The Unofficial Weymouth & Portland 2012 Olympic Blog » Uncategorized http://www.2012weymouth.com The wait is nearly over Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:21:25 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2 Weymouth Esplanade Closed for the Olympics (if you live here) http://www.2012weymouth.com/2011/11/weymouth-esplanade-closed-for-the-olympics/ http://www.2012weymouth.com/2011/11/weymouth-esplanade-closed-for-the-olympics/#comments Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:21:25 +0000 admin http://www.2012weymouth.com/?p=147 Plans have been revealed to close the Weymouth esplanade from 10am to 10pm each day during the Olympics unless you are the holder of a so called ‘golden ticket’ allowing access, enforced by ‘hard checkpoints’ (Baghdad anyone?). Since the announcement of Weymouth being an olympic host there was always rumors that something like this would happen and this report by the daily echo confirms yet more chaos will be caused by the Olympics, other measure include:

-no parking infront of weymouth train station
-Swannery car park to be a ‘transport hub’
-Park street to be ‘accessibility hub’ with 60 disabled spaces
-‘golden tickets’ to be handed out to seafront hotel owners, their guests and no doubt anyone competing in the Olympics or connected to it
-official volunteers to escort the estimated 60,000 visitors per day along the ‘last mile’ from the station/transport hub to the seafront and nothe gardens spectating areas.

Did anyone tell them we are hosting just the sailing? I seem to remember the test events passing without any real impact of the town, and that was which half the roundabouts were being dug up to put in our ‘intelligent’ traffic lights

]]> http://www.2012weymouth.com/2011/11/weymouth-esplanade-closed-for-the-olympics/feed/ 0 Weymouth Eye/Tower Progressing Ahead of Schedule http://www.2012weymouth.com/2011/11/weymouth-eyetower-progressing-ahead-of-schedule/ http://www.2012weymouth.com/2011/11/weymouth-eyetower-progressing-ahead-of-schedule/#comments Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:16:47 +0000 admin http://www.2012weymouth.com/?p=144 The Dorset echo has reported that the initial construction work for the new Weymouth Eye attraction has begun.

7 Metre deep foundations for the tower are expected to be started in January, spokesman for Merlin Entertainments (the private company behind the attraction) has commented that the view from the height of the tower (53m) is quite spectacular, allowing views across the Jurassic coast, the sailing area itself and also inland into the Dorset countryside.

The attraction has also been renamed ‘The Weymouth Tower’ so maybe I and everyone else should stop calling it the Weymouth Eye…

]]> http://www.2012weymouth.com/2011/11/weymouth-eyetower-progressing-ahead-of-schedule/feed/ 0 Olympics – One Year To Go! http://www.2012weymouth.com/2011/07/olympics-one-year-to-go/ http://www.2012weymouth.com/2011/07/olympics-one-year-to-go/#comments Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:57:22 +0000 admin http://www.2012weymouth.com/?p=127 In one years time the Olympic games will be kicking off, mainly in London and locally at the Weymouth & Portland Sailing Academy. The official spectating location has also today been confirmed as the Nothe fort area of Weymouth, with presumably some sort of park and ride facility to handle the estimated 4’000 spectators per day in the official ticketed area. If you have tickets don’t for one moment think you will be able to drive to the specator area!

Don’t have tickets for the area? suggest your favourite viewing spots of the Weymouth bay area in the comments below! The best entries that are not trying to promote gambling of sell certain types of medication will be published!

]]> http://www.2012weymouth.com/2011/07/olympics-one-year-to-go/feed/ 0 Weymouth Eye One Step Closer http://www.2012weymouth.com/2011/07/weymouth-eye-one-step-closer/ http://www.2012weymouth.com/2011/07/weymouth-eye-one-step-closer/#comments Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:49:46 +0000 admin http://www.2012weymouth.com/?p=119 The council have approved the lease for the proposed Weymouth-Eye attraction. The originally reported story at the Dorset Echo states it is hoped this new attraction, planned to be ready to go in time for the Olympic sailing events will generate an extra 1 million in income for Weymouth. Although I couldn’t comment on the boost to the economy it would provide (finger in the wind style like the council) theres no doubt it would draw extra tourism into the town to compliment the always great beach, the true jewel in Weymouth’s crown that will always draw people in despite the state of our road network which seems to grow into a bigger farce each day and is no doubt costing everyone invested in tourism throughout the town.

The even better bonus of ‘the eye’ is that us as tax-payers aren’t paying for it, its a private venture by Merlin, the company behind attractions such as the Sea-Life centres and the London Eye.

So in conclusion, big thumbs up from me!

Artists impression of how the Weymouth Eye could look

 

]]> http://www.2012weymouth.com/2011/07/weymouth-eye-one-step-closer/feed/ 0 Upcoming at the WPNSA: Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta http://www.2012weymouth.com/2011/06/upcoming-at-the-wpnsa-skandia-sail-for-gold-regatta/ http://www.2012weymouth.com/2011/06/upcoming-at-the-wpnsa-skandia-sail-for-gold-regatta/#comments Fri, 03 Jun 2011 11:55:55 +0000 admin http://www.2012weymouth.com/?p=116 The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy will from next week (June 6th) be hosting the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta, from their schedule this doesn’t appear to be the official Olympic test event, that is in July it appears.

Some of the World’s highest profile elite sailors and windsurfers as well as Paralympians are already on-site training from the Academy (and I’ve seen lots of them driving round the town/queuing in traffic)
If you want to follow the action the WPNSA has a webcam or you could take a trip down to Portland and visit the site, which is fantastic!

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