very average football in between. I can't work it out. If I had a thousand pounds to bet on tonight's game I would have lost, That's the truth. We have been so unpredictable it's unreal, but I keep saying we have played some fabulous football as well this season, better than I have seen in a long time. We will stay up, but we won't go up, I am happy with that.


Not so happy about a few off field activities that have further delayed the AGM from 2009!! But again I try and keep my Weymouth blogs to the on field stuff, but Mr Rolls you make it very difficult.

The Show might not go on, at Weymouth Pavilion Theatre

We all know that the Weymouth Pavilion is losing money and we all know something has got to be done about it. With the current financial climate really in the face of the local council reducing costs is probably all they talk about. I appreciate it's not easy and the Pavilion has been in the target area for a while now. It's looks like the final showdown as the council have come up with 3 options. £60,000 seems to be the ball park figure that they are looking to stop paying out.








Plan 1.  To keep things as they are and look at the theatre reducing costs by that amount. That would seem fair to give them a chance, but can they do it?

Plan 2   Close the theatre, and this would enable to theatre to be used as a tourist and media centre for the Olympic games.

Plan 3   Hand the running of the theatre over to local theatre groups. I suppose meaning it would be run on a volunteer basis.

I am really of the opinion that everything must be done to try and keep this open, I know that's not popular with everyone but in my opinion it would be such a shame to close it.  I still think some things could be run better, but times are hard and I am sure the staff are working really hard and would be devastated to see it close. But really tickets are so expensive for some of the shows, they need to try some offers and see if they can fill the theatre.

Howabout a season ticket option for x amount and then a person with a season ticket could just book to see anything they wish. Same as season ticket system at the Sea Life Centre it would be a major bonus to locals, and would I suspect be very popular indeed. Its not as easy to do this in a theatre I agree but it could be done with a bit of thought and planning.

Just think 600 people buying a £100 season ticket is £60,000 Now where I have I seen that figure before?

Picture is from Dan Roads Photography, for more pictures please see the tab at the top of the website

Application for Queen Diamond Jubilee Street Parties in Weymouth

If you are thinking of holding a street party on or around the 5th June 2012 then you must apply for permission
that can be done quite simply online but it must be done before 20th April 2012. If you do want to apply
please go to the following website address  Street Party Application

Weymouth's Stephen Reed is NOT going to Dorchester!

Fantastic news for Weymouth fans is that late last night the Weymouth Manager Brendon King sealed a deal to keep Stephen Reed at the Bob Lucas Stadium, very good news indeed.

The game today at Stourbridge is subject to a 12.00 noon pitch inspection and the result will be known before the coach leaves at 1.00pm  -  GAME ON!!!

Massive 8 Medals in Miami for Great Britain Sailors Jan 2012

The British Team had a brilliant return for all their hard work in Miami in the World Cup Regatta, following on from winning the most medals at the World Championships they won 3 Golds 4 Silvers and 1 Bronze.

Gold  

Lucy & Kate Macgregor and Annie Lush in the Women's Match Racing

Paul Goodison  Laser 

Nick Dempsey RS:X 

Silver

Alexandra Rickman & Nikki Birrell  Skud

John Robertson Hannah Stodel & Steve Thomas Sonar

Elliot Carney RS:X

Hannah Mills & Saskia Clark 470W

Bronze

Sophie Weguelin & Sophie Ainsworth 470W

Many Congratulations to them and all the other competitors as we had others in 4th and 5th place who will be knocking on the door for sure at the Olympics, . It goes without saying we are going to win medals in the summer but nothing can be taken for granted not all the top sailors were at this event, but as they say you got to be in it to win it, and the results are there to see the British team are on form and its going to be a fabulous competition in August in Weymouth, that you can be 100% sure of.  

Huge Disappointment as Weymouth announce Player Leaving

It has now been confirmed what has been rumoured most of the week that Weymouth's star midfielder and great goalscorer Sam Malsom has gone to Dorchester.  The other name that has been involved in the rumour is Stephen Reed who has also had an excellent few weeks is being reported as "hoping to hold on to him"  More bad news of course is that it could be the last game for Bryon Napper as his loan period finishes after today's game.  While I think everyone wants to see Sam move on and do well in his career, a move to local rivals Dorchester is the one place that will leave the fans very disappointed indeed. I don't mean to sound critical of the Magpies good luck to them, but overall I can see a backlash from our fans, as George scores another own goal as he had already said that once the Terras are safe he was going to off load players......hardly incentive to stay, hardly incentive for ANYTHING!

Lift Off for Weymouth Carnival as Olympic No Fly Zone is dropped

Congratulations to Weymouth Carnival as it has been announced that the No Fly Zone that was in place after the Olympics, and which threated to stop the Weymouth Air Show element of Carnival day has now been lifted. This is fantastic news for the Carnival Committee. The Air Show which includes the Red Arrows is without any doubt a major attraction and it would have been a shame for them to have not been here, this year in particular.

Miami World Regatta Nick Dempsey Fights Back

The World Sailing Regatta is taking place in Miami right now and it includes most of our Olympic Sailing Squad along with our Paralympic Sailors as well.  I mention Nick Dempsey in the header because he did have such a tough time in the Worlds in Perth so today's result of a double 1st place is brilliant for him and will help restore his confidence ahead of Weymouth.  It may not be a full world class field however this is a very important event for Nick and he has had a great day. Elliot Carney the new RSX star however is pushing him all the way as he is 2nd overall so it's a 1st and 2nd for TeamGB.

In other events Paul Goodison is only one point off the lead in the Laser and Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark are right up there in the 470w and also in 2nd place. The Match Race girls are fighting as usual and having some good results among some not so good but are still in the competition. In the Laser Radial Charlotte Dobson is 5th and Alison Young is 7th.  A disappointing result so far however for Patience and Bithell they are 14th in the 470, while Ben Saxton and Richard Mason are 8th in the same event.

In the Paralympic events Rickman and Birrell had a 2nd and 3rd place to end up in the lead overall.  In the Sonar John Robertson Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas had a good day and are 2nd overall. In the single event the 2.3mR Megan Pascoe is in 4th and Helena Lucas is 11th and I think that Olympic place has still to be decided.

More to follow in a couple of days time, but one thing is for sure, if anyone say's any medal is a "gimmie" or more or less guaranteed at this year's Olympics in Weymouth.........they are either joking, or completely mad!

Accommodation Required for Weymouth Olympic Ambassadors

I have had an enquiry for accommodation during the Olympics from a person who has been recruited as a Weymouth Olympic Ambassador. This is because rightly or wrongly it is FACT that the Weymouth Olympic Ambassadors have to find their own accommodation, at their own expense.  I don't really want to get into the argument about if this is right or wrong because quite clearly a case can be made for both sides. But, I do feel that those that have volunteered deserve a bit of help. if they can find cheap or even free accommodation from anyone here in the town that would be fantastic.  So what I am appealing for are two things, 1) Is there anyone else in this same situation?  if there were a few others then perhaps renting together would be an option, or 2) Is there anyone here in Weymouth that might be able to help with a room during the games. Thanks

Contact can be below on the comments or email me photosonmytravels@yahoo.co.uk

50th Weymouth Hockey Festival Easter 6th - 9th April 2012

The traditional Weymouth Hockey Festival is due to take place on the usual Easter weekend at Redlands.
This fantastic event is reaching a massive milestone this year as it is the 50th Year, hard to believe. Many Congratulation to Weymouth Hockey Club the festival has been a credit to the town and brings in more and more teams each year and you will always see them out and about in the evenings over Easter. They have a website where you can find out lots more about the weekend which is not that far away really, and its
on Weymouth Hockey Club Website

BBC South Today Report Poor Bookings for Olympic Weymouth B&B's

In a report tonight on BBC South Today it really confirmed what all the local Bed and Breakfast and small Hotels have been saying for quite some time now. Bookings are Down!  Now they have known this for a while because it is their regulars that have been coming to Weymouth year in year out that have decided because of the Olympics to give this year a miss.  Simon Williams head of the Weymouth & Portland 2012 Operations Group however said on TV that some hotels were doing well out of the Olympics. Well yes of course he is right the large hotels that were involved in the Sail for Gold and more importantly the Olympic Test Event in 2011 are of course full, it obviously helps if the transport is outside waiting to take the competitors to the sailing venue Mr Williams. So I don't think he was not replying in the spirit of the question, it is the smaller hotels and guest houses that are not taking in bookings that they would normally expect.

Now lets take a breath here, because what you might expect is on an Olympic event as massive as this, is that the rooms would all be taken up months ago, and the hotels and guest houses would all be rammed full NOW. But they are not, and for Mr Williams to come out and say that the guest houses should promote their business towards to the 2 or 3 day Olympic visitors is quite honestly outrageous.

Weymouth has taken one hell of a hit, the road works have been terrible and they have not improved the town a lot, by that I mean in many places things are worse.  I am 100% certain bookings were down last year because of the roadworks but hoteliers plugged on because they expected a good return this year. But it has not happened. The local council, and the Olympic Committee have just looked in my opinion and hoped the problem would go away, or at least improve, but it hasn't. I am afraid to say this is a real downer on the Olympics Coming to Weymouth, I am sure it will be fine come July next year and the Hotels and Bed and Breakfast's might well be just about full, BUT the powers that be have very little to hold their heads up high for, because Weymouth hotel wise is not going to come out of this smelling of roses by any means. It is all about getting 4,600 people up onto the Nothe and I am afraid to say, that is not fair on the rest of the town.

Yes I will be cheering Team GB on, and I am sure many others in Weymouth will be as well. Everyone that comes to the town will get a good welcome. BUT there will be a whole load of people be saying thank god that is over. I only hope some of the smaller places are still in business come 2013. We will see how the Nothe goes, that will be interesting. And for the record I hope and pray it goes well.